Page 37 of Alien in the Depths
She clutched Elena’s hand tightly, and both sisters held panic and pain in their eyes.
“Not if I hand over the murder weapon.” Zaraq wanted more than anything to set their minds at ease. “Which I’m about to do now.”
He grabbed his pack from the bed again, glancing inside one more time to check the sigma blaster was where he left it.
He was about to ask Arccoo for the extra weapon when he caught Carmen and Elena exchanging a glance. They turned back to him with a look of determination.
“We’re coming with you,” Elena announced, her voice strong despite the fear she wore on her face.
“We need to get Sofia out of this mess,” Carmen added.
In the large hotel room, the four of them stood in silence for a second, but Zaraq’s heart ached at the thought.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no way,” he said finally. “Sofia would kill me if she knew I was dragging the two of you into this mess.”
Carmen went to protest again, but this time, Arccoo stepped forward. He’d changed out of his regal garments and was now wearing something a little closer to Zaraq’s outfit—a dark navy jacket, thick black pants, and, Zaraq noticed, the Thryal military boots he’d seen in Carmen’s costume trunk.
The prince took Carmen’s hand, holding it tightly. “Zaraq is right. It’s far too dangerous, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. To either of you,” he added, shooting Elena a look of deep concern. “It’s best for everyone if Zaraq and I do this alone.”
Zaraq nodded. “The fewer people the better. I know how deals like this go. A handover is supposed to be quick and easy. If we show up with too many people, Vexis will take it as a threat, and then it could be the end—for all of us. Better if it’s just me and Arccoo.”
Zaraq felt Carmen’s gaze intensify for a moment, and he knew she must be grappling with his words, with the thought of remaining helpless while her sister was traded like goods.
What Zaraq hadn’t said was the real reason he didn’t want them to come. He knew he had to fix this himself.
Because it was all his fault.
The weight of the guilt threatened to crush him, but he knew he couldn’t succumb to it, not now. He needed to fight for Sofia first.
Finally, Carmen’s dark brown eyes softened, and she nodded.
“Okay, but please, be careful. And Zaraq,” she added, stepping toward him with a heavy look in her eyes. “I know what you’re giving up to save her. Thank you.”
As she gazed at him, Zaraq saw her eyes grow glassy with tears. The air in the room felt suddenly thick, and if the others were anything like Zaraq, they were thinking about how terribly unfair this all was.
Zaraq wished he could say something to reassure them that everything would be all right, and for Sofia, he believed it would be. But as Carmen said, he was giving up his freedom all over again.
“We’d better go,” Arccoo interrupted, and suddenly the tension was replaced by action.
As Zaraq got ready to leave, Arccoo presented him with a delta blaster.
“This will serve you better than that zapfa ray. Let’s just hope you don’t have to use it.”
Zaraq took the slim silver weapon from Arccoo’s hand, feeling the weight of it. It was significantly heavier than the zapfa ray, which, he now realized, was the worst weapon he could have snatched from Vexis’s arsenal. He managed a smile for the first time since he’d received the kidnapping message.
“I think you might be right about that.”
He stuffed the gun into the back of his pants and covered it with his shirt and jacket. With one last apologetic look at Carmen and Elena, he strode out of the room. Arccoo followed close behind after kissing Carmen goodbye, and by the time they’d gotten down to the dark street, Zaraq was feeling almost hopeful.
“This way,” Arccoo said, directing him away from the stolen pod and toward the hotel’s rear parking lot.
“Where are we going?” Zaraq asked, eager to get on the road.
“The best way to get arrested before you even get there is to drive around in what I assume is a stolen vehicle,” the prince declared. “Not to mention the warrant for your arrest and the murder weapon in your pack.”
Zaraq cursed under his breath, annoyed at his own impulsiveness.
“You have a point,” he conceded, beyond grateful for Arccoo’s levelheadedness. “What’s the alternative?”