by Chandra Ryan
So he was doing what he did best. Making sure the bad guys were off the street. It was the only way he could protect her. And once he found the missing piece and wrapped this case up, they could start having a real relationship. Not that he was complaining about what they had right now. It was nice to play knight in shining armor. But as much as he loved rescuing damsels in distress he realized it didn’t make a solid foundation for a future. Damsels tended to move on after the dragon was no longer terrorizing them. And he didn’t want her to move on.
“You look like shit, Jacky-boy.”
He glanced up in greeting as Marcus walked over to his desk. “I’d say the same but it’s got to be old news for you by now. After knowing you for five years I can’t recall a single day you didn’t look like shit.” It was a flat-out lie. The man was one of the best-looking agents on the force. But Jack was pretty sure his ego could handle a little teasing.
And sure enough Marcus smiled at the good-natured rib. “You’re just jealous. Some of us are pretty boys and others are the thinkers. But a rare few are both.”
“I don’t think having a smart-ass mouth qualifies you as a thinker.”
“Now you’ve wounded me.” He put his hand over his heart as if injured. “And here I was going to give you a gift.”
“A gift you say? What kind of gift?”
Marcus held out a data chip. “I think you’re going to find what’s on here very interesting.”
“Just so you know, I’m seeing someone now. So if this has images of your cock, I’m not interested.” He slid the chip into the slot on his reader as he spoke. “The guys downstairs might be though.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Like I’d waste such a precious gift on you. I did, however, send one to your new girlfriend. You can thank me later.”
He smiled at the comment but didn’t bother to look up. The images on the chip had captured his attention. “Who’s this talking to the suspect? Is it his lawyer?” Thomas was in a prison uniform so it’d obviously been taken after the bust. The man sitting across from him was in an immaculate and expensive suit. Everything from his mannerisms to his air of authority told Jack he wasn’t just another overindulged crime lord. This man knew how to fit into society.
“Nope. He doesn’t have one. Doesn’t trust them. He thinks they report back to us.”
“Not to fuel his paranoia but we are recording him.”
“Without sound.”
He nodded as he continued to watch the recording. “Which is a damn shame. I mean, since it’s not his lawyer. It’d be nice to know what brought Mr. Fancy to the detention station.”
“Yeah. Especially since that meeting never happened.”
That made him look up from his reader. “What?”
“Oh now I’m suddenly important again?”
“Come on, Marcus. You know I’d sit around staring at your gorgeous face all day long if I had the time. But alas, I’ve got a life. So what do you mean the visit never happened?”
“It’s not on the books. Whoever he is, he didn’t log in.”
He’d heard of a couple of “mistakes” in the past where guards had allowed visitors into the detention center without having them register. But he’d thought they’d taken care of that. The person must have been able to make some pretty impressive promises to get the guards to look the other way after the bloodletting that took place last time. “That’d take a lot of power to accomplish.”
“Not to mention money.” It wasn’t comforting to know that Marcus had the same suspicions. “And that’s not all. When I went to get the recording, they told me it didn’t exist either.”
He’d gone to a great deal of trouble to obtain this. Jack owed the man a dinner. “So how did you come to possess it?”
“You don’t want to know. Plausible deniability.”
Hell, maybe he owned Marcus his firstborn. He’d have to wait to see how this all played out before he would know how far in debt he was to the man. “I see. I appreciate you getting this to me.”
“I didn’t do it on my own. Several men in blue were willing to put their careers on the line to recover that recording.”
“They did?” He’d do it for any member of his team. But still, he never expected them to do it for him. They had families to feed. Wives and children to protect.
“We’ve seen the way this case is tearing you up. And Rowe hasn’t been back in since the bust. We like her. She’s quirky but she’s fun to have around. Whatever happened out there, we want those bastards to pay.”
He coughed to hide the sudden knot of emotion lodged in his throat. “They will. Tell the boys I appreciate it. And Rowe’s not going anywhere. She’ll be back in a day, two at the most. Just as soon as the doctors clear her.”
“Good. Tell her we miss her.”
He hadn’t really given much thought to how the rest of the guys felt about what’d happened. But he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Not with Marcus willing to go to such great lengths for Rowe. She’d had a huge impact on the team. And he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew the lengths they’d go to in order to get the bastards responsible. Probably not. She always seemed to play down her job in the agency. But he would start to fix that tonight. “I will. She’ll be happy to hear it.”
Marcus nodded and then left him alone with the recording. For the first time since he was cleared for duty Jack started to feel hopeful. He’d have to run the face through recognition but he’d have a lead soon. He’d have something to take home to Rowe. And maybe once they found this guy they’d be able to piece the rest of the case together.
It was already late in the day. He really should be closing up shop and getting ready to go home to Rowe. But he just couldn’t leave this for tomorrow. He had to know what role this man played in Thomas’ life. Besides, the recognition program only took a few minutes. He’d be leaving an hour late at the most.
