“This way!” he screamed, all hope of stealth now gone. He dashed down the corridor, turning toward the shuttle bay. The guards writhed and moaned but didn’t seem to care that their quarry was escaping.
Ardin motioned for Lilac and Lang to move ahead. Lang’s features were drawn, but at least he was quiet as he leaned heavily on the girl. Ardin looked back at the two guards, his gun raised. He hissed as he heard their voices calling for backup, but could not bring himself to kill them in cold blood. Besides, all hopes of a clean escape were long gone, whether those two lived or died.
“Faster!” Ardin called as he joined the other two, pulling out his comm device and sending a pre-set message. He stashed it again seconds before Lilac screamed in warning and threw herself down, dragging Lang with her. Bullets whizzed past where they had stood just moments before. Ardin crouched and returned fire, grabbing Lang by the belt and pulling him behind a low-set wall.
Lilac ducked behind a nearby column, and Ardin wished he had a gun to give her. She had carried Lang this far without complaints despite her injuries, instilling Ardin with some trust in her. He checked his weapon and cursed. Although guards on Collar were entitled to more than the one bullet citizens were allowed, there still weren’t enough bullets to get them away safely.
“Come out and you won’t be harmed.”
Ardin and Lilac exchanged a sceptical look. Behind them, Ardin knew, the shuttle bay loomed, but all he could do was duck as more bullets flew overhead.
He cursed and waited.
CHAPTER 7
Layela’s cheek was growing numb from the cold concrete column. Ardin and Lang were not far, hiding behind a low wall, merely feet away from the shuttle landing bay.
“Come out and you won’t be harmed,” one of the guards screamed again. Ardin responded with a quick shot, followed by the sounds of ripping flesh and a scream.
He reloaded his gun for the third time. Layela doubted he had many more rounds left. A bullet struck the side of the column, sending small shards of concrete and dust flying on her. Still, this was better than energy weapons and she was grateful for Collar’s strict laws against them, which even the prison guards seemed to follow.
“The offer stands,” another guard repeated with a shaking voice.
He must be cursing his fate as second-in-command today, she thought, allowing herself a brief smile.
“Come out in the open and offer me that again!” Ardin screamed over the wall, but Layela noticed that he was saving his shots. Not a good sign.
This is insane! We’re just steps away from freedom! Assuming that Ardin had a shuttle waiting for them, of course, and hadn’t just been planning on strolling out the front door. She wished she knew more about their great escape plan. Bullets flew again, an entire volley. Layela was just beginning to wish that she had parted company with them when a bright light forced her to look down and squeeze her eyes shut.
The roar of engines thundered and echoed off every wall, and a large blast struck the guards, the heat smashing into Layela despite the column’s protection. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Stay close!” Ardin screamed in her ear as he ran, dragging Lang behind him. Layela ran after them, easily stepping over the fallen guards.
A shuttle was halfway in the building, flashing its brightest space lights. Layela’s eyes stung and she stumbled. She felt Ardin by her side again, grabbing her upper arm and dragging her to the shuttle’s side door.
“Go, Avienne, go!” Ardin shouted as he slid the door shut.
“Blood and bones, Ardin! I was starting to have fun!” the pilot swore as she flew the shuttle out, shutting its lights off and flying fast and low to the ground, making them impossible to detect by radar.
Layela was impressed by the woman’s flying skills, narrowly avoiding buildings and other shuttles. Not to mention people.
“Slow down, Avienne,” Ardin said as he took the navigator’s seat beside her. “You’re going to get us killed.”
“Who just rescued who? And you’re welcome, by the way.”
“You were probably just about to get yourself in trouble, anyway.”
Avienne replied with a simple grin and slowed down. Lang moaned and Layela helped him onto one of the two backseats — practical in their smaller size, they were still padded and comfortable.
“Where are we going?” Layela asked as calmly as possible.
“Oh, we have a stowaway!” Avienne said cheerfully, turning around to get a look at the passenger. Laughter seemed to fill the beautiful redhead from head to toe. It danced in her wide brown eyes, it played at the corner of her perfect lips and it flashed in her immaculate white teeth. Layela couldn’t help but smile as she introduced herself, although she felt slightly intimidated by the woman’s beauty. She herself was still dirty, blood-covered, and swollen, and not a pretty sight to behold, she was certain.
“Lilac,” she said with ease.
“Avienne.” The woman furrowed her brow. “Looks like you ran into a bit of trouble.”
Layela shrugged. These strangers were allies for now, due to circumstances, but she still needed to be cautious. She was fairly certain there would be a reward on her head, and as much as she wanted to believe that Ardin with his kind eyes would not trade her in, she couldn’t afford to take that chance.
Instead she asked, “Do you know of a ship that can take me off this planet?” As she spoke, she looked for a pin to remove the remaining cuff, only to discover she had lost them all. The metal was irritating her left wrist, the skin raw and cut underneath it.
Ardin and Avienne exchanged a look, Ardin shaking his head and Avienne shrugging. “You got any money?” she asked, looking back.
Layela’s face grew hot. “What I had is still in that
