The Rogue Retrieval
Page 30
He leaned back in his chair. “Nope.”
She blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“It’s magicians only in that place. Not even Holt was allowed there, and I think we can agree he’s got more influence than any of us.”
She tapped her pen against the conference table for a few beats. If the jab about Holt bothered her, she didn’t show it. “Moric brought you there as a candidate. You hadn’t proven yourself then.”
“He brought me there as a criminal.” He gave her a little smile. “Funny how all of those mission briefings failed to cover the fact that impersonating a magician is a crime over there.”
“You landed on your feet, didn’t you? And you’ve managed to infiltrate one of the most powerful groups in Alissia.”
“It almost cost me my life. I still had to win them over, which wasn’t easy,” Quinn said. “I think it would go badly if I tried to get someone in. That’s the honest truth.” Or most of it anyway.
Her lips twisted downward. Knowing Kiara, though, he wagered she was ready for this possibility. There would be a backup proposal, and probably another one after that.
“Would you be interested in returning there?” she asked. “Alone?”
More than you can possibly imagine. “What’s in it for me?”
Logan snickered. “You can take a magician out of Vegas . . .”
“I don’t suppose you’ll volunteer as your patriotic duty?” Kiara asked.
“We don’t work for the government, last time I checked,” Quinn said.
“No, we do not,” she said. “We work for an organization that knows the home address of every single living relative you have. Whose subsidiaries employ some of them. Whose financial division holds the mortgage on your friend Rudy’s theater.”
Quinn felt a chill down his back as she spoke. He didn’t let the fear show, only the anger. “That’s starting to sound like a threat, Lieutenant.”
She put her hands flat on the conference table and exhaled slowly. “It’s a reminder, Bradley. Don’t get cute with us. You have no idea what the company has at stake here.”
“Oh, I have a fair idea,” Quinn countered. For once, he knew nearly as much as she did about it. “But you don’t see me running to any news outlets. I just want a piece of the action.”
“How large a piece?” she asked. “Give me a number.”
“Ten.”
Her eyes widened, which was the Kiara equivalent of shouting. “Ten million?”
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean money—although that’s not a bad starting place. But no, that’s what I want my security clearance to be. It puts me two below Chaudri, twelve below Logan, and still a bit more below yourself.” Yet it meant he’d finally have access to learn about some of the stuff they’d been keeping from him.
“You’re not supposed to know our clearance levels,” Logan said. “You don’t have the—”
“Clearance,” Quinn cut in. “Yes, I’m aware. But I’m about to. If you want my help, you’re going to have to read me in. A lot more than you have.”
“That may be possible,” Kiara said. “What else?”
“I want some time off, to perform back in Vegas. Major casino, on the Strip.” The very thing they’d robbed him of months ago, and he hadn’t forgotten. He just had to do it at least once. He’d promised his parents that much. Besides, with the new equipment, he could really dazzle a Vegas audience. Get his photo up on the wall, and show them that he belonged there. Even if he might actually belong somewhere else.
“You want the company to encourage one of them to hire you?”
“That wouldn’t work. I just need some well-connected people who could vouch for me. I’ll handle the part of being good enough to perform there.”
She shrugged. “If that’s what you want.”
“Even you can’t bully the big casinos into putting my name on the neon sign.”
She had no reaction to that. No frown, no scowl. Another one of her tells.
“Unless the company happens to own one of the big casinos,” Quinn ventured.
Still nothing. Of course. Why hadn’t he seen it before?
“Which is it?” he asked. “The Venetian? Treasure Island? No,” he said, and he waved her off. “Don’t tell me. But that will make this a lot easier.”
“We agree on that much,” Kiara said.
“I would have made it on my own, you know,” Quinn said. “They were almost ready for me. Right when you showed up.”
“I’m sure they were. What else?”
“If I agree to this, I’ll need more training. From people like him.” He gestured at Logan. “And Chaudri, and the other researchers.”
“You’re smarter than I thought, Bradley,” she said.
He gave her a grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Is that the end of your list of demands? No knighthood or mansion or private island?”
“Gods, no,” he said. “Hey! I said it right that time.” He looked at both of them. “There’s just one more request, and I have a feeling it might be the hardest one.”
Kiara sat up, as if steeling herself. “Let’s hear it.”
“I want to meet Richard Holt. Face-to-face.”
Her pupils dilated, and she smiled. He couldn’t remember ever seeing a smile on her face before. There was something wicked about this one. “Now there’s a meeting I’ll be happy to arrange in person.”
“The magic of Alissia should not be taken lightly. There’s an allure to this world that we have yet to understand.”
—R. HOLT, “ALISSIA RETROSPECTIVE: FIFTEEN YEARS”
CHAPTER 27
VEGAS DREAMS
Quinn Bradley had finally arrived.
For twenty years, he’d dreamed of seeing his name in the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Of taking the stage at a major casino there, and joining the ranks of magic’s elite. Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Penn and Teller. He’d worked his ass off to get here. Designing his own tricks, performing seven nights a week, building his profile online and onstage.
