Scarlet (29 page)

He glanced down. 'The team will be there in a matter of hours."

"Thanks, Grandpa. Thanks for everything. I'm sorry things have gotten so out of control."

"I should've never allowed you to go to that detention center,'" he said. "I should've never let you leave IPTT that first time."

"I couldn't stay your little girl forever." Red gave him a half-smile. "Besides, you didn't do anything wrong. Roark would've figured out some other way to get to us, to get me eventually. Shooting him only sped the process up."

"What are you going to do?" he asked, fear leaching the strength out of his voice.

"There's not much I can do."

"You could run to no-man's-land," he said softly.

Red knew what it cost him to even suggest such a thing. "And then what? I'd be there all alone. I have no idea where Morgan is right now. I don't even know if he's alive." She choked back a sob. "I do know there's no way he escaped on his own without telling me. He would've at least said good-bye."

"I fear I have failed to protect you." Robert Santiago's broad shoulders slumped.

"No, Grandpa, you haven't. You've done a good job taking care of me. Now it's time for me to take care of myself. I was naive to believe leaving the tactical team and coming to Nuria would keep me safe. I should've gone after Roark and ended this when I had the chance."

"I will do my best to slow the team down, but I don't know how much good it'll do since they're already on their way."

"Was it Roark's suggestion that you step down?"

He smiled, but it came out more as a sneer. "Who else?"

"It's okay. I'll be all right. Who's leading the team?" she asked.

"Your old friend Bannon Richards. Of course Roark will be there to make sure he does his job."

"Terrific." She shook her head and sighed. "You'd better go before they realize you've contacted me. I have to prepare things before they get here."

He nodded.

"I love you, Grandpa." Her heart clenched and she swallowed hard. She couldn't fall apart now.

"I love you, too, Gina. Take care of yourself. And don't give them a reason to shoot."

Bannon didn't need a reason to shoot her. They'd butted heads on the job so much he'd probably be looking for an excuse.

"You know me," she said, then laughed. It sounded strained, but her grandfather played along.

Robert arched a brow. "Yes, that's why I said it."

She smiled and pressed the button to disconnect their call.  Red slipped down the alleys to the back of the water trader. She pressed her palm on the screen, but the door refused to open.
Crap.
Red took out her laser pistol and fired, shattering the scanner, leaving it smoldering. The door slid open.  She stepped inside and froze, listening for any signs that she'd disturbed the residents. She glanced at the time on Rita's screen. The place would be opening its doors in thirty minutes.

Red took a deep breath, then stepped around the corner and walked right into Takeo. She jumped back, clutching her pistol. "You scared the crap out of me," Red hissed under her breath.

"I wasn't the one sneaking around," he said, his amber eyes glittering in the early morning light.

"I wasn't sneaking. I was trying to be quiet. I didn't want to wake anyone."

"Would that have anything to do with the latest news announcement?" he asked.

"I've been driving all night. I haven't seen any viewer reports."

He cocked a hip in the doorway. "Well, you're real popular right now. Word is you had a hand in busting your man out of the detention center in the Republic of Missouri." He was watching her closely, taking in her slightest movement, waiting to see if her scent changed.

You didn't have to be an Other to know he was trying to detect if she was lying.

"I went to the detention center and saw Morgan. When I left, he was still there."

Takeo frowned.

Juan stepped out from behind a nearby pillar. Red made a mental note to put bells on them. "She's telling the truth," he said, giving her a sad smile.

"I know she is," Takeo said. "I'd smell it on her if she were lying. So what happened?"

Red laughed mirthlessly. "I have no idea. I just found out about the escape moments ago as I was parking the shuttle."

"Morgan didn't tell you that he was going to try to break out?"

She brushed past him. "No. In fact, when I left Morgan said he didn't think there was a chance he'd be leaving anytime soon."

"That's strange," Demery said, walking down the stairs. "I would've thought if he'd planned an escape he'd at least tell you so you could meet up later."

"Funny," she said. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Do you think it was staged?" Takeo asked.

Red shrugged. "Everything else has been. Why not this?"

"But how did you get dragged into it?" Juan asked.

Red realized once again she'd played right into Roark's hands. She sighed. "I went there to see him. I needed to know he was okay. My mere presence made it easy for Roark to tie me to the escape."

Demery motioned with his hand. "But that doesn't explain the timing. He would've had to escape right after you left."

Red ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out her ponytail. "Roark has people everywhere. When I first met him, he had a man in Nuria. An Other no less."

The three recruits stilled. "You mentioned the man on the inside before, but you said you didn't think that was the case now,"  Juan said.

Red threw her arms up in the air. "I don't know where he's put people, but nothing would surprise me. It's obvious he had someone working for him at the Santa Fe Cloning Lab and the detention center. If you can get to people in secure facilities, a town isn't going to pose a problem."

"What about the dead bodies?" Demery asked, moving to sit on the bar.

