by Rebecca York
He was trying to get the tape, not his flesh, but because he couldn’t see what he was doing, he cut his wrist and yelped at the jolt of pain.
Gritting his teeth, he changed the angle of his hands and kept working, because that was his only option. It was either hurt himself or get hurt a lot worse by the bad guys.
When he’d cut through the tape, he gave a sigh of relief. Working quickly now, he pulled the gag from his mouth and wanted to scream with relief. But he knew enough to keep quiet.
The car stopped and he tensed as he listened to traffic noises. As the vehicle jerked forward again, he figured they had only paused for a traffic light. Finally the vehicle pulled to a stop, and the engine shut off. He could hear the men in front talking in some language he couldn’t understand.
When the door opened, he froze, praying that they weren’t coming for him. His luck held, and his heart leaped when he heard their footsteps receding up a sidewalk
Carl took a steadying breath and told himself to stay calm. This might be his only opportunity to escape, and he’d better not blow it.
But what if they were looking at the car. What if they saw him climb out?
Because staying here meant pain and probably death, he had to take the chance on escape. Popping the lid, he held the edge so he could ease it up slowly, then peer out.
When he saw only cars and shrubbery, he slithered out of the trunk and closed it again so they wouldn’t know he was gone.
Crouching beside one of the back tires, he peeked up, and his breath caught as he saw the men standing on the sidewalk in front of a house twenty yards away. They were talking to each other, thank the Lord, and not looking at the car.
Ducking low, he willed himself to steadiness, then ran into the traffic lane and across to the opposite sidewalk.
Turning the corner, he dove into some bushes, where he sat breathing hard and marveling that he’d really gotten away.
Or had he?
Afraid to move, he sat where he was, listening for the sound of his car engine and praying that the thugs didn’t check the trunk.
When the car pulled away, he felt like he’d been born again.
What should he do with that second chance at life?
He couldn’t go home and stay there. They’d come looking for him. But maybe he could still find Olivia and Luke. They’d stolen his property, and he wanted it back. Only this time he was going to be a lot more careful. Starting with arming himself.
oOo
Luke and Olivia stayed in the warm, wet cave for a few hours. Olivia lay peacefully in Luke’s arms, but his mind was racing, trying to make plans for what might happen when they got back to her century.
Finally, it was impossible to hide the tension tightening his muscles.
“You’re thinking we have to go back. And you’re worried about it,” she said.
He slicked his damp hair back from his forehead. “Yes.”
He got up and found woven pieces of fabric folded on a rock shelf. Towels.
First he draped a towel over Olivia’s shoulders. He used another on her damp hair, then combed his fingers through the silky strands.
“When the warrior first came to you, he wanted to put me in my place,” she said in a soft voice as she moved her cheek against his middle.
“Yes.”
“How does he feel now?”
“He . . .” Luke stopped and listened to the voice inside his head. “He understands that things have changed between men and women over the centuries. He understands that the two sexes are more equal in our world.”
“Nice of him.”
“He’s different,” Luke said in a low voice.
“A kinder gentler warrior?”
He laughed. “Yeah. We've both learned new stuff from the other."
"But it's still . . . unsettling."
"Of course."
And this was one of those times. He longed to tell Olivia what making love to her had meant. But the silent voice of the warrior stopped him cold.
We do not need that complication.
I need it.
Later.
Will there be a later?
You know what we have to do.
He wanted to demand an answer, but the warrior wasn't giving him any guarantees. And the silent exchange told him that until the box was returned to the Temple of the Moon, he could only show Olivia what he felt by his deeds. He—Luke Garner. And also Zabastian, because he knew the warrior’s feelings ran deep, too. Even if he wouldn’t admit it,
He reached for her. Holding her—until he could no longer delay.
As she pulled on her clothing, she said, “There’s something I wanted to ask you. If the box is so important to the Moon Priests, why don’t they keep it in the temple all the time?”
“Because the sanctuary is shielded from the world and the box would lose its power if it stayed locked up inside the temple walls.”
“Inconvenient.”
“Yes. They must send it out into the world to recharge.”
“But if it gets too much energy—it explodes.”
“Something like that.”
“Why don't they fix the problem?”
“Because they cannot tamper with the delicate balance of the universe.”
“You're going around in circles.”
“That's not my fault. Neither you nor I have the ability to fully understand the power of the box.”
“We have to take it on faith?” she pressed.
“Yes.” He looked toward the outer room of the cave. “We must go back.
“How do we know it’s safe?”
“We can peek through and see.”
“Like when we came here—and we weren’t one place or the other?”
“Yes,” he answered as he picked up the box and headed for the front of the underground complex
They walked back the way they’d come, around the fire and to the front entrance. Luke pulled the pelt aside that closed the door, and they both looked out into the valley below. As they watched, the scene faded, and the office came into view.
