by Dale Mayer
“I’m not thinking anything,” Levi protested. “I’m trying to figure this out. There are too many unknowns.”
“Then we need to make them knowns,” she said. “Bring Stephen here and ask him in private.”
“That’s not going to happen. Councilmen don’t just travel around casually. They come with full Combot units.”
“Then figure out how to get him to come alone or meet him elsewhere – just the two of you, so you can find out the truth. It seems like he’s at the center of this.”
“And yet it might be a completely different Stephen Cavendish.”
“Same birthday,” Charmin announced. “But everything else looks different.”
“It would have been changed to hide his history.”
“So…” Dani nudged him.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I definitely need to talk to him. I’m just not sure how.”
“I suggest you send him an encrypted message saying ‘I know everything.’” Charmin said, “And have him meet you somewhere private.”
Levi stared at Charmin. “For a cat, you’re damn smart.”
“Only because of Milo,” Dani said absentmindedly. “And you’re not going alone. Take Tommy to watch your back and Milo to make sure Tommy is actually watching and not stabbing you in the back.”
He snorted then admitted, “I hate the idea of leaving you alone.”
“We’re better off here,” she said with a sweet smile. “All hell breaks loose when I leave.” She reached out a hand and stroked his forearm. “Better you go, deal with this, and come back.”
“Then I’d better get it set up now.”
And he headed out to Milo and Tommy.
It was the last thing he wanted to do. But if his friend was involved in this mess, then he was in for an ugly surprise.
Friends or not, if Stephen was involved in Dani’s kidnapping, Levi would fry him.
Chapter 17
It was out of Dani’s hands now, and she watched as everything happened in front of her eyes. After Milo encrypted the message using a dialogue code common among the Naturals group, Levi sent it off.
They hadn’t had time to prepare for the next stage when an answer came immediately.
“Meet at Station 42, zone 6.”
Milo immediately searched for that location.
“Interesting. It’s an old hangout for the Naturals before they moved out. It’s deserted and hasn’t been used in decades.”
Tommy shook his head. “That’s what the records say, but it’s not empty. There is a heavy criminal element there.”
“Then don’t go,” Dani cried. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“We don’t have much choice.”
“Yes, you do. You don’t have to go to that location. Change it to someplace safer. One where these two can be with you. And one where you will all be safe.”
Milo said, “She’s right, you know.”
“Make it a public place,” she said. “An art gallery? A huge shopping complex.”
The men looked at her. She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I like reading about places like that, but think of something along the same line. Or…” she smiled. “Both of you port somewhere where no one can find you. Go to a ski chalet where you can be alone and talk.”
Milo brightened. “I like that idea. Give him the coordinates – a set he can look up – then we’ll meet him there.”
Tommy got up and walked over to the window. As he passed Dani, she saw pain and grief in his face, and she felt for him. He’d just lost his brother, and now his life had taken a complete shift. Adjusting would be hard.
“Why not just send him up to Johan’s place?” Charmin asked from behind Dani.
Dani quickly glanced at Tommy, but he was staring out the window, his back hunched. She turned back to the others.
Thankfully, Tommy was far enough away that he couldn’t hear Charmin talking.
Milo turned to Levi. “That’s an even better idea. We can track you and everything can easily be recorded.”
“And we can help from here.” Dani loved the idea of Levi staying close.
Levi nodded. “That’s the best plan yet.”
“Then send him the message and get it changed.” Dani urged. “At least Charmin and I can keep watch from here and help out if need be.”
“Remember, we don’t know if Stephen is on the good side or the bad.”
“True, but he responded – and damn fast, so he’s interested.”
Milo walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a cloud of tiny colorful dots in his hand. “Here. Swallow.”
Dani watched with interest. That Levi swallowed the items without asking questions said a lot about them. Tommy had turned around, and even he didn’t raised an eyebrow. So this was a common occurrence. She assumed they were trackers of some kind. Knowing Milo, though, it could be so much more.
She sat in the background as messages were fired off and Milo prepped his brother. “I’m going up there and will be in the bedroom under Johan’s camouflage. I’ll bring my new invention, and I’m setting up a smaller one for you to take as well. In case of trouble, it will be best for both of us to have an escape route.”
“I hear that.” Tommy said.
Dani loved how Tommy had gone from being a bad guy to a good guy. She just hoped he didn’t blow this second chance. The brothers would help him, but if he screwed up…
Levi would kill him.
Hell, she would, too. Dani shifted restlessly.
“Psst.”
Damn, that was Charmin. She walked to the bedroom and closed the door. “What?”
“Make sure Milo sets up that emotion scanner for Stephen. Might help see what the truth is.”
“Oh, good idea. But I don’t think it’s portable.”
Charmin snorted. “Hell, everything is portable here.”
She glanced down at her beloved cat. “Charmin, you look tired.”
“Of course I’m tired. It’s not like there’s any chance to catch up on all our lost sleep.”
“I hear you there.” She yawned unexpectedly. “I’m really tired, too.”
