Slamming my head back, I sink my horns into his shoulders. His hold loosens enough for me to wrench his arm behind him but I don’t have my magcuffs to restrain him.
My eyes shift to Kenzie on the floor.
Not moving. Or breathing.
In a violent rage, I pistol-whip the grud with my blaster, knocking him unconscious. The scout goes down with a thud, nearly dragging me down with him.
I drop to my knees beside Kenzie and press my fingers against her neck. Relief floods me as her pulse beats steadily beneath my fingertips.
“Kenzie, it’s me. Kobrik.” I caress her cheek. She doesn’t even stir.
“Horch a cha!” the ship’s computer announces, the harsh tones echoing through the corridor. I don’t understand Grudish, but I’d recognize a warning anywhere.
I peer outside the ship’s open door. The perimeter of the ship appears clear. Being in danger is nothing new to me, but with Kenzie here, my instincts scream to get her away from this grud and his ship.
“Kobrik?” Kenzie asks, her eyes open and focusing on me.
“All is well,” I say caressing her cheek before inspecting the back of her head. She has a nasty bump there, but no major injury.
“Horch a cha!” the computer repeats.
This crushing sense of doom catapults me to my feet. “Forgive me, Kenzie.” In my haste, I lift her rougher than I’d like, then bend to angle my horns as I carry her through the door. Assoon as we’re clear of the ship, I run with the precious cargo in my arms.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, the panic in her voice slicing through me.
I’m too focused to answer. My horns rise high, the need to get her somewhere safe paramount. Finally, I spot a secluded nook against an outer wall a hundred feet from the ship. She’ll be hidden, safe, here while I go back for my prisoner.
After I set Kenzie down, I hand her my blaster. “Point and shoot anyone who comes near you. Not me, yes?”
“Definitely not you,” she says, her voice stronger now. With a forced smile, she grips my blaster like a seasoned warrior. So brave, my female. “Where are you going, Kobrik?”
“To arrest Amos.”
“The grud?”
“Unofficially, yes. Officially, there are no grud on Earth.”
She cups my face with her hands and kisses me. Drekk, I’d love to sink into the kiss, hold her and never let go, but I have a grud to cuff, preferably before he wakes.
“That’s for saving me,” Kenzie says.
“You leave me torn, female.”
“In what way?”
“I wish to save you all over again, so I may collect another kiss.”
“I think we can work out a payment plan?—”
The force of an explosion throws me into Kenzie. I tuck her head against my chest and wrap my body around her as shrapnel strikes my back. She whimpers beneath me, but she’s safe, even as burning metal sets my jacket on fire.
I don’t move until the clanking of metal striking cement ends. Then I rip off my burning leather jacket and shirt before the flames sear my skin. Fear-filled eyes look up at me, but to my relief, Kenzie’s unharmed.
I spin around and look at the ship. There’s nothing left.
CHAPTER TWELVE
KENZIE
