Chapter 23 · Kill Switch

"Take the shot now, Vera, or the pod takes your brother with it."

Kane shoved the rifle into my hands and locked his palm over mine.

The weapon kicked against my shoulder. A red targeting box snapped around the guard captain's head on the far side of the loading bay. Between us, three hundred feet of broken machinery burned blue-white. Sparks rained from the ceiling. The captain kept moving, dragging one of his own men in front of him like a shield.

The pod timer above my brother's cryo capsule blinked 00:02.

"You said I had ten seconds."

"I lied."

"I noticed."

"Then stop complaining and aim."

Kane's chest pressed against my back as he leaned over me. Heat cut through the cold metal of my jacket. His breath scraped my ear, sharp with smoke and engine oil. One hand controlled the rifle. The other was clamped around my waist because the deck kept bucking beneath us.

I hated that I needed him to keep me standing.

I hated more that my body knew exactly where he was.

"Move your hand," I snapped.

"Miss, and your brother dies."

"Keep touching me and you die first."

"Cute."

"I'm serious.