Rift

by Heidi J. Leavitt

  But his father saw through it. He sighed. “Zane, put yourself in his position,” Lev counseled. “You saw how he looked today. He’s a mess. Who knows the last time he had a decent night’s sleep? He’s been through hell the last few days.” He shuddered. Zane knew he was probably remembering when Analia was kidnapped. Zane had only been fourteen at the time. The whole world had seemed like it was going to end. His mother had wept for days, and his father had looked haunted.

  “I made a huge mistake when I lost my temper today,” continued his father grimly. “It was directed at that insufferable admiral, but I’m sure James took it all the wrong way. And Moriel! I don’t know what possessed her to say that she hopes Jenna is never found,” he said with a grimace. “We have to heal the breach, for Jay’s sake as much as our own. But it’s you that James truly has trust issues with. You are the one who will have to repair it somehow.”

  “I don’t think Jimmy will ever forget that night seven years ago,” Zane said in a low voice. “That’s why he can’t trust me now. But why does it matter? Jay is sticking with you. He believes us.”

  “For now. I don’t think you realize what it cost Jay to let his sons walk away from him. And since he chose to come here . . . well, let’s just say that it wouldn’t surprise me if he decided that his relationship with James and Jaxon was more important than his business. However, we need Jay’s strong support if we are going to weather the Armada storm.”

  “And make no mistake,” Lev added, his voice harsh. “An Armada storm is coming.”

  Ivan poked his head through the open office door. “Mr. Quintan, did you still wish to meet with Mr. Nuris?” he asked, his tone deferential.

  “Oh! I completely forgot,” admitted his father. “Send him in. Stay for a moment, Zane,” he continued. “I’m sure you’ll want to hear from Grier as well.”

  A moment later, Grier walked into the office. He greeted both Zane and his father, eyeing Zane’s swollen nose and blood-spattered shirt silently.

  “So you have been chasing James around the Red Zone, I understand,” his father said.

  “Leading, not chasing. For once,” Grier corrected. Zane raised an eyebrow and then winced. Even that minor movement hurt.

  “What have you managed to learn? Anything useful?” asked Lev.

  Grier nodded slowly. “We made a deal with Monserrat to join the Forrest auction. I just heard from him. He says the bidding was almost over, but he thinks he might have an opening if we can get him fifteen thousand senines within the next hour.”

  “Really?” Zane gasped. That was extraordinary news! If Monserrat won the auction, this could all be over in a few days. Well, not over, but Jimmy’s family would be safe. That would leave only the mopping up loose ends to ensure it never happened again.

  “I hope Mr. Forrest is willing to pay. It also included an agreement to give Monserrat a specific Terran crown he wishes to collect, both crowns in the set if he is able to safely deliver all members of the family.”

  Lev frowned. “Jay won’t be happy to hear that.”

  Grier shrugged. “It was the best deal we could make.” Zane supposed that was probably true. Though the Quintans had access to a superb negotiator for kidnap cases, Grier was pretty shrewd, and he knew the pitfalls of the Red Zone well.

  “I will advance the fifteen thousand now,” Lev said thoughtfully, “so we don’t have to disturb Jay just yet. We’ll wait to deal with the crown issue after he has rested. If you’ll meet with Ivan, he will help you arrange the transfer to Monserrat.”

  Zane swallowed his surprise. His father was advancing fifteen thousand senines personally rather than interrupt Jay Forrest’s nap? He frowned. He was missing something here, something significant about Jimmy’s father.

  “I would also appreciate it greatly if you would do the best you can to keep James out of trouble,” Lev requested. “He is quite . . . distraught, and he doesn’t realize that his safety might still be an issue as well.”

  Grier didn’t answer right away. Zane wondered if Grier would remind his father that he didn’t work for Quintan Security anymore. But at last Grier nodded. “I will do what I can, but since he left with Admiral Donnell, I assume he will be safe for tonight at least.”

