Chapter 57 Nex
“What the fuck is happening?” Sirena hissed as we sprinted down the corridor, Kelly’s head tucked under her arm like a football.
“We need to get off this ship. Now.”
I was already leading us toward the nearest lifeboat bay—two decks down, aft side—one of the few routes that I hadn’t just watched explode in a plume of smoke.
We turned the last corner and stopped cold.
Three soldiers stood waiting, weapons raised—aimed only at me.
The hallway smelled of gun oil and blood.
Sirena froze beside me.
I didn’t need her to say it. I already knew.
She couldn’t touch their minds.
“Go-go-go!” Kelly shouted, and Sirena pushed me back—making sure I was in front and she was running behind.
She raced down two flights of stairs, and then she pushed Kelly’s head out around the corner—where he promptly took a round.
“Goddamn that fucking hurt!” Kelly cursed as she yanked him back. “There’s five incoming!”
“Lower!” Sirena pleaded, pushing me toward the stairs—where more men in the same insignia-less combat uniforms were running up.
Sirena pushed me against the wall and plastered herself in front of me, while one of the men called us in on his comms.
“Sirena—go,” I hissed. “Take Kelly. Run away.”
“No,” she panted. “I’m not leaving.”
“I’ll slow them down. You’ll be faster without me—”
“I said no.”
Her voice was sharp enough to cut steel, and I could feel her bracing herself for something—a final stand. I couldn’t let that happen. I reached for her wrist.
“You know he still wants you alive,” I said quickly. “You’re leverage. I’m just—”
“Disposable?” came a new voice, slick and smug, echoing off the metal walls.
Voss.
He stepped in behind the soldiers, calm as ever, hands tucked behind his back like this was a press conference instead of a siege. His shirt was open at the collar now, spotted with ash.
“What’d she promise you, Marek? Her powers if you kept her safe? Was it before or after you came on her face?”
“Don’t hurt him!” Sirena shrieked.
“I needed them to go,” he said, pointing up to the deck where the buyers had been.
“Each of them was trying to replicate my dolls—to reverse engineer your MIHR protocol. I expected that from them—it happens any time your product is too good. You, however . . . I knew you were a traitor from the moment you got your implants installed. And then when you wanted her—did you think I wouldn’t put two and two together? ”
I had no idea what the actual Marek had thought.
“Still, I went along with it. Almost respected you—trying to pull off something that big under my nose. But you’re a remora, Marek. You latch onto bigger sharks. And now you think she’s stronger than me.” A pause. A smirk. “Plus, you know—pussy.”
“What do you want?” Sirena asked, her voice lower and more dangerous.
“Sirena—don’t,” Kelly warned from where she held him in front of her like a shield.
This body was supposed to bring me closer to her.
Now it was a slow, fragile liability—meat, blood, and leverage.
He could end me just to watch her break.
One of the soldiers stiffened—listening to his earpiece—then leaned in to whisper in Voss’s ear. “Sir. MSA’s moving. Multiple vessels. All assets. Including this one.”
Voss’s smile cracked.
“They’re what?”
“Marked us red. Kolokov’s yacht’s already been breached. No response from the deck.”
He blinked. Once. Twice. As if the data was corrupted.
“No. They wouldn’t.” He stepped closer, his voice brittle. “She’s still linked to me. They know what happens if I die.” Then, he pointed at the three of us. “Take all of them below.”