“So let’s go for a nap.” Charmin’s gaze brightened. “They can go do their super secret spy stuff and we can sleep.”
“But someone has to keep an eye out to make sure Levi is safe.”
“Ha. He’s willingly going into that locked-down prison. If he screws up, I’m not going back in there after him.”
“You won’t need to, Milo is taking that portable port thingy you delivered last time.”
“Good. Nice to know I won’t be called on to save the day again. Being a hero is tiring.” He pinned her with a glare. “And works up an appetite. I’m feeling better, but you’re really slacking in the meal department.”
“Hey, it’s the middle of the night. Not breakfast time.”
“It’s breakfast somewhere in the world.”
“Dani?” Levi gently pushed the door open. “Stephen has agreed to the new location. Milo and I are going up there now to set up. Are you going to be okay here?”
Charmin glared at him. “We’ll be fine if you’d let us sleep.”
Dani shook her head. “Don’t mind him. He gets cranky without his beauty rest.” She smiled brightly at Levi, feeling anything but on the inside. “We’ll be fine, but what about Tommy? And what do we do if things go bad?”
“I was thinking to leave Tommy here in that case.”
He tugged her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Ditto. But I also want a life where we don’t have to worry about anyone else coming after us. Looking behind our shoulders all the time is not going to be fun.”
“Can you take Tommy with you and leave Milo here?” She bent back to look up at him. “Or send Milo back right away and make them switch places?”
“That’s possible. I’ll talk to Milo.”
&nbs
p; *
And talk to Milo he did. Inside, outside, upside, and downside, and his kid brother still wouldn’t budge.
“I’m not leaving you up there,” Milo snapped. “No way.”
“What about Dani?”
“You’re my brother. It’s your back I’m watching.”
“And as your brother,” Levi said, concern for Dani a hard lump in his throat, “I’m asking you to come back and look after Dani.”
Milo shook his head, the huge Mohawk wafting in the wind. “No. I’m going to make sure you are safe so you can look after her. That’s the best thing I can do for both of you.”
And that was his final word.
Tommy butted in. “Look, I understand that you don’t know me.” He paused and winced at the looks from Levi and Milo, “but I do have some experience with this brother stuff.”
Now that much was true. Levi could hear the sorrow in his voice and see it in the way he swallowed before continuing.
“I get that you can’t trust me, we didn’t have a good beginning, but you have your tests and scans to know that I’m telling you the truth when I say I mean you and Dani no harm. I want to find out who is behind all this and to stop it.” He took a deep breath and added, “I’d like my life back.”
Levi glanced at Milo, who was studying the comp screen in his hand. Milo looked up and nodded. Meaning Tommy was being honest. That helped, but this was the worst time to be wrong.
Still, it’s not like he had much choice. Kid brother with no fighting experience and couldn’t hide that damn Mohawk to keep himself out of danger, a criminal to watch his back at home, and a girl from centuries ago who was going to be watching his progress with her talking cat.
He had a killer of a headache coming on. And it was only going to get worse. He was also out of time.
“Here, bro. New prototype field equipment. Your new PP.” Milo grinned. “No super spy should leave home without it.”
Levi stared at him. “My what?”
Milo grinned. “The new personal port. Don’t you like the name?”
“It’s not the one we’re going to market it under.”
“That’s your problem. I just create this stuff.”
“You guys are lucky,” Tommy said. “I’d love to be able to invent stuff like this.”
Milo looked at Levi, a question in his eyes.
Levi rolled his eyes but gave in…slightly. “We’ll see about that if we all survive this night.”
Silence. Levi glanced over at Tommy and was surprised by the hope in his eyes. The kid was like a big puppy staring at the first bone in his life. And too afraid to hope that it might be for him.
Damn, his life had changed.
Chapter 18
Dani sat in the kitchen hugging yet another cup of coffee. Charmin was in the bed monitoring Levi and Milo’s progress from there. He was also monitoring Tommy.
Charmin – her secret weapon. Tommy had no idea what he’d be up against if he attacked her.
She smiled. Then wiped it off her face. There was nothing to smile about. Not until Levi was back again. She should be able to hear his conversation under normal circumstances, but as Johan’s place was still in that weird steel lockdown, they wouldn’t. She could only watch the figures in the apartment, and that made her insides quiver. Before Levi and Milo left, Milo had quickly explained that the only reason they could see that much was because of what he’d placed inside Johan’s place last time. She didn’t understand it, but it was all super cool.
As long as Levi stayed safe. She wished he’d made this a holographic meeting, but apparently Stephen had wanted to confirm whoever he was speaking to in person.
It made sense, but it also made the meeting more dangerous. She took a sip of her coffee and watched Levi’s healthy orange splotch on the monitor move around. She understood the other weird looking color was Milo and that he’d done something to mask his presence. He’d wanted to get back into Johan’s system for another look. The information he might find had to be incredibly valuable…and dangerous.
These two lived a dangerous life and didn’t even appear to notice.
