The air caught in her lungs like a cat with claws. The lake wasn’t the biggest problem. The problem was where the lake was flowing.

  To a giant ultraviolet treatment system.

  That incinerated everything that passed through it.

  Zayn and Ria landed with a thick splash.

  ***

  “I’ve got you.” Zayn grabbed Ria’s arm and yanked her upward.

  He held her tight with one arm and wiped his other hand over his face. Thank the fuck this sewage hadn’t been treated yet. It smelled bad but it didn’t have the chemical burn of the earlier green stuff.

  Ria gripped him, their legs tangling. She looked to where the current was dragging them.

  Straight into the bowels of Hell.

  Zayn saw the ultraviolet lasers arcing through the sludge. They were set in a large arch, sweeping back and forth.

  “Suggestions?” She pushed her sewage-drenched hair back with a grimace.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.” He liked that she didn’t panic. She’d make a fabulous pilot. Nerves of steel.

  “This isn’t on the map. It must be new.” She glanced up. “Look! There’s a platform to the right of the laser ring.”

  He spotted it. Guessed it was probably used for maintenance. “Swim that way.”

  Their hands still linked, they both kicked. They were making progress but the pull of the water flow was still stronger.

  Shit. They weren’t going to make it.

  He wasn’t going to die and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Ria die either. He kicked harder.

  They neared the platform but Zayn was too far away to reach it. Ria lunged outward. He saw her fingertips graze it and then grip on.

  She grimaced. “I don’t have a good grip.”

  He had to let go. Without his weight, she had a chance to save herself. He let go of her hand.

  “No, damn you!” She followed with a string of curses and clamped her legs around his waist, holding him tight.

  “Ria! You can’t pull both of us in. Let me go.”

  “No.”

  “I won’t be responsible for your death.” He couldn’t live with it. Not again.

  “And I told you, I’m no assassin. I don’t like to kill.” She strained, trying to pull them closer.

  Feeling helpless, Zayn kicked his feet in an attempt to help.

  Incredibly, Ria managed to grasp the platform with her second hand and pull them close. Zayn gripped the rail, his chest heaving, then pulled himself up and yanked her up after him.

  She sprawled on the ground, holding on to her left arm and panting.

  “You are a stubborn idiot,” he shouted.

  Green eyes flashed. “Right back at you, Phoenix.”

  He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. His shoulders sagged. “Are you okay?”

  “Shoulder’s tender, but I’m fine.”

  “Well, unless you want to spend a bit more time swimming in shit, how about we get out of here?”

  She let him help her to her feet. “Sounds like a decent plan.”

  Zayn cupped her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment before he turned. They followed the platform to a set of stairs, their self-clean suits spotless by the time they reached the hatch at the top. Zayn twisted the lock and it opened easily.

  Zayn popped his head through. “Some sort of storage shed.” He glanced past the stacks of boxes and crates to the small window. “We’re on the landing pads. Let’s go.”

  Seconds later they were moving out, headed toward the doorway, when an explosion rocked them. Close, too close. Zayn stumbled and Ria was flung into the wall.

  “Shit.” Zayn flexed his hands. “They had better not hurt my damn ship.”

  They exited the storage shed. They were two pads over from where they’d parked the Infinitas. Two figures were sprinting from the main building toward the ship, followed by a group of armed Tekton.

  Eos had lost her sarim and was wearing the corset top and black, body-hugging leggings she’d worn beneath it. She was firing a laser pistol. Dathan was running behind her, a gun in either hand, firing random shots over his shoulder.

  “Go,” Zayn yelled.

  He and Ria sprinted. Zayn’s brain whirled as he calculated. Go help Dath or get to the ship? He took in all the options. On the ship, he could activate the weapons systems. Speaking of which, why the hell wasn’t Nik or BEll doing that?

  As Zayn ran, a spray of laser fire scorched the ground near their feet. Ria pulled out her weapon and aimed at the second group of guards moving in from behind them.