  “Oh, and Grier?” Lev added, almost as an afterthought. “I understand you owe Rawle a meeting with Moriel. Tell him to present himself in the security waiting room at 10:00 tomorrow morning. He will have his meeting. I cannot promise that it will be a pleasant one, though.” Zane smothered a smile. He would pay good money to be an invisible spectator for that showdown. Judging by the glint of merriment in Grier’s eyes as he turned to leave, he thought so as well.

  Zane finally made his way down to the infirmary and had his scan. He learned that his nose was indeed broken, but other than that he had gotten off with only bruising. Several hours later the bones had been carefully reset in place, and nanobots were busy knitting everything back together. If he could just keep from jarring it, his nose would be back to normal before he went to bed that night. He figured it would be better to put off trying to visit Jimmy again until after his nose had healed.

  Instead, after a quick bite to eat and a change of clothes, he decided to visit Lilah instead. She had almost certainly heard about the Armada searching the security wing for Jenna, and she’d probably heard from Jimmy about the images. That was damage control that needed to be handled quickly—and as a bonus, if he could convince Lilah that the Quintans were being framed, she might convince Jimmy herself without Zane’s involvement at all. On the other hand, Lilah could just decide to punch him in the nose herself.

  She took her time in answering the door to her apartment. Zane had almost given up, figuring she wasn’t at home. But when Lilah finally opened the door, he realized that he must have interrupted her shower. Her hair was still dripping, leaving wet patches on the cotton shirt and lounge pants that she wore.

  “Oh,” she said, clearly disappointed. “It’s you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t comm first,” Zane apologized. “May I come in? I need your help with the search for Jenna.”

  Lilah hesitated, frowning. “This really isn’t the best time.”

  “Please?” he asked. “I won’t take up much of your time.”

  Finally, she stepped back from the door and waved him in. He stepped into the entry, looking around curiously at her main living area. Once she had shared a larger apartment in this same building with Jenna, and Zane had visited often. But after Jenna left, Lilah had been reassigned to one of the smaller, one-bedroom apartments. She had made the most of her space. In the space nearest the entry, she had a small rectangular wooden table with two matching high-backed chairs. Further into the narrow room, lining one wall, there was a narrow white couch with large green and bronze pillows lining the back. In the center of the narrow room was a low, glossy black table standing on a shaggy gold rug. Above the couch was a large framed piece of artwork featuring an ancient Terran statue cast in bronze on a vibrant green background. Across from the couch, a large flat terminal screen hung on the wall. At the far end of the room, pale green drapes were drawn, closing off her view of the Red Zone. A single vase of multicolored flowers perched in the far corner on a spindly black end table.

  Lilah closed the door behind him and gestured at her couch. Zane settled into it gently, trying to avoid his bruises. Lilah dragged a chair from her table and placed it across from him, though he noticed she placed it as far back from his side of the room as she could.

  “I was about to turn in for the evening,” Lilah said unsubtly. Zane took the hint and plunged right in.

  “I was wondering if you heard about the images Admiral Donnell showed us today.”

  “Yes,” she stated, her tone unreadable. “Jimmy commed me and told me about the meeting.” Her eyes lingered on his face, no doubt noting the blooming bruise across the bridge of his nose. Zane tr
ied not to let it make him self-conscious.

  “And you heard about the Armada searching the security wing as well?” Zane asked.

  “Yes,” she said again, this time with a hint of displeasure. Clearly she didn’t approve of the Armada barging into the QE either. Zane’s spirits lifted. There was hope she would listen to him then.

  “I don’t think it was an accident, those images ending up in the admiral’s hands. I think someone is trying to frame us so they can shut the resort down.” He intentionally included her, reminding her that she worked for the QE, and this was her livelihood at stake as much as his.

  Lilah shifted. “I went down to security today after I received Jimmy’s comm,” Lilah said. “I wanted to find out for myself what I could. I have friends working there, you know.” She paused and looked away. “I knew there should be security camera footage on our end. You probably have cameras covering that whole dock from every angle possible. I thought they would let me see it so I could find out for myself. They probably would have. They’re as riled as miners from the Kratian asteroid belt over the Armada soldiers bursting in today. They want to clear their names too.”

