Sierra was tough. It took a long time, which suited him fine. He kept at it, viciously, until every last sign of her sig was snuffed out. Then for some time beyond that, just for good measure.
When he stopped, the plastic-wrapped form looked like a bag of blood.
The other slave soldiers had ranged themselves around him. Fists clenched. Eerily silent. Raquel’s face was still wet. She sniffled loudly with each breath.
He slapped her so hard, she hit the ground rolling.
“Load that garbage into the truck,” he told them. “We have to find a place to dump it. Defective piece of shit.” He wrenched open the back of the truck. There was just enough space among the crates of weapons for the five of them to huddle. “Get in!”
They all hesitated. He lifted the wand, and gave Brenner a long, rattling buzz of agony. That shocked them all into obedience.
They hoisted in Sierra’s limp body and clambered over it, huddling down into the truckbed among the towering stacks of boxes.
Five pairs of burning eyes stared back at him over the plastic-swathed corpse.
Mark slammed the door on them, closing them into pitch darkness.
Chapter 20
The drive back was excruciating. Noah had no one to blame but himself.
What the fuck was he thinking, calling Zade right in front of her? As if she were one of his group. As if she knew their secret history.
Noah was used to having people angry at him. He was a leader and it came with the territory. But with Caro, it made him feel like shit. And now she was going to watch them all watch the footage. Which was a brand new clusterfuck in the making.
He concentrated on the road, trying to ignore the furious silence and the angry colors that filled the dark car. She was pissed off, confused, scared. With good reason.
She spoke up as they got off the highway and sped through a strip mall business district. “You can let me out right now,” she said. “Anywhere around here is fine.”
He did an instant dive to counteract the surge of the combat program that flickered furiously to life on his inner screen. “We’re almost home,” he said.
“Noah.” Caro’s voice vibrated with fury. “I don’t know those men you called. Whatever’s on that flash drive is my business, not theirs. You’re being an asshole.”
He focused hard on the blue glow of the ice cave in his inner vision, keeping his breathing deep and slow, while trying to think of a way to explain himself that wouldn’t freak her out still more. There wasn’t one.
“You said you trusted me,” he said, finally.
“I did, before you started pushing me around.”
“Those men are brothers to me,” he said. “I trust them with my life.”
“Your life,” she said. “Not mine.”
“Too late, anyway,” he said. “They’re waiting for us there. It’s a done deal.”
Her angry colors surged and pulsed. “So this is Noah Gallagher, being on top,” she said. “Calling all the shots. Making all the hard decisions.”
The car sped up on the wet road. “I will take care of you, Caro.”
“I didn’t ask you to. And even if I had, you’re jerking me around. It’s not the same thing.”
There was no short answer to that, so he pretended not to hear as he braked in front of his gate and buzzed it open. “Time to meet my people,” he said he drove the car through. “Brace yourself.”
Two cars were parked at haphazard angles in front of his house. Noah cursed under his breath, and parked in the driveway. “Can’t believe I taught those lazy bastards to drive,” he grumbled.
He wanted to take her hand when she got out of the car, but she kept a haughty distance, staying a few steps ahead of him as they entered the house.
Sisko was the first person they saw, his long body sprawled all over one of his couches. “Caro, this is Sisko,” he said.
“I remember you,” Caro said to Sisko. “I saw you at Angel Enterprises.”
“Yeah, I was there.” Sisko stood up to greet her. His face was calm and his body appeared outwardly relaxed, but Noah was bare-eyed and could see the jagged spikes of emotion in Sisko’s sig. A complicated blend of excitement and dread.
“Where’s Zade?” Noah asked.
“Coffeeing up,” came a deep voice from behind them.
Caro turned, and gasped when she saw him.
“He’s one of mine,” Noah said swiftly. “It’s OK. This is Zade.”
“But . . . but I saw . . .” she faltered. “He was—”
“Sorry if I scared you,” Zade said. “Believe me, I’m harmless. To you, at least.”
“Why were you following me?” she demanded. “You were tailing me even before I even got the call from Noah’s sister! What the hell is going on?”
