Scarlet (34 page)

"I haven't taken anything other than a few sips of water on the way down here." She picked at her empty holster, probably wishing it still held her gun.

"Your blood doesn't lie. Now tell me what you've taken." Raphael swirled his tongue around his mouth. He'd tasted this before. It had been a long time ago, but the essence was

She inched toward the door. "I'm going to leave now. This conversation is over."

"You've killed two people and sabotaged a training area. Don't you even want to know why?" he asked.

"No." She shook her head. "If I've done the things you think I have, then I must have had a very good reason."

He snorted. "Like starting a war?"

"I knew you were crazy when I first laid eyes on you," Catherine said. "You had that kind of look about you."

"That is what Roark is trying to do," he said softly, ignoring her verbal jab. "Start a war."

She shook her head and winced. "You're wrong. All he's got are grandiose ideas about uniting the republics. He's not the first of his ilk to have that dream and I doubt he'll be the

"Is that what he told you when he recruited you to kill for him?" Raphael watched her, searching for any sign of deception, but as of yet, could detect none.

"He did no such thing. He just wanted my help on the campaign trail. So you're wrong. Dead wrong," she said, backing away from him.

"Am I?" he asked. "I remember now where I've tasted that essence in your blood. It was in a spy who'd been sent to kill me years ago. They'd doused him with influ-gas. I didn't recognize it at the time. It was only later after I'd killed him that I found out why he'd acted the way he had."

"Influ-gas? That's not possible." Her lower lip trembled. "I couldn't have been drugged without knowing it." Fear shadowed the green in her eyes.

"Sure you could. The spy I killed had no idea he was operating under a drug's influence. That's what makes it so dangerous. I'm sorry, but whoever gassed you has turned you into an assassin."

*    *    *

"What's taking so long?" Roark asked just before shots rang out. A smile ghosted his face before he carefully hid it.

Red's heart dropped.

Everyone froze and looked around, tense, weapons at the ready.

"Should I send Private Meyers's backup?" Bannon asked. pulling his weapon.

Roark shook his head. "Not yet. Meyers report," he said into his navcom.

Silence met Roark's command.

"Meyers report," he repeated.

"Meyers reporting all clear."

"We heard shots. Is everything okay?" Roark asked, making a show of being concerned.

Red wasn't fooled for a minute. He didn't care if the woman was killed. It would be the excuse he was looking for to level the town. And if she happened to kill an Other, well that meant one less creature for him to have to deal with.

"I'm fine. I want to stay here and look around some more. I'll catch up with the team tomorrow," she said, her voice a harsh gasp as if she was out of breath.

"You sure?" Roark asked.

"Yes, sir," she said.

"What about the shots?"

"Thought I spotted something. Turned out to be nothing."

Roark looked around. "You heard her. She's fine. If she needs help, she'll call."

Bannon hesitated, his gaze going in the direction Catherine had headed in. "Do you want me to check it out? Make sure she's not being held against her will?"

Roark glared at him. "I gave you an order."

"Yes, sir." Bannon looked back at Red. "Get a move on," he said, dragging her.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she said, before turning her thoughts to Raphael. She pictured him in the moments before he bit her, then sent out her thoughts.
Are you okay? I heard the shots.

Tinkling laughter filled her mind.

I
am fine. Just a minor altercation, nothing I can't handle. What about you?

I'll he all right.
Red said what he needed to hear. It was the only way to get out of Nuria without declaring war.

If you aren't back soon, we are coming to get you.
She knew exactly who he meant by we. Red thought about her new recruits and doubted they were ready for this kind of mission.
That's a promise.
The thought plunged into her mind, brooking no room for argument.

Despite Red's resolve to remain strong, Raphael's statement came as a relief, even if it turned out to be wishful thinking.

chapter twenty-two

Red was loaded into a transport shuttle without incident. Roark hadn't been able to level the town, thanks to the viewer broadcast her grandfather had organized. And she'd done her part by fulfilling her promise to Morgan to protect Nuria. Red had done it the only way she knew how. She'd sacrificed herself.

She knew she'd be taken to the detention center at IPTT headquarters first before being moved to the larger facility in the Republic of New Mexico for processing. Maybe once she was there, she'd find out what happened to Morgan. There was always someone who liked to brag. She settled back for the long ride. It wasn't until the tactical team broke off from Roark's vehicle that she'd realized there'd been a change in plans.

"Where are they going?" she asked him.

Roark didn't look back. 'To IPTT headquarters."

"And why aren't we going with them?" Her stomach fluttered as nerves set in. "Shouldn't they escort me to their detention center for processing?" Red shifted, trying to get comfortable in the hand restraints.

"You aren't going to any detention center. Did I forget to mention that?" He laughed.

