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Finn sprinted with Rose in his arms.

He’d pulled her clear of the seething nanobots at the last second, ripped her mask off. Confirmed her pulse as Ethan had tugged the door closed using the rope they’d tied on before dropping the hatch on them.

The swarm was contained.

But Rose?

His lungs burned as he barreled into the med bay.

“Put her here,” Duke ordered, already pulling on sterile gloves.

Carefully, Finn laid her on the white-draped examination table. He grabbed gloves too and removed her contaminated boots.

Blood matted the hair on the back of her head where she’d slipped and hit herself before he pulled her free.

Duke bent, gently parting her hair to examine the wound while Finn fought to keep still, to let him work. Each touch that made Rose’s head loll lifelessly sent a fresh surge of fear through him .

“She used herself as bait.” His words tasted acrid. “To draw the swarm into the desalination tank.”

Duke’s hands stilled. “She did what?”

Finn nodded and wiped cold sweat from his forehead with his forearm. “Is she?—”

“Let me check her pupils.” Duke pulled out a penlight, gently lifting each eyelid to shine the light. “Equal and reactive, that’s good. The laceration isn’t as deep as all this blood suggests.” He pressed a sterile gauze pad against the wound. “No signs of skull fracture or severe concussion, but we’ll monitor her closely. She’ll need a few stitches, and she’ll have one hell of a headache when she wakes up.”

Finn’s legs gave out, and he sank into a nearby chair, the relief making him lightheaded. She was going to be okay. She’s going to be okay.

“Are you okay?” Duke eyed him.

“Sure. Yes.” Finn pushed back to his feet, sucking in a steadying breath.

“Hold this,” Duke said, guiding Finn’s hand to hold the gauze while he prepared the suture kit.

Finn watched Rose’s chest rise and fall, each breath calming his own racing heart. “God, when I saw all that blood...” His jaw clamped hard.

Duke shot him a glance. “She’s important.”

Finn nodded, seeing the question in Duke’s eyes. That this woman meant something to him. Something more than the mission they’d both been assigned to. “Yes. She is.” She hadn’t flinched when he’d told her about his past, about the prison time. Instead of seeing a violent ex-con, she’d seen him. For the first time in far too long, he wanted a future.

He waited as Duke carefully applied five neat stitches to the back of her head .

“Finn?” Ethan stormed into the med bay, his voice sharp.

Finn turned. “She’s going to be okay.”

Ethan blew out a breath, his gaze sliding to where Duke was working. “She’s got balls. That was one crazy move.”

“The swarm?”

Ethan gave a clipped nod. “Definitely contained.”

“Wha—” Rose stirred.

“Easy there,” Duke said. “Just finishing up some stitches. You took a nasty fall.”

Finn was at her side in an instant, taking hold of her hand. She blinked groggily up at him as he smoothed loose hair from her face. “How are you feeling?”

“Crap.” She winced as Duke snipped thread.

“Well, that’s a common side effect after a dumbass move like you just pulled.” His grip tightened on her hand, the fear of the last hour crystallizing into anger. Seeing her unconscious, blood matting her hair, had torn something loose inside him.

He leaned closer, voice dropping low. “Don’t ever do anything like that again.”

“Did it work?”

He barely suppressed a growl of frustration. “Yes. It worked.”

Her mouth shaped into a wonky smile.

“That doesn’t make what you did okay.” The words came out harder than he intended, but damn it, she needed to understand.

“No.” But her smile deepened.

Duke straightened. “Okay, that’s you patched up. But I want you to take it easy. You’ve had a concussion. Want to sit up?”

“Please. ”

He pressed a button and the upper part of the bed raised.

Finn’s heart clenched at the sight of her skin, tinged faintly gray under the bright light. That had been too close. Far too close. His job was to protect, and he’d failed. He should have anticipated her actions, should have stopped her, taken the risk himself. Never again. “No more theatrics.”

Duke handed her a glass of water.

Rose sipped her drink. “I hear you.” She reached for Finn, tangled her slender fingers in his. “I’m not ready to die yet.”

“Well, isn’t this cozy? Everyone surviving without me?”

Finn twisted. Behind him, Luca waddled in bare feet across the med bay, a blanket pulled around his shoulders. His hair stuck up in all directions, but his color was good.

“Looks like I missed all the fun.” Luca’s eyes fixed on Rose’s bandaged head, pausing a moment too long. “You know, when I nearly died keeping your ass alive earlier, I didn’t mean for you to immediately go find new and creative ways to get yourself killed.” He shuffled closer, trying to look casual as he checked her over. “Nice stitches, though. Very apocalyptic chic.” He squared his shoulders. “So. Anyone squish all the murderous micro-bastards yet, or should I go back to dying quietly?”

Finn suppressed a grin. Yeah, Luca was definitely feeling better.

“Ethan Carter. There has been an evacuation from the Io habitat.” Remy’s composed voice sliced through the room.

“Evacuation?” Rose jerked off her pillow. Finn fought the urge to push her back down on the bed.

“That is correct. Dr. Thea Wyndham has evacuated the habitat. ”

“What?” Ethan’s voice sharpened. “Remy, explain. Liev locked the repaired shuttle down tight before we trapped the swarm, just to be safe.”

“Dr. Thea Wyndham took scuba gear and evacuated through the moon pool thirty minutes ago.”

“While we were trapping the swarm.” Finn met Ethan’s gaze, understanding passing between them.

When he turned, he caught the dismay on Rose’s face. She hadn’t said it aloud, but he knew she’d hoped this mission might repair things with Thea.

“We’ll find her, Rose. Remy, do you have visuals from the exterior cameras?”

“Preparing visuals, Finn Jones. Displaying on the primary monitor now.”

A large screen on the far wall flickered to life. Static churned before resolving into an image. Thea swimming with a tow line trailing behind her, hauling some kind of kit. The looming shadow of the Io filled the backdrop.

Finn rose quickly from Rose’s bed and crossed to the screen for a closer look. “She’s circling the Io, not moving away from us.”

“That is correct, Finn Jones,” Remy confirmed.

Ethan moved to join him, scowling. “She’s up to something,” he muttered. “Should’ve locked her down tight.”

Onscreen, Thea’s gloved fingers trailed along the sleek glass and metal of the Io’s hull. She slowed, pulled the tow line toward her, and removed a small box. With deliberate precision, she fixed it to the Io’s hull.

Finn’s gut contorted. “Remy, zoom in. What the hell is she doing?”

“Adjusting image parameters,” Remy answered. The camera zoomed, sharpening on Thea.

“What’s she doing out there?” A small voice asked .

Finn glanced over his shoulder. Rose had swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her hair messy, face pale. She looked so fucking fragile it made his heart clench. He didn’t want to say it. Didn’t want to tell her that her sister was out there, knowing Rose was inside, and yet still?—

“Planting a fucking bomb,” Luca announced.