  She looked up at Zane again. “But it’s gone. All camera footage from that evening has been deleted. From everywhere, not just the security dock.”

  Zane stifled a gasp. Then he nodded slowly. “Of course. Whoever the rogue security officers are, they would need to cover their tracks.”

  “Or you would need to cover your tracks,” Lilah contradicted. Her words were accusatory, but her tone was still neutral. “That’s what Jimmy thinks,” she added. “Or anyway, that was what he said when I told him.”

  Zane barely refrained from groaning. Did she have to pass everything on to him? That would only make everything harder! “Lilah. I swear on my mother’s grave that I had nothing to do with Jenna’s kidnapping. Nothing to do with the kidnapping of Mrs. Smitz and the kids. I have done nothing but work as hard as I can to try and get them back. But this is bigger than just a case of someone wanting to extort a lot of money out of Jimmy’s father. Someone is trying to bring us down, and they are using the kidnapping to do it.” He stopped, trying to slow his breathing.

  Lilah was silent for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice was soft. “I believe you. I don’t know why—I have no real reasons—but I do.” He had never heard her sound quite so vulnerable. A huge weight lifted from his shoulders, as if he’d finally escaped gravity on a giant planet. She believed him!

  “We need someone to convince Admiral Donnell that we are not the enemy, and Jimmy is probably the only person who can do that right now. But I don’t know how to convince Jimmy.” He dropped his eyes to the floor. “I need your help.”

  Lilah shifted in her chair. “Honestly, I don’t know that you can get Jimmy to believe. Not unless you find Jenna and the kids—and maybe not even then. He might still feel that you were behind it all to begin with. Admiral Donnell took him to stay at Mark’s—you know, Jenna’s uncle at the Armada Academy. You can bet he’s not hearing from anyone sympathetic to the QE tonight.”

  She rubbed at her eyes, blinking rapidly. “I’m so scared,” she whispered. “What if we don’t find her? What if no one wants to ransom them? What if someone only wants revenge?” Zane opened his mouth, but he couldn’t find anything but meaningless platitudes to offer, so he didn’t say anything at all. He wasn’t sure she had meant him to hear anyway.

  “I can’t stand it!” she continued, her voice louder. “There has to be something, some way I can help! I can’t even sleep at night anymore. I have no one to talk to about it other than Jimmy—and I feel like I have to be brave and optimistic for both of us when I talk to him. He’s so close to the edge as it is.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “And my stupid boyfriend, you’d think he want to be here for me, but no, he’s too ‘busy,’ and my brothers—Jenna’s like their sister too—but Shawn’s deployed deep space, and Damon! Damon acts like it’s no big deal at all.” Her breathless tirade had gotten louder with each word, and when she drew breath again, she laughed shakily. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to unload all that on you,” she apologized.

  “I’m sorry you feel so alone,” Zane said simply. He meant it. Lilah always seemed so strong and confident. He’d had no idea that she was struggling so much.

  Lilah tried to shrug it off. “That’s the only reason I opened the door tonight. I thought maybe Vato had thrown over his clients and come to comfort me. Or that maybe Damon was showing up, ready to raid my fridge and act like everything was going to be all right. At least it would be proof that he knew I wouldn’t want to be alone.”

  “When was the last time you saw your brother?” Zane asked, more to keep her talking than anything.

  She thought for a moment. “The day before Jenna disappeared. He came over just to hang out. He wasn’t asking for money for once.” Lilah grimaced. Zane wondered if her brother was a bit of a troublemaker. He knew next to nothing about Lilah’s family.

  “I even invited him to come to dinner with Jenna and Jimmy, since Vato had canceled on me. He asked where we were going, and then said no way, the Hanging Gardens was not his style.” Suddenly, she froze.

  “I told him where we were going,” she said, her voice wooden.

  “What?” Zane asked, alarmed.

  “Didn’t you say this afternoon that someone’s trying to make it look like the Lobos were involved?” she asked.

  “Yes, though I think I misinterpreted it. Clearly someone’s actually trying to make us look responsible, not the Lobos.”