Sitting at the desk chair was one of the men who had first come to Carl Peterbalm’s office. He was facing the door to the room, his features alert and an automatic weapon cradled in his lap.
Olivia stepped quickly back into the safety of the cave and turned to Luke, her eyes wide.
“What do we do?” she asked in a breathy voice.
“It looks like they left him there to guard the place.”
“Or there could be more of them here,” she murmured.
“I think the others are out looking for us. But I can’t be sure.”
Although she answered with a small nod, the uncertainty on her face betrayed her stress.
Luke gave her a long look. He’d told Zabastian that women and men were equal here. And he’d thought that he’d gotten to know Olivia very well since the men had first burst into her office. But he hadn’t expected a test like the one he was going to propose.
Chapter 11
Luke kept his gaze trained on Olivia’s face. “The only way I can see getting out of this is to split up. If you go into the hallway and get his attention, I can come up behind him.”
“Split up,” she murmured, obviously considering the implications. “Okay. But how do I get into the house without going through this doorway?”
He walked along the cave wall, running his hand along the roughened surface. “We can make another exit—here. That should put you in the hall.”
“Just like that—make another exit?”
He answered quickly, “It’s possible, if you believe it can happen.”
“You mean—this is like Neverland? Or maybe the Wizard of Oz?”
Luke silently shared the references with Zabastian. “I guess you could put it that way.” He laughed, then felt his expression turn serious. “It could be dangerous. I mean—that guy is sitting with a gun in his lap. He could shoot you.”
“Then he loses an informan
t. He has no idea where to find the box.”
“True,” Luke agreed. But he still didn't like it.
“Why can’t you go farther back in the cave and open a doorway outside the house,” she asked.
“Because the cave is inside the house.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s just the way it works.”
She sighed. “Then you’d better open the alternative way out.”
Hoping he wasn't just blowing smoke when he'd told Olivia to have faith, he ran his hand against the stone wall. After a few moments, he felt it give way slightly.
The solid rock started to thin, and as he stroked the rough surface, he began to see through, into the hallway of the house where they’d been hiding.
The area was clear, but his chest tightened as he thought about the danger to Olivia. “Are you sure?”
“It’s our best chance. What do I have to do?
His voice was strained as he spoke around the lump in his throat. “In a minute, you can step through the wall and go quietly down the hall. Then you call out—like you’ve been somewhere else, and you just arrived back at the house.”
“Okay.”
He reached for her and pulled her to him, clasping her tightly, and she clung to him for a long moment, then pushed away and turned back to the cave wall. It was almost totally obliterated now, and they could see into the upper hall.
“Is this Luke’s plan—or Zabastian’s?” she murmured.
“Both of us. We’re working together.”
He watched her clench her fists, then step through. He could still see her standing there, and he wanted to keep watching—to make sure she was safe. But he had to get into position behind the Poisoned One. Hurrying to the cave entrance, he pulled back the pelt.
“Luke? Are you still here, Luke?” Olivia called from the end of the hall.
As the man jumped to his feet, gun in hand, and charged toward the hallway, fear surged through Luke. He wanted to shout a warning to Olivia. But he knew surprise was his best advantage. Saying a quick prayer for success, he reached through the opening and set down the box before throwing himself at the man’s back.
The Poisoned One heard something behind him and half turned. But it was too late for the attacker to make it all the way around. Luke tackled him, throwing him to the carpet before he reached the doorway.
The guy cried out in surprise and went flat on his face, but he recovered quickly, twisting around so he could get his weapon into position.
The two of them struggled, each using the martial arts training that they’d been taught.
From the corner of his vision, Luke saw Olivia leap into the room. He wanted to shout at her to stay back, but he couldn’t spare the breath—or the concentration.
The man gave him a head butt that made his own head feel like a Chinese gong.
He retaliated with a nerve pinch that should have put the guy out of commission, but he’d apparently been taught how to slip far enough from his opponent’s grasp to neutralize the technique.
Olivia flew by, heading for the desk.
Then, in a flash of movement, she brought her arm down.
Luke saw the heavy glass paperweight in her hand just before it thudded against the man’s skull, and he went still.
“Good work,” he said as he rolled away from the thug.
“Are you all right?” she demanded.
“Yes. Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s make sure he can’t attack again.” He reached down and handed Olivia the gun. “Keep him covered.”
She did as he asked, while he riffled through the desk drawers and found a roll of strapping tape. Lifting the man into the chair, he wound the tape around his upper body, securing him in place.
Then he taped his wrists to the chair arms and his legs to the horizontal pieces that held the wheels. By the time he finished, the Poisoned One was stirring.
He lifted his head and glared at Luke. “Where were you?”
“Somewhere else.”
“But . . .”
“I’ll ask the questions. When are your friends coming back?”
The man pressed his lips together.
