Joseph sat up slowly, noting the door behind Nesof. Was it locked? If he could fight past the maniac, would he be able to escape? “Almon will tear you to pieces. He’ll rip you limb from limb. And I’ll cheer him on while he’s doing it.”
“Almon.” Nesof’s derisive snort echoed. “You’d better forget that pathetic excuse for a protector. He’s not going anywhere.”
“What have you done to him?” That Nesof had done something was obvious, and it sent Joseph over the edge. He sprang at the Nobek, fists swinging.
Nesof was ready for him on this occasion. With a single blow, he sent Joseph flying across the room to land painfully on the floor covered in cracked tiles. The Nobek stomped over and kicked Joseph in the stomach. All the air left the Earther’s body, and he curled in tight against the pain.
“Damn it. Why do you insist on making me discipline you? Now behave yourself, my Earther, or I’ll be forced to really punish you.”
Joseph wheezed for breath, his eyes squirting tears from the terrible pain in his head and guts. Yet his brain, honed by living under constant threat for most of his life, was flying along, grabbing details, trying to formulate a plan.
It ticked down a checklist of what he could count on as facts. A large patient room, obviously abandoned and out of use for a while. Old hospital supplies, outdated and broken down. A nice, private place, as Nesof had said, where no one would bother them.
It added up to the abandoned caverns, the old psychiatric facility at the rear of the newer part of the center where Joseph had spent the last two years.
He said he had a hidden area to gather his thoughts, where he could calm down on difficult days. This had to be the place.
Joseph recalled what little he knew of the older structure that was a year or two off from renovation. It had no operational surveillance monitors to check on a few of the areas. It was located within a containment field because of the danger of cave-ins.
It was a start. Joseph knew where the dangerous Nobek had brought him. Help wasn’t far off, but only if he could escape Nesof and find a way out.
With the orderly looming over him, Joseph wondered if he wasn’t kidding himself about his chances.
* * * *
“You do realize accessing someone’s personal and work records is highly illegal, don’t you?” Kavug snapped.
“You do realize that at this stage, I don’t give a fuck?” Almon pleaded his case to Trib, who was frowning over his handheld. “Damn it, man, you’re a Nobek yourself. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t pull out all the stops, including break the law, to protect a clanmate.”
Kavug’s lip curled, no doubt at hearing Almon’s characterization of Joseph. “Walker is not—”
“He’s my clan! Fuck what you think about male Earther companions, and fuck what the empire thinks of them. And fuck the sob story you keep playing in your mind, the pathetic tale that diminishes your brother’s heroic death. Joseph is my life. Deal with it.”
Trib spoke before Kavug could piss off Almon any worse. “The records retrieval team has just gotten back to me on Nesof’s employment history, as well as the story on his brother. Nobek Almon’s information is correct on all accounts. Taking all the circumstances as a whole, I think we have a potential problem with Nesof. We should talk to him again.”
Kavug scowled, but Trib paid no mind to it, because his handheld beeped again. The enforcer’s eyes widened as he scanned whatever new information he’d been sent. “Fuck.”
“What?” Kavug’s tone said he preferred not to hear it.
“I sent Nesof’s picture to Almon’s employer to check if he caught sight of him. He identified Nesof as the waiter who brought their drinks. And wait—here’s a notification from the client too. Imdiko Dejo also says it’s him.”
Almon cursed. “Now you know I’m right, damn you! Do something about it! Nesof has Joseph!”
“We’ll go pick Nobek Nesof up.” Kavug stayed rooted the spot, however. He seemed frozen.
Almon shoved impatiently at the medi-bed arm trapping him. “Take me with you.”
Kavug snapped out of the momentary paralysis. “Even if I was stupid enough to bring you along, your system is ravaged by the poison. You’re not going to do anyone any favors by joining us—including your companion.”
Almon grabbed him, surprising both himself and Kavug that he had the strength to do so. He set aside shock and took advantage, yanking the investigator down so they were nose to nose. “I lost clanmates once already. I will not lose Joseph. Do you understand me, asshole? I will not lose him.”
