Chapter 12 · He Didn't Pull It

The video froze on Taren's face. His mouth shaped a name Keira hadn't heard out loud in five years.

She killed the screen. Too late. Way too late.

Rian slumped against the wall behind her, blood running down his wrist. The cut on his palm was deep, glass still glinting in the wound. He'd smashed the door panel to get them into this storage room. His breathing came shallow and fast.

"How bad?" Keira didn't turn around. Her hand hovered over the dead tablet.

"I've had worse." His voice was tight. "You gonna tell me what that was?"

"A problem."

"Yeah. I got that part."

She finally looked at him. His face was gray under the dim emergency lighting. The blood wasn't stopping. She crossed the small room in two steps and grabbed his wrist. He jerked back.

"Don't be stupid." She pulled his hand toward her. "You'll bleed out before anyone finds us."

"Maybe that's the idea."

"Not today." She yanked the med kit off the wall mount. Standard academy issue. Bare minimum supplies. She ripped it open with her teeth.

Rian watched her hands move. Fast. Efficient.