by Sam Schall
“Do you want to see more?” she demanded, tears pooling in her eyes. All he could do was shake his head. “Now think about this. Every day I’m here is another day those bastards are figuring out new ways to torment my people. I was warned before I left Tarsus not to say anything. If you’ve lied to me, if there is someone listening in on what I’ve said, my people are dead. If that happens, I promise you’ll die a very slow and painful death.”
Santiago dragged his hand over his close-cropped hair. He had no doubts she meant every word she said. If her people were hurt because she’d talked to him, she’d find a way to hunt him down and kill him and he wouldn’t blame her. It was exactly what he’d do if their situations had been reversed. Well, he hadn’t lied to her and somehow he’d just have to prove it.
But that would wait. It had to. He had other things to see to, things like making sure nothing else happened to her or to her people. Then he’d gladly help her avenge all that had been done to her and the others.
“Ash, I promise, no one has heard a word of what we’ve said.” He spoke softly, knowing she wouldn’t believe him. “I’ll return when I’ve figured out how to keep you from going back and how to bring your people home. I swear it.”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she returned to her bunk and stretched out, turning her back to him much as she had to Tremayne and Collins earlier.
Damn it, just how deep was this can of worms going to turn out to be?
Evan Moreau touched the recessed button on the wall near her elbow and an almost inaudible swish sounded as the lock slid into place. At the same time, the lights came on. She blinked once even as she quickly scanned the room. Something was wrong. The sequence should have been lights and then lock. She ought to know. She’d programmed it that way the day she moved into the apartment. Damn it, she was getting sloppy and that could get her killed!
As her eyes sought out the intruder, a knife dropped into the palm of her right hand. Security in most buildings in the capital was such that it would pick up any sort of weapon but she’d learned long ago that certain alloys could pass undetected through the security fields. This knife was made of one of those alloys and it had served her well over the years. Hopefully, it would do so again.
Senses alert, knees bent slightly, she waited. There! The faint sound of a breath. Her eyes cut to the far corner of the room where shadows still hung heavily. The intruder, whoever he was, wasn’t as smart as he thought. The fact he’d killed the light there and nowhere else in the room betrayed him. Well, he’d soon find out just how foolish it was to try to ambush her on home ground.
“Relax, Moreau.”
Abel Kannedy stepped out of the shadows. Hands away from his body, fingers splayed to show he wasn’t holding anything, he waited. For a moment, Moreau simply stood there, anger darkening her expression. He, of all people, should know how foolish invading her home could be. Over the last few years, she had worked several special “contracts” for him so he should know what happened to those who crossed her. He had hired her often enough to deal with his own enemies to know better than to try to surprise her. The fact that he’d taken this tact to meet with her meant trouble.
But for whom and would she have to kill him before the night was over?
With a smile she really didn’t feel, Moreau slid the knife back into its quick release sheath on her forearm and moved past him to the bar. She needed a drink. In fact, she needed a drink very badly. Not that she would allow herself more than one until she knew exactly why he was there.
Then she’d have to consider changing her place of residence. She never should have let him know where she lived. The only reason she had was because he’d gotten suspicious the last six months, worried she might one day decide to deal with him on a very permanent basis. He had insisted the one way to prove her loyalty was to finally allow him to not only know where she lived but to invite him up to see her apartment. She’d known better but she still had need of him. Even so, she should have arranged for him to see another apartment, one far from here. She knew now that had been a mistake, a potentially fatal one, and no one in her line of business could afford such things, not if they expected to live for long.
“I’m assuming there’s a good reason for you to have risked both our lives by coming without warning.” She tossed back a shot of whiskey before pouring Kannady a brandy. That gave her time to settle. Never would he know how badly his presence had shaken her.
“There is.”
“And?” She handed him a brandy and motioned for him to be seated on the sofa. That put his back to the door and hers to the wall. That way, no one else could enter without her seeing them.
“Tremayne and her lot have pulled a fast one.” He spoke softly. Nothing in his voice or on his expression betrayed his thoughts. But his hands told the story. His left hand held the crystal brandy snifter so tightly it was a wonder the snifter hadn’t shattered. The fingers of his right hand clinched into a fist that beat not so lightly against that thigh.
“We’ve known since the election that it’s only been a matter of time before someone in the new administration did something that could upset our plans.” She shrugged with a nonchalance she didn’t feel and leaned back. “What happened to upset you so?”
Now that she was over the immediate shock of finding Kannady, she could think. She needed to put him at ease and find out why he’d risked both their lives by coming to her. Then she could figure out what her next move should be. She’d regret it if the time had come to move on but it wouldn’t be the first time she’d left one life to start another. Giving up an identity, even one she enjoyed, was a small enough price to pay to stay alive.