And just like that the flutters in her stomach turned to fear. "That's against regulations," she said. "I'm only wanted for questioning. You can't hold me longer than forty-eight hours."

His eyes narrowed in the mirror, which allowed him to see the entire back end of the shuttle. "I'm afraid you'll be with me longer than that."

"Which republic are you taking me to?"

“Missouri."

"So we're skipping IPTT and going straight to the detention center in Missouri? I want to see Samuel Duncan when we arrive," she said, trying to squelch the panic. The republic leader would be able to get word to her grandfather.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you are in no position to make demands."

She'd noticed. Bannon had taken great pleasure in placing the restraints on her as tight as they could go. Red had already lost some circulation in her hands. If it hadn't been for her navcom Rita sending pulses to keep the nerve ending stimulated she would've lost all feeling.

"I'm not hiding Morgan," she said, changing the subject.

"I know."

Red blinked. That hadn't been what she'd expected him to say. In fact, he'd made a grand show of having Nuria searched by his two lap dogs and the rest of the team.

"What do you mean, you
know
?"
Her eyes narrowed on him. Was he about to make a confession? Red wished she could see his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" He shrugged. "I have him. I guess fucking animals has dulled your instincts."

Red didn't respond to the insult, concentrating instead on getting as much information out of him as she could. She hit the record button on Rita. He'd accused her of losing some of her tactical team instincts, but Red would show him just how much she remembered. "Then why do you need me?" she asked.

"For pure enjoyment." Roark grinned in the mirror. "You'd have been dead by now if Kane hadn't fallen for you and fucked things up. He had orders to kill you."

"What you're doing is highly illegal. If the tactical team found out, you would be arrested and your career would be ruined."

He stopped the shuttle and scrambled back to where she sat on the floor. He grabbed her by the front of the shirt and lifted her off the ground. "But they aren't going to find out." he hissed. "I'll report your escape just like I reported Morgan Hunter's. Everyone will assume you two are together."

"They won't believe you." She tried to shift so Rita could pick up the whole conversation.

"Don't think I've forgotten how you used that navcom to keep me from leveling Nuria." Roark released her and reached down, ripping Rita off her arm.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes widened. Roark dropped Rita onto the floor and raised his booted heel.

"No!" Red shouted a second before it came down hard.

"Gina?" Rita's garbled voice came out. "What's happening?"

Roark raised his foot again and stomped until wires bulged out of every crevice.

"Stop it! Can't you sec she's broken?" Tears sprang into Red's eyes as he ground the navcom under his boot.

"G-Gina . . . can't. . . find you. Contacting comm ..." The light on Rita's screen dimmed and her voice died.

Roark looked at Red's teary face and laughed so hard he doubled over. "Your expression is priceless. It's just a
navcom,"
he said, returning to the driver's seat. "You'd think I'd killed your grandfather."

Red stared down at what remained of Rita and shifted around until she could touch the pieces. The components were still warm. Fresh tears welled in her eyes. She didn't think the lab guys at IPTT headquarters would be able to repair her this time. Red ran her fingers gently over the shattered device. She sniffled as her heart broke. She'd had Rita for as long as she could remember. And now she was gone, just like her family. Red should've never taken her back from her grandfather. Rita would've been safe had she refused.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, knowing in her last functioning moments Rita had tried to save her.

Tears
dropped onto the shuttle's metal floor in soft pings. Red stared at the pile of rubble until her eyes stung. After a while,
the shuttle's rocking cadence lulled her to sleep.

Red came awake with a start as Roark's boot connected with the bottom of her shoe. He drew back and kicked her again.

"Get
up," he said. "We're here."

"Where's here?" she asked, looking out the window. She could see a biodomed city off in the distance, but they were still several miles away.

He jerked her out and she nearly fell onto the desert floor. if he hadn't caught her, she would have. "Don't bother trying to escape, it won't do you any good," he said, taking her to a nearby hydrogen car. A man she didn't recognize stood outside of it, waiting patiently.

"What's going on? Who is he?" Red asked.

Roark
didn't answer her, and instead turned to the man. "Take it a little farther out and blast a hole in the side. We need to make it look good if they find the wreckage. I'll park your car around back for you to pick up later."

"Yes
,
sir," the man said, and climbed into the transport shuttle.

Roark shoved Red into the passenger side of the car and then took a seat behind the wheel.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, watching the man drive off in the shuttle with what remained of Rita. There was
no way she could stop him.

"We have to make your escape look good," he said. "By the time I'm done, everyone will believe Morgan Hunter helped you. There will of course be a massive man-hunt. It'll be a public relations nightmare for your grandfather. I wouldn't be surprised if he's asked to step down."

"You're going to pay for this." The ride to the city didn't take long. It seemed that Roark had thought of everything. Of course, her grandfather would never believe the reports, but there wouldn't be much he could do, given his tenuous position.