“There are ways to make you talk.”
“You won’t use them in front of her,” the man said with confidence.
“Don’t count on it.”
Luke itched to slap the son of a goat across his smug face. He knew that striking his opponent’s flesh would give a feeling of satisfaction. But that was all he’d get out of it. And he'd be wasting precious time.
He glanced toward the computer. He wanted to boot it up and see if the Master of the Moon had sent him the location of the temple. But two things stopped him. He didn't want the Poisoned One anywhere near the message. And he knew that staying would waste precious time.
Instead, he stuffed a gag in the man’s mouth and taped it in place, then picked up the box where he’d set it on the floor. He and Olivia were on their way out of the office when a sound made him stop in his tracks.
The front door opened, then closed again.
“Smith?” someone called from the floor below.
The man in the chair made a muffled sound as he tried to respond.
“Smith?” the question came again.
When the captive didn’t answer, two sets of footsteps came pounding up the steps. And Luke knew it wasn’t the Hanovers coming home to check their e-mail.
Two of the men leaped into the room. Sizing up the situation quickly, one of them grabbed Olivia and knocked the gun out of her hand. It hit the rug with a dull thud as he held her against his chest and his own gun against her head.
The other trained his weapon on Luke.
“Turn over the box, or I’ll kill the woman,” the Poisoned One said in a deathly calm voice.
Luke hesitated. If he gave this dung fly the box, he knew that he and Olivia would be dead moments later.
Let me have full control, Zabastian shouted inside his head.
The last time you had full control, you almost got us killed.
This time, you will be killed, if you do not do it.
oOo
In the hours since Zabastian’s spirit had come shooting out of the box, Luke had gotten more comfortable with the joint custody of his body. Now, in a desperate act of faith, he opened his mind fully to Zabastian, allowing the warrior to take the helm. As he did, the world seemed to go into fast forward. Or maybe it was Luke who leaped out of the space-time continuum into some parallel reality.
Moving like a whirlwind, he hurled the box between the two men.
Their faces registered shock, and they both made a grab for the precious object, their attention momentarily diverted from Olivia and Luke.
As they took their eyes off of him, he leaped forward, knocking the gun trained on Olivia away, then whirled to kick out a foot, catching the other man in the balls.
The attacker doubled over, and Luke brought the side of his hand down on the man’s neck.
“Down, Olivia” he shouted.
Olivia ducked, throwing the other man off balance, as Luke whirled back around, catching the assailant in the face with his elbow.
The man made a gurgling sound as he sank to the floor.
Olivia looked on in amazement as he gave each of the men another solid kick.
“How . . . how. . .”
“I let the big Z take over,” he answered as he strode into the hall and picked up the box, turning it in his hand, making sure that it was all right.
There was a slight chip out of one corner. Other than that, it looked the way it had when he’d first picked it up.
He glanced back at the men who had attacked them. He should shoot the bastards. But the thought of Olivia's watching him do it made his stomach curdle.
Before he could make a decision, the wail of sirens came drifting toward them through the night air.
“Do you think they’re coming here?” Olivia whispered.
“Don’t know.”
But as the sound grew louder, he changed his mind. “Yeah, I think they are. We’d better split.”
He grasped the box against his chest with one hand and held on to Olivia with the other, hurrying her down the steps. By the time they reached the first floor, he could see patrol cars pulling to the curb outside the house.
“Shit.”
Olivia stared wide-eyed through the window. “What do we do now?”
“Get out the back way, I hope,” he added as they sprinted for the rear of the house.
He unlocked the door, and they ran into the backyard, just as a cop came around the side of the house.
Luke pulled Olivia into the shadows, praying that the officer hadn’t seen them. When the man kept going toward the back door, Luke breathed out a small sigh. He led Olivia along the stockade fence screening off the alley. When he found the gate, he eased it open.
The alley was clear, and he ushered Olivia across. But before they reached the other side, a cop car pulled into view.
Olivia made a strangled sound. Luke kept his hand firmly on her, leading her into the backyard opposite his friend’s house.
Immediately, a large Doberman started barking.
Luke thrust the box into Olivia’s hands. As the dog came toward him, snapping and snarling, he went down on his haunches.
“Good boy. I know you’re defending your property. Good boy.”
The dog stopped snarling and looked at him with dark eyes. Luke held out his hand, letting the animal sniff him.
“Good boy,” he repeated.
The dog made a chuffing sound, and Luke patted him on the head. He’d always been good with animals. He had the feeling that the big Z had the same talent.
Olivia had hung back.
“Come on,” he murmured to her, and she made a wide circle around the large animal. They had almost reached the end of the yard near the house when a powerful flashlight beam illuminated in the back.
“Police. Halt.”
In response to the menacing voice, the Doberman rushed to the back fence and started barking again, then snapped menacingly at the officer, who took a quick step back.