A second orange splotch appeared beside Levi. Shorter, not as orange. “He’s arrived,” she said excitedly.
Tommy leaned closer for a better look. “I wish we could identify him.”
“Maybe we can.” She shrugged. “But I’m not sure how.”
The two splotches seemed to merge, then separate, then merge again.
“Uh, now that looks odd.”
“What here doesn’t look odd? Are they fighting? Or dancing?” she said, trying to inject humor into the situation even as her voice wobbled.
“I think…” Tommy stopped, then said in a quizzical voice, “they are hugging.”
“Really?” Her tension eased. Maybe it was Stephen. “He said they were good friends.”
The two appeared to be standing, facing each other, talking. She watched and waited and waited. Nothing shifted. Then one started to pace. Stephen. His color darkened and flares fired off his body. As if he was seriously agitated.
Then they calmed down. Stephen disappeared. The light blue colored splotch that was Milo joined Levi, then they both disappeared.
The next thing she knew, she was staring up at Levi’s bright purple gaze and his open arms.
She ran into them, loving when they closed securely around her. Thank God he was safe.
*
Levi held Dani close to his heart. All that worry and nothing had happened. He’d told her it would all be fine, but until it was over and he was back safe and sound, she wouldn’t believe it.
But it was all good now.
“What did he say?”
Levi grimaced. “He thought I was Paul or Tommy here.” He motioned at Tommy standing by the far window. “He already knew that these two were doing special jobs for some of the Council, but hadn’t figured out who exactly they were working for.”
“So he’s a good guy?” She waited for his warm smile and nod. “Thank heavens for that.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“Stephen is looking at the Council to help clean house.” Levi took a deep breath. “He was fast tracked into the Council by the elders to find proof of Council wrongdoing.”
“A mole!” Charmin danced gleefully in place. “So he knows that they are corrupt.”
“Shhh,” she whispered, stealing a glance at Tommy, but he was staring out the window, oblivious to the new voice.
“He knows,” Levi said. “He also knows what they did to Tommy and Paul and Johan.”
Tommy stood up. “And…is he going to do anything about it?”
“Yes, but not until we get to the bottom of this. He is trying to link Lina’s murder to the Council. At least as far as having ordered the hit.”
“And by whom?”
Levi winced. “I don’t know if I believe him or not, but he seems to think that John did it.”
Milo’s shocked gasp was loud. Dani turned to him. “Do you agree or disagree?”
“It’s possible.” He scowled. “But I’m not sure. I found a lot of information on Johan’s computer that I hadn’t seen because I hadn’t realized what I was looking at. It’s the background information on the Council members. Johan was trying to research them.”
“Did he find anything?”
“John had family in the Naturals group. But he had distanced himself from them years ago – about the same time he was accepted into law school.”
“And Stephen?”
Levi nodded. “Stephen was also from the Naturals, but he’s years younger than John and was one of the few who left for schooling. He was a teen when he left for school. When he found out that his friends and family had all been killed, he tried to keep his past a secret. He had no idea that he had supposedly died in that genocide, and when he saw his name listed, he just pretended the name was a coincidence and did his best to hide any connection to the group. About a year ago, he found some Council
documents sent to him, he thinks by Johan, proving that the Council had killed his family.”
“Why didn’t he say something to you and Milo? Surely he could have asked for your help.”
“He wasn’t sure what we were into. Milo got into trouble a year ago for trying to build a time machine, and he blew out all the power in the city. It was a terrible blackout that caused untold damage to various servicers and financial institutes. It was an accident, and they never could prove it was him, but they always suspected. It meant that Stephen didn’t dare approach us because we were already under the Council’s watchful eye. It would have looked suspicious, and his actions would have been questioned.”
“So now what?”
As he opened his mouth to reply, a boom blasted through the room. The force of the noise picked Dani up and threw her against the counter like she was a dishrag. Levi was thrown in the same direction, landing half on top of her. As she gasped for air, he rolled over and jumped to his feet – and stared into the unblinking lens of a Combot standing six inches from him.
His breath sucked in, and he saw the Combot wasn’t alone. A full-on tactical team had been sent to his place.
He tensed. That type of action was saved for the worst of the worst.
As he turned to help Dani, the Combot said, “Do not move.”
Levi froze. His heart still slamming against his ribs, he stared back at the Combot. “What is your protocol?”
“You are under arrest. For treason.”
Chapter 19
Once at the Council, Levi, Milo, and Dani, along with Tommy off to one side, were shoved into the main chamber. Levi stood stiff and tall in front with Dani, knees knocking, slightly behind. She had no idea what the charges stemmed from but thought it had something to do with Tommy’s presence in Levi’s place. Harboring a criminal or some such thing.
She glanced over where Tommy sat, his arms pinned behind him and a look of defeat on his face. For Tommy, this was bad. Last strike and all that. Her heart was still pounding away in her chest and her palms continued to sweat. Who was she kidding? She was terrified herself. And she was worried about Charmin. She hadn’t had a chance to say anything to him before they were ported out of the apartment.