by Jade Powers
“Setting a trap.” Drake tried out the words. They felt right. True. Manny held power. If he were running, he wouldn’t be calling from his home base. Manny had the support of his employer, probably under orders to drag Drake to headquarters dead or alive. Drake’s attack on the Colorado base inflamed tension among the companies.
“Turn the tables on them. Set a trap for them. Tell Manny you have the sphere and can’t put yourself at risk.”
“Holy shit, Sven, are you trying to get me killed? I can’t use that. I thought we were friends.” Drake was only half kidding, but now anyone listening would think Drake had the sphere with him. “The air strip. That’s the only safe place for this meeting.”
“There may not be a safe place in Denver. You need to bring him with you to Los Angeles.” Sven changed the town to fool anyone listening into believing that Hannah and Drake stayed there.
“What if he doesn’t agree?”
“You leave Colorado and don’t look back.”
“Hannah’s life depends on getting Manny.”
“Are you sure?”
Drake scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t sure, not at all. None of the decisions before mattered. “Yeah. I am.”
“Then don’t take no for an answer.”
Drake hung up the phone. About now the listener would be pulling resources to target the smaller air field where Drake had landed. At least Drake hoped that was the case. His pilot flew out as soon as Drake disembarked.
Drake started the rental car. The listeners would expect him to call Manny now. He drove down the road a mile to the next gas station, found a pay phone and called Manny.
Manny didn’t pull any of that mighty macho crap about Drake hanging up on him and then crawling back. He scored a few points in Drake’s book for that. Drake said, “Can you save Hannah?”
“Depending on how the disease has progressed, maybe. If she’s still up and about, yes.” Manny spoke with assurance. It was a shame Drake couldn’t see his face, look into his eyes and watch for the lies.
“I need your help. I can’t risk them catching me. Not right now. Can you meet me at the air field? We could do it later in the evening? Say in four hours?” Drake scanned the street, looking for trouble. He hadn’t driven so far away from the original meeting place that he felt safe. Nothing stood out as dangerous. Of course, sometimes it didn’t.
“Fine. I think I can make it.” Manny paused, one of those long pauses that made Drake think that someone else was talking to Manny. The technology on the phone was good enough that Drake didn’t hear what was said. Manny added, “I’ll be there in four hours. Stay put until I get there.”
And from the hollow statement, Drake knew Manny was setting a new trap. But Drake had his own trap to set. That first address was a good one. That was where they would have set the original trap, where they were currently located. Instead, Drake would surprise them. They would now expect him to travel to the air field.
Hopefully it was the kind of surprise he could escape.
Drake tapped his finger on the wheel. The radio was off and the tapping was more an impatient gesture than anything else. The address led to a single story home in a rundown neighborhood. Drake drove past the house and turned down a side street, parking next to a house with a lawn full of dandelions and a broken swing set in the back yard.
Crossing weedy backyards, Drake made his way to the house Manny had given him. He edged toward the door. It was the back door to the house. Drake paused, his senses alert. He opened the screen door and tried the knob. The door was locked.
Drake knocked sharply three times. His initial plan was to break into Manny’s house, but at the last minute, Drake knew it was the wrong thing. There were no guards, no one watching the house. This was between him and Manny alone.
When no one answered, he pounded again, “Manny, I know you’re in there. It’s Drake. Open the damn door or I’m coming in.”
The door opened.
Drake found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
“Everyone likes to be greeted with a warm welcome.” Drake said dryly.
“Then maybe you should try the front. I thought I was meeting you at the airport,” Manny said.
“Look, Hannah is getting worse every day, and I’m not going to lose her. Shoot me or don’t. I don’t really care, but you will get on my plane and you will fly to Sun Valley and you will do your best to take care of her, or I swear to God I will hunt you down from whatever dimension I end up in.”
Manny’s eyes widened, “I didn’t know you believed in ghosts.”
“I know you do.” Drake answered. “Are you coming?”
