Scarlet (41 page)

Roark cried out.

"That's it. Easy does it," Red said.

He leaned as far as he could, then dropped the key into Morgan's palm. Morgan quickly unlocked the chain around his wrist, then moved to his legs. He held himself up against the wall, attempting to shake out his limbs. As soon as he was steady, he walked over and unlocked the chain binding Red's ankle.

She turned Roark and guided him back to the wall where Morgan had been kept. "Raise your arms," she said.

Morgan rushed forward and clamped the shackles onto Roark's wrists. Red pulled her hands out and watched in astonishment as her claws receded, morphing into her body. Morgan had made sure to block the vid recorder's view.

"You're going to pay for this," Roark said, as she clamped the chains around his ankles.

Red looked him in the eye, letting him see the wolf surface. "I already have."

The door burst open as Red rose to her feet. Morgan was already moving toward the pistol that Roark had dropped. Roark looked up in anticipation. His expression changed when he saw the men in the doorway.

Red glanced over and smiled. "Took you guys long enough to get here. Don't come any farther. The room's wired with recording vids."

Demery held the hood of his white protective suit in his hands. "Told you I could find you anywhere, mon." He grinned, flashing dimples and fangs.

Raphael smiled when his gaze landed on her. It brightened even more when he saw Morgan. "You look a little worse for wear, my friend," he said. "But it's good to see you all the same."

Morgan met Raphael's dark gaze. Something flashed between the two men, then it was gone. "Thank you for taking care of Gina while I was gone."

Raphael's lips twitched. "Anytime."

"I'll take it from here," Morgan said. There was something in his voice. A warning perhaps.

"I figured you'd say that," Raphael said.

"I hate to break up this reunion, gentlemen," Red said, watching them closely. Her body tensed, ready to separate them if necessary. "But we need to get out of here."

"Of course," Raphael said. "What about him?" He indicated Roark.

"Leave him. If we kill him, it'll be harder to prove our innocence," Morgan said.

Red stared at him, torn between the need to end this and the logic behind Morgan's words. If they killed Roark, they might never get the proof they needed to put an end to his machinations. Yet the wolf in her wanted blood. More blood than he'd spilled on the floor. It wanted blood for all the pain he'd put them through. She thought of her grandfather, her navcom Rita, Jesse Lindley, Michael Travers, Kane Hunter, and all the other people who'd been affected by his treachery.

"He deserves to die," she said.

"No one here will disagree," Morgan said, pressing a battered hand to her shoulder. "But we have to look at this as a battle, not the war."

Red nodded in agreement, even though it pained her to do so. They left the room with Roark locked in the cage. The four of them raced outside. When they reached the back of the building, Red saw Catherine Meyers waiting with Juan and Takeo.

"What is she doing here?" she asked.

Raphael looked at the woman and his eyes glittered. It was impossible to miss the predatory look he gave her. "She's our insurance policy. We needed her to get in. We might need her to get back out."

"What could she do that you weren't able to?" Red asked.

Raphael smiled. "Just watch."

They made their way to the entrance to the domed city. When they approached the guards, Catherine stepped forward. Within seconds the guards became disoriented and couldn't remember why they were there. The group walked past without having to present their I.D. chips.

'That's handy," Red said.

"Yes, she's quite remarkable," Raphael said, staring at Catherine.

Red watched their exchange and understanding dawned. She'd been replaced and she'd never been more happy about it. Red smiled as they made their way to the shuttle that Raphael had parked a few miles away.

When they reached the shuttle, Takeo tossed Morgan and Red some food along with fresh clothes and a canteen of water. "What now?" he asked, looking at the group.

Morgan ate, slowly chewing his food. "We can't go back to Nuria," he said eventually. "Other than to gather supplies."

"Why not?" Red said.

"Because it will be the first place that Roark checks when he gets loose."

Red frowned. "We can't go to IPTT because my grandfather will have to escort us to the Taos detention center."

Morgan shook his head. "We couldn't do that to him."

Raphael grew pensive. "I have a few places that no one knows about. I suppose you could stay there for a while."

"No," Morgan said. "They're going to be looking for us. The first place they'll check is where our friends reside. We have to go somewhere they won't think to look. We can wait in the ruins of Kane's house while we decide. The walls of his home have a built in chip blocker, no one will be able to track us there."

Demery, Juan, and Takeo frowned.

What about no-man's-land?" Red asked, even though her mind rebelled at the thought. It was the only place that Roark wouldn't think to look.

"You wouldn't survive there," Raphael said.

"We won't survive here, if we stay," Red countered.