Zade’s eyes flicked to Noah in silent question. Noah shook his head slightly.
“I’ll explain,” Zade said. “Let’s see that footage, first.”
“Hell, no.” Caro looked wildly from one man to the other. “Not until I understand what’s going on.”
“Later,” Noah said.
“I need an explanation right now. Why the fuck was that guy following me?”
“We’ll get to that.” Noah kept his voice carefully even. “Calm down, Caro.”
“Noah, do you have to be such a colossal dickhead all the time? Seriously, don’t let him get away with it.” An amused feminine voice sounded from behind them.
Noah looked around, dismayed to see Hannah in jeans and a sweatshirt, her curly red hair twisted in a thick braid. She held a big white pastry box.
“Shit,” he muttered. “Who told you about this?”
“Sisko was at my place when he got Zade’s call.” She set the pastry box down. “Have a cruller,” she said to Noah. “Emergency fuel. And there’s a sandwich platter on the coffee table if you want protein.”
Noah ran his eyes over the pile of sandwiches and the pastry box. He’d been running AVP off and on the whole day, and the combat program beast was screaming to be fueled. But he just couldn’t do it. Not while contemplating what could be on that flash drive. “Thanks,” he muttered. “Maybe later. You weren’t invited, Hannah.”
“I so totally do not give a fuck,” Hannah said. “You need to start including me. Especially if it’s something I’m interested in. Or working on. Or would just like to know about, goddamnit.”
“Excuse me. Why would my personal business be of any interest to you?” Caro demanded.
Hannah smiled at her. “What I mean is, no way would I miss a chance to check out my brother’s new girlfriend,” she said, gesturing toward the pastry box. “Care for a sugar hit?”
Caro shook her head. “No thanks.”
“Take off your coat, at least.” Hannah lifted Caro’s coat off and draped it over the back of a chair before sliding her arm through Caro’s and towing her gently across the room. “Come sit by me,” she urged. “All this testosterone creates static interference. Makes it hard to think.”
Sisko wandered over, grabbed a cinnamon pecan roll out of the box and ate it in a few purposeful bites, watching Hannah guide Caro to a couch and sit down next to her. His sister’s cheerful friendliness got a wan smile or two from Caro, but the smiles faded quickly.
While Caro was occupied with talking, Zade sidled over towards Noah.
“Dude,” he hissed under his breath. “What the fuck is she doing here? We can’t watch this thing with her. It’ll scare the living shit out of her. At best.”
Noah shrugged. “We have to,” he said simply. “She was the one who found it.”
“What are you planning to tell her about us?” Sisko said.
“Don’t know yet,” Noah said. “Hadn’t really thought about it.”
Sisko and Zade exchanged a startled glance.
Zade gulped the last of his coffee and wiped his mouth. “So play the goddamned thing already,” he said roughly. “I can’t stand waiting any more.”
Noah plugged
the flash drive into a laptop connected to the flatscreen TV. A download box appeared on the blue screen. Noah selected it, and hesitated, looking at Caro.
Hannah had pressed a coffee cup into her hands, but when Caro met his eyes, she set the cup down on the lamp table and clasped her hands.
“Don’t look at me for permission,” she said. “You’ll do whatever the fuck you want anyway.”
He picked up a remote and hit Play.
* * *
Caro regretted the sweet, strong coffee that she’d sipped at Hannah’s insistence. It was making her stomach churn.
This scene felt wrong. Everyone in the room exuded a buzz of controlled excitement that made no sense. There was no reason for them to be here, or to care about this. If they were here only as a favor to Noah, their vibe would be more flat.
The video had begun. She’d worry about Noah’s people, as he called them, and their hidden agenda afterwards.
The video began. The concealed camera that took it had a fisheye lens which distorted the features of the man who peered into it. But it was clear that he was handsome. Buzzed dark hair, a strong nose and jaw, and keen eyes that looked intently into the lens as he adjusted the angle. She recognized him from the pictures that Tim had dug up of Luke Ryan. Behind him, another man, fortyish, talked loudly on a cell phone. He was heavyset and bearded.