“They know about you. They’re already closing on the airfield. There’s no way out.”
“The hell you say.” Drake said. The circles under his eyes and the extra hint of slowness in his movement betrayed his exhaustion.
“I’m not going with you. I made copies of my research. It’s all on a zip drive. I’ll give it to you, but I’m not leaving this house. They will kill me if they think I helped you.”
“And what will they say when Hannah has her miracle? Or is the zip drive just a smoke screen to get me away from you?” Drake leaned against the door jam, taking strength from its solidity. Manny lied. The zip drive would do nothing for him.
Manny was also armed and in control of the situation
Time to change that.
It took the flash of a second. Manny turned his head when a dog barked in the distance. Drake pushed the gun aside and used pressure points to force Manny to drop it. Any guilt he might have felt in overpowering the doctor was lost in love for Hannah. He would do anything for her and their unborn daughter.
With Manny’s own gun now pointed at him, Drake pulled a pair of handcuffs out with his left hand. “Put these on.”
“Do you think you can just walk me to your car in handcuffs and no one will notice?” Manny asked. He stood stiffly, his nose wrinkled when he said, “The neighbors will call the cops. I’ve got retired neighbors on both sides. Nosy folks. I planned it that way.”
“I’ll take the risk. Put them on.” Drake said. His plan was flawed. He knew it. One of them had to drive. He couldn’t easily watch Manny and operate the car. Damn, he needed Sven.
Drake took Manny out the back. He forced Manny to carry a box of folders that exactly fit the description of the coded medical files and the zip drive that had initially been the bargain for Drake to leave him alone. He was fine until they reached the sidewalk, then Manny yelled at the top of his lungs. “Help! I’m being kidnapped. Help!”
From across the street a curtain lifted. Drake wrapped an arm around Manny’s shoulders and pretended to stumble. He said, “General McFarland gave me an FBI badge. If you’d prefer to be arrested and put in witness protection, I’ll arrange it. If I can blow through government agencies to have your knowledge, so can someone else. Manny, I don’t want you hurt. I’m not doing this to ruin your life. I just want Hannah safe.”
“Some of the most heinous acts are committed with justifications like that.” Manny said.
“I never pretended to be good.” Drake said. When they turned the corner, he straightened and removed his arm from Manny.
“You’re such a liar. You even lie to yourself. You have a hero complex. McFarland uses it against you and then laughs behind your back.” Manny faked right and leaped ahead. Drake swept his leg and Manny fell.
The weapon was no threat to Manny. He knew full well that Drake wasn’t about to shoot him. That left Drake with fewer choices. He opened the trunk. He said, “Get in. Mess with me anymore, and I’ll drive you all the way to Kendall and leave you on his doorstep.”
Kendall was the scariest player in the tech industry. Manny crawled into the trunk, grumbling. Drake closed the top—this was not how he imagined running a corporation. Manny was right. He wasn’t much of a good guy anymore. Drake flipped on the radio.
Chapter
16
HANNAH CLOSED HER EYES. The blinds were pulled all the way up and the curtains open, but Hannah couldn’t enjoy the sunlight. Her body hurt too much. This morning she had eaten chocolate cake and ice cream, a celebration of her life. She’d managed four bites. The cake was a rebellion. After weeks of vegetables and legumes, Hannah tracked down her new best friend, Minka, whose own wounds were healing, and insisted in no uncertain terms that she absolutely must eat cake.
Minka sat with her in the living room, sprawled across Drake’s couch while Hannah stretched on her own. The couches were at a right angle. When Hannah and Drake were alone together, Hannah had taken to intruding upon Drake’s couch, insisting that it was the best spot in the house.
“I’m dying,” Hannah said aloud. It was the one thing no one would let her say. They would tell her not to give up. Drake’s doc would tell her to think positive, that they would beat it.
