“Um, yeah. You’re not going anywhere for a little while. Just lie there and relax.”

Sumi couldn’t. At least not until Syn snuck something into her system. She fought against it as hard as possible, but in the end, she lost, and everything went black.

Hauk cursed as their trail turned cold. Neither electronic nor physical tracks remained.

Kyr had evaded them. Completely.

He bellowed with rage.

“That is the scariest effing thing I’ve ever heard or seen.”

Hauk pinned his glare on Bastien as the human slowly approached him. “Where have you been?”

“Recovering. When I heard Kyr was on-planet, I really wanted a piece of him.”

“Take a number.” His breathing ragged, Hauk had never wanted to gut anyone more. It was all he could do to keep himself together as every fiber of his being begged for vengeance. “How did he get into my house?”

“He’s an assassin,” Nyk said coldly. “They’re like cockroaches. They always find a way in.”

Hauk arched a brow at those words.

Nyk shrugged. “I’m a cockroach. Yes. But that’s okay, I know how we think and where to search.”

“Yeah,” Hauk said drily, “but he wasn’t there. I already looked.”

“So you’re a cockroach, too?”

Hauk clenched his teeth. “My humor is currently out to lunch. Check back in a few days. If I have his heart in my fist, it’ll return… as I eat it.”

Maris tsked at Hauk. “Oh, sexy, there are two problems with that. One, my brother has no heart. Two, you don’t need the indigestion. I’ve seen what you call food. Trust me. Not even your stomach could handle Kyr Tartar. But I do know something that will bring a smile to that beautiful face of yours.”

While Hauk appreciated their attempts to lighten the mood, he didn’t want to hear it right now. “I doubt it.”

Maris rose on his tiptoes to whisper in Hauk’s ear. “I know where Kalea is.”

Hauk’s breath caught in his throat as his heart stopped beating. “Don’t play with me, Mari. I really might hurt you.”

Maris handed him his PD. When Hauk couldn’t read the Phrixian alphabet, Maris switched on the translator.

He had to read it twice to make sure he wasn’t wrong. “Seriously?”

Maris nodded. “I’ve already got them prepping the ships. We’re ready to fly out and bring her home.”

Hauk picked him up and hugged him tight. “Gods, I love you, Mari!” He kissed his cheek.

Maris beamed. “Well, if I’d known this was all it’d take to get a hug and kiss from you, I’d have gotten you a woman years ago.”

Laughing, Hauk clapped him on the back.

“Ow!” Maris whined as he stumbled.

Nyk and Darling inclined their heads to him.

“Let’s go get your daughter,” Darling said. “Jayne and Ryn are already doing preflights.”