All he could do was sit here and wait. To make things worse, Nadira had locked the damned door. It could only be opened using her ID. That woman.
If only he could stop his body from aching whenever he thought of her. He wasn't from Hathor, so of course he wasn't good enough for her. He wasn't part of their select group.
But his mother was born here, so that had to give him some standing. Right?
Unfortunately that was the one thing he couldn't admit. But seeing how easily Nadira could read him, it was surprising he'd been able to conceal that from her.
Maybe he was getting better at putting up some emotional shields of his own. As soon as he got out of here, he was going to buy some new clothes and disappear. Let her try to find him.
Beep--beep--beep
Next to him, Nadira's tablet glowed bright blue as the shrill beeping grew more insistent. He picked it up and swiped the glass.
"Network download completed," said a computerized female voice.
The tablet was still connected to Hathor's network. He didn't have authorization to connect to it. But she did. Perfect.
"I want the Emerald Club guest services," he said.
"Guest Services connected," the computer voice responded. "Please identify."
As he'd expected, he was still checked in. Good. He placed his palm against the glass panel and identified himself to the system.
"ID accepted, Mr. Keel."
One message was waiting for him in his queue. It had to be from Ilana. But it was encrypted. He couldn't trace where she'd sent it from.
"Open the message," Jon ordered.
"Please present your ID again for access."
Ilana was taking a lot of precautions. But it didn't matter. He'd find her. Jon pressed his hand against the tablet and waited.
"ID accepted, Mr. Keel. Please wait for the message to be displayed."
Tapping his foot against the stone floor he waited. What could she possibly say to him?
Bright white letters scrolled across the cobalt blue screen.
"You're in danger. Don't stay at the hotel." Sent by Matt Bento.
He checked the date/time stamp. It'd been sent an hour after he'd checked in. By the time the message had arrived, he'd been lying unconscious in the remains of his suite with medics patching him up.
If he showed this to Nadira, she could have the Guardians bring Matt in for questioning. But how likely was that? Matt was connected and his powerful friends would protect him.
He'd have to take care of this himself.
Beneath the message, there were three buttons: Close, Save and Delete Permanently.
He chose the last option, and watched as the message disappeared.
*****
The ride back to the apartment was taking much longer than Nadira had expected. System maintenance in the Entertainment district was tying up traffic all over the city. Now her transport was in an interminable queue of other vehicles creeping forward. In a bustling metropolis like Nova City, there was never going to be an optimum time to perform maintenance. But still, she wasn't used to waiting.
Jon had to have accessed the message. And she had a good idea of how he'd done it. She hadn't thought to tell him not to use her tablet. But she was learning quickly that when it came to Jonathan, she couldn't make assumptions. He was going to do what he wanted to, no matter what.
*****
It turned out to be easy to check into Matt's activities in Nova City. Through the city directory Jon found details about his private club, "Whispers." Vids of prominent citizens and celebrities who attended his parties were splashed over most of the online media sites. After 30 minutes of browsing, Jon was about to stop searching when saw something.
The vid, a little over a month old according to the timestamp, was of guests arriving at a Novacorp party. Matt led the way, sauntering down a gold-trimmed red carpet followed by some company exec in a suit a couple of sizes too small. Behind them were Ilana and his father.
In flaming red hair this time, Ilana flashed a broad smile as she linked an arm with Matt. Wearing her usual body-hugging outfit, her hair flowing down her back, she stood between the men as newsers shouted questions and requests.
Not only did Ilana know Matt, but she knew his father too. Brandon never shared many details about his business trips. Now Jon knew why.
Realization was like a punch in the gut. She had to be the woman Cat saw on the mine security monitor replay.
All the tears, the stories and the sex had been to manipulate him into helping her get away. Did she have the crystal on her when they'd left on the shuttle? Or maybe she'd passed it along to an accomplice on Demeter.
There was another possibility. His father had taken the crystal and had done the robbery with her.
No. Jon could never accept that. Brandon wasn't a thief.
His father had always been there for him. Doing everything he could to help Jon open his club, even though he didn't agree with the decision. Brandon wasn't like the other self-absorbed, power-hungry company executives. He never had been.
"Abort search. Contact Matt Bento."
It took less than a minute for Matt's face to appear on the screen.
"I got your message," Jonathan announced.
"Jonathan! I'm so glad you're all right. Where are you?"
"Who sent those men to the Emerald Club?"
Matt shook his head back and forth, his eyes unfocused. "You've got to get off Hathor right away. Come over here and I'll keep you safe until the shuttle leaves. I promised Estrella--"
"Don't mention her name. If she knew what you were going to do, she'd never have contacted you."
"I'm begging you! You've got to come back to my apartment. I know what happened to Brandon."
"Tell me now!"
"No. You have to come here. I can't tell you over the network. Tell me where you are and I'll send a transport."
Matt looked like he was on the verge of crying. It might've been quite convincing if Jonathan didn't know better. "Wait there. I'll come when I can."
