Star Chaser (Galactic Shield Book 2) by J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon [Chaney, J.N.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2023-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

The climb felt like penance for every sin I’d ever committed. Twice I decided to surrender the burden of Saint’s weight to Fathers, but the transfer proved difficult. We abandoned the attempt. The muscle-bound agent was below me and the ladder shaft was too tight. We needed a landing or proper stairwell to switch safely. Attempting it now would endanger everyone below us.

How much could one man endure?

More than this, I decided. Stop being weak, Breaker. Get your ass in gear.

“You’re falling behind.” Nova’s tone was level, almost clinical in my right ear. “We’ll stop and wait.”

“Keep going. That will… give you… more time to react if I drop Saint… or fall.”

“You better not drop me,” Saint murmured, then promptly started singing out of tune like he was trying to drive me crazy.

“I confirmed contact with Regina. We’re doing it by encrypted texting. More reliable given our predicament,” she said. “Hang in there, boss.”

“Hanging in.” I muttered the words, almost laughing for reasons I didn’t understand or care about.

Saint flinched as though gripped in the throes of a sudden nightmare. I wondered if he was plummeting into the dark unknown of his mind. Perhaps his dream self was stuck in a box, suffocating while rescuers passed him by again and again. Maybe his friends had failed him no matter how many times he cried out for help.

“Hey,” he whispered hoarsely. “Can you relax? Your grip is crushing me.”

Relieved laughter expelled oxygen I needed for muscles and lungs, but I was glad for it. What was left of my friend was going to make it. Maybe I’d see him recovered. I relaxed now that he could hold on. Everything got so much easier. A tiny effort on his part made this ridiculous descent doable.

“Careful,” he said.

I didn’t realize what he was looking at because he was facing down my back.

My boot snagged on a ladder rung. I lost my balance, missed the next handhold, and fell.

Risking everything I let go with both hands and reached deep into a ventilation shaft. Oversized, it was large enough for two men—maybe—but anyone could see it was a bad idea to crawl into it.

I needed to rest, just for a minute. Nova and the others were far below now, making good time. They might even escape Havna’s stronghold. Holding them up and forming a new plan wouldn’t be wrong. Splitting the team wasn’t ideal, but circumstances changed. Hard decisions had to be made. That was what it meant to participate in a live operation. I wanted them to survive and escape even if I failed.

“Don’t crawl in there,” Saint warned.

My legs were hanging into the ladder shaft. His face was looking at them and the ladder below.

I ignored him. “Got to rest. Just a second.”

“Such a wuss.”

“Bite me.” I dragged both of us to safety and was pretty darn proud of my effort. Only when I finally relaxed my hands did cramps shoot from fingers to shoulders. Neck muscles bunched next. My back delivered the grand finale as though a torture master had seized my body and delivered me to hell.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.