Even so, as he waited in the shadowy alcove backstage, he fingered the stone pendant that hung from a silver chain under his shirt and wished he were more excited about it. Quick fingers and cleverness had taken him a long way, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever have made it happen without help from CASE Global Enterprises. Kiara had made good on her promise, and suddenly Rudy Fortelli called—nearly panting with excitement—to tell him that a major casino had a slot open. Just a three-night engagement, but still a big deal. Quinn hadn’t asked what they were offering to pay. He’d just cashed one hell of a big check.
It was The Bellagio, of course. The most iconic casino of them all, the home of Cirque du Soleil and countless other top-notch acts in the entertainment business. He should have known. CASE Global never went in for anything but the best.
That’s why they picked me, he thought with a smile.
“Quinn?” a woman asked. Timid and quiet, but he’d know that voice anywhere.
“Veena! I’ll be damned.”
The newly minted head of research for CASE Global’s largest and most secretive research project looked downright uncomfortable in a silver cocktail dress. Never mind that it was Armani, and worth a small fortune.
She probably doesn’t even know.
They went to shake hands, but ended up hugging instead. Six months ago, he hadn’t even known her. But they’d fled from reptilian predators and been stranded in another world together. She was like the sister he’d never had. “Damn, it’s good to see you.”
“Likewise. And it looks like you’re doing well.”
He winked. “I’m a tough negotiator. But I’m glad you came.”
“It’s on business, I’m afraid.”
“Company business?�
�
“Exactly.”
He should have guessed. She wasn’t the kind to take a pleasure trip. “I’m not due back for another couple of weeks.”
“Yes, well. It’s a big crowd out there.”
“Is it?” He shook himself and rubbed his arms. “Thank God. I was afraid to look.” Afraid he’d see a wide field of empty seats.
“That kind of exposure makes the executives a bit nervous.”
“For security reasons?”
“Not exactly. I’m to remind you of the, ah—” she leaned close and lowered her voice “—nondisclosure agreements.”
He laughed. “Is that why they sent you? I thought stern intimidation was Kiara’s department.”
“She wasn’t able to come herself.”
“Logan, then.” The big man could have just said it all with a look.
“He’s busy as well, I’m afraid.”
“Did they find the Swedish guy?”
“Only his boat. He made the mainland, but Mendez is hot on his trail.” She looked away, and grimaced.
I should invite her to play poker sometime. “What’s going on, Veena?”
“We’re under a lot of scrutiny because of the mission failure. And the news from over there, about my former mentor . . . let’s just say it’s worrisome.”
“Sounds serious.”
“You’ll be briefed on-site. Kiara wants you there as soon as possible.”
“I can fly down in the morning.”
He’d have to make some arrangements for an early departure—The Bellagio manager was sure to throw a fit—but that could wait. It surprised him a little how quickly he’d agreed. Normally he didn’t like to jump when Kiara said to, but the idea of being near the gateway again excited him. Maybe even more than what I’m about to do . . . and that’s saying something.
“Oh, that would be wonderful.”
A chime sounded, a polite warning from the theater manager.
Chaudri’s eyes widened. She looked as nervous as he felt. “I suppose I should give you some time alone. Are you ready for this?”
“To hear my name announced on the Vegas Strip?” He flashed her a grin. “Been ready my whole life.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
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Sincerely,
Dan Koboldt
October 2015
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would never have been possible without the efforts of many people. I’d like to thank my wife, Christina, for her endless support. She and our little ones (Audrey, Elliott, and Sam) somehow tolerate my writing obsession, which takes me away far too often.
Special thanks to my critique partners—Dannie Morin, Eric Primm, Gina Denny, and Kate Mayrose—who helped me get this book into shape. I’m also lucky to have friends like Diana Urban, Tex Thompson, Shana Silver, and Michelle Hauck, to keep me sane along the way.
I’m grateful to my agent, Jennie Goloboy, for believing in me and serving as my coolheaded career adviser. I’d like to thank my editor, David Pomerico, for acquiring my book and helping it reach its full potential. Rebecca Lucash, Christine Langone, Caroline Perny, and the rest of the team at Harper Voyager have been fantastic. Thank you!
Last but not least, I’m thankful for my writing groups and communities: Codex Writers, The Clubhouse, the Pitch Wars community, WashU Fiction, and Impulse Authors Unite! Writing is a solitary profession, but because of them, I’ve never felt alone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Koboldt is a genetics researcher and fantasy/science fiction author. He has coauthored more than sixty publications in Nature, Human Mutation, Genome Research, The New England Journal of Medicine, Cell, and other scientific journals. Dan is also an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He lives with his wife and children in St. Louis, where the deer take their revenge by eating the flowers in his backyard.
The Rogue Retrieval is his first novel. You can find him online at http://dankoboldt.com/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DanKoboldt.
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COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE ROGUE RETRIEVAL. Copyright © 2016 by Daniel C. Koboldt. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition JANUARY 2016 ISBN: 9780062451903
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062451910
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