Never Tempt Danger

by Denise Robbins

  “Manly chest.” Gilly chuckled and snuck a peek in her rearview mirror at the crate. All was fine.

  When Craig cupped her shoulder, his touch transmitted his every lusty intention. Before she could stop the vision, she saw him then felt his hand grope her small breast. “Craig, stop,” she told him in a hushed voice.

  “Oh, come on, baby. You know you want me to.”

  “Craig Zeller, if you even think about unzipping your fly and having me touch your…your thing, I will hit you so hard in your privates that your eyes pop out of your head,” she warned him through gritted teeth.

  “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He tried to act as if everything was cool but when he leaned forward in a pretense to get more popcorn, the image of him trying to stick his hand up her skirt flashed in her mind. She slammed her knees together, trapped his fingers between them, and squeezed with all her might.

  Craig gasped then bellowed, “How did you know?”

  “I just did.”

  “Everyone said you were a freak, I just didn’t believe them. Next time I’ll listen when my friends tell me to stay away from Mutant Maureen.”

  In tears, she ran out of the theatre and into the restroom. By the time she emerged, the movie had been long over, Craig was gone, and she refused to date for another two years until her first year in college.

  “Thank goodness the teen years were over.” Now all she had to deal with were government contracts, killers, and Lucas.

  Dark outside, Gilly missed the street sign for the last turn until she passed it. She made a U-turn at the next available spot then headed back and made the right down a long secluded road. At the end sat a large brick home that reminded her of a mansion. She had no clue Mitchell Zakin had money.

  She cut the engine and debated taking DANGR in with her or leaving it in the car until she knew it was okay. She decided to leave it until assured she was not disrupting Mitchell and his guest. Oh, geez, Gilly hoped she wasn’t interrupting a hot date. Too late. The outside light flipped on bright and the door opened.

  Gilly stepped out of the Bronco, straightened her clothes and walked to the house. In the open doorway, stood Mitchell dressed in khaki trousers and white golf shirt. Guilt at her interruption made her palms sweat. She wiped them against her slacks as she took the single step up to the portico and smiling, took Mitchell’s outstretched hand.

  Oh, no, her mind screamed. Lucas!

  * * * *

  “Holy shit!” He almost careened the Porsche into the guardrail when an image of Gilly blurred his vision. He slammed his foot on the brake and pulled up on the emergency brake. The car spun out, spewed gravel everywhere, and missed the barrier by mere inches. “What the—”

  With the butt of his palm pressed into his eye sockets, he attempted to clear his sight. It didn’t work. What the hell was happening to him?

  Then Lucas saw the man, he saw Mitchell Zakin, former US Senator, and the man who had blown his cover and destroyed his CIA career. “No,” he yelled. “Get away from him Gilly!”

  She couldn’t hear him but he felt her fear. How? Where were they? He blinked and tried to see more. Gilly turned her head and in that moment, Lucas made out a driveway and Frank’s Bronco. Then a large wooden door shut and the mental picture was gone. Somebody’s house. Mitchell’s house?

  Lucas found his phone, hit redial, and spoke rapid-fire sentences as he maneuvered the Porsche back onto the highway in the opposite direction. “He’s got her. At a house. I think they are at his house. Mitchell Zakin’s house.” He had been there once before. Only once, but that was all it took for it to be imprinted on his memory. “It’s 226 Main Street in Fairfax. I’m headed there now,” he shouted over the noise of traffic and tossed the phone aside.

  “I’ll kill the son of a bitch.” He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “If he harms one hair on your head Gilly…” Lucas shook his head. “Scratch that! I’m going to kill him no matter what.”

  * * * *

  Gilly took a deep breath and let Mitchell Zakin escort her inside his palatial home all while trying to ignore what she now knew. Mitchell had killed Jimmy. He pulled the trigger. She saw it as clearly as she saw every line in Zakin’s face as he walked her down a hall.

  “You have a lovely home,” she said hoping her voice gave none of her fear away.

  “Thank you. We can talk in here.” With his hand grasping her upper arm, he propelled her into a room and flipped a switch illuminating a home office.