For a moment, Kannady remained silent. Moreau waited. Experience had taught her not to rush him. He would tell her what happened in his own time. As she waited, she sipped her drink and tried to recall if she hd heard anything during the day that might be of concern. But there was nothing. So what had Tremayne done, or what did he think she had done, to cause him to risk so much?
“Several things happened today that caught myself and our colleagues off-guard.”
With that, Kannady stood and moved to the bar, pouring himself another drink. Moreau frowned but remained silent. His actions were so much in character that they didn’t surprise her. Wealthy and powerful, at least in his own mind, Kannady did what he wanted, when he wanted and then hired others to clean up the mess. That was probably why he was there now. He’d made another mistake and wanted her to ensure no one ever learned about it.
“To start, I received word not long ago that Harper is about to carry through with his campaign promise to disband the Defense Council. He will appear before Congress in less than three hours to inform them of his decision. Notice has already been sent out to the members of the Council, formally notifying them of the council’s dissolution.”
Moreau blinked in surprise. The Defense Council had been created by executive order more than three decades earlier. During the last war, President Boothe Markham had filled the Council with those he owed political favors to. He’d effectively managed to use the Council to cut Congress out of almost all decision-making when it came to the war, even finding ways to pass on budgetary issues to the Council. That had served him well until FleetCom had changed tactics and started giving nothing more than lip service to the Council. The resulting victories caught the public’s attention and approval. The average citizen was tired of all the years of war and all the atrocities committed by the Callusians. Nothing short of a full surrender by the enemy would satisfy them. Nothing Markham said or did swayed them and it had led to his defeat in the last election.
But for Harper to disband the Security Council so soon after taking office. . . .
And why hadn’t the media picked up on it yet?
“Again, not that surprising. I’ll admit, he did it sooner than I expected but we’ve discussed how it was inevitable, especially considering the platform he ran on.”
“That’s
not the worst of it, Evan.”
Now every internal alarm she possessed sounded. Kannady never called her by her given name. Even though they’d known one another for years, it was a line he never crossed, partly because she was an employee – albeit one with very special skills – and partly because he would never see her as his equal. Not that it bothered her. She’d learned very early in her career that it was best not to form attachments with those she worked for. They might be her employer one day and her target the next.
“Tell me.”
“Ashlyn Shaw is back on-planet.”
For a moment, she looked at the man. Surely, she hadn’t heard right. Shaw and the others were on Tarsus. Hopefully, they would stay there, never again seeing a moment’s freedom. Yet there was something about Kannady’s expression. No, it couldn’t be. Not now. Not when everything was finally falling into place.
Disbelief fled and Moreau’s anger spiked to almost uncontrollable levels. She couldn’t believe it. Of everything he could have said, this had to be the worst. It was certainly the most unexpected. So much effort and so many months of planning, bribing, and blackmail had gone into the effort of making sure Captain Ashlyn Shaw had been taken out of play. Moreau had done everything possible not only to make sure Shaw was convicted but also that those involved in the set-up never suffered an attack of conscience.
Kannady had paid extremely well to insure Shaw had been discredited. What he didn’t know, and never would, was that Moreau would have gladly done the job for free. Shaw had been a thorn in her side for years, an irritant she hadn’t been able to get rid of. Then Kannady had offered her the opportunity to do exactly what she’d spent so many nights dreaming of. It might not have meant the bitch’s death but it had been almost as good. She could still see that haunted, stunned expression on Shaw’s face when the guilty verdict had been read. The only thing that would have made it better was if Shaw had known who’d been behind her downfall.
But now, without warning, that irritant was back and her return could bring an end to it all, including Moreau’s own life. Somehow, she had to find a way to insure Shaw never learned the true circumstances behind her court-martial. If that meant more lives had to be taken and more bodies made to disappear, fine. That was her job after all.
“How? More importantly, why?” Thank the saints her voice didn’t betray her emotions.
“I don’t know.” There could be no mistaking his anger. Good. She had to keep him focused on that. Maybe then he wouldn’t think too much about her own reaction.
“Then how can you be sure she’s back?”
“Because one of my contacts in the security complex saw her.”
She closed her eyes, thinking hard. If Shaw was back, why hadn’t the media picked up on it? They’d be running the story non-stop, especially if the bitch had been pardoned. So, she had to assume that hadn’t happened, not yet at any rate. Not that it made her sudden reappearance any easier to accept.
“Was she in custody?” She had to know everything he did. Only then could she plan her next move.
“What?” He looked at her in confusion and then nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Yes. My contact said she was chained.”
She nodded, relieved. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as she feared. “Good. That means they don’t know what happened.” She got to her feet and crossed to the bar. It might not be smart, but she needed another drink.
“But why bring her here?”
