Chapter 27 · Target Lock

The gunship’s turret swung before the sound even hit.

Muzzle flash blew orange across the windshield. Julian’s palm slammed the back of my neck and drove my forehead down into the steering wheel.

Glass showered my shoulders like gravel.

Sixty tons of steel and armor kicked sideways over black ice. The world spun into blinding white outside my side window.

"Stay down," he rasped against my ear. "Nora—"

"I’m driving." I spat blood against the dash, hauled the wheel hard, and fought the slide. "You wanna argue? Argue from the floor."

I cut a glance at the rearview mirror.

Both kids were wedged between the med crates in the back. Maya had both hands flat over Eli’s chest, bracing him against the shudder. Eli’s pupils were blowing wide, gold bleeding through the dark like a warning flare. Six years old, running a fever that could burn holes in the upholstery.

"Hundred and four," Maya said. Way too steady for a kid in the middle of an ambush. "I’m holding it."

"Good girl. Don't let go."

Another heavy burst ripped through the cab. The roof buckled with an ear-splitting shriek. The stink rushed in instantly—