She had never tried with Minka. But damn it. She needed to talk to someone about this strange mix of emotions. Fear. Yes, Hannah was afraid. Some might go out with courage, but she was terrified of what may or may not exist after. Loneliness. Heavy with it now that Drake was gone. Love. She loved that little girl growing inside her, and the more time she spent with Drake, the more she wanted to spend. The thought of leaving him ate her up.
“I know,” Minka said. Minka was a peaceful friend. There were days when Hannah felt particularly weak that she and Minka just sat in silence listening to music. Minka had a gift for knowing what Hannah needed.
Hannah said, “Thanks for not telling me I can beat it.”
“You should have seen your face when Doctor Prudacheck told you she wanted to try turmeric and curcumin.” There was no laughter or tease in Minka’s words, just bare truth. She said, “I can’t pretend to know what you need, but I’m here for you.”
“I honestly don’t know myself. I want so much to be strong enough to see Noel born safe and happy. But I’ve long since given up on miracles and new cures,” Hannah said. Her eyes were closed and in the sunlight, her cheeks were sunken and her eye sockets defined.
“Would you like me to take the cake plates away?” Minka asked. Hannah’s was full, even though Minka had only put a half slice and a single scoop of ice cream to begin with. It felt like a poor celebration.
“Minka, if you were me, what would you do? You never give me advice. You must have an opinion.” Hannah would normally lift herself up and turn to look Minka in the eye with this kind of piercing question. Her listlessness told Minka more than Hannah would have wanted her to guess.
“Okay, here’s my opinion. It’s time for you to let Doctor Prudacheck hook you up to the I.V. You haven’t been able to hold down food and you’re eating for two. You are strong, the strongest woman I know. Admitting weakness doesn’t mean you’ve given up or that you’ve lost hope. It just means you recognize that sometimes plans fail.”
Hannah opened her eyes. She said, “I can barely walk from one building to the next anymore. I do it just to prove to everyone that I’m fine.”
Minka nodded, “I would, too.”
“Can you pack a bag for me? I think it’s time to move permanently to Prudacheck’s lab. Either that or a real hospital. I’m not sure if an I.V. will help, but if I can buy a few more months, Noel has a better chance of survival.”
“Sure.” Minka packed for Hannah while she rested on the couch. From the number of times she winced or held her hand to her stomach, Minka didn’t think the rest was at all comfortable. When she was ready, Hannah was still lying on the couch with her eyes closed. Minka said, “Want me to call Sven? He could carry you.”
Hannah pushed herself up by sheer force of will more than anything else. “God, no. I can do this.”
Minka had heard the arguments between Hannah and Doctor Prudacheck on four occasions. Hannah had been adamant against getting the I.V. She saw it as the next step in her decline. When Hannah arrived to be checked in, the doctor knew she had won the argument.To her credit, Dr. Prudacheck settled Hannah with minimal conversation. If anything, she felt it as a loss. It meant that Hannah felt worse.
“If I had a Caesarian this week, what would Noel’s chances be?” Hannah asked as the fluids dripped into her arm.
“We’re not there yet. Noel needs as much time as you can give her.”
Hannah stared at the ceiling. How could she say that she didn’t think she had two more weeks to give? She had to fight for Noel. From what Dr. Prudacheck said, the fight was only beginning.
She said, “Is it possible to save her? I need the truth. I’m tired, and I don’t want to lose Noel at the end of the fight if I could have given birth and saved her.”
Doctor Prudacheck stopped fussing with the I.V. She said, “I have no idea. Doctors are bound by the same rules of fate as anyone else. You might live a decade. You might die tonight. I don’t know. I do know that Noel needs more time.”
“But you have a reasonable guess, one more researched than most, and I need to know. I need help here. Will I last two more months? What is your best guess?”
“Yes. You can make it. Even six months is possible.”
Doctor Prudacheck held back the thought that crammed into her neurons, a thought she’d been trying to keep away, even in her reasoned, logical world. That thought was, But you won’t last much longer.