Moreau heard the hint of fear in his voice and understood. His life, even more than her own, lay on the line should FleetCom realize the true circumstances behind what happened on Arterus. “She’s still technically a member of the military. It could be that she committed some sort of offense at the penal colony and they brought her here to face additional charges. It could be any number of other reasons, none of which are bad for us.” She poured herself another whiskey and then turned to face him. “But it could also be that Tremayne is holding true to her campaign promise to look into the charges against Shaw and has convinced others in the government to play along. If that’s the case, you could be in for some trouble.”
“I think you mean we could be in for trouble,” he corrected, eyes flashing dangerously.
“Of course.” Let him think that. She had back up plans to her back up plans. If this should suddenly turn bad, she’d have a new identity and be off-planet within the hour.
“This is your mess to clean up, Moreau. I don’t care how you do it, just make sure it doesn’t wash back on me.” He stood, all but tossing his now empty snifter onto the table next to the sofa. “I don’t want that bitch saying anything that might cause Harper and his supporters to start sniffing in my direction.”
“How much collateral damage are you willing to accept?”
“I don’t give a damn if the entire capital city goes up in flames as long as it doesn’t harm any of my holdings.”
“Then consider it done.”
“Don’t fuck this up, Moreau.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “You’re as deep in this shit as I am. Our partners won’t accept anything that might put their plans in danger.”
She inhaled and forced herself not to react to his none-too-subtle threat. “And I suggest you remember just who brought whom into this little deal, Kannady. Your partners will look at you long before they do me.” She waited, smiling slightly as he blanched at her words. “Remember this as well. I do not take kindly to being threatened.”
Even as she pinned him with a firm look, she hoped he didn’t realize just how badly his last comment had shaken her. Those partners he spoke of didn’t accept failure from anyone. She’d known that when she first agreed to deal with Shaw for him. Even then, she’d known better than to get involved but the chance to finally get Shaw out of her life had been too tempting. Damn it, that bitch could still be the end of her.
The end of all of them, unless she figured out how to deal with her once and for all.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Kannady. I’ll make sure she never sees the light of freedom.”
And I’ll be finalizing my own escape plans just in case.
For the next two days, Ashlyn Shaw ate, slept and exercised. Her routine in the brig was much the same as it had been in her cell at the military prison. There was comfort in routine, something she’d never really understood until her freedom had been ripped from her. But it was also a defense mechanism. No one worried about what she was doing as long as she did nothing out of the ordinary.
Besides, following routine meant she had the freedom to think about what was going on and why. More importantly, it gave her the chance to observe her jailers and to plan. She was always planning. It was all that kept her sane.
The only problem with that was she still didn’t know why she had been brought back to the capital. After the rather disastrous meeting with Tremayne and Collins and then the visit from Major Santiago, she had seen no one but her guards. While they were a bit more talkative than those at the prison, they were no more likely to answer her questions – were she to ask them.
Not that she would. Her questions could, and would, give someone like Santiage an idea of what was on her mind and she didn’t dare risk that happening.
What troubled her, though, was the concern, possibly even worry, she sensed in them. There was a grimness to them that reminded her all too clearly of how those she’d fought side by side with during the war had felt during those dark days. Were things really as bad as Tremayne had alluded to?
Did she really care?
As she moved from pushups to sit ups, she frowned slightly. One thing the last two days had taught was how much she had come to rely on the prison’s grapevine. Even when she didn’t see anyone but the guards, word still reached her about how her people and others in the penal colony were doing. She had none of that here. The only thing she knew for sure was that she seemed to be alone in this wing of the brig and that did nothing to reassure her. Why would they have brought her back and yet
continue to keep her in isolation?
What still surprised her, what she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around, was the one change she knew had occurred since she’d last been on-planet. When she’d heard the guard addressing Tremayne as “Senator”, she’d been sure she’d misheard or that it had been yet another trick by the commandant of the penal colony to break her. Then, when she’d finally lost control and had rolled off the bunk and confronted the newcomers, she’d been forced to admit it was her former mentor standing before her. Had Tremayne been drummed out of the Service or had she voluntarily left? More important, what did it all mean?
She finished her sit ups and climbed to her feet. Three steps and she stood in front of one wall of her cell. She bent at the waist, placed her palms on the floor and kicked up into a handstand. Slowly, carefully, she bent her elbows, lowered herself toward the floor, her heels lightly scraping the wall as she did. Then she straightened her arms again. Think. She had to think.
She couldn’t forget the worry she’d seen reflected in Tremayne’s eyes, heard in her voice as the senator asked her to just listen to what they had to say. It had been more than worry for her. That had been there, plain to see, when she first faced Tremayne and Collins and they’d seen the effects of the last two years on her. But she knew there was more to their worry and that is why she’d been brought back to the capital. What it was and what it ultimately meant for her and her team was still something she couldn’t guess.
Her team. God, that as her one regret. They’d followed her into Hell and most had paid the ultimate price. The rest might as well have. But she’d avenge their loss and their families’ pain. She didn’t know how, but she would.
Of course, that assumed she ever saw freedom again.
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