  Another round of weapon fire hit. It moved past Zayn, closer to Ria. He acted on instinct and dived for her. He felt a burn on his shoulder, then they hit the ground hard enough to rattle bones.

  Ria was stunned for a second. Zayn glanced back. The guards were advancing, their weapons raised. For a second, he wished for a gun. As though she read his thoughts, Ria pushed hers at him.

  “Shoot them.”

  He shook his head. Couldn’t make his hand move.

  “By the dagger, shoot them, or we die!”

  His gaze went to the gun, then back to her eyes. To his past. He remained frozen, unable to move.

  Cursing, Ria struggled under him. She gripped the gun, aimed past him and pulled the trigger. It was an awkward shot but the guards still scattered for cover.

  The action snapped Zayn out of his freeze. He jumped up, pulling her with him and they were running again. The shadowed hulk of the Infinitas loomed above them.

  Zayn raced to the main door and pressed his palm to the door control. The door hissed open and he pushed Ria through the entry ahead of him. The door closed behind them.

  Inside, it was eerily quiet.

  Ria tensed and brought her gun up. “You really need to carry a weapon. You’re going to get yourself or one of the others killed because of your squeamishness.”

  “You can’t take a bullet or a laser blast back,” he snapped. “BEll?”

  The computer bleeped and followed with a garbled voice.

  “Where the hell is Nik?” Zayn muttered, fear working through him.

  “There!”

  They raced to the figure slumped over in the pilot’s seat. “Nik. Nik!” Zayn lifted his brother’s head. There was no blood, no visible injury. Zayn pressed his fingers to his brother’s throat. A strong pulse. Thank God. Zayn tapped the console and the screen flared to life.

  “About bloody time.” BEll’s very irritated voice filled the cockpit. “They set off a plasma pulse. It knocked Nik out and scrambled my sensors for a bit.”

  “Okay, well I think Dath and Eos would appreciate some help.”

  The Infinitas’ weapons flared to life. Laser fire sprayed the ground in front of the advancing guards, sending them diving for cover. Eos and Dathan managed to reach to the ship and seconds later were boarding.

  Eos was breathless. “I don’t think I’m getting that palace.”

  “Everyone strap the hell in.” Zayn maneuvered Nik to another seat with Ria’s help.

  “I’ll strap him in.” She held Nik’s head back but her gaze was on Zayn. “You get us out of here.”

  He nodded and seconds later, they lifted off.

  ***

  As soon at the Infinitas broke orbit, Ria wrenched off her harness.

  In her mind, she kept reliving that moment on the landing pad, watching the Tekton bearing down on them. Zayn Phoenix wasn’t a coward but he’d almost gotten both of them killed.

  Eos and Dathan were maneuvering Nik’s unconscious body off the bridge. “We’ll get sleeping beauty here to a bed. Check him over.” Dathan grunted under his brother’s weight. “Hope to hell you two got the plans.”

  Ria nodded and touched the bag at her waist. After they’d left, she moved up beside the pilot’s chair. Blood oozed from the wound on Zayn’s shoulder. “Put the ship on autopilot and get up. You need your injury looked at.”

  He stared straight ahead. “Can’t. We aren’t clear of the asteroid field yet.”

  Her jaw clenched. “Fine. I’ll heal you here.” She stomped back to the medical alcove and snatched up the medscope.

  When she got back, she yanked at his shirt buttons until she bared his chest.

  “Hey.”

  “Shut up.” She gave the smooth muscles a quick—and damn it, admiring—glance before focusing on the ugly wound. She probed around it with a finger, hard enough to make him notice.

  “Damn.” He scowled at her. “Lucky you didn’t take up a career in medicine.”

  “Just shut up.” She snapped on the medscope. “You’re lucky you didn’t die back there. You should have fired the gun.”

  “I told you, I don’t use guns. End of the fucking story. What’s your problem?”

  She clicked the medscope off, even though his wound wasn’t finished healing yet. She shoved her hands on her hips. “It’s not your fault she died. It’s the Guild’s. You not firing a weapon just tells me you’re still fucked up about it. You’re letting the Guild win and will probably get yourself killed in the process.” She turned the scope on again.