Kavug pushed, but couldn’t get loose. He rolled his eyes in Trib’s direction.
The enforcer’s expression was calm. He didn’t move to extricate his partner. “Almon is acting like any Nobek desperate to protect his lover. You’d better reassure him you’ll do your best to rectify the situation.”
Kavug gritted his teeth and returned his hectic gaze to Almon. “Fine. We’ll talk to Nesof again. We’ll corner him about these past patients and his brother, find out if that shakes him up any.” When Almon continued to hold his collar, he added, “I can’t confront him until you let me go.”
Almon growled, but he released Kavug. The investigator swept out of the room with haste, though Almon wasn’t sure if it was to escape his wrath or because Kavug worried that he’d let a grudge screw up the case.
Before Trib followed him, the two Nobeks exchanged nods.
“I’ll do whatever is in my power to find your clanmate and return him to you,” the enforcer vowed before leaving.
* * * *
Joseph kicked and punched as Nesof rammed him up against the wall. The Nobek grunted at the blows, but otherwise ignored his attempts to fend him off, pushing close and attempting to kiss him. His hands were all over Joseph, defiling him.
“Stop fighting me. Stop fighting us,” Nesof growled. His efforts to force his mouth on Joseph’s failed when the Earther twisted his head to the side.
“There is no us, you deranged son of a bitch! My Nobek is Almon!”
Nesof jerked back and slapped Joseph hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet. Stars exploded in his vision.
“Almon is dead.”
“You lie!” Joseph struggled to remain upright, trying to regain his balance so he could fly at the son of a bitch.
“I watched him fall, undone by a glass of kloq. He sprawled there on the floor, as useful and pretty as a sack of garbage, foaming at the mouth.” Nesof barked harsh laughter as he dodged a punch. “Serves him right for sitting on his ass and drinking on the job. A most dishonorable death for someone who’s supposed to be a warrior. He’s certainly not the protector you deserve.”
Joseph shrieked in rage. He refused to believe Nesof. It was another of his tricks, a bid to make him weak with despair. When Nesof shoved him against the wall again and moved close to kiss, Joseph bit his nose. He tried to chew it off the asshole’s face, but only succeeded in bloodying it before the roaring Nesof yanked free.
The punches to his skull were so fast, he felt no pain when they landed. Then Joseph was flying through the air. He landed hard on the tiled floor, his body shrieking from the impact. His head joined in the heinous clamor, the assault finally registering.
As he struggled to maintain consciousness, his surroundings graying and going out of focus, Nesof’s bitter voice drifted to him from a great distance. “You’ll get over him. Meanwhile, I’d better leave before you push me to do something we’ll both regret.”
Joseph was aware of movement, of the door hissing open and shut. After several seconds, he comprehended what Nesof had said, and it came to him he was alone. The door was no doubt locked, but it was his chance to figure out an escape.
Joseph legs refused to obey his commands for them to move. His arms were in no hurry to push him up. After what felt akin to a lifetime of his brain sending messages to the reluctant limbs, he was at last able to shift. He started to rise, but the room heaved, an ocean in a storm,
and he fell again.
Don’t black out. Don’t black out.
* * * *
The Imdiko nurse on duty walked in to discover Almon yanking at the outer panel of the medi-arm that imprisoned him in his bed. Naturally, he asked the stupid question. “What are you doing?”
“I have to get out of here. Confronting Nesof won’t help with the investigation. They searched his house already.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you need to stop taking it out on the console.”
“Joseph’s not there. He told me about the bastard having a secret hiding place at the psych facility, so maybe that’s where he took him.”
“Keep pulling at that arm like a lunatic, and it will be you who’ll be stuck in a psych facility. Seriously Nobek, cut it out.”
Almon didn’t want the nurse to think he was raving. He needed help to escape. “My companion’s been abducted by his stalker, the same asshole who put me in here.” At last, the panel cover came off, revealing the arm’s inner workings, and he tossed it aside. He didn’t need help after all.