  “Have a seat.” He gestured to a leather barrel chair and took one opposite her.

  That was good, she thought, taking a seat. That meant he had not sensed her distress yet. “I do apologize for disturbing you at your home. I had hoped to catch you at the office, but I won’t take up much of your time.”

  Mitchell leaned back in the chair resting his elbows on the arms and steepled his fingers. Geez, could he hear her heart beating out of control? It pounded in her ears in a deafening rhythm.

  “It’s not a problem, Maureen, but to be honest, I am a little surprised to see you.” Mitchell dropped his hands and sat forward. “To what do I owe this visit?”

  Oh, damn, what should she say? She couldn’t possibly tell him about the robot now. What lie could she use?

  Gilly cleared her throat. “Well, I, uh, wanted to inform you that NanoRobotics has to pull out of the DARPA competition. What with Jimmy’s death and the fire at the business, I really don’t have a choice.” Did he buy that? It sounded plausible to her drumming ears.

  She took a deep breath to slow her heart and used it as a front for showing her disappointment. “Nothing makes me sadder than to have to withdraw after all the work that went into the project, but there is no way to pull it off without Jimmy.” Gilly stood, prepared for the onslaught of images, and offered her hand to shake. “I felt it was important that I tell you in person and to thank you for everything. Jimmy and I would not have been as successful without your confidence and guidance.”

  Mitchell got to his feet and wrapped his fingers around her hand, clasping it in a firm grip. The wicked grin that slid across his face almost blocked the slide show in her head. She saw Mitchell throwing a firebomb at Jimmy’s house at the brownstone. Gilly tugged her hand free and turned. “I’ll let you get back to your guest. I can see myself out.”

  He dogged her heels the entire way to the foyer. The door flew inward and Gilly had to leap back to avoid being hit. My crate! She glanced from the protective case to the man holding it against his wide chest with long, muscular arms. Then she looked up and into the man’s face. She gasped and took an involuntary step back straight into Mitchell.

  Scar. Lucas! She mentally called his name. Scar. Then something glinted at the man’s hip. Knife. Her heart plummeted. Lucas!

  “Who are you and what are your doing with my box?”

  Mitchell chuckled behind her. Then before she knew it, he grabbed her arms and wrenched them behind her. The pain in her shoulder was like talons digging into flesh and muscle. She wanted to yell and scream, but she refused. Instead, she gritted her teeth and clamped down on the scream lodged in her throat while Mitchell shoved her head down and removed her weapon from her pants. Shit! Hurry Lucas! Hurry!

  When Mitchell pulled her back up, he spoke low and calm. “Let’s go to the game room, shall we? There will be much more room there for our little demonstration.”

  Gilly shuddered at the eeriness of Mitchell’s voice. “Why?”

  “Why what?” he asked tugging her down the hall past the office where Mitchell had previously taken her.

  “Why kill Jimmy and the others?”

  Mitchell chuckled, but it was without mirth. “Oh, I had always planned on stealing the prototype of the chembot and reverse engineering it. That was why I helped shove your proposal through the selection process and getting the program set up so quickly. I realized then that the nano-robots would be a huge benefit to any military force. With the righ
t meso-skeletal system, power supply, and maneuverability, these tiny machines could invade any place and do anything. Who wouldn’t want to have that at their fingertips? Every powerful leader in the universe would want a chembot and would pay handsomely for them.”

  He propelled her into a large room with a pool table, wall-mounted flat screen TV, mahogany bar, and various sofas and chairs. The game room.

  “Put it on the bar, Lenka.”

  Lenka did Mitchell’s bidding then started to open the crate.

  “Wait!” Gilly struggled against Mitchell’s manacle hold. “Please, let me. You’ll damage it.” He released his hold and she rushed forward and halted when the six-inch blade from Lenka’s knife shined in her eyes not two inches from her nose.

  “Move and I slit your throat, cyka.”

  Gilly did not move or breathe. She stared at the shiny blade, its sharpness and curved point. Swallowing, she peered up at the large man. Who grinned at her?

  “I want a demo of the machine, Maureen.”

