Elite mercenary Connor Rattakul can't escape his past.

After choosing the wrong side in a war against the Directorate, he becomes a fugitive, hiding in the ranks of the thousands of mercenaries always desperate for the next job. But a series of mishaps force his team deep into the Talon Sector, where the Directorate holds power. Only his former girlfriend's intervention can save him.

With Directorate assassins on his trail, Connor is forced to take on a job that his team might not survive from a client his boss says can't be trusted.

But that boss seems ready to crack, and the client is hiding deadly secrets from the mercenaries. Will Connor be able to lead his teammates through the dark world he's led  them to, or will they all die in the alien gloom?

Ill Fortune

About halfway back to the Lucky Sevens, with darkness anchored in the thick woods and the brutal heat slipping away, the scorpions finally broke off their harassing attacks.


The bugs might have stopped attacking, but they still pursued.


For hours, the buzz of their wings echoed through the moonlit trees. Their stench clung to everything, making the thick air almost unbreathable.


What remained of the team glowed like stars in the infrared of Connor’s visor.


Fatigue could kill just as easily as an enemy attack.


He jogged alongside the vehicle, talking to Yemi to keep him awake. Aubriella’s body rested in the back, bracketed by Mosiah’s cases and their supplies.


At least she didn’t know the terror and misery of this retreat.


Then again, would she have chosen death over the struggle? That was life, after all: a constant battle for survival.


No, she would have preferred to be their with her comrades, fear and all.


Chapter 104