  “But you have something that links them to the kidnapping?”

  “Just a minor detail. It’s probably coincidental,” Zane assured.

  Lilah met his eyes. “Damon’s been messing around with the Lobos lately. I didn’t think it was serious—at least I hoped it wasn’t serious—but it was odd that he was hanging around and asking questions about how long Jenna was going to be in Omphalos and what her schedule was like. I honestly just thought he was interested in what she was doing, which was why I invited him to our dinner.”

  Zane thought about that for a moment. It was such a little thing. There was nothing sinister in Lilah’s brother asking questions about Jenna. As for the kidnappers being able to find her at Hanging Gardens, there were other ways they could have learned that. They could have simply followed Jimmy and Jenna to the restaurant. Clearly they’d been watching the family for a while to coordinate a kidnapping in Tarentino Bay with one in Omphalos. But Lilah was a streetborn, one of the kids who had been raised in the Red Zone and lived through it. Her instincts shouldn’t be ignored.

  “Do you think you could ask him about it? Without raising his suspicions?”

  17. Marian in Tarentino Bay

  Marian had been surprised by the swell of support from all of Jenna and Jimmy’s neighbors in Tarentino Bay, even though they didn’t know her at all. It had started with the arrival of the first police officer that came to take her missing person report. He had been working in Tarentino Bay for over ten years and had known Jimmy and Jenna personally. Unlike Jimmy’s reported experience in Omphalos, the officer was immediately alarmed. An ATL was issued to the central dispatch; he explained to her that an “Attempt to Locate” would let everyone in the area know that someone was missing and give a description—in this case, the names and descriptions of Mrs. Smitz and all three children. Every flipcom in Tarentino Bay got the alert, and within a half hour of the ATL, she had concerned neighbors showing up at the front gate. Nobody had seen Mrs. Smitz or the kids, but everybody was worried and wanted to help search.

  Marian answered question after question; people were horrified to find out that Jenna was missing as well and that Jimmy was away in Omphalos trying to find her. Kindly people starting bringing by meals, which was a lifesaver because Marian was a pretty useless cook, and Jax still needed to eat. She worked out a system where she would del
iver a hot meal to Mrs. Smitz’s kitchen and then retreat to Jenna’s house, where she commed Jax. Sometimes he would venture out and take the food back in with him, while other times the meal was left untouched. Marian figured at least he wasn’t starving to death in his lab.

  Of course, the law enforcement insisted on searching Jax’s suite and lab. It had taken Jimmy a full hour’s worth of comms to get his brother to voluntarily let them in, and the whole time Jax had hidden in his closet. He had refused to talk to the officers at all, but the reputation of Jaxon Forrest as a confirmed recluse was well established in Tarentino Bay, and they didn’t push it. With no sign of the missing family in his rooms, Jaxon was left in peace after that.

  Later that first day, someone in Tarentino Bay reported having seen Mrs. Smitz and the children and their dog walking up the back trail that went to the reservoir a couple of days before. It had been broad daylight, and the neighbor who had seen them hadn’t thought anything of it. Apparently, they were frequently seen walking the dog that way. But as more tips came in, it quickly became clear that this was the most recent sighting. Search teams were organized, and people began sweeping the woods around the trail and the reservoir.

  By the second evening in Tarentino Bay, she’d received word that Armada intelligence had an aerial photo of Jenna in the Red Zone. They also had a photo of what appeared to be her taxi entering the Quintan Edge resort complex. Richard had made immediate plans to travel to Omphalos the next day, while Marian fretted impatiently and finally resorted to taking one of the dreaded sleeping meds. She had been so exhausted; at that point she had gone nearly two full days with no more than an hour or two of sleep. But her brain refused to shut down. In the end she took one of her gene-coded capsules, designed specifically to make her sleep for six hours. The admiral had insisted she’d needed a supply of them months ago, when they’d first realized that they were going to have to wait indefinitely for more news about Andie. One capsule, and within minutes she finally drifted off, curled up on Jimmy and Jenna’s bed.