Star Wars: Rebel Rising(53)

“He was someone Saw worked with once,” Jyn said as they pushed their way through the crowd, going against the flow. “I met him during a…job on Inusagi.”

The bells attached to the poles lining the streets jingled, and Jyn jumped. Their metallic tinkling was nothing like the zing of the flechettes, the scent of the flowers totally different from the sakoola blossoms stained with blood.

She glanced over her shoulder. He was following them.

It’s a coincidence, Jyn told herself. But every nerve in her body was rattled.

She slipped her hand into Hadder’s. He looked down at her, surprised, but Jyn kept her gaze straight ahead. When they passed a cross street, Jyn yanked him into the alley. Hadder started to say something, but Jyn put her finger on his lips, silencing him. She waited.

The crowd from the shift change had thinned out, but Jyn’s focus was razor sharp. A sound of heavy footsteps grew louder. Hadder reached for Jyn, but she shook him off, lunging in front of the man as he rounded the corner by the side street.

“Why are you following me?” she demanded.

“It’s not for your looks, if that’s what you’re worried about, sweetheart,” he sneered.

Jyn decked him so hard his head snapped back. Still dazed, he didn’t struggle as she grabbed him by the collar and spun him against the hard stone wall. “Why are you following me?” she repeated, biting off each word.

The man knocked Jyn’s hands aside and shoved her hard. She stumbled back, and Hadder leapt forward. “Leave her alone!” he shouted. The man actually laughed at Hadder’s show of bravado. When Hadder swung at him, he dodged easily, wrenching Hadder’s arm back and using the boy’s body as leverage as he kneed his stomach. The second Hadder fell to the ground, groaning, the man stepped over him, advancing on Jyn.

She waited.

“Little spitfire, you,” the man said. “Don’t you remember your buddy Berk? Inusagi?”

“I remember,” Jyn said, although she’d never been told the man’s name before.

“Bygones be bygones,” Berk said, turning back toward the main street.

Jyn shifted, blocking his exit. “You never answered my question.”

“I get paid; I do a job. Ain’t no harm to you. Now leave off.”

“Someone’s paying you to spy on me?” Jyn asked, her mind churning. Could it be…her father? Her father, who still worked for the Empire. Maybe he wanted out. Maybe he just wanted to know she was okay. Maybe he actually did care about her.

Berk shoved Jyn’s shoulder, trying to move around her. She grabbed his arm, twisting him back. With a grunt of dismay, Berk forced Jyn around, trying to bodily move her aside, but Jyn was smaller and faster. She used his grip against him, dropping down and sliding a leg out so Berk fell like a stone. His head thunked against the pavement, and Jyn, still holding his arm, yanked back. “You little—” Berk growled, but Jyn didn’t let him finish his sentence. She spun around, landing a knee in his chest so his breath was knocked out of him. In one fluid motion, she slid the knife from her boot and pressed it against his throat.

“Who’s been paying you?” she asked in a low voice, her face centimeters from his, the blade a thin line between them.

“Saw, all right?” Berk spat. “Saw wanted to make sure you landed on your feet after the mess on Tamsye Prime.”

Black spots danced behind Jyn’s eyes. Saw?

Berk used Jyn’s shock to shove her off him.

Saw’s alive, Jyn thought, relief flooding through her. And he sent Berk to find me.

“Where is he?” Jyn asked, reaching for Berk again. He jerked away. “Take me to him!”

“He’s not here ,” Berk sneered.

“When’s he coming for me?”

“Ain’t coming,” he said. “Told me, ‘Don’t let her see you.’ Just wanted to see if you were still alive, I guess? ’Sides, he has a new base now. Better. Bigger crew.”

Not coming, a voice chanted in Jyn’s head. He’s not coming for you. A part of her had known this from the moment he’d told her to hide. Saw’s paranoia had been growing slowly for years, and he had never been more paranoid than when it came to something associated with Galen. As soon as Reece had figured out Jyn’s true identity, there was never any way he’d take her back.

“I’ll tell him you send your regards,” Berk snarled, walking away.

“He left me to die!” Jyn screamed at Berk’s retreating back. “So I’m as good as dead to him. You tell him that !”

“Jyn?” Hadder asked, crawling over to her. “How did you—That was amazing!”

Jyn stared down at the knife in her hands. The one Saw had given to her. She dropped it as if it were covered in acid eating at her skin.

“Jyn?” Hadder asked again.

Saw was alive. And he didn’t want her back.





Jyn wrapped Hadder’s injuries when they got back to the house. It was strange to spread out the medkit on the kitchen table, but that room also had the best light. “This will be sore for a while,” she said, examining the purple-black stain of a knee-sized bruise blossoming on his stomach.

“Yeah,” Hadder groaned. “At least he didn’t kick any lower.”