Morgan looked at her. "It would be hard. I'm not sure what we'd be up against. I've only heard rumors. If there's any truth to them, the place redefines lawlessness. We'd definitely need to stop by Nuria to get some supplies and weapons, then we'd have to figure out how to cross the boundary fence. We don't have to decide this second."

Raphael piped up. "I believe Catherine could help with that. Couldn't you?"

She blushed and nodded.

"Thanks for the offer." Red looked at the woman. "I'll contact my grandfather to make sure you still have your job. if you want it."

"Thanks," Catherine said. "I appreciate it."

"She won't be going back," Raphael said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Red arched a brow, but didn't say anything. She wished she could stick around to see this battle of wills.

Catherine scowled.

"I'll contact my brother once you've gathered your supplies and crossed the fence," Raphael said.

"You may not want to do that," Morgan said, placing a hand on Raphael's shoulder.

"Why? What's happened?" Raphael went from tough to vulnerable in seconds.

"Roark's done something to Michael," Red said. "He's changed."

"Oh no," Morgan said.

"What?" Red turned to him. Every eye was upon Morgan.

"I forgot to grab the device Roark carried in his pocket."

Raphael frowned. "What device?"

"He's  chipped Michael's brain.  Somehow he caught Michael feeding. He found out he was an Other," Morgan said. "I'm afraid he's not
your
Michael anymore."

Raphael looked off at the domed city in the distance. "We have to go back."

"We can't," Red said. "I'm sorry. It's too dangerous."

He met her gaze and Red cringed at the pain she saw lurking in the dark depths of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

His mouth opened and closed a couple times. "I can't just leave him. He's my brother."

"I know." Red stared down at the sand. "You can't go in there alone. Once Roark's free, he'll arrest you. And I don't know what Michael will do."

"My brother will not harm me," Raphael said, but doubt flashed across his face. "I must go."

"I'll go with you," Catherine said.

"So will I," Takeo added. "They haven't seen me."

Raphael gave them a curt nod of thanks, then turned back to Red. He reached for her hand and pulled it to his mouth. He pressed his lips to the back of her knuckles. "Looks like this is where we part ways. Take care of yourself."

"You, too. And thanks," she said, slipping her hand free.

Morgan watched the exchange, but said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward and held out his hand. Raphael shook it. "Good luck," he said.

"I'll need it." Raphael said.

"Same here. We better get moving," Morgan said.

"Need some company, mon? I happen to know of a way into no-man's-land, if the woman is going to stay here."

They turned to look at the hooded vamp.

"You don't have to do that, Demery," Red said. "You risked enough by coming here."

"I know." He grinned. "But this is the most fun I've had in a long time. Thought I might keep the party going for a while. We can have some laughs and do a little business while we're in no-man's-land."

Red chuckled. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, mon," he said, tossing his helmet into the shuttle as the sun dropped below the horizon.

Juan walked up to Red. "It's not over," he said.

"I know," Red said.

His brown eyes glazed as his psychic vision struck. "He'll come back stronger than ever."

She stilled when she saw the expression on his face. He was awake, but not with them. "Can we stop him?" Red asked, terrified of the truth.

Juan shook his head. "I don't know. I see pain ahead. And blood. Lots of blood." He glanced at Demery with unseeing eyes.

Red touched his arm. "Anything else?"

Juan nodded. "In the end, you'll have to choose whether you want to continue to run or stand and fight. The world as we know it hangs in the balance." He sighed, his head slumping forward. A moment later, his chin shot up and he looked around wide-eyed. "What happened?" he asked.

"I think you had a vision," Red said.

"Was it good news?" Juan asked.

"That depends on if you think being responsible for the world is a good thing or a bad thing," Red said.

"I know what I think," Morgan said. "We'd better go."

Juan and Demery piled into the shuttle with Red and Morgan. Raphael, Takeo, and Catherine stood back as they started the engine and shifted the shuttle into gear. Red pressed her palm to the glass as they sped away. She watched Raphael, Takeo, and Catherine grow smaller and smaller until they disappeared completely.

She turned away from the window. "Do you think they'll make it?" she asked no one in particular.

"I don't know," Morgan said.

"What about us?"

"Our chances are about even with theirs. We've been through worse," Morgan said, reminding her of their time in the cage.

"Yes, but not much," Red said, as the scope of what lay ahead of them began to sink in. She contacted her grandfather to let him know they were alive and on the run. She didn't stay on the line long because she knew it was his duty to report the incident. He'd free Roark eventually, but promised to wait as long as he could before doing so. Red said her good-byes, then slumped in the chair, her bones suddenly too weak to support her.

"Don't worry," Demery said. "I know where I'm going."

"Yes, but do we?" Red looked back out the window at the endless miles of sand, as Morgan pointed the shuttle toward Nuria and on to no-man's-land.

[end]