Page 87 of The Mercenary's Hidden Heir
One shot.
Clean.
The man drops like a puppet with its strings cut.
We keep moving.
Silpha breaks ahead, waving us on.
"This way!"
The alley spits us into another dead street.
I see it before Traz does.
More thugs.
Blocking the road ahead.
Laughing.
Waiting.
"We cut right!" Traz shouts.
He yanks Aria closer, shifting direction hard.
Joren sobs once against my neck, terrified but quiet.
Good boy.
I pivot after Traz.
Then blaster fire sears the wall next to my head.
The explosion of debris knocks me sideways.
I stumble.
Cough.
Choke on smoke and fear.
"Traz!" I scream.
But he’s already ahead, diving with the kids through a broken maintenance hatch.
Silpha’s right behind him.
I lunge after them.
But another blast shatters the ground between us.
A piece of metal whips across my arm, tearing fabric and skin.
I cry out, stumbling back.
The hatch clangs shut.
