In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) by Anna Hackett Page A

today off with a kidnapping.”
    “You blew up the cuffs.” Ria stared
openmouthed. “Are you crazy? You could have blown off your
hands.”
    The girl shrugged. “It’s a new prototype I’m
testing. Chewing gum that doubles as an explosive.” She grinned.
“Worked a treat. Now, I need to be going.”
    She’d skipped three steps down the street
before coming to a hard stop. Ahead, the group of men had neared.
They all stood, legs spread wide, hands poised over their holsters
and hats pulled low. There was a jostling in the crowd as two men
moved forward.
    Clint and Ray.
    “Not good,” Lala murmured.
    No, not good. Ria went for her pistol.
    “Put it down,” Clint called out. He gestured
to his associates. Three men held rifles aimed at Ria, Zayn and
Lala.
    Ria’s chest felt heavy. Her mind churned as
she sought a way out of this. Left with no choice, she set the
pistol on the ground.
    “Now, Lala, I’m through with you and your
crazy antics.” Ray sliced a hand through the air. “Time for you to
meet your maker.”
    Lala sniffed. “Screw you, Ray Baker.” The
girl snatched something from her pocket and rolled it toward the
group of men.
    The small black ball bounced once, then
rolled up and hit Ray’s boot. “What the fuck—?”
    There was a huge flash of light.
    “Explosives!”
    “Bomb!”
    The crowd dove and scattered. Ria skittered
backward, her shoulder slamming into Zayn. He gripped her waist to
steady her.
    A huge ball of smoke engulfed them all. Ria
coughed. The stuff worked its way down her throat and stung her
eyes.
    “I can’t see,” a cowboy yelled.
    “I can’t breathe,” another rasped.
    As the cowboys panicked, Ria grabbed Zayn’s
arm and pulled him to the ground.
    Fresher air hit her lungs and she gulped in
large mouthfuls. She heard Zayn dragging in air as well.
    “I don’t think Lala is as crazy as she makes
out,” Ria said.
    “I don’t know. I think you can be a genius
and be crazy at the same time.”
    The smoke slowly cleared.
    Ria scanned the street. “Damn it.”
    Lala was gone.
    “Slippery little thing. Probably how come
she’s survived so long on her own,” Zayn said.
    Scarred boots stepped into view. “Lala might
be gone, but we also have a score to settle with you.”
    Ria looked up. Ray towered above them, with
Clint and their cronies standing behind him. “Look—”
    Two men grabbed Zayn’s arms and hauled him
up. Before Ria could say anything, Clint slammed a fist into Zayn’s
gut.
    He groaned and jerked in his captors’ hold.
Another fist. Then another.
    Ria felt a familiar calm descend. She swiped
out with her leg. Ray tumbled back, arms wind-milling. As he fell,
she exploded upward, swinging a fist at one of the men holding
Zayn. Still moving, she chopped a straight palm at the other,
hitting him in the throat. He stumbled back choking. Zayn stumbled
as well, wrapping an arm around his middle.
    “Zayn!” Ria lost her concentration. How
badly was he hurt? Too late, she sensed someone behind her and
spun. They were close. Too close.
    Ray slammed a rifle butt against her head,
smashing it into her temple.
    As the world went gray, she felt herself
falling. She saw Zayn struggling, yelling, his hot blue gaze on
her.
    Then she felt dust under her cheek before
darkness descended.
    ***
    Heat seared through Zayn’s brain and body. He
tried to swallow but his mouth and throat were dust-dry. Flame-burned son of a … Had he and Dathan been on a kila
bender again?
    His head was throbbing hard, a bouncing beat
that sent pain zinging through his ribs. He forced his eyes open.
Bright light speared into them and he squeezed them shut again. It
took him a minute to slowly open them again and focus on what he
was seeing.
    The bouncing wasn’t in his head. He’d been
tossed over the back of a horse, his wrists tied so tight the rope
dug into his skin. He swallowed back some curses. Below him he saw
the rocky terrain of the desert. He lifted his head. The sun