CovertDesires (7 page)

“We don’t have to go with you to help.” Parker wrapped a
supportive arm around Harlow as he spoke. “I called Prime Minister Lee while
you were out. He should be here soon. We can coordinate the search effort on
this side through more official channels while you guys look into less
sanctioned leads.”

It was a good idea. She hated admitting it. Even though he’d
retired a year ago, Prime Minister Lee still had a lot of connections. She
could never hope to get access to half the information he had at his
fingertips. “Thank you.”

Barkswell grabbed her elbow and helped to guide her out of
the apartment as soon as she’d slipped on a pair of shoes. “She only did it
because she loves you.”

“I know. But she wouldn’t be thanking me if I’d done it to
her.”

“I get it.”

“I’ll forgive her eventually. But right now I have to focus
on Jack. Where do we even start?” It’d seemed so easy when she’d said it back
in the apartment. She’d find him and save him. But now that she had to make a
decision she had no idea how to do that.

“All agents have a tracker implanted in the bases of their
skulls. If we can find out his ID, we can track him.”

“If it’s that simple, why isn’t the agency already doing
it?”

“They would. Eventually. But it’d be days before they even
started to search. He’s an adult. He’s allowed to get home late.”

They’d just started down the hallway when the door to her
apartment whooshed open once more. “Rowe!”

She looked back to see Harlow standing in the frame. “What
is it, Harlow?”

Harlow walked down the hallway to where they stood and held
out her favorite gun. “It doesn’t miss.”

That weapon never left Harlow’s side. She’d worn it in the
church during her wedding to Parker—much to the priest’s displeasure. “I
couldn’t. It’s your favorite.”

“I trust you to take care of it.” She wrapped Rowe in a
tight hug.

“You’ll get it back.” Barkswell’s voice cracked as he spoke.
“I’ll make sure of it.”

“You don’t have to. Rowe’s word is good enough for me.” She
tousled Rowe’s hair lightly before letting her go. “I was a dick.”

“I know. But I love you anyway.” Everything was going to be
okay. It had to be. “We’ll work everything out when I get back. I’ve got to go
for Jack now.”

“I know. Go save your man. We’ll send you a message if we
learn anything.”

As she and Barkswell walked out into the night she opened
herself to the universal energy. It’d saved her and Jack once before. She could
only hope it’d come through for her again.

Jack did his best to listen to the surroundings as they
drove. It was really all he could do from the floorboard of the back of the
transport he’d been thrown into. His hands and feet had been tied and he had a
hood pulled over his head so he couldn’t see anything. But he could still hear.
And feel each and every turn they took.

So far they’d taken two rights followed by a left and then
one more left. And they’d gone by a river and past a space hub. If he were to
guess he’d say they were in the business district. It wasn’t anything in
particular he’d heard that made him think that was where they were. But more of
what was absent. It was too quiet. There hadn’t been any heavy mass transports
going by in quite some time. They had to be in an area where everybody owned a
private vehicle or paid a great deal of money for a rental.

They turned again and he was thrown against a wall hard
enough that he saw stars. “Where are you taking me?” Nobody had answered him
the first dozen times he’d asked the question but he hoped the thirteenth
attempt would bring him some luck. It didn’t.

He continued twisting his wrists against the rope that held
them captive as the transport drove. If he could find something sharp he might
be able to cut through the bindings just as Rowe had back in the shed.
Remembering her made his heart beat faster and his stomach twist with dread.
She would know something was wrong by now. Would she leave it to the
professionals to track him down?

He only had to give the question a few seconds of serious
thought before he shook his head. Probably not. He wouldn’t if their situations
were reversed. And she had told him at the hospital that she would save him
again. He just hadn’t realized it would be happening this soon.

The car turned once more and he felt something slide out of
his pocket and fall onto the floor. It had to be his reader. That was the only
thing he carried with him. If he could turn it on, the agency would be able to
track him. He couldn’t reach it before with his hands tied. But now that it was
free he might be able to.

The reader had fallen onto the floorboard in front of him.
All he had to do was roll over and he might be able to reach it. He wasn’t
certain how much room he had to maneuver in. But since he hadn’t bumped into
any feet or legs during the trip he assumed he was alone in the back. Which was
something. It meant he might be able to get a signal out without anyone
noticing.

After bumping his head on an interior side panel and what
felt like a seat bottom he finally managed to flip himself over. Now it was
just a matter of lining himself up with the device. It seemed as if this whole
process was going to be significantly easier when he thought it up. Still, it
was the best option he had at the moment.

