His dark brow arched. “Sister?”
“Trinity.” I slapped him on the shoulder and walked quickly toward the exit. “Not too bright, are you?”
I reached the doors. Tall. Thick. Made of some alien metal that reminded me of the vault doors in the basement of the cleric’s fortress. I had my palm on the handle when he came up beside me. “Who are you? Truly?”
Nix moved into place on my right and saved me from responding. I hated to repeat myself. Especially when I’d already told Morson once, and he was just being thick-headed. Perhaps, cautious. I couldn’t blame him in his line of work, but right now there was no time. Nix wrapped his arm around my waist and I leaned into him. Just for a moment.
It was enough. I was home.
“We have seconds, Des,” he murmured, his fingers tightening. While his words were calm, he was anything but. “Hurry.”
Morson glanced at Nix over my head and whispered, “She is truly the third princess?”
I tugged at the door handle. It didn’t budge. Houston, we have a problem. “Nix, it’s locked. Shit.”
I lifted my hands and Nix took my place, straining against the door as he applied his entire body weight to the handle.
“Check my comm,” Nix ordered.
I did, the screen plainly visible to me once I lifted it from his pocket. “Thirty-two. Thirty-one. Thirty.”
Nix pushed harder, his entire body straining. I looked around us, searching for windows. Doors. Any possible way to get out of there.
“Fuck. It’s not moving,” Nix said. His breathing was ragged, his eyes a little wild.
“You were serious. About the bomb?” Morson looked from me to Nix. “And what are you doing here, Vennix?”
“Later, Morson. We have to get the fuck out of here.”
“Twenty-six.” Not that I wanted to interrupt, but we didn’t have time to chat. “We could go back.” The room we’d entered was an option, the window still open.
“Too far. We’d never make it.” Nix was right. It was on the other side of the building, and we were starting to get some odd looks, and I could hear quiet murmurs. Well, not we, Nix. He was kind of famous on this planet, his face plastered all over the news every time my sister or Faith was broadcast, standing behind them. Watchful. The ever faithful guard. That notoriety was not helpful at the moment.
“They recognize you, mate. Know you aren’t on their side. They might start shooting any second.” I hissed the words to him as I slid my own weapon free from its holster and stood just behind him, protecting his back. “Get the door open. Shoot the lock.”
“That won’t work.” Morson shoved Nix aside and pulled an oddly shaped key from his pocket. “The door will absorb the i
on blast. You need a key to get in or out.”
Nix looked from Morson to the key. He was wondering why he had a key just as I was. But I wasn’t taking the time now to figure it out. “Hurry the fuck up. If my mate dies in here, I’ll kill you myself.”
Morson grinned.
Inappropriate. At least I thought so. But Nix grinned back.
Men.
Morson inserted the key and the door’s locks clicked open with a very loud series of pops, thunks and sizzling noises, like lightning bolts were moving along the frame.
I checked the comm. “Twenty. Nineteen.”
Morson opened the door. Nix tried to shove me through, but I got behind Morson and shoved him. “Trinity said to save your ass, so get out. Now.”
He had the sense not to argue. Nix held my gaze as I shouted as loudly as I could over my shoulder, “There’s a bomb. Everyone get out!”
I didn’t like any of the people in the room, knew they were evil, but I couldn’t just let them die. They deserved justice, not death.
Morson hadn’t gone very far, waiting for us, but took off again when we followed.