"Okay, Jon. I'll be here." Matt disconnected.
Going back to Matt's place would be like walking into a trap. It was a stupid thing to do. But he had no other choice.
*****
When Nadira returned, Jonathan was slumped on the couch. He glared at her as she approached.
"You took your time getting back," he snapped.
"I thought you might want your things from the Emerald Club." She tossed his travel bag on the cushions next to him. "You used my tablet."
"So?"
"Why did you delete the message?" she asked, staring down at him.
"How do you know about it?"
"Mr. Renard saw it when I was at the hotel. You deleted it."
"It was a private message."
Reasoning with Jon was like trying to maneuver through an obstacle course. "You took a big risk doing that."
Jonathan jumped up. Gripping the drawstring of his pants, he pulled the cord so tight Nadira thought he would break it. "You left me here like a criminal in a lockup. What was I supposed to do?"
"No one knows you're staying with me. All communications on the network can be traced," Nadira shot back.
"So I'm just supposed to wait for you to protect me while I hide in your apartment?"
She needed to put up a shield between herself and the onslaught of his frustration. Everything would spiral out of control if she reacted. "What was in the message? Who sent it?"
"Tell me why I should trust you," he said.
"You should trust me because I'm protecting you. That's why you're here."
He didn't respond right away, but when he did it was with an air of resignation. "Matt sent me a warning about the attack. I talked to him. If I meet him at his place he'll tell me what happened to my father."
"Then he knows who sent the guards. Jonathan, you can't go back there. It's dangerous."
"Company security won't stop him. He's a powerful man here."
"Matt Bento doesn't have all the power on Hathor," she said.
Jon's expression softened a bit. Maybe she could get him to stop and think before he dealt with Bento.
"Let's think it through first. Then we'll decide what to do. If you still want to go to Matt's, I'll go with you."
"No."
"As I said, if you want to go to Matt's, I will be going with you. Get it?"
He shook his head, a tight smile on his lips. "Yeah, I get it."
BUZZZZZ
Nadira froze, her eyes locked with Jonathan's. It was a warning from the alert she'd set up. Designed to detect visitors based on facial recognition. It had been in place for years, though she'd never had to use it until now.
Rushing to the window nearest the door, she called out a command. "Show me the front door security monitor!"
The window darkened, then displayed a view of the sidewalk in front of the building. Security monitors regularly captured the activities around the residence. A very convenient feature to have in this case.
A shiny, grey transport vehicle was parked at the curb. And standing next to it was the person who had triggered the alert.
It was Zina.
12 Betrayal
Zina was leaning against the door of her private transport vehicle. A broad smile spread across her face as Nadira approached.
"I didn't realize you still lived in this district." Zina remarked. "Actually the towers of the Palatine are more befitting of your status."
"My mother and I lived in this district, as I'm sure you remember."
"I remember everything." Zina nodded, her almond-shaped eyes unusually warm. "Nadira, I was in the Sentry Leader's office when you called him today. I'm concerned."
"About what?"
"He asked you a question. You did not provide an adequate answer. Where is Jonathan Keel?"
"Why were you telling the Leader what to say?"
Zina held her hand to her mouth to suppress a laugh, but a small chuckle escaped. "Come now, Nadira. We both know he's a fool. If I didn't put words into his mouth he wouldn't have any."
"So you control Brant? Do the other Guardians know this?" she asked, keeping her face impassive under her mentor's steely gaze.
"Why were you at the Emerald Club last night?" Any pretense of friendliness evaporated as Zina took a step forward, crowding her.
"I tracked Jonathan there in case Ilana Travac showed up."
Zina was trying to force her way into Nadira's consciousness. Scanning for any crack, any weakness she could exploit. For an instant, Nadira thought about turning the tables. What better way to fight an empath than to purposely send her a flood of emotions. Overwhelm her before she could do anything to defend herself.
Had anyone been able to get the upper hand with Zina? It was tempting to give it a try. But now was not the time.
"Interesting." Zina studied her. "You tracked him up until last night, and now no one can find him."
"He was attacked. He might be hiding." Nadira felt ridiculous even saying it. That was one thing Jon would never do.
"There is something, though." Zina clasped her hands. "I find it very curious that records were accessed across the network using your ID, while at the same time you entered your ID at the Emerald Club. Guardians have many powers at their disposal, but being in two places at once is extraordinary."
"Are you tracking me?" Nadira asked. This was what she'd warned Jon about.
"How could you ask such a question, Nadira?" Zina came closer.
Backed up against the transport, Nadira's heart hammered in her chest. If her mentor picked up any awareness of Jon's energy, she'd use that to force her way in.
"You've done it before," Nadira replied.
Zina's smile faded. "Minona was my cousin, but she dishonored herself by renouncing her duty to Hathor. She made her choice."
"She made a choice that you couldn't accept." Nadira clamped down on her emotional shields. Damn it. She had to stay calm. Giving in to her feelings would allow Zina to have the advantage.