He wiggled around on the floorboard for several moments
until his fingers finally bumped into the cool metal of the reader. He’d done
it. The reader was within his grasp. It only took a second to locate and press
the power button. As soon as it vibrated he flipped himself back over and
tossed the device. He hoped it landed under the seat in front of him but there
was really no way for him to know with the hood on. But as long as it’d gone
far enough that his captors didn’t notice it he’d be happy.

They continued driving for what felt like an eternity. It
was probably no more than a couple of hours. But time dragged without any
context clues for him to observe. Finally, just as he was starting to feel some
play in the rope, they came to a stop. He stopped playing with the bindings and
held perfectly still as the door hissed open.

“Who are you? Where am I?” He didn’t expect any answers and
he didn’t get them. Large hands pulled him out of the vehicle and made him
stand. “I’m with Special Investigations. Kidnapping me is a galactic offense
and is punishable with detention and fines.”

“Shut up.”

The man’s voice was deep and it had a distinctly slurred
accent but it wasn’t familiar to Jack. “I just wanted to give you fair
warning.”

“Considerate of him, ain’t it?”

The second man’s voice wasn’t quite as deep as the other’s.
But he had the same slurred speech pattern. That combined with their use of
slang instead of proper grammar left him wondering if they were originally from
one of the smaller settler planets. It’d become common for crime syndicates to
recruit from the rustic worlds because of their harsh landscape, physically
demanding jobs and low income. Everybody wanted off.

But even if he were right it didn’t really give him any
advantage in the current situation. “I do my best.”

They guided him over rough terrain and up a series of six
steps before they stepped over a threshold. They must have taken him to a
building. And since he hadn’t walked over pavement and there weren’t many
stairs he was betting he wasn’t inside the city limits.

He took a deep breath as soon as he heard the door sliding
shut behind him. Dust. Wherever they’d taken him smelled of dust and mildew. An
abandoned building in the middle of nowhere made sense under the circumstances.
Didn’t bode well for his odds of making it out of this alive. But it would be a
logical choice.

“I’m so glad you could join me, Agent.”

This third person’s accent was crisp and polished. He didn’t
have the same background as the other two. “Wish I could say I was glad to be
your guest for the evening but I think we’d both know that would be a lie. Care
to cut to the chase?” He was walked across the room and then pushed down into a
hard chair before his hood was removed.

He was in a house. In a formal sitting parlor that looked as
though it’d seen better days. The upholstery on the furniture was faded and
covered in a thick layer of dust and there were heavy webs in the corners. But
the state of the room wasn’t what really interested him. He just scanned his
surroundings to look for any possible advantage. What caught his attention was
the man sitting across from him in an expensive business suit. He was the same
man who’d visited Thomas in detention.

“Right down to business. I can appreciate that.” The man
leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. “My employer wanted me to
have a word with you.”

“And who is this employer?” He wasn’t expecting an answer
but he had to at least ask the question.

“Someone who has the power to make your life very unpleasant
if you keep running facial recognition programs on his employees.”

He took a small measure of hope from the statement. If he
were going to kill Jack he wouldn’t talk about future consequences. On the
other hand Jack had seen his face. That wasn’t a good sign. “Why would they
want to do that? I’m a likable guy.”

“You’re digging too deep into matters that don’t concern
you.”

“And what matters are those, exactly? I’ve got a lot of open
cases right now.” He knew which case the man was referring to but he wanted to
hear him say it. There were things he could learn by listening to the man’s
answers. Jack just had to make sure he asked the right questions.

“The Subservient.” He sat back against his chair as he
spoke. “She survived. As did you. And you arrested the men responsible for
hurting you both. Some would consider that a victory.”

“I do consider it a win.” No lie there. But that didn’t mean
it was the only prize to be had.

“That’s good to hear.”

“I am a little curious though.”

“That’s not so good to hear.”

“What did your boss want with them?” He waited for a second
for the question to sink in. “I mean, if I had been a broker and had sold him
the location, what would he have done with the Subservients?”

“That’s really not important.”

“What is important?”

“That you’ll get to keep your Subservient regardless of his
plans.”

So it was a man they were after. Not a huge surprise but
still good to have it confirmed. “That’s a kind offer.”

“One he won’t extend a second time. In order for us to
ensure her safety we’re going to need you to keep her out of our business.”

As if anyone could keep Rowe out of something if she didn’t
want to be. And he was betting she’d want to be right in the middle of whatever
this turned out to be. “I’ll talk to her. See if we can reach an arrangement.”

The man quirked an eyebrow but then shrugged. “You were
warned because he respects the work you do.”

“Then why is he threatening me?”

“He’s not threatening. He’s warning. And just because he
respects what you do doesn’t mean he agrees with it. The Subservients were
created for a purpose. To not use them for that is almost sacrilege.”

