Chapter 27 · Maybe I do

He stared at me.

The door buckled again.

"Maybe I do," he said.

The words were quiet. They still managed to hit harder than the blast.

I yanked my hand from his port.

His system shrieked. Jaxon arched against the floor, one hand clawing at the tile.

"You said stay connected," he choked.

"You said you wanted to die."

"That was before you started making decisions for me."

"You don't get to complain about control. You dragged me into this room."

"And I kept Victor's hunters off you for three hours."

"You also planned to sell me."

"I changed the plan."

"When?"

"When you stepped in front of that pulse."

"You stepped in front of it."

"Exactly."

The door split down the center.

Red targeting beams slid through the gap.

Jaxon grabbed the emergency blade from his belt. His movements were slow, but the knife still found his palm like it belonged there.

"Get behind me," he said.

I laughed once. "You can barely sit up."

"I can still kill the first three."

"And the next ten?"

"You handle those."

"You really are a terrible partner."

"We're partners now?"

"Don't get excited.