He sent a message to Rowe and Harlow. He didn’t want Rowe to worry about him and with Harlow staying over he wouldn’t worry about Rowe. He could concentrate on the lead.
“I’ll stay with her until you get back.”
It was a simple reply but Harlow wasn’t one for long speeches. He was a little concerned he hadn’t heard anything from Rowe but he did his best not to dwell on it. If he unraveled what was left of this case she’d be too happy to stay mad at him for being a little late.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he started the program. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Yes, the man looked important and he went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one found out about the meeting. But there was a chance he had nothing to do with this case. He could very well be a relative of Thomas’ who didn’t want anyone to know he shared blood with the radical thug.
Still, as much as he tried to caution himself, every ounce of instinct he possessed told him this man was the key. Once he found out his identity the rest would fall into place. It was hard to keep that kind of optimism in check.
Rowe woke up slowly. It was dark in her room and her head felt heavy—as if someone had filled it with sand. She didn’t remember lying down. But she must have. She’d slept the day away. Maybe she was sick? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d lost a chunk of time because she hadn’t thought to take her temperature.
She placed her palm on her forehead but found it to be cool. Moreover she didn’t really have any aches or pains. Other than her head. That throbbed without any sign of ceasing. She sat up and the room swam around her. The sensation left her nauseated but thankfully her stomach settled after a few moments of being still.
It was only as she sat in her bed that she noticed the sound of voices in her house. Harlow, Parker and Barkswell seemed to be arguing about something. Maybe she really had been sick. She should probably find a way to tell them she was okay now. Maybe then they’d stop yelling at each other.
The floor seemed at least a mile away as she lowered her legs from the side of the bed.
But amazingly enough her feet reached it. Standing was a whole different story, however. Her legs just didn’t seem capable of holding her weight. She must weigh a ton today. How did she regularly carry herself around? It seemed so easy this morning.
She eventually gave up on trying to make sense out of it and just crawled to the door. It was hard work though. When she finally propped herself up against the wall she was breathing hard and her body was a little sticky with sweat. But she still felt a sense of accomplishment. She’d made it. Now she’d just rest for a moment before she tried to figure out how to reach the door’s release panel and make her way into the front room.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Barkswell’s deep voice filled the next room.
“I was thinking she needed to rest. She does too much. She was just in the hospital a week ago. Or do you not remember?” Why was Harlow yelling so loudly? Didn’t she know Rowe was sick?
“She’s not a child. She knows her limits.”
“Like hell. She thinks she’s ready to go back to work.”
“She said that?” Parker’s voice was the only one soft enough that it didn’t make her head hurt.
“Not exactly.” Now Harlow quieted a little. The change made Rowe sigh with gratitude. “She told me she wanted to go to a bakery. But when I read her—”
“You read her?” Barkswell’s loud accusation made Rowe wince.
“Her mind was practically screaming with fear. I had to find out if it was justified.”
She did remember being worried. Actually she’d been worried a lot lately.
“Still, that doesn’t give you the right to drug her.”
Oh that’s right. That was why nothing made sense.
“She was going to go check on Jack. Checking on Jack would mean going back to the office. And once she goes back they won’t be able to keep her out. I think she proved that two years ago.”
“It’s what she wants.”
“She said something bad was going to happen.”
“And you didn’t believe her?” Parker asked.
“No. I did. I couldn’t let her walk into that. Not again.” The sentence was broken up by odd noises that sounded like sniffles. Was Harlow crying?
“I know you love her but that really isn’t your call to make. Would you like it if I drugged you every time you were going to make a dangerous run?” Parker’s voice sounded soothing. “She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
“When she’s aware of what’s going on, maybe. But she zones out.”
“Jack has her back when she zones out.”
“Really? Like he did back at the compound? She had to save him.”
She’d heard enough. And thankfully the fog had mostly cleared. She stood and put her palm against the release. Rowe’s legs were still wobbly but they managed to hold her this time. “And what if Parker needed you to save him? Wouldn’t you want to be there? Or would you rather be knocked out and pushed out of the way?”
Everybody in the room became silent as they turned to look at her. Harlow was the first one to find her voice. “Rowe. I didn’t know you were awake.”
“Obviously. Or you wouldn’t be fighting in my front room about me. My head is killing me.” She stumbled across the room on her way to the kitchen. She needed some water and something to help with the headache. It wasn’t until she saw the digital readout of the time that she paused. “Where is Jack? He should’ve been here hours ago.”
There was a shuffle behind her followed by someone clearing his throat.
“He sent a message. He had a break in the case and was going to be a little late.” Harlow’s voice was pinched. She wasn’t being completely honest.
“How late?”
