Chapter 11 · Buy His Life with Tomorrow

"Take your thumb off the contract, Selena, or Victor kills you before that timer hits zero." Selena's thumb stopped a breath above the confirmation key.

The pistol stayed pressed under Kane's jaw. Her other hand gripped the edge of his harness, keeping him pinned against the black sync chair while thin blue lines crawled across both their displays.

"You don't give me orders," she said.

"Then call it a warning. You love those."

Her eyes cut toward him. Close enough, he could see the tiny white scar beside her left eyebrow. He remembered that scar. He remembered the same eyes staring through a rifle scope while she ordered his execution.

Not today.

The cockpit shook hard enough to slam his shoulder into the restraints. Somewhere beyond the armored hull, the bastion's defense guns opened fire. The sound came through the frame in ugly, heavy bursts.

A red timer flashed above the main screen.

00:08:41.

Victor's face filled the display again, calm and clean in his white command uniform.

"Commander," he said, "confirm the contract. You have eight minutes before I vent the hangar."

Selena raised her pistol half an inch. "You heard him.