Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3 (17 page)

Chapter 26

Lindsey spent the day playing in the woods with her baby ducks that weren’t quite babies any more. The animals had grown to the size of rowdy puppies and were shedding their feathery down for scaled skin. They even had little teeth coming in, which they used to nip at her skirt. Like kangaroos, they bounced around her on their hind legs.

“No, no Daphne.” She shoved at the friskier one in the group who had latched onto her dress to chew on the material.

The animal gave a rough growl, released her dress then rolled over to play with its siblings. Lindsey laughed and rose to her feet, brushing at the dirt and leaves. “I have to go ladies.”

The mother had never returned and Lindsey assumed some other animal must have gotten to the poor thing. She’d taken it upon herself to name the little creatures and since she couldn’t identify their gender, used all girl names. The feisty one was Daphne, shy Courtney then Jolie and the sweetheart of the group she called little Lindsey.

As soon as she stood up, they danced around her heels, batting at her shoes with their short forearms.

“Settle down. I have to go now. Off to the market to get some things. Hopefully Everly will let me play around in his kitchen.”

Lindsey wanted to make dinner for her husbands. A surprise home cooked meal using Earth recipes she was sure they’d love. Or as close to Earth meals as supplies allowed.

Her pets gave her sad faces but hopped back to allow her room. Lindsey tossed the last of her treats their way, which they snatched out of the air and gobbled up. She hurried back home to the vehicle Mala said she could use. Apparently, her husband owned a fleet of similar rides. Mala swore her to secrecy, since she insisted Baruk didn’t want Lindsey to fear his wealth.

Lindsey snorted and jumped into the driver’s seat. As if living in a palatial estate wasn’t a dead giveaway. Plus, Lindsey understood the account set up in her name and there were plenty of zeros behind the big
liko
number.

Glancing at the dashboard with three simple buttons, Lindsey pressed the red one. Mala assured her she’d programmed it with directions to the marketplace. The vehicle beeped and zoomed down the driveway, hovering inches above the ground. Lindsey squealed in surprise and held on to the U-shaped wheel.

Thirty minutes later she arrived at the bustling center of city life in Teeve. Sort of. Lindsey climbed out of the electronic car and used her thumb to seal the door lock. She read the sign over a red awning and knew she was at the right place. Mala said this was where Everly ordered the food supplies.

The door beeped on her entrance and the woman behind the glass counter looked up with a welcome smile. “Greetings.”

“Hi.” Lindsey gazed around at the empty place with the exception of holo images of desserts scenes near the window. She’d never seen a store without any actual merchandise.

The woman’s pleasant smile shifted into a frown of concern. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I wanted to get a few things to make dinner for my husbands.”

“I can gladly help.” Yalene turned her computer toward Lindsey and came from behind the counter. “What account are you charging the items to?”

“Laars. Or well, Laars-Gatar.”

Yalene paused. Her mouth fell open and her green gaze stared. “You’re married to the Senate Leaders.”

Flushing, Lindsey nodded. “Baruk and Zadal.”

“But then…why didn’t Everly order as he usually does? We’ve serviced the Laars account for years.”

“I know but what I want to make we didn’t have and I couldn’t explain to Everly since he’d never heard of the food I mentioned.”

Taking a deep breath, Lindsey explained what she needed and what she wanted. Lindsey planned to make fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes for her husbands.

Or course Garulax didn’t have chicken but after going through Yalene’s computerized menu listing the food stores she had in stock, Lindsey found a perfect substitute along with an appropriate vegetable and red dimpled
grots,
which Yalene believed would replace the potatoes.

“This was highly unusual but I can’t say I didn’t have fun.” Yalene punched in a few buttons and promised the items would be delivered first thing in the morning.

Lindsey left the store full of good cheer and imagined the look on Zadal’s face when he tasted her version of an Earth meal. Baruk would smile and eat every bite. But her stubborn Z might choke half way through.

  Lindsey was mid-chuckle when the first blow landed. Pain exploded in the back of her head. She stumbled forward and tried to turn only to feel a sharp pinch in her side followed by something black shoved over her face.

When she parted her lips to scream, a hand slapped over her cloth covered lips to silence her.

“Seems like you’ve outstayed your welcome,” someone whispered hoarsely.

Lindsey struggled and kicked out with her feet. Fear shifted her heart rate to fast forward as she was dragged backward.

“She’s a fighter!”

“Doesn’t matter,” the first voice declared. “The drug will kick in soon.”

She attempted to yell again in hopes of someone hearing but the palm over her mouth clamped tighter and rough hands jerked her from her feet. Black edged her vision and the last clear sound she heard was dark laughter.

Please don’t hurt me
, Lindsey prayed before she lost consciousness.

***

Baruk stopped Zadal before he could close himself in his office as he’d been doing more and more lately. “Have you seen Lindsey?”

Tiny, stress lines creased the corners of Zadal’s mouth. His brown gaze held a weariness Baruk sympathized with. His spouse partner was running at a brutal pace since he let his first assistance go.

“I haven’t seen Lindsey after this morning when she came down to eat.”

Baruk frowned. No one knew where she’d gone off. His home boasted over one hundred rooms so if she decided to explore, it was possible for the staff to have missed her. “Very well. Let me know if you see her. I’m used to hearing her unrestrained laughter when one of the servants explains something new to her.”

Zadal’s lips curved up. “Of course.”

Baruk returned to his office, part of his attention on Mala but another part of him remained unsettled and he couldn’t explain why.

The afternoon drifted to evening and Baruk’s concern escalated to fear and worry. He called all of the staff together and questioned them in depth. No one had seen or spoken to Lindsey since early morning.