  Zayn cocked his head. “Why are you so angry?”

  “Because it could have gotten me killed.” And you, you stupid idiot.

  “And that stunt you pulled at the treatment plant? Risking yourself instead of letting me go. Is that any different?”

  She looked away from his penetrating gaze and turned off the scope. “All finished. Not even a scar.” Just smooth, warm flesh.

  He gripped her hand. “Thank you. For saving me. Twice. And healing me.”

  His fingers were warm on hers and, unable to stop herself, she let her fingers twine with his. “You’re welcome.” She shrugged a shoulder. “We made a pretty good team down there.”

  “Yeah, we did.” His fingers stroked over the skin of her wrist.

  “In the Guild, we’re taught not to care for each other. That we should sacrifice another assassin if it means completing the mission.”

  “That’s a crappy way to run a team.”

  She shook her head. “Assassins operate solo, not as a team. We rarely work together and when we do…they tell us not to feel. They tell us we’re already dead. Just a weapon of the Guild.”

  “You don’t belong there and we’re going to get you out.”

  Now she looked at his face, at his eyes. Those fascinating, wild, bright blue eyes that she’d seen in her dreams for so long. She felt the air around them still and her breath caught in her chest. He tugged her closer and with a final pull, overbalanced her into his lap.

  Her mouth went dry. “I thought you had to concentrate on the asteroids?”

  “We cleared the field about thirty seconds ago.”

  She swallowed. She’d never been held on someone’s lap before. He was hard and firm beneath her. He tipped her face up with one finger under her chin.

  “I’d have you on my team any day, Ria.”

  A warmth spread in her chest. She’d been a member of the Guild all her life but had never truly felt any sense of belonging. Those quiet words from this man were enough to make her feel like she was a part of something.

  His gaze dropped to her lips and her stomach knotted. Did she want this? Did he see her or Vik?

  Ria decided not to think too hard about it. She was going to take what she wanted. She closed the infinitesimal distance, her hands sliding into his hair. After what felt like an eternity, his mouth fused with hers.

  God. Ria froze for a second, the taste of him flooding her senses. Then they were both moving closer, devouring each other. His tongue met hers and she urged him closer. She wanted more.

  She shifted in his lap and felt the hard press of his erection against her hip.

  “You taste good,” he murmured against her lips. One of his hands had slid down over her hip and was toying with the waistband of her trousers. “I’ve wondered for a long time how you’d taste.”

  Ria froze. “You’ve only known me one day.”

  He blinked. “I…ah…”

  He didn’t need to say anything else. She pushed to her feet and straightened her shirt. “I’m not her. I’m not going to be some poor substitute for your dead obsession.”

  His jaw clenched hard, a muscle ticking. “That’s not…I don’t…fuck!” He shoved a hand through his hair.

  It was all she needed to hear. She needed this man’s help, nothing else. The guy was stuck in the past and had nothing to offer except his skills in helping her snatch the derringer and gain her freedom.

  She needed to make she sure remembered that. But as she turned and walked out of the cockpit, her insides felt fractured.

  Chapter Seven

  “I think this’ll be the best point for infiltration.”

  “I don’t think so, Dath. Check out this spot on the southern wall.”

  Zayn watched his brothers argue and debate. They were all leaning over the Assassin Guild plans—newly scanned off the plas-sheet stolen from the Tekton—on the holo-table. Eos and Ria stood on the other side, talking quietly between themselves.

  Zayn found his gaze returning to Ria. She’d pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail and was wearing dark leather pants with a loose white shirt. She looked different without the body armor. Softer. Friendlier.

  Not that she was sending him any friendly vibes. All he was getting now was either the occasional blank stare or a glare.

  Not that he didn’t deserve it.

  He’d replayed their kiss in the cockpit…oh, maybe a hundred times. When he’d kissed her, he’d known he was kissing Ria. The woman he’d just finished surviving a dangerous mission with.