  “I told you it wasn’t finished. That’s why I came to back out of the project. Weren’t you listening?”

  The Russian backhanded her across the face causing her to stumble. Mitchell caught her before she fell, righted her and spun her around to face him. He touched her flaming cheek and she inwardly flinched, but held steady.

  “Do not lie. My friend does not like liars. Neither do I.”

  His threat was clear. Do it again and there will be more pain.

  “Now, we know the robot is complete. Lenka saw you at Lucas’s house in the yard playing before that stupid woman, Jennifer showed up.” Mitchell shook his head then grinned.

  Lenka was the shooter at the house and that’s why she never sensed him, but Lucas had. Lenka knew Lucas. How?

  “Let’s try this again. I want a demo.”

  Gilly nodded once then took a tentative step toward the bar. The knife-wielding Russian refused to move. She walked around him, giving his knife a wide berth. Reaching the crate, she slid it across the bar closer to her and with great care unlatched the box. Inside, set on green velvet sat her robot. All she had to do was placate Mitchell, stall him. She would give him the demo, and then she and DANGR could surprise them all.

  Yeah, that was a good plan. At least she hoped it was.

  THIRTY-SIX

  Driving like a crazed man on speed, Lucas took the off ramp at eighty miles per hour. When he made the turn, Gilly appeared in front of him and a scream went off inside his head. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath. This time he never missed a beat. He kept on driving compartmentalizing the apparition with what was real and directly in front of him. When he saw the man and the knife in front of Gilly’s face, his whole world tilted on its axis.

  “But how?” He had put him away, turned him over to the authorities.

  Stay away from him! Gilly, whatever you do, do not piss this guy off.

  Too late. He saw Lenka strike Gilly across the face, felt her head snap back as if he too had been hit. His grip tightened on the steering wheel as Lucas imagined squeezing the man’s neck with his bare hands.

  Stay away from Lenka! Could she hear him? He prayed she did and kept talking inside his head. Please, please listen to me. He felt her heart beat out of control. He is deadly. DO NOT provoke him.

  She moved toward the Russian. “No! Don’t go near him,” he yelled as he steered the Porsche down the next road.

  All of the sudden, his pulse slowed, calmed. In his mind, Lucas saw Gilly remove the robot, DANGR, from his crate and set him on the floor. Good girl! Keep them busy.

  Lucas found Mitchell Zakin’s driveway and rather than drive down it and possibly give himself away and put Gilly in even more danger, he parked at the opening. The Porsche would serve as a landmark for Mickey and the others who were on their way.

  A man experienced in the jungles of many foreign and unknown territories, Lucas, slid into the deep set of trees that acted as a barrier to Mitchell Zakin’s home. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the crowded forest then moved. On quiet feet, he wound through the Virginia brush and hanging tree limbs, stopping every so often to listen for any unexpected surprises.

  Lucas paused near a small creek, jumped it and then continued to run. When he touched a tall Dogwood, another slideshow flickered inside his head. He peered on as if a fly on the wall while Gilly gave a demonstration of the robot’s tricks.

  Then Lucas saw the scornful grin on Mitchell’s face and terror sent him flying through the woods.

  * * * *

  Gilly had shown Mitchell and his henchman everything DANGR was capable of, except one. “That’s it. You see it does everything DARPA and you requested.”

  From the chair next to her, Mitchell sat back in that holier than thou pose with his fingers steepled in front of him again and gave her a sardonic smile. “I warned you about lying.”

  Gilly froze, held her breath, and waited for the blow. It never came. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Lenka walking toward them with the neural visor in his hand. Shit!

  Mitchell sat forward resting his elbows on his knees. “You see, Maureen, when Jimmy told me what he had planned to do with the chembot prototype, I thought he was crazy, you know, loony in the head.” He made the universal symbol for crazy, twirling his finger near his temple. “Then he explained it to me, showed me the research some doctor had done based on caterpillars.” Mitchell chuckled. “I still thought he was off his rocker until he gave me a demonstration.”

