Rath's Gambit (The Janus Group Book 2) (23 page)
Read Rath's Gambit (The Janus Group Book 2) Online
Authors: Piers Platt
Let’s hope he still has it on, that rogue.
Beauceron had checked the app before they left Alberon – it had tracked Rath’s progress from Beauceron’s apartment to the spaceport, and then lost signal when Rath’s flight to New Liberia accelerated into faster-than-light travel.
But he probably took it off while he was on that flight.
Suddenly, a series of dots appeared on the map of New Liberia on the screen.
He forgot about it! No, surely not. He left it on intentionally, in case something went wrong. Good man.
According to the digital map, Rath had traveled south toward the penal colony, spent nearly a day in and around the closest settlement to the colony, and then made a detour out into a rural area for several hours. After that, his path went directly to the penal facility – and through it, Beauceron saw.
He left the complex almost immediately, and headed into the fallout zone.
Beauceron tapped on the
Refresh
button.
“Martin,” Rozhkov called from the rear of the car.
Beauceron stepped out of the car, and saw two men approaching. Rozhkov held a hand up in greeting as Beauceron joined him.
The two men stopped several feet away. “First time in the Territories?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” Rozhkov said. “It’s quite scenic here. We rarely get a chance to visit planets outside of Federacy space.”
Hearing the correct code phrase, the man relaxed and stepped forward, setting a small carrying case in the open trunk of the car. “Here you go, sir. Take a look and make sure it’s everything you need, and then I’ll need you to sign for those.”
“Of course,” Rozhkov told him. “Thanks for the assistance.”
“Not a problem,” the man said. “It’s not often we see colleagues out here in the Territories … nice to see a familiar face, as it were.”
Rozhkov clicked the case open and lifted an auto-pistol out of the molded lining. He checked the action, then repeated the process with a second pistol. “Excellent.”
Beauceron peered around the parking lot, checking to ensure that no one was observing them.
“You boys need help with whatever you’re getting into?” the other man asked, indicating the guns.
Beauceron shook his head. “Not right now, thank you. But we’ll let you know.”
Rozhkov finished signing a datascroll and passed it back to the men, then smiled. “Thank you, gentlemen.”
“Any time. Stay safe.” The undercover agents shook hands with them, then headed back to their own car.
Rozhkov held out one of the pistols, and Beauceron took it reluctantly.
“Would you prefer we bought some on the black market, Martin?” Rozhkov asked.
“No,” Beauceron sighed. “I just don’t like lying to other police officers, that’s all.”
“Come on,” Rozhkov grunted. “Time’s short.”
In the pilot’s seat, Beauceron set a course for the penal colony, and then picked up his datascroll again.
“He left the ankle cuff on,” he told Rozhkov.
“He did? Well, that’s a welcome surprise.” Rozhkov took a sip from a water bottle. “So where is he?”
Beauceron studied the map. “He entered the penal colony yesterday, and then moved into the fallout zone inside the city.”
Rozhkov leaned across, peering to see the screen.
“It looks like he went fairly deep into the city, then made his way straight back out overnight … it’s possible he found her – the one he’s looking for, the other assassin.”
“Don’t tell me they’re already catching a flight off-planet,” Rozhkov grumbled.
“No. His track from this morning follows this road away from the penal colony, and then deviates off-road, heading east for several miles. It ends here – that’s where he is now, the tracker is still live.” Beauceron tapped on the screen, and a satellite image overlaid the map.
“What’s there?” Rozhkov asked.
“Nothing.” Beauceron frowned. “Grassland. Open plain.”
“Well, let’s go find out what he’s up to.”
They landed on the grassy plain nearly two hours later. Beauceron climbed out of the air car, jogged a short ways, and then bent over. Rozhkov got out of the car and leaned his elbows on the roof, watching. “Well?” he asked.
Beauceron straightened, holding a bracelet aloft in one hand. “It’s his tracking cuff.”
“Shit,” Rozhkov observed. “He dumped it, then. Back to the spaceport? Try to spot them before they get off-planet?”
Beauceron shook his head slowly. “There are no tracks.”
“So?” Rozhkov asked. “They were in an air car, he took it off, and tossed it out the window.”
Beauceron traced a circle in the dirt. “There’s an impact crater here – it fell out of an air car, you’re right. But why would he leave it on so long, and then take it off at that exact moment?”
“Maybe he finally remembered it. Or she made him take it off.”
Beauceron scowled and walked back to the air car, taking out his datascroll. He set the small screen on the hood of the car, showing it to Rozhkov. “Look, they followed this road for several miles after they escaped from the colony. Then they went airborne at this point. Why do that if they were in an air car? Why not just take off right away?”
“You think they met someone in an air car?”
Beauceron met Rozhkov’s gaze. “I think someone met them. The Janus Group.”
Rozhkov glanced over his shoulder, scanning the grassy horizon. “That would be bad.”
“Very bad,” Beauceron agreed. He tapped on the screen, zooming out. With his finger, he followed the last line that Rath’s tracker had drawn on the screen, extending it out in the same direction. “If they changed direction after dropping the cuff, we won’t have much chance of finding them,” he observed. Then his finger stopped, and he zoomed in on the satellite image again, bending closer to the screen.
“What?” Rozhkov asked.
“There’s an abandoned cattle ranch along their route, about eight miles from here.” He looked up at Rozhkov. “A nice, isolated location to conduct some business in private.”
Rozhkov grinned. “When this is over, I am going to lock the police commissioner in my office until he agrees to give you your job back, Martin.”
Beauceron laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t even know for sure that they’re at the ranch. And if they are, they’re going to see us coming. We can’t exactly just walk up and knock on the door.”
Rozhkov loosened the pistol in his belt holster. “Do you have any other ideas?”
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Rath's Reckoning
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Rath and Paisen completed all fifty kills in their contracts with the Janus Group. But when they uncovered the criminal organization’s darkest secret, the Janus Group unleashed an army of assassins to silence the rogue pair. With help from a former Interstellar Police detective, Rath and Paisen survive – barely. Their plan to attack the Janus Group head–on may be suicide, but in the end, they’ll tear the organization to the ground … or die trying.
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Text copyright 2015 by Piers Platt
All Rights Reserved
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