Sawyer ground his teeth in disbelief as Julia stepped inside her lab, allowing Nathan Darr to hold the door open for her. Rational thoughts obliterated his normal inhibitions, short-circuiting his socialized behavior, as he marched down the corridor, anger making his boots pound. His hands tensed, contracting into compact balls, as he visualized punching Darr smack in the face.

He stalled at the now closed door to the lab, as a litany of unanswered questions flooded his mind. What was Darr doing in Julia’s research lab? And what was she doing inviting him in? They knew nothing about this man or his people. It was only a matter of hours since they had been tied up by Darr’s men. Sawyer’s jaw was still tender from where Darr had clipped him and knocked him to the floor.

And the rest. Beth.

His hand clenched the door handle, his conscience loudly berating him. He hadn’t been honest with Julia. He hadn’t lied, but he had kept the truth from her, fearful of losing her, of her judgment. That she would think less of him as a man because of his flawed decisions.

The choices he’d made in the past, he’d thought were the right ones at the time, choices that served the greater good in the long term. He had never intended to use Beth; it had just happened. And she had loved him, and he thought he loved her, but he’d been foolish and naïve. And, of course, the time had come when he’d been forced to choose between her and removing her drug-peddling, life-sucking, bastard brother from society.

His forehead touched the cool wood of the door. He was a mess.

He imagined telling Julia what he’d done. That he’d sacrificed Beth to convict her brother. That he hadn’t been straight with her when she’d asked him directly. He wasn’t proud of any of it.

Fuck.

Sawyer grabbed the handle, and stalked into the room.

Julia flinched as the door opened, jerking back from her desk where she’d been standing next to Darr. Darr looked up and gave Sawyer a long once over, carefully folding his arms across his chest.

Sawyer slowed, his eyes never leaving Darr’s as they sized each other up.

Julia’s hand rose to her chest as the door slammed shut, unnaturally loud in the silent room.

“Damn, you frightened me.” Julia gave him a faltering smile.

Sawyer scrutinized Darr. The man was leaning with his hip against the desk like he owned the place. “I saw you both come in here. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Julia ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her glasses. She pointed to a pile of paperwork on the desk that Darr was reclining on. “We’re fine. Nathan was just sharing some ideas with me about identifying the location of the Chittrix nest.”

Nathan? She was on first-name terms with the man who would have happily killed them only hours ago? He worked the muscles in his jaw, fighting the urge to throw Darr into the corridor.

“Is that in everyone’s best interests right now?” Sawyer ground out. He let his hand graze the SIG resting at his hip.

Julia bristled, straightening her spine. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Maybe I’ll escort Mr. Darr up to the communications room where he can share any insights with Garrick.”

Julia took a step toward him, her tone adamant. “Sawyer, we were just speaking. If we’re going to find the nest, we need to work together. Share information. Garrick will support me on that.”

Sawyer looked straight past her, eyeballing Darr. “I’m sure. Let’s go see him, shall we.”

Darr pushed off the desk, his hands raised in conciliation as he strolled toward Sawyer. “I don’t want to be the source of any problems.”

He stopped in front of Sawyer, only inches between their bodies. “May I?”

Sawyer grunted and shifted the bare minimum to let Darr pass.

Darr made to move, inclining his head, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “You know you’re the reason she’s dead.”

Sawyer rocked on the balls of his feet, his pulse soaring. He visualized pounding Darr’s head into the worn linoleum floor. Repeatedly.

He glared. “The Chittrix killed Beth.”

Darr’s eyes glittered with suppressed emotion, his words were barely more than a hiss. “No. You killed her. We lived there safely for nearly a year, and then you people turn up, and suddenly there’s Chittrix, and Scutters, and Beth is dead.”

Sawyer dug his nails into the palms of his hands, fighting his instincts. Julia was watching him, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“She’s dead because of you,” prodded Darr.

Sawyer’s nostrils flared. “You think you can just—”

Julia stood abruptly, holding up her hands in a time-out sign. She stepped up to them, glaring at one and then the other. “Guys. There’s work to be done.”