A knock sounded. Luke’s hand reached back to touch a gun in a holster inside his coat. The bearded guy yelled, “Who is it?”
A muffled voice answered. Caro couldn’t make out the words.
“I’ll get the door,” Luke said. “Stay back.”
He opened the door to someone wearing a sweatshirt with a hood that shadowed his face. “Calliope banner ibex,” the man at the door said.
Some sort of code? Except that Luke didn’t react to it. The man at the door pushed back his hood.
It was Mark Olund
Grinning, he chucked Luke under the chin, then shoved him as if to test if he’d hold still. Luke Ryan remained motionless.
The bearded guy ended his call, belatedly alarmed. “What’s going on? Who the hell are you?”
Mark grabbed Luke, heaved him into the room and shut the door. At this angle, Caro could see Ryan’s tense face. He was struggling to breathe.
“Hey, Lukie,” Mark said. “Remember me?”
Caro didn’t understand what she saw but it was awful and sure to get worse.
The bearded guy’s voice was edged with panic. “What the hell’s wrong with you, Luke? Are you having a goddamn seizure? Who’s this guy? Do you know him?”
Luke’s eyes blazed with helpless fury. He seemed frozen. He dragged in tight breaths, fighting for air, but he was still on his feet.
Mark pushed him against a wall. He stayed there.
Then Mark lifted a gun from Luke’s holster with a latex gloved hand, and deftly screwed on a silencer.
The bearded guy’s eyes went wide with terror. He lunged for the door—
Two muffled gunshots to the head. The bearded man thudded to the ground.
Mark put down the gun, seized Luke’s chin in a cruel pincer grip and kissed him aggressively. “Alone at last,” he said. “Great to see you again. The brave warrior who saved us all! What a man. You always had the biggest balls. Mind if I squeeze?” Mark reached down, grabbed the other man’s crotch and just about wrenched them off.
Luke’s face contracted with agony, but he didn’t make a sound.
Mark slapped him brutally hard. Caro half expected Luke to spit out teeth or crumple to the floor, but his tormenter steadied him before he could topple.
“Poor bastard,” Mark crooned. “What a fucking mess. They invested so much money in you kill code boys before they scrapped the program. Everyone with clearance knows your fucking codes, plus anyone those people feel like telling . . . and anyone who’s good at data theft, like me. I have your brother’s codes too. I think you two are the last of the tribe.” He patted Luke’s face. “I’m almost sorry for you. But not really.”
Luke was motionless, his gaze fixed on Mark.
“Want to know a secret?” Mark chortled. “Obsidian improved the product. No verbal codes this time, though. No more of that calliope-banner-ibex crap. Too sloppy. Full of bugs. Not anymore. Now it’s coded ultrasound. One pulse to activate. And now there are hundreds of them. Trained like us, only better. Stronger, faster, more mods, more implants, more power genes.”
Luke’s chest hitched as Mark leaned closer. “Aww. Don’t be jealous. I’m going to take their army . . . and I’m going to fuck them with it. I’m going to fuck them really hard. And you, my old friend, are going to help me do it.”
Luke made a strangled sound.
“Yeah, I know, it’s crazy,” Mark agreed. “But you’re the decryption man. You and Zade and Sisko decrypted all the Midlands info before rebellion day. I know exactly how good you are. I have the files on the slave soldiers in a biometric safe, which I can’t get into. But you can.” Mark’s manic grin showed all his teeth as he leaned in and licked Luke’s neck. “I could have had so much fun with you. Too bad I’m not into boys.”
Luke gurgled painfully, dragging in a little air.
“Shut up. Don’t even try to move. You can’t until I give you the release code. I have six prototype slave soldiers all in the Wyoming-Utah area, and as soon as I get access to the frequency wands, I can pick them up and start practicing.”
Luke looked pale. Gray in the face, blue in the lips. Fighting Mark’s mind control was quickly draining his strength.