"If Ilana confided in him, she told him things that will help us to locate her. Keel must be brought in." Zina narrowed her eyes at the apartment building. "And when I question him, there will be nothing he can hide. Nothing."
*****
Jon was dressed and waiting when Nadira returned. Once she was in the apartment, she slumped against the door, her eyes downcast.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Who was that woman?"
"Her name is Zina. She's my mentor."
"What happened out there?"
"She's looking for you. And she knows that someone used my ID over the network while I was at the Emerald Club."
When she looked up, her expression was strained. Instead of their usual sparkling brown, her eyes looked dull and tired. Closing the space between them, he took her into his arms.
"She can't force me to let her into the apartment. But all she has to do is have Brant give his okay and she'll send security officers here." Sighing, she relaxed against him. "There's only one way I can protect you. If you'll let me."
"What is it?"
"I'll have to create a connection between us. It'll keep her and the others from picking up your energy. I've already done it partially, but that won't be enough."
"Do what you have to do." Even as he said it, Jon wondered if he was making the right decision. Being bound to her would make it difficult--no, impossible to go off on his own.
What would it feel like to be connected to her? And how would he be able to keep his mother's secret?
The tingling started in his forehead, spreading down to his neck and chest. Pings of energy hit him like sparks from a mining drill. Shivering, he clutched Nadira tighter. Her energy melded with his own, flowing into him like molten metal.
But even as he felt the shield being assembled around them, she was maintaining a separation between their thoughts. He could feel her apprehension over Zina's visit, and something more--resentment, anger and loss. It looked to him like a deep hole that had no ending, a place she tried to cover over, but couldn't completely fill.
Now he was weightless and no longer bound by his physical body. Images formed in his mind. Nadira was a young girl at the beach. She was with a woman who she resembled, down to the same gold-flecked brown eyes.
They were standing by the sea. The woman was crying, as she clutched Nadira's hand. Zina was striding across the beach towards them. She stood before the pair, her expression triumphant. Reaching down, she touched the side of Nadira's face, then looked up at the woman and smiled.
Before he could process what he'd seen, the image disappeared. Awareness of his surroundings returned. He was back in Nadira's apartment, her head against his shoulder.
"What did I just see? Why did Zina take you from your mother?"
"My mother was a Guardian. When the Guardians discovered I had abilities, she tried to stop them from taking me." Nadira shuddered. "But they found us."
"What about the rest of your family?"
"My father, Stefan was a Novacorp security officer. His ship was lost years ago. Anyone who helped my mother to hide would've been detained or sent to the mines. I don't know what happened to them."
Strangely enough, she didn't sound upset. Instead, her words were monotone, like she was repeating a story she'd rehearsed over time.
"Maybe the rest of your family left Hathor. Why didn't your mother do that? She could've gone far away from here."
"We can't leave this planet, Jon." Nadira bristled. "No one with abilities can leave or we'll die."
"But that doesn't make sense. Who told you that?"
"I don't want to discuss it, Jonathan."
The tingling dissipated as she withdrew. But even as he felt her shutting down her emotions, there was still a small part of her that stayed connected. It remained with him as she resumed her Guardian persona and eased herself out of his embrace.
"Jonathan, if we're going to see Matt, we have to go now. B
efore Zina can do anything."
"What the hell does she want? Ilana didn't tell me about her plans."
"Something is going on, Jon. I don't know what it is. But if we don't leave here soon, you will be taken. And I won't be able to stop them."
*****
Jonathan was glad the transport provided them a 360-degree view. As they trundled along the boulevard, he scanned the street, unable to shake the feeling they were being watched.
Fidgeting in his seat, he stretched out his legs, then pulled them in again. On the other end of the seat, Nadira was turned away from him, lost in her thoughts.
The car sidled up to the curb in front of Matt's building and the doors slid back.
"This is it," Jon said, as he stepped onto the marbled sidewalk.
Nadira glanced up at the tower. "Stay close."
"That will be easy."
A holo greeted them as they entered the building lobby. It was the same one who had appeared before, but this time she wore a purple and gold dress, the same color as her shoulder-length hair.
"I'm Mira, may I assist you?" she asked.
"We're here to see Matt Bento," Jon replied. "I'm Jonathan Keel, and this is my associate."
Nodding, Mira motioned towards the lifts. "He is expecting you."
The glass-enclosed lift started its ascent as soon as the doors closed. When they stopped on Matt's floor, it was deserted.
They walked down the corridor together, their footsteps barely making a sound against the cushioned floor. As they approached the apartment, the door swung open to admit them.
Matt stood at the opening. "Come in."
Inside, Jonathan looked around. It was quiet, but a feeling of uneasiness gripped him.
"Tell me what happened to my father," Jon said, not wasting time on a greeting.
"Who is this?" Matt asked, motioning to Nadira.
Hathor Legacy: Outcast Page 8