“You talk about them as if they’re tools. And
sacrilege
implies their maker is some sort of supreme being.”

The man stood abruptly. “I’ll be leaving you now. I’m sure
your friends are on their way.” He nodded and one of the thugs put Jack’s
reader next to him on the floor. “I hope I don’t have to arrange another
meeting.”

Jack hoped he wouldn’t have to as well. If the universe were
on his side, the next time Jack saw the man he’d be wearing handcuffs and in
transport to a maximum-security detention facility. Still, this little meeting
had given him a lot to think about. He couldn’t be terribly upset when he
thought about it that way. Even if he did have to pee. And his arms were
cramping up. And he had no idea how much longer it was going to be before Rowe
got there.

Rowe had no idea what she was walking into when they finally
got to the origin of Jack’s signal. She’d been trained for just about any eventuality.
But the idea of finding his lifeless body wasn’t something one could be
prepared for. Or if it was she hadn’t signed up for the right class.

“He’s a resourceful man. He’ll be okay.”

She looked at Barkswell and shook her head. “Are you saying
that for my benefit or for yours?”

He smiled but the expression seemed hard and cold. “Maybe a
little of both.”

They should wait for backup. They’d called it in as soon as
they’d located the small house just off the main access road. But she didn’t
think she was going to make it. Her whole body felt antsy. Just sitting in the
car while it came to a complete stop was unbearable. “He could be injured.
Going in now could mean the difference between life or death.”

“Yeah. Ours.” Barkswell took out his gun and checked the
charge before putting it back in the holster. “We’re doing this by the book.
And the book says to wait for backup.”

“There’s only one set of vehicle tracks leading into and one
set of tracks leading out of this drive.” She pointed toward the impressions in
the dirt road. “Whoever was here is gone now.”

“They could’ve left a few guys behind to guard him.”

“It was a small transport. It didn’t leave much of an
impression in the dirt. It could hold maybe four people. Five if they were
squished. One to drive and Jack, that leaves three people at the most.” She
checked her weapon to make sure it had a charge as well. “We can take three
people.” She had a moment of pride as she realized she’d been right about every
word she’d just spoken. Somewhere in the last two years she’d become good at
this job.

“And what if it’s a trap? What if there’s a bomb triggered
by the front door?”

It could happen. She was certain that it had in the past.
From the look on Barkswell’s face it probably happened on an assignment he’d
worked. But that wasn’t the case this time. She could feel it. “It’s not. We’re
supposed to go into that house and get him.”

“You’re willing to risk it all for him, aren’t you?”

“I already have.” It might have seemed like a simple reply
but the truth generally was.

“So he’s really the one. You’ve finally fallen in love,
haven’t you?”

“Yeah. But don’t tell him. He doesn’t know yet. I can’t have
him running away in a state of panic.” She smiled at the joke but it was weak.
Behind the jest was real fear. What would she do if he did bolt? Men sometimes
did.

“He won’t. He wouldn’t have won you if he were so easily
spooked.” He paused and looked down for a moment. “You know at one time I
thought maybe you and I…” He let the sentence die unfinished but she didn’t
need him to say the words. She’d known. At one time he thought he had feelings
for her.

“And I was touched that you cared so deeply for me.” She ran
her fingertips over the rough stubble on his cheek. “But there was no path for
us. Whenever I saw a glimpse of your life, Eliss was always in it.” It was both
the best and the worst part of her ability. There were no what-ifs for her. Not
when it came to Barkswell. He could’ve never been hers. From the day they met
he already belonged to another. “She was meant for you. And I was meant for
Jack.”

He smiled and nodded. “Then we’d better go save his sorry
ass.”

She opened her door and climbed out of the car before he
could object. Sometimes people just had to have faith. Herself included. And
this was one of those times.

Her heart still raced with fear though. And her hands were
damp with nervous sweat. She would survive this but it was still one of the
most terrifying moments of her life. Barkswell raced past her in an effort to
protect her, no doubt. His sweeping motions with the gun were designed to
provide cover if they were attacked. They wouldn’t be. But she let him go and
kept herself as close to the ground as possible. There was no need to tempt the
fates.

He made it safely up the stairs and to the door with her
closely behind. They were almost there. Jack was behind that door. She could
feel it. She wouldn’t be happy until she saw him though.

Barkswell examined the door. She could only imagine he was
looking for some evidence of explosives. It must have been clear, though,
because he popped off the palm reader that was designed to open the door just a
few minutes later. Since neither of their handprints were likely to be
programmed into the device it’d have to be hotwired in order to open. It was a
rookie procedure. She could do it in her sleep. But it took time. Time that
kept her from Jack.