There was a soft click and she knew he’d just put his mask back on.
“Ready, ta’ii?” His voice found her in the darkness.
“I think so.”
“Follow me.”
She heard him move and she reached her hand forward to help guide her way.
A firm hand grasped hers and she almost pulled back before she realized it was his.
“Let’s go. We have to be quiet. I don’t know how many of them are still walking around, but we should be able to make it to the upper deck and the loading bay undetected.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
The cold was already biting at her now that she wasn’t curled up in his arms and she realized just how much he’d helped her by keeping her warm.
He squeezed her hand lightly before he began moving through the dark tunnel.
Nia closed her eyes and put her complete trust in him as he led them forward.
She wasn’t in a little dark tunnel.
She was simply walking in a big open space.
She repeated that to herself as he led her forward. Over and over, she repeated the words, and when she felt him squeeze her hand again, the reassurance added some strength to her will.
His hand felt strong and sure and before long, he stopped moving.
Ka’Cit lifted her hand and shortly after, the cold metal of the ladder was underneath her fingertips.
“I’ll go first,” he whispered.
Nia nodded before she realized he probably couldn’t see that she’d responded…or maybe he could. She wasn’t sure.
The ladder jerked a little as he climbed up and soon she heard the slight sound of the floor covering sliding back.
“Come on up.” His whisper was urgent. “It’s clear.”
Her heart hammered in her chest as she grabbed each side of the ladder and began making her way up, eyes still closed.
The higher she climbed the harder it was for her to breathe and relief swept through her when she felt his hand close over hers again.
Ka’Cit grasped her and helped her from the hole and that’s when she finally opened her eyes.
It was dark in the corridor. Only a dim strip of light ran along the floor.
Nia’s gaze darted around and she was mildly aware that Ka’Cit was replacing the flooring as quietly as he could.
When he stood, she did too.
“This way.” He was already moving and Nia followed so close behind him that she was almost plastered against his back.
She couldn’t help but glance behind her every now and then.
It was eerily quiet.
Maybe they would get off this ship without any problems at all.
Right?
“Wait,” Ka’Cit whispered and stopped so suddenly that she did plaster against him.
It sounded like he was feeling against the wall for something and in the dim light she could barely make out what.
There was an almost inaudible sound before part of the wall before him opened.
“Well, well, well…” There was that amusement in his voice again and it made her peek around him to see what he was looking at.
Nia’s eyes widened a little.
Guns.
Even in the darkness, the sleek metal seemed to glisten.
Ka’Cit ran his hand over a few before grasping one and pulling it from its spot in the wall.
“How did you even know that was there…” She glanced up at him. “You know what? Never mind.”
Reaching forward, she pulled one of the guns from the rack, noting the sound of surprise he made in his throat.
Well, she wasn’t going to pass up a weapon when a whole rack was right in front of her.
As she gripped the weapon, she glanced behind her and then in front of them.
Her heart felt like it was in her throat and all she wanted to do was to get the hell off this ship.
Ka’Cit closed the panel and she was aware he was eyeing her and the gun she held. The weapon felt heavy in her hands and she ran her fingers over it.
It was huge. It wasn’t like any gun she’d ever held in her hands before and she’d held a lot. Her father had brought her to the shooting range almost every week. It was always a competition to see who could hit the most targets with one hundred percent accuracy.
It was their thing. At least, it had been.
It felt like ages since she’d last held a gun and she clutched it tightly as Ka’Cit began moving down the corridor once more.
She was inching along the wall following behind him in the dim light and now that her eyes had adjusted completely, she noted something. Ka’Cit looked relaxed, almost as if they weren’t in the midst of danger, but something about the way he moved told her that he was incredibly alert.
It was almost like a cat walking before her.
Calm, measured steps. He was completely silent, but every muscle in his body was ready to react at a moment’s notice.
Every sound, every movement, he was aware of.
In just the few hours that she’d stayed with him in the nook, he hadn’t been like this.
Now there was a deadly calm about him, reminding her that he was, truly, still a man she did not know.
He stopped walking suddenly and she almost bumped into him. They were near the end of the corridor now and her gaze darted in front and then behind them. What was it? Did he see something?
But she couldn’t see anyone.
“The cargo bay is up ahead.” He spoke over his shoulder so she could hear him. “But there’s a problem…”
Nia gulped.
There had to be a problem. Of course, there was. No way it was going to be this easy to escape.
“They know we’re here.”
Her eyes darted down the corridor again.
“How do you know?” Her whisper barely passed through her lips before the lights of the ship came on in full force.
For a moment, Nia was blinded and she felt her body being thrown backward as Ka’Cit shouted something she did not hear.
He gripped her to him as they landed on the floor, twisting just enough so his whole left side got the brunt of the impact before he
