Pivoting, he stared down into Sais' tense, strained face.
Even now, she was lovely....
But he'd made his decision. There could be no other.
"Sais, I'm sorry...." He drove his clenched fist to the point of her jaw—a short, jarring blow.
He could see the shock glaze her eyes as her head snapped back. Her knees buckled.
"I'm sorry, Sais," he said again, even though he knew she could not hear. Ever so gently, he lowered her limp body to the couch.
He wondered if he'd ever see her again.
But it was no time for wondering, or thinking. He had a job to do, out there in the stretching, scorching, windswept deserts.
Silently, he eased open the cabin door.
The passageway outside was echoing, deserted.