Havoc by Ann Aguirre

anyone with you before, huh?”
    That wasn’t why Tam was edgy, but it seemed best to let her think she had him figured out. Being attracted to Martine didn’t mean he wanted her to understand all his inner workings. “Is it so obvious?”
    â€œYou keep looking around as if you expect someone to stop us. But don’t worry, I won’t hold you back.”
    She was light on her feet, quick as a shadow as she boosted up ahead of him into the ducts. Tam listened, but he heard only the battle near Queensland before he vaulted up behind her. He used this entrance enough that he’d swept the dust away with his knees. Martine was waiting for him up ahead, where the passage widened.
    â€œWhich way, pet?”
    Tam raised a brow. “Let’s be clear, Martine. You don’t hold my papers. Even should we come to an arrangement down the line, those private moments don’t bleed over.”
    She stepped up to him, dark eyes fierce. Then she smiled and her filed teeth sent a frisson of anticipation through him. “If you’re with me, they will because you’ll never want anything else.”
    Damn. Maybe so.
    With some effort, he forced a cool expression before deliberately dismissing her confidence with a tilt of his head. He slipped past her, moving toward Mungo’s territory. Martine was quiet as they traveled. Tam didn’t need to warn her that even a whisper could carry a surprising distance, and she was light enough not to make any noise as she followed. He hadn’t gone this way in quite some time; for the last half turn, he had been watching Grigor and Priest.
    Hard to believe they’re no longer a threat.
    The alliance with Silence had certainly been a devil’s bargain. He’d calculated her treachery though he hadn’t counted on Wills.
That mad bastard.
In the end, the strategy paid out as he’d expected, and they’d defeated Grigor and Priest with the Handmaiden’s help. Now Queensland stood alone once more in midst of chaos and combat with a new threat burning like wildfire.
I’ll reckon a way around it. I always do.
    But last time, it had cost Einar his life. Sheer inner steel made him square his shoulders and push forward, ignoring the pain and regret of that mistake. Tam slid down a level and paused. Though he hadn’t heard any fighting for a while, the sounds of a fresh battle reached him. He glanced over his shoulder and gestured to Martine that they’d take a look before continuing on. It was tricky to find a vantage, but he managed and peered through the vent. Down below, mercs squared off against the mongrel horde. He might’ve guessed it was Mungo’s men, as the whole area smelled disgusting: unwashed bodies, stale sweat, rancid meat grease, and scatological effluvia.
    The close quarters slowed the mercs, but they fired point-blank, mowing down man after man. Bodies were thick on the ground already. Martine crept up beside him before he could warn her that was a bad idea, and the panel groaned beneath their combined weight. Her dark gaze met his, wide with alarm, then the grille gave way, dropping them into the middle of the battle. He landed on top of a dead body and immediately rolled to the side and drew it up as a shield. Two mercs shot the corpse, so the smell of burning meat filled his nostrils. Martine fared better as she immediately dove away and went scrambling around the corner, with laser blasts slamming into the floor behind her.
    Clever girl. Save yourself.
    Blade in hand, Tam slashed the hamstring of the nearest mongrel. The wound gushed blood as the leg gave way. Two mercs shot, and his victim jerked, dying.
Thanks for that.
But now the mercs were sizing him up, trying to decide if he posed a greater threat. In the end, they went for numbers, but Mungo’s men had a description of the Dread Queen’s spymaster, and they didn’t care how many of them died as long as they took him with them.