Page 79 of The Last True Hero

Which meant Mia was out there on her own, and he could barely tolerate it.

Other wargs shuffled in cages nearby, watching with beady eyes. Some looked beaten down, resigned to their fates. Others simply looked hungry.

"I don't really," Colton said quietly.

"What?"

"Wish you dead."

Adam looked at him for the first time. "All of this happened to mebecause of you."

"Partly. I know. But Cane's dead now. I'm free, and all I ever really wanted was to vanish. You just couldn't let that happen." Colton sighed. "What are you really doing here? You seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see you."

"Ran across a town the reivers just hit," he snapped. "I was trying to rescue some of their people. They brought them here."

Colton's dark lashes shuttered his eyes. "You smell like a woman. Intimately."

He lost it, stopping just in front of the cage, his hands shaking as if he wanted to reach through and slam Colton up against the bars. "She's got nothing to do with you, so keep your filthy mouth shut."

Colton cocked his head. "I would. But there's someone coming."

What? He heard it then. Footsteps in the hallway outside.

The cell door unlocked, and Adam pointed his pistol directly at the door. Rykker had been gone for ten minutes, and Adam had no idea when—or if—he was coming back. Sweat dripped down his spine. He just hoped Jake got Mia out of there before Rykker found her.

The door opened, and Jake burst through.

Adam pointed the pistol at the ceiling, letting out a relieved breath. His eyes sought Mia and found her, shoving Zarina Cypher through the door with her shotgun digging into Zarina's back.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Are you guys crazy?" Vex would obliterate them if she realized they'd kidnapped her daughter.

"It's complicated," Mia said, handing her shotgun to Ellie and then throwing herself into his arms. "Aren't you glad to see us?"

He allowed himself the briefest moment to hug her back.More than you could ever know."Rykker locked me in here, then went to pay you a visit," he said gruffly. "I didn't know what was happening to you. It's been killing me."

"When he gets there and finds we're gone, he's going to be suspicious," Jake said.

Right. They needed to move, and now.

"Everyone's gearing up for the war games out in the streets," Jake said. "There's a big crowd out there, starting to drink. Which means this is the worst place to get caught, because there'll be reiver attendants in here shortly, getting the wargs ready for the games."

"Let's do this—"

Zarina took that moment to smash an elbow into Ellie's face, knocking the shotgun from her hands. It all happened so quickly, and Adam shoved Bethany out of the way as Zarina smashed a roundhouse kick into Jake's head.

Jake went down, then Zarina spun on Adam, darting under his outstretched arm and aiming a punch to his ribs.

Adam blocked the blow, and used her own force to spin her under his arm, and slam her face-first into the wall. Twisting her arm up under her shoulder blade, he applied just enough pressure to keep her there.

"McClain!" Mia gasped.

"Got her."

There was a split second where he thought it was done, and then Zarina pushed away from the wall just enough to twist back under her own arm, driving a roundhouse kick straight toward his face. His ears rang as her heel connected with his jaw.

Maybe he hadn't applied enough pressure? He hadn't wanted to hurt her.

Metal clicked, as someone removed the safety on their gun. "Don't move," Mia said, in a cold hard voice, and as he blinked and looked up, he realized she was pointing her pistol straight at Zarina's face.