“What’s wrong?” Zadal came from his office, gaze going to the servants Baruk sent to search the house and the grounds.

“Lindsey’s missing.” Baruk grabbed the back of his neck and paced in the foyer.

Zadal paled. “What do you mean missing? She has to be here.”

Baruk paused mid-stride. “Well, she’s not, so unless you can tell me where she is right this minute, I’m working on the assumption that she’s missing.”

Neither spoke again. Evening turned to night and one by one each servant reported the same results.

No Lindsey.

Not one to waste time, Baruk summoned the authorities. Two uniformed men from Teeve’s armed forces arrived and stationed themselves in Baruk’s office. They questioned him and Zadal first.

“Laars?” Officer Grange lowered his data pad on his lap and crossed his ankle over his thigh.

“Yes.” Baruk remained standing, eyes on Zadal, who’d grown steadily quiet. His spouse partner leaned against one of his large windows, staring at his booted feet.

“
The
Laars?” Grange repeated.

Baruk sighed. “Yes.”

“Could this be a crime for money? Do you have any enemies?”

Zadal snorted but stayed silent.

“My spouse partner and I have enemies. Not everyone agrees with the decisions the Senate Leaders make.” Baruk assumed that was obvious.

“Anything specific? Any one person you can think of who may have taken your wife?” Grange’s partner, a dark slender man, asked.

Baruk shook his head. “I don’t know. Zadal?”

“No.”

The one word fell into the quiet. Grange cleared his throat. “We’ll need to call in more men. Do you mind if we question your staff and search the grounds?”

Search the grounds? As if Baruk hadn’t already thought of that. He straightened. “My servants did that before I called you in.”

Grange shifted in his seat and placed his data pad in his uniformed pocket. “My men are trained to see signs they may have missed.”

Hope stirred. “You think she’s still here?”

“This is a large property. Maybe she’s lost track of time,” Grange offered.

“Our wife wouldn’t lose track of time for an entire day and stay out in a wooded area alone unless something happened to her,” Zadal interrupted, glaring at both officers.

Grange’s partner coughed into his hand to disguise a laugh. “You’re right, Senate Leader. Our apologies.”

They both rose to their feet. “We’ll contact the office and have more officers summoned to start clearing your property. If this is…something more, let’s hope the kidnappers reach out to you for a
likos
demand.” 

Baruk waited, every minute increasing his fear. He imagined Lindsey alone and unconscious in the cold night.

More officers arrived and commandeered Baruk’s office. He ended up in the foyer with Zadal, who looked as if he’d storm into the night to search any moment.

“Are you alright, Zadal?”

“I’m fine.”

His voice lacked the sarcastic edge Baruk had become accustomed. Usually Lindsey’s teasing would bring out Zadal’s humor and his spouse partner would loosen up. Although since Zumei’s termination, Zadal looked more and more worn. Tonight, however, he’d shut down completely.

Only the glare he shot the officers as they trekked through the house revealed a spark of emotion.

“Senate Leader Baruk?”

His head jerked up. Mala must have heard the news and returned. She hesitated at the doorway, her face pale as she closed the distance between them. Her fingers twisted together as she blurted, “Lindsey went to town.”

“What?”

Zadal drew near.

Mala glanced from him, then back to Baruk. “S-she wanted to surprise you and planned a meal from Earth.”

That didn’t explain anything. “Everly wouldn’t let her cook?”

“No.” Mala shook her head. “Nothing like that. She wanted to make an Earth specialty but wasn’t sure what she needed. I recommended Yalene’s because it’s where we order household goods. Emjor loves it there and prefers ordering in person because Yalene’s such a pleasure.”

Baruk waved down one of the officers roaming his home. “Tell Granger to send someone to the inner city of Teeve. A shop run by a woman named Yalene.”

The youth dashed off.

They waited another hour. Everyone refused to leave the foyer which was cramped with people. Mala continued to shift on her feet, worry evident in her face. 

“Senate Leader! Senate Leader, we have something.”

Baruk jumped and spun as another door slammed open and five officers burst through the door, Officer Grange in the front yelling. “Your wife has been taken.”

“What?”

Grange grinned in triumph. “The place you mentioned was key. We found signs of a struggle and a witness who claims to have seen a woman taken. They’re being interviewed at our headquarters for a description of the woman and her assailant. It’s a start.”

“Are you saying someone took Lindsey?” Zadal uttered the question in the same shock Baruk knew his face reflected.

Who would do this and why? Baruk glanced around at the servants who’d stayed in hopes of news on Lindsey. Tears gleamed in Mala’s eyes as she leaned into Kimsha’s side. Kimsha’s mouth tremble, his arm flexing as he tightened his hold.

“I’m afraid it looks like this is an abduction case.”

Granger’s announcement sent Baruk staggering back a step as pain ripped his heart in shreds.

“There’s no need to keep men searching the grounds. I’m heading back to be involved in the questioning.” Grange shared a look with Baruk and Zadal. “I promise to report back immediately, Senate Leaders.”

Still in disbelief, Baruk closed the door behind the last officer. He dismissed everyone and went to his office for privacy. Zadal followed. Baruk dropped into the chair behind his desk. Zadal sat opposite him, his shoulders slumped.

Unable to keep from asking, Baruk said, “Do you think she’s going to be alright?”

“Maybe.” Zadal’s doubt was clear and the ache in Baruk’s chest expanded.

“How did this happen?”

Bitterness slipped through Zadal’s tone. “My fault. Everything I touch gets destroyed.”

Baruk pushed passed his own dismay and worry. “What are you talking about, Zadal? This has nothing to do with you unless you’re directly responsible for snatching Lindsey.” 

Zadal’s tormented eyes met his. “She’s not meant to be mine.”