“Stop ripping the equipment apart. Do I have to sedate you?” The nurse hurried over and made as if to grab Almon.
“Try it and die.”
The nurse froze. Almon immediately regretted taking out his desperation on an Imdiko. The nurse deserved no threats. He was only doing his job.
Almon spread his hands wide to show he was no menace to him. “I didn’t mean that. Listen, I’m scared shitless for my companion. Please, let me out. He’s my clanmate, and I have to find him before that maniac kills him.”
“I can’t release you without doctor’s consent. And he won’t give it. You almost died, Nobek.” The Imdiko’s tone was rational. Calm. But he didn’t call for help, and he didn’t tell Almon he was being an idiot.
“You can step out of here and pretend you weren’t around to catch me breaking free then. Just leave and allow me to do that.”
“That medi-bed is an expensive piece of equipment, and a huge pain in the ass to switch out when broken.” The nurse lowered his voice. “You’ve got the panel off. If you hit the red switch, the arm will release. You don’t have to destroy the whole damned bed and make my job harder than I’m paid for it to be.”
“Thank you.” Almon injected every mote of gratitude he could muster.
“I never saw any of this.”
“When you showed up to check on me, everything was as it was supposed to be. Maybe I was even sleeping. I didn’t break out until after you left.”
“That works for me.” The nurse turned around and started to leave. He paused just before his presence would trigger the automatic door open. Without looking back at Almon, he said, “I was stalked several years ago, before I had clanmates to watch out for me. It was the worst three months of my life. Good luck, Nobek.”
He was gone. The instant the door shut behind him, Almon yanked the panel off and hit the red switch.
Chapter Seventeen
Joseph finally made it to his feet. He staggered around the room, searching for a weapon once he’d verified he was locked in and couldn’t figure a way out.
Unfortunately, despite the space obviously being storage for outdated equipment, only large pieces such as the hover gurneys and chairs had been stowed in the space. None of those would power up, and they were too damned heavy for him to pick up and chuck at Nesof when the Nobek decided to show his face again.
The room possessed no items he could wield as blunt weapons. No sharp objects to stab with. After Nesof’s last assault, Joseph could barely hold his balance. He was fucked as far as defending himself. Even more fucked when it came to escape.
And what of Almon? How bad had Nesof hurt him? Was he really dead?
* * * *
“Are you sure you’re okay, Nobek?” The shuttle service pilot eyed him worriedly as Almon paid the fare.
“Fine. Thanks. Something extra for you.” Almon tapped in the numbers. He hoped his hazy vision hadn’t led him into emptying his account to tip the guy.
He reeled into the main entrance of the psych center, not so much stepping as staggering into the glassed-in foyer. Beyond the inner doors, he spotted the guard station, front and center in the lobby beyond the clear panels. He shook his head to ensure his blurred eyesight wasn’t fucking with him. No, the security station was unmanned. In the distance, he could hear alarms going off.
The doors into the lobby of the facility wouldn’t open. Almon pounded on the thick, tempered glass, glancing at the comfortably laid-out seating beneath soothing landscape still-vids that dotted the walls in orderly fashion. He had the errant hope that the night watch had decided to take a nap on one of the loungers. No such luck.
The corridor beyond the desk, leading into the guts of the facility, remained empty. No one arrived to let him in. Some big incident was apparently happening in another part of the institution if no security guard remained up front. Almon wondered if it had anything to do with Joseph.
“Hey!” he yelled, knowing the futility of the attempt. He glanced around, looking for something to attack the glass with. A blaster would have been nice, and he’d worn his to the restaurant. Legally, of course, as his personal bodyguard permit allowed him to. However, it hadn’t been among his clothing and other belongings when he’d dressed at the hospital. No surprise there; it was SOP for law enforcement to confiscate weapons in the vicinity of any crime committed, so they’d have collected his.