  But he couldn’t lie. Some part of him had thought of Vik.

  Ria looked the same, sounded the same and sometimes used the same mannerisms. But Viktoria had been a stickler for the rules, always living for the mission. Ria was more relaxed, more flexible. Vik would never have stolen anything, even if it was the right thing to do.

  He frowned. It had been one aspect of Vik he hadn’t liked. She refused to question their orders, even when she’d known they hadn’t been right. She’d told him good Strike Wing pilots followed orders. Yet, Zayn had always known a good pilot didn’t just follow the rules of flying. It took guts, and some risks, to be truly exceptional. Vik had never understood that.

  His brothers’ arguing brought Zayn back to the present. He forced himself to focus on the blueprints of the Guild Headquarters. “Whatever way we get in, there will be far too many highly trained killers inside.”

  Ria tapped her fingers against the table. “What are you saying? That it’s too hard for you? You want to quit?”

  “No.” He watched her steadily. “I’m saying we need to lure them out.”

  “Excellent idea,” Eos said. “Empty the place and we increase our odds.”

  Dathan crossed his arms over his chest. “What would entice them out? What’s the perfect bait for an assassin?”

  All eyes went to Ria.

  “A big target. Or a failed target. Someone they’ve been after for a long time.”

  Zayn leaned his elbows on the table. “And who would that be?”

  Ria’s gaze turned inward. “I can only think of one. Lastite Lala.”

  Zayn shared looks with their brothers, who both shrugged. “Lastite? As in the highly volatile explosive?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who is Lastite Lala?” Zayn asked.

  “She’s a crazy bomb maker. Notorious for making the absolute best explosives on the black market. Her goods have been responsible for a lot of death and destruction.”

  “She likes lastite, I take it?” Zayn asked.

  “It’s one of her favorite explosives. Rather disturbing to think of a fifteen-year-old who loves to play with the galaxy’s most dangerous explosive.”

  “A fifteen-year-old notorious bomb maker?” Eos’ eyes were wide.

  “Yep. And crazy. Don’t forget that,” Ria added.

  “Where do we find her?” Dathan asked.

  Ria winced. “I have no idea. The Guild has never been able to track her down.”

  “Can we approach as buyers again?” Eos suggested.

  “Maybe,” Zayn mused. “But I don’t like the idea of going in completely blind. Nik, can you and BEll run some searches, see if you can find any info on this Lala?”

  “On it,” BEll said as Nik nodded.

  “Think Eos and I will head down to Souk and see Sel,” Dathan said.

  Selesos ran a store on the market world selling electronics—and weapons—of all kinds. He might know something.

  “And me?” Ria asked.

  “You and I will keep going over these blueprints. Identify the primary way in and a Plan B.”

  She didn’t look too happy about his answer. “Fine.”

  The team scattered. Zayn and Ria worked on the plans until Zayn found his eyes were blurring.

  “If we can create a diversion, I think we come in here.” He pointed to an air duct.

  “They have security on all the services.” She raised a brow. “They protect all the same weak points they use to infiltrate other people’s bases.”

  Her snarky, cold tone was starting to grate on him. “So what do you suggest?”

  She chewed on her lip for a second. “I suggest we use the front door.”

  “What?” he asked, incredulous.

  “Do what they won’t expect. If we can find Lastite Lala and use her to draw most of the assassins out, they’ll be in a bit of disarray. I sneak in, dressed as an assassin, and find the derringer.”

  “We sneak in.”

  She shook her head. “They’ll pick you out as a flyboy from a mile away.”

  “I can blend and I can dress up.”

  “Fine. It all depends if we find Lala or not.” Ria stretched her shoulders.

  Zayn realized his muscles were tight as well. “Dathan and Eos won’t be back for another hour or so. Why don’t we take a break? I can get you something to eat.”

  She shook her head. “I saw your gym downstairs. Think I’ll go and work out for a bit.” She swept out without a second glance.