Darr’s face hovered in front of Sawyer, bright with pleasant anticipation. He wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

Sawyer wanted to indulge him. His hands curled and uncurled repeatedly. “You should leave. Now.”

Resistance corded the muscles in Darr’s neck. “I’ll leave when I’m ready.”

Beth’s face flashed in Sawyer’s mind. The Chittrix lunging for her before detonating into wet alien shrapnel. He was light-headed, distant from his body as the last of his self-control fizzled and died.

“Bastard.” The words burst from Sawyer as anger propelled him forward.

He grabbed Darr round the waist and threw him against the lab workbench. Darr landed on his back, scattering papers and glass vials to the floor with a crash. He rolled to his side, on his feet like quicksilver.

“You got this coming.” Darr shouted. He seized Sawyer by the shoulders, knocking him off-balance and with a clean, fast swing, punched Sawyer neatly in the face.

Sawyer reeled as pain erupted across the bridge of his nose. He stumbled, grunting as he righted himself, his tongue dabbing tentatively at the fresh split in his bottom lip. Hot blood flooded his nostrils and dripped down the back of his throat.

Fucker.

In quick retaliation Sawyer smashed his fist into Darr’s chin. Flesh compacted, and bones shifted satisfyingly under his attack. Darr staggered, fighting to regain his precarious balance. He let loose an animal bellow as he dove forward, grabbing Sawyer in a painful hug.

Connected, the two men sprawled to the floor, Sawyer landing sideways with a bone-jarring jolt. Darr scrabbled onto his feet, launching with a howl onto Sawyer’s back, claw-like fingers groping for his windpipe and compressing his airway.

Sawyer fell backward, letting his weight crush Darr underneath and breaking his grip. He rolled and grabbed Darr by the scruff of his collar and screamed in his face, grief pouring from him in a torrent. Unleashed, he laid into Darr, punching him repeatedly, relishing the eruption of blood as he pummeled his frustration into the other man.

Julia screamed, “Sawyer, stop!”

Through the red mist, Sawyer realized Darr was no longer fighting back, his hands raised defensively.

Julia lunged between them, tearing them apart. Sawyer hesitated as her fingers gripped his arm but Darr didn’t. He lashed out at Sawyer, but his aim flew wide and instead connected with Julia, knocking her backward.

She crashed heavily into the workbench, a thick rivulet of dark blood instantly marking her forehead. She raised a wobbly hand to her scalp, her fingers coming away sticky and wet. She stared at them, her eyes unfocused.

Sawyer stumbled, tripping over Darr’s feet in his desperation to get to Julia. He skidded to his knees in front of her, horrified at what might have been. He reached out to touch her, but she recoiled and smacked his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” Her voice cut him like a laser.

What had he done? “Jesus, Julia—”

Darr shifted behind him. “God, I’m sorry…”

Julia shook her head and pulled herself up from the floor, hanging on to the worktop for support. Her voice was venomous. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

The gash on her forehead oozed and she blinked and tried ineffectually to wipe it from her eye with a shaky hand.

Panic stained Sawyer’s words. “We have to get you checked out.”

“I’m fine,” she said, emphatic.

Sawyer spun to face Darr. “You’re lucky she only cracked her head.”

He took a step toward the scavenger, but Julia screamed, “Enough!” The end of her word wavered, and she sagged against the worktop before sliding to the floor, mumbling a confused jumble of words.

The pain in her voice washed over him, churning up his insides. He had done this, through his own stupidity. This was entirely his fault. Sawyer ignored her protests, bending and sweeping her off the floor. She struggled briefly and then sagged into the cocoon of his arms. Her hair brushed the underside of his chin, filling his brain with her soft scent.

He blanked Darr as he yanked the lab door open. It took all his strength just to keep moving. He kissed the top of Julia’s hair as he carried her, the heat from her scalp burning his lips. She murmured something indistinct, her words blurred by pain and concussion.

He ran with her, rushing her to the bright, white light of the infirmary. By the time he arrived, his shirt was dark with blood. The shock on Jamie Edward’s face as he crashed through the door with Julia in his arms only confirmed what Sawyer knew to be true.

His world was twisting out of control and the darkness he’d fought for so long was dragging him under and tearing everything apart.