"They were just his way of distracting us from the bigger picture. If he could ruin my career while he was doing it, all the better."

"Is that what he's trying to do?" Juan asked.

Red turned to him and leveled her gaze. "No, he's trying to destroy all the Others. I guess he figures if he can take out me and Morgan, it'll be a lot easier, since we're trying to organize the Nurian Tactical Team."

Takeo stepped forward. "What do you want us to do?"

"Nothing. The International Police Tactical Team is on their way. I need you to stay as far away from me as possible. Roark won't think twice about taking you out if you stand against him."

Takeo grinned, flashing fangs. "We aren't that easy to kill."

Demery nodded. "Yeah, mon. I've had a lot of people try to kill me throughout the years and I'm still here."

Red looked at him, surrounded by his protective suit.

"Yes, and right now, you're extremely vulnerable. One tear in that suit and you'd go off like a bomb. I, for one, do not want to see that happen."

He cringed.

"I'm going to jump in the shower before the tactical team arrives to search Nuria. I want all three of you gone by the time I get out. Understood?"

The three men looked at her. Red could tell they were debating whether to defy her.

"We don't run from fights," Juan said. "There isn't going to be a fight. They have us outgunned, outmanned, and outmaneuvered. It wouldn't be a fight, it would be a massacre. And despite how everyone in town had been treating me, I'm not about to let the tactical team annihilate the Nurians if I can prevent it."

chapter twenty

Morgan awoke with his head pounding. He tried to move and felt metal bite into his wrists. He winced and forced his eyes open. A bright light glared in his face, causing him to shut them once again. Morgan licked his dry lips and tried again, but the light hurt too much.

The last thing he remembered was sitting in his cell at the detention center. Gina had just left and the pain of separation had been excruciating. He'd heard the electromagnetic door defences drop right before something hit him. Well, hit wasn't the right word. Hitting would've been far less painful than whatever they shot him with. Searing heat had sliced his skin, pulling his flesh apart until the world around him faded to black.

Morgan had no idea how long he'd been out. Was it hours? Days? Weeks? He forced his eyes open and looked to the side. away from the light. Shackles secured his wrists. He tried to stand and his right foot clanked. He looked down at the chain binding one of his ankles. He couldn't risk shifting until he determined where he was.

He glanced around. The walls were dark and slick with human misery. He could smell it, along with blood, urine, sweat, and feces. There didn't appear to be any windows, but there were bars. He was in some sort of cage.

He shook his head to clear it. The room spun and Morgan gulped air to keep from vomiting. He shouldn't have breathed so deeply. The sour air did little to soothe his stomach.

"I see you're finally awake," a voice called out from the other side of the light.

Morgan's head shot up, but the brightness blinded him He tried to raise his hand to block the light, forgetting about the chains. They pulled taut and he groaned. "Where am I? he croaked.

The light was pushed aside. Morgan's eyes slowly adjusted until he could finally see his captor. Roark Montgomery stood against the far wall, grinning smugly.

He quickly looked around. Morgan didn't know how long he'd have before Roark changed his mind and shined the light back in his face. The rest of the room was suffocatingly small. Other than the one door, there didn't appear to be any way out. The rusty cage that held him was barely big enough to accommodate three people. It reminded him of the circus cages used in the twenty-first century to house the lions. "I should've known," Morgan said.

Roark nodded. "Yes, you should have, but you didn't Neither did your lady, although I believe she suspected. since she went above my head to get in to see you at the detention center."

"Am I in another part of the building?" Morgan asked, wondering if this was solitary confinement.

Roark's grin widened. "No, haven't you heard? You've escaped with the help of your accomplice, Gina Santiago. "

Morgan frowned. "Escaped?"

"Well, that's what everyone believes, thanks to a few well-placed guards and some friends with access to the viewer broadcasts."

Morgan felt his stomach drop as understanding dawned "You're going after her." It wasn't a question.

"I told you I would." Roark canted his head. "It's taken you a while to catch on."

"Sorry," he said, to keep him talking.

Roark scowled. "Are all the Others as thick as you are?"

Morgan tried to shrug, but the movement was hindered by the chains. "You brought me here and put us through all this just to get to Gina." He'd thought for sure Roark had been angling for Commander Robert Santiago's position.

"No one shoots
me
and gets away with it. It's a pity, really. She had a promising future with the IPTT before she started lying with beasts." He pulled a face that showed his disgust.

"Is that what this is all about?" Morgan spat dried blood out of his mouth. So Roark was still under the impression Gina was normal. At least that was some consolation.

Roark shook his head. "Do you really think I'd go to this much trouble for revenge?"

Morgan looked at him, meeting his flat gaze. "Yes, I do."

Roark laughed. "Then you're a fool. Revenge is only a side benefit. As long as you're both around, I'll never be able to quietly eliminate the Others and unite the republics for the purebloods."