Okay, a lot of beings. Still… he would be impressed by their determination and number if it wasn’t his life they were here to claim. Damn.

Had Kyr finally figured out he was one of the prison raiders?

The prime commander was the only one he could think of who bore this amount of animosity toward him.

If Kyr had no proof that Hauk was part of The Sentella, but suspected Hauk’s ties… he might resort to this. Maybe.

Too bad he didn’t have a working link to check on it.

No, he chided at himself. It can’t be Kyr. If Kyr put out a contract of this magnitude, even a civ one, one of their spies would have intelled it and Nyk and the others would have beelined here to pick up the kids.

This was much more covert. It had to come from someone who knew of his illegal allies and ties. Someone who didn’t dare let anyone know he had assassins after him.

Dariana…

As Hauk positioned himself to watch his pursuers regroup to come after him, he paused to let that possibility play through his mind.

No. He was being stupidly paranoid. She wouldn’t do that. Well, she might do that if he were here alone, but not with Darice in his company. No matter how much she might hate him and not want to marry him or release him, she wouldn’t dare endanger her son.

Yet she had been close enough to implant him.

Many times.

Then again, so had countless others he’d fought with and against. For all he knew, it was the bar brawl he’d been in a couple of weeks back. He, Chayden, Ryn, and Fain tended to get rowdy whenever they drank. Fights were their stock-in-trade, especially when they were in some of their “finer” pubs.

Yeah, but these guys after him were seriously motivated. He watched in awe as they unloaded a small ion cannon and headed for his position.

Time to move.

Dropping gear weight, he only kept what he had to. They launched two probes to set eyes on his location. He stood up and batted the first one to reach him with the stock of Sumi’s rifle. The other probe shot a laser. He barely ducked it before he returned fire and sent it to the ground.

Not that it mattered. He was now firmly in their sights. No sooner had that thought entered his mind than all hell erupted around him as they rained down everything they had.

CHAPTER 14

“I hear engines.” His brow tight with worry, Darice started back toward Hauk’s last location.

Thia caught his arm. “Uncle Hauk can handle it.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

Sumi arched a brow at the sound of tears in Darice’s voice. The little booger actually did love his uncle.

Who’d have thought?