No nice, convenient blunt objects capable of breaking glass were at hand, but he saw the package drop-off chute in the corner of the foyer. The other access of it was in the lobby, with a metal barrier between the two accesses which would prevent anyone slipping in through that route.
“I’m not just anyone,” Almon muttered.
He shuffled to the package drop-off and peered at the mechanism that kept the barricade in place. It was a simple piece that only required a code inputted into the keypad. Unfortunately, not only did Almon not know the code, but the keypad was out of reach, in the lobby.
He had a knife, however, which Kavug had not found among his personal effects, sheathed in a secret pocket on the interior of his boot. The investigator had confiscated all the rest, along with Almon’s com. That and his handheld had been taken to search for evidence of Joseph’s whereabouts.
Enforcer Trib should have known to check every inch of his clothing for weapons, Almon thought grimly as he pulled the long blade out of his boot. As Joseph had once observed, Nobeks resembled Earther hedgehogs. They tended to stash pointy objects all over their clothing and bodies, waiting for trouble to come along.
The narrow end of the knife was just thin enough for Almon to slip into the crack between the sliding barrier and its frame. With a shove, Almon widened the gap, pushing the obstacle aside a few inches. Then, the blade snapped in half.
Almon tossed it away. He’d managed to release the barricade enough that he could hook his fingers around it. He yanked and tugged and swore as he forced it ajar as far as he could. It yielded until it was about three-quarters open and refused to budge another millimeter.
The effort had worn him out, and Almon had to concede he’d rendered it as accessible as he could. The sirens continued to wail within the complex, louder now that he’d forced the gap. No one had returned to the front desk.
Almon gazed at the drop-off with consternation. The gap appeared wide enough to allow him through, but only with a great deal of effort. He might end up stuck. He snarled at the vision of being found by other Nobeks in a most humiliating fashion once whatever emergency had occurred within the facility was handled.
But Joseph needed him. Almon had to get in and find out if Nesof had brought him to the center.
Sending off a quick prayer to the ancestors to make him a bit skinnier—and glad he’d not eaten since that morning—Almon crouched low on the floor and began to squeeze through the small breach. His shoulders jammed in the aperture instantly, and Almon wiggled and squi
rmed to force them through. He tore a sleeve and his arm as well, but he ground his teeth and kept fighting to gain access to the lobby. He chanted Joseph’s name like a mantra to will himself on. At last, his shoulders, chest, and biceps stopped blocking his progress, and he slid through with a grunt. He was in.
Almon didn’t pause to inspect the cut bleeding freely down his arm. He hauled himself to his feet, hesitating only a moment to gain his equilibrium. The damned lobby tilted, fucking up his balance for several seconds. But he made it to the guard station and staggered around the desk.
Whoever had been posted there had left security vids flickering along the length of the enclosed desk surface. Instantly, Almon could understand why the sirens were blaring and why the lobby was left unmanned. A vid displayed a ward that had what looked like a full-scale riot going on. Patients, wearing the uniform gray gowns of their incarceration, swung objects and fists at each other, orderlies, and security. It was a hell of a fight, all right, even though the patients were all members of the Imdiko breed. Almon had heard more than once that an angry Imdiko was not to be fucked with. Those assholes looked damned furious, and they weren’t psychologically balanced to begin with. It also seemed there weren’t that many personnel to cope with them, the odds at least three-to-one against the facility’s workers. Since those who were incarcerated were labeled sick rather than criminal, it wasn’t possible to shoot the inmates and clean up the mess afterward.
It wasn’t his problem, however. Almon’s problem was locating Joseph, and maybe Nesof too, if that gurluck was anywhere around. A check of the rioters and facility personnel dealing with them showed no sign of either man. Almon inspected the rest of the monitors.
He came up with nothing.
Almon snarled at the blue-tinted vids. Had he been wrong in thinking Nesof might have hidden Joseph at the center? He should have gone to the asshole’s home instead of wasting precious minutes. Why had he let his muddled brain direct him here?
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