  Her head snapped up and her mouth dropped open. Oh, Jimmy. Closing her mouth, she stared into cold, dark eyes that made her skin crawl. She ignored her repulsion for the man and spoke. “You learned that it was possible to control the mechanical device with brainwaves.”

  Mitchell nodded and raked his fingers through his hair. “It was ingenious!” he bellowed with a slap to his knee. “Not only could the robots think and learn, but what they had not been taught could come from a human.”

  He stood and offered her a hand. When she ignored it, he reached down, grabbed her hand, and hauled her to her feet.

  “Let me show you.” Lenka handed the visor to Mitchell.

  Mitchell slid the visor onto his head and the next thing she knew DANGR moved across the room and morphed then moved back again. Grinning like a cat, he removed the visor and peered over at her.

  “Now let’s see you do it.”

  He did not hand her the visor and at that moment, Gilly knew this is what he waited for all evening long. Oh, Jimmy. How could you? Tears stung the backs of her eyes as she thought of his betrayal and then the remorse he must have felt when he learned Mitchell was corrupt. He had known and he tried to protect her. In his own way, he loved and protected her. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. Jimmy had died, others had died, and here she stood face-to-face with a killer. All because of her and her abhorrent ability.

  “The best part about you, Maureen, is that you require no special device to control the robot. That is a fantastic skill and it’s the reason why I never wanted you injured. I want to study you, learn from you, mimic your talent.”

  Fear shot through her at his reverent tone as if lightning struck a metal pole. Clenching and unclenching her fists, Gilly willed the tremors back. Lucas had been right. Mitchell wanted her. Alive. Knowing how she would protect the people she loved, they played her, and she walked right into the trap. What a fool!

  “Now, Maureen,” Mitchell barked snapping his fingers in front of her face.

  She nodded. “What do you want me to demonstrate?” she asked in as calm a voice as she could muster.

  “Make the robot morph into a caterpillar.”

  Narrowing her gaze on DANGR, she concentrated and the puppy turned into a caterpillar.

  “Fantastic!” Mitchell clasped and stroked her hair. “Amazing.”

  She bit back the bile she wanted to spit at Mitchell and gave him a slight grin.

  Lucas! He was there. Without moving her head, she
glanced around. Her mind caught on the French glass doors that led to a patio. He was outside in the trees, coming closer. Be careful!

  “What else would you like to see?” she asked trying to think of a way to divert their attention.

  Then it hit her.

  Quit being so smug and just do it! I’m right outside.

  “I haven’t demonstrated the water shape yet. We can use the pool.” Gilly moved past Mitchell and strode to the doors. She turned the knob and nothing happened. Behind her, she heard Lenka unsheathe his knife. Damn!

  Gilly glanced over her shoulder. The Russian held the long, wide knife in his big hands. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, but she managed to find her voice. “Don’t you want to see the chembot in the water?”

  Mitchell rubbed his chin, thought about it, then nodded. “Fine.” Walking toward her, he fished out a set of keys from his pocket. He slipped one key in, turned, and opened the doors.

  As if deprived, she sucked in fresh air, gulped it as if it were her lifeline.

  “Keep the knife out,” Mitchell ordered Lenka while he patted the 9-millimeter he stole from her and tucked in his pants.

  The robot followed them outside.

  Get the knife.

  “Ready? This will be fun. Watch.”

  Once again, she focused on DANGR. A couple of seconds later there was a splash and the tiny robot skimmed through the water as an octopus.

  “Unbelievable,” Mitchell murmured.

  Lenka stood at the edge of the pool, peered over, and with a slack jaw watched.

  Now! Lucas ordered inside her head.

  DANGR move to the edge, dragonfly, and hit knife.

  In the blink of an eye, the robot morphed, flew out of the water, hit the big man’s hand, and sent the knife flying. A shot rang out and Lenka tumbled forward into the pool face down, blood swirling around him.

  Lucas flew out of the bushes, but before she could react, Mitchell had her in a headlock, her own weapon aimed at her temple.

  * * * *

  “Don’t even think about it, Senator Zakin,” Lucas warned and stepped onto the cement pool deck. “If you harm one hair on her, I’ll do to you what I should have done years ago.”