Page 24

Santiago glanced at him with a raised brow. ‘You OK, brother?’

‘I’m fine,’ Xander growled. ‘Miral, please order me a new office when you can.’

‘Thefokk?’ Santi murmured, his lips curving until hisjefeshot him a warning glare.

The CO’s gaze sliced to the screen, where the Corvette, banked in a complex arc, rolled under fire, venting heat, but still pulled a flawless kill loop.

If Savvine was in the pilot’s chair, she was steady, hella tactical, and a quick thinker.

He grunted, his entire frame charged and thrumming, his hands scarred and inked, tightening over the edge of the command rail.

He remembered the missile.

The impossible velocity, the warhead screaming with death.

And her, locked in its path, eyes expanded behind the plexiglass, bracing for the end.

He’d not put any thought into his rescue.

His move to come to her aid had been pure instinct.

He’d just moved as if drawn to her like she was some interstellar siren.

Through airless void, onto her racer, the scream of kinetic fire flooding his bones.

He’d vaulted and plucked the warhead from its trajectory, hissing at its thrusters’ burn, then tossed the weapon back like a spear.For her.

Even now, her fierce, beautiful face haunted him, those sensual, lash-ringed eyes etched in his mind.

‘Let’s maintain a close watch on her,’ he rasped, rough and grating.

Santi arched a brow, sensing the shift. ‘You volunteering?’

Xander’s jaw flexed.

‘Perhaps. She’s too good to ignore,’ he grated. ‘Hella effective. She could be the Bianchi ally we work with to counter the Lombardis’ little revolution. Also a freakin’ lethal enemy if we get on her wrong side, so I need to know everyfokkin’ thing about her. I want to be across the nodes she’s touched, all corridors she patrols, each crew member in her circle. I want to know if she’s making enemies before they do.’

He glanced toward Miral. ‘Feed me everything. Upload the Bianchi files to my private node. Strip any shadow tags. I don’t want Eugene catching wind that we’re sniffing around his perimeter.’

Miral tilted her head, the glyphs on her face rearranging to form a smile. ‘Already done. You’re ten minutes behind, Captain.’

Xander rolled his eyes. ‘Of course I am. Still, I need all the intel I can get. I predict we will rendezvous with theVenantia Eternasoon, in some manner or the other.’

‘To kiss Eugene’s ring?’ she asked, arching one delicate brow.

‘Nada,’ Xander said, stepping toward the interface with grim intent. ‘To break it.’

Santi leaned in, raising his cup to her. ‘You want somekahawa, beautiful code queen?’

Miral sniffed. ‘Caffeine dulls my processing.’

Xander smirked and stood.

Miral gave a wry smile, glyphs glimmering like starlight. ‘Already decrypting their command logs.’

As the holo collapsed and Miral disappeared, Santi reclined against the console with a lopsided grin. ‘So saving that pilot beforehand, what was that? Reflex?’

‘Fokkoff,’ he growled, unable to explain the indecipherable.