“By the way, as far as the police are concerned, you shot that rich asshole, took his eighty million and his fucking fancy jewelry collection and left the country. I could tell them where to find you. Want to know?” He leaned closer, to Luke’s ear. “You’ll be six levels underground, at my secret place. Being my bitch.”
Luke jerked, helplessly.
Mark Olund pulled a small device out of the pocket of his sweatshirt. It looked like a wide, heavyweight elastic band that he put around Luke’s head, clamping a series of sleekly designed electronic devices against it. Mark adjusted the band carefully and peered down into his phone, syncing the device. He gazed at his own phone for a few moments, tapping and scrolling.
Apparently satisfied, Olund went to the door and opened it. Four huge men came in, carrying a case that looked like it was made for a big piece of sound equipment.
They upended Luke Ryan’s stiff, unyielding body into it like a corpse into a coffin, locked it and carried it out of the room.
Mark followed them. The door clicked shut. Minutes passed, in utter silence.
The video stopped. No one moved.
Caro had no reason to be surprised by any of this. She knew only too well how violent and disturbed Mark was. But she still couldn’t move or speak. It was so horrible.
Then she saw Hannah, sobbing into her hands. Sisko paced behind the couch. Zade sat, white-faced, fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white.
Noah just looked at the blue screen, his face a blank mask.
Her neck prickled, as Mark’s words in the video floated through her mind. You and Zade and Sisko decrypted all the Midlands info before rebellion day.
Oh, God. Zade and Sisko? “What the hell is going on?” she demanded.
No one answered. The tension in the room intensified as she stood up.
“You guys are not being straight with me. Especially you.” She pointed at Noah. “I don’t know what the fuck happened in that video, or what connection Mark has to that poor guy, or why you even care. But none of it matters to me.”
Hannah’s wet eyes widened with outrage. “How can you say that?”
“Framing people for murder is what Mark does,” Caro said. “That’s all that’s relevant to me. This video will prove my innocence, or at least help me prove it. I have to take this to the police right away.”
Noah stood up, and removed the flash drive from the laptop. The TV went dark.
“No,�
�� he said.
Caro braced herself. “Care to explain?” She knew he wouldn’t.
“I’m taking him down,” Zade said. “Nobody can stop me.”
“Zade.” Noah’s voice was flat. “Think. If what he says is true, and we have no reason not to believe him, then he has your codes. You can’t get near him. He’d take you just like he took Luke.”
“But Luke’s in the dungeon,” Zade insisted. “Mark’s hurting him now.”
Caro looked around at Zade. “So that’s why I saw you before Hannah called for me,” she said to Zade. “You guys know Luke Ryan personally. Mark Olund, too?”
Noah broke the silence. “Yes,” he admitted. “We have history with Mark.”
“So you’ve been stalking me?”
“Not exactly,” Noah said. “We’ve been stalking Mark. We only stalked you by reflex. You popped up on our radar when you made contact with Bea.”
Caro tried to wrap her mind around that, and drew a blank. As blank as Bea’s empty blue eyes. No mental flexibility was possible today. She felt fragile, brittle.
“Guess we all want to bring down Mark Olund,” she said. “Right? So why not go to the police? Why not help your friend?” She gazed around their shuttered faces, feeling the weight of their tense silence. Her heart sank.
Caro straightened her shoulders, and held out her hand for the flash drive. “Give me that,” she said. “It’s mine. I found it. I paid for it. And the price was very high.”
“I’m sorry,” Noah said. “I can’t let you take that file to the police.”
Caro drew her hand back. Her stomach roiled. So. There it was.
She’d had an awful, sinking sense that something like this might happen. Ever since Noah insisted on calling his own crew to view the footage they had found.
She’d been betrayed, fucked over, deceived and used. Again.
This time, it was incredibly personal. Noah had made an absolute fool of her. She’d opened herself to him completely. He’d made her fall into something like love with him and then betrayed her trust. She was almost too shocked to be angry. But not quite.
Right Through Me (The Obsidian Files #1) Page 21