IT WAS A BIT OF A DRIVE to the airplane. Once they were safely on board and in the air, Drake reviewed the files on the zip drive. They were the treatment records for several patients. Not a single patient was named. In the file, each patient was given a four digit number, and the medication and results varied wildly. Nothing in this file mirrored anything that Drake and the team had pulled from the compound.
Manny had told the truth. This zip file could save Hannah.
Making a quick decision, Drake pushed up from his seat. He made a gesture to Manny to lift his arms. In quick succession, Drake unlocked the handcuffs. He said, “I don’t expect you to suddenly join my team, and I don’t want you as an employee. Save Hannah. No one will know you’ve helped, and I pay well.”
Rubbing his wrists, Manny pressed his lips together, “Your phones are tapped. Your enemy had video linked directly to your lab. My employers know when you’re on the move before you even know where you’re going. They know I’m here now. I’ll help for the money, but let’s not pretend that I’m safe in your presence.”
Drake didn’t reply. There wasn’t much else he could say. Maybe his promises to Manny were a charade. Maybe he really couldn’t protect him. After the year he’d had, Drake wouldn’t be surprised by anything. The Spokane branch was a few pen strokes away from non-existence. Lauren was already in Miami working for SpaceTech of all companies. It was a bitter thing to see her work for Kendall. He was known to be ruthless. Drake moved back to his laptop and opened it up.
Manny didn’t stop though. He left his seat and followed Drake, sitting across from his first class workstation. Manny said, “Doesn’t take a genius to figure out who knocked Hannah up. You might consider sending your kid into witness protection. Hitting Colorado was stupid.”
Probably was. Drake steepled his fingers and gazed at Manny. A lesser person might have been intimidated. Drake said, “Your job is to save Hannah. I have advisors for the rest. I knew the risks.”
Drake lifted the screen a little higher and poured all of his focus into the numbers. He wasn’t a man to be threatened. If Manny knew that Spokane was compromised, so did half a dozen other scientists employed through McFarland.
The pilot called on the radio to Drake, “Better buckle in. We’re about to hit a rough patch.”
Manny buckled himself in across from Drake. It was something of a challenge to deal with the doctor. Drake was playing a game for Hannah’s life. He didn’t trust Manny, and yet he had to trust him with Hannah’s life..
The plane hit turbulence and dropped. The pilot got on the radio again, “I’m getting a message. We have to land at Chet’s field whatever that is
. They say they’ll direct us. If we don’t, we’ll crash. I don’t have an ID on the caller. They say they’re using an atmospheric weapon on us. What do I tell them?”
As if to prove the threat, the plane dropped again. Manny screamed.
Drake clenched his fist. He gave Manny a tight-lipped smile. “Just a doctor, are you?”
He told the pilot, “Tell them to give it their best and we’ll meet them in the afterlife. Stick to the flight plan.”
Manny shrank in his seat. He checked his seatbelt again, as if that would save him in a fireball. Drake ignored the doctor and settled, waiting for the final drop that would end in his death.
The plane bucked again before smoothing out. Chet. That was a personal message to Drake. Chet was the name of the CEO of SpaceTech. He kept clean for the most part, letting Vice President Kendall so most of the dirty work, but he had a huge airstrip and manufacturing company in Wisconsin. Chet and Colonel Evans must have been working together.
The turbulence ended. They flew through clear skies, about to cross the Rockies. Manny asked, “How did you know they were bluffing?”
Drake shrugged, “I didn’t, and I doubt they were. Changing the weather isn’t that easy.”
Manny looked at Drake like he was crazy. Maybe he was. Manny said, “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. You just crash your way through every circumstance and hope to land on your feet. You’re about to land on your ass. I don’t want to be anywhere near you when that happens.”
Drake straightened. His skin had a warm tan from his days in Miami. His eyes held a cold anger at the insult. He said, “Then you’d better hope this cure works.”
The turbulence began again as they approached Sun Valley. Drake closed his laptop and crossed his arms. Manny made a great point. If his daughter survived Hannah’s cancer treatment, she would be in danger...unless Drake could get out of the business permanently.