“Rowe—”
“He said an hour. He was going to be an hour late. We haven’t heard anything since,” Barkswell said.
She looked up at the clock again and her legs crumpled beneath her. “It’s happened. And I wasn’t there.” The fear and anxiety that had been stalking her all week now consumed her. This was all Harlow’s fault.
“No. I only wanted to help you.”
“Get out of my head!” Rowe probably should have felt bad for the look of hurt that went across Harlow’s face but she didn’t. She was too angry and afraid for Jack to feel anything else. “I don’t need your help. Not like this.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand. “I’m going to go find him. And I will save him. And we’ll have a long talk about boundaries when I get back.”
“You can’t go. You can barely stand,” Harlow argued.
“And whose fault is that?” She looked pointedly at the other woman.
“I’ll help.” Barkswell took a step toward her.
“I don’t need—”
“Of course you don’t. But two guns are better than one.”
“I could help too.” Harlow looked completely defeated but Rowe wasn’t ready to forgive her yet.
“No. I’m sorry but I can’t trust you to not drug me again if things get dicey.”
“We don’t have to go with you to help.” Parker wrapped a supportive arm around Harlow as he spoke. “I called Prime Minister Lee while you were out. He should be here soon. We can coordinate the search effort on this side through more official channels while you guys look into less sanctioned leads.”
It was a good idea. She hated admitting it. Even though he’d retired a year ago, Prime Minister Lee still had a lot of connections. She could never hope to get access to half the information he had at his fingertips. “Thank you.”
Barkswell grabbed her elbow and helped to guide her out of the apartment as soon as she’d slipped on a pair of shoes. “She only did it because she loves you.”
“I know. But she wouldn’t be thanking me if I’d done it to her.”
“I get it.”
“I’ll forgive her eventually. But right now I have to focus on Jack. Where do we even start?” It’d seemed so easy when she’d said it back in the apartment. She’d find him and save him. But now that she had to make a decision she had no idea how to do that.
“All agents have a tracker implanted in the bases of their skulls. If we can find out his ID, we can track him.”
“If it’s that simple, why isn’t the agency already doing it?”
“They would. Eventually. But it’d be days before they even started to search. He’s an adult. He’s allowed to get home late.”
They’d just started down the hallway when the door to her apartment whooshed open once more. “Rowe!”
She looked back to see Harlow standing in the frame. “What is it, Harlow?”
Harlow walked down the hallway to where they stood and held out her favorite gun. “It doesn’t miss.”
That weapon never left Harlow’s side. She’d worn it in the church during her wedding to Parker—much to the priest’s displeasure. “I couldn’t. It’s your favorite.”
“I trust you to take care of it.” She wrapped Rowe in a tight hug.
“You’ll get it back.” Barkswell’s voice cracked as he spoke. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You don’t have to. Rowe’s word is good enough for me.” She tousled Rowe’s hair lightly before letting her go. “I was a dick.”
“I know. But I love you anyway.” Everything was going to be okay. It had to be. “We’ll work everything out when I get back. I’ve got to go for Jack now.”
“I know. Go save your man. We’ll send you a message if we learn anything.”
As she and Barkswell walked out into the night she opened herself to the universal energy. It’d saved her and Jack once before. She could only hope it’d come through for her again.
Chapter Seven
Jack did his best to listen to the surroundings as they drove. It was really all he could do from the floorboard of the back of the transport he’d been thrown into. His hands and feet had been tied and he had a hood pulled over his head so he couldn’t see anything. But he could still hear. And feel each and e
very turn they took.
So far they’d taken two rights followed by a left and then one more left. And they’d gone by a river and past a space hub. If he were to guess he’d say they were in the business district. It wasn’t anything in particular he’d heard that made him think that was where they were. But more of what was absent. It was too quiet. There hadn’t been any heavy mass transports going by in quite some time. They had to be in an area where everybody owned a private vehicle or paid a great deal of money for a rental.
They turned again and he was thrown against a wall hard enough that he saw stars. “Where are you taking me?” Nobody had answered him the first dozen times he’d asked the question but he hoped the thirteenth attempt would bring him some luck. It didn’t.
He continued twisting his wrists against the rope that held them captive as the transport drove. If he could find something sharp he might be able to cut through the bindings just as Rowe had back in the shed. Remembering her made his heart beat faster and his stomach twist with dread. She would know something was wrong by now. Would she leave it to the professionals to track him down?
He only had to give the question a few seconds of serious thought before he shook his head. Probably not. He wouldn’t if their situations were reversed. And she had told him at the hospital that she would save him again. He just hadn’t realized it would be happening this soon.
The car turned once more and he felt something slide out of his pocket and fall onto the floor. It had to be his reader. That was the only thing he carried with him. If he could turn it on, the agency would be able to track him. He couldn’t reach it before with his hands tied. But now that it was free he might be able to.