Holdin' On for a Hero

by Ciana Stone

  “Exactly.” Shen nodded.

  After a few moments Konnor leaned forward in his chair. “Are you saying that he did, or implying that he might have?”

  “He did.”

  “And you know who it was?”

  Shen nodded and this time Konnor stood. “Who?”

  “Someone we have long had cause to tread carefully around.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  Shen smiled and stood. “In all the years of our association, what has been one of the most basic tenets of our training?”

  “To look beyond the obvious to the subtle. That what is real is often hidden in the illusion of shadows, and that truth is best hidden between two lies.”

  Shen inclined his head. “Use what I have taught you to find the answers.”

  Konnor bowed his head. When he raised it, Shen had gone. He thought about it for a while. “So who is it?” he asked. An idea occurred to him but he tried to dismiss it. “Is it possible?” he asked aloud. The silence of the room was the only answer except for a small voice in his mind. When has Slater ever played anything straight? And how could he know so much about this if he wasn’t a part of it all along? But then, how does Shen know so much? And if he already has all the answers, what does he need me for?

  “Questions,” he growled. “Questions upon questions and not a damn answer in sight. Goddamn, Senna, where the hell are you?”

  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

  “Can I have a word with you, Detective Dalton?” Captain Prichard’s voice caused Ryan to halt on the way to his desk.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “In my office,” Prichard said and led the way.

  He saw Paige look up from her seat at her desk and was grateful for Prichard’s request. At that moment he would take any excuse to be out of proximity to her. Paige looked at him as he walked past her. He saw her out of the corner of his eye but didn’t turn his head.

  He knew she wanted to talk about what had happened last night, but that was the last thing he wanted to discuss. He had purposely been avoiding her all day just for that reason.

  It had not been easy, especially when she showed up at Ian Drake’s office. Thinking about Drake brought a frown to Ryan’s face. He was relieved that Ian’s death didn’t fit the pattern of the other murders, but thought it highly unlikely that Ian had committed suicide.

  Paige had tried to corner him as he left the scene, on the excuse of talking about how it was connected with Senna. He had begged off, saying he had to get back and make an important call. She must have known he was lying because she asked him what the problem was. She thought they had both had a good time and enjoyed themselves.

  It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed himself. On the contrary. She was extraordinary in bed. He had found himself being more aggressive and demanding than he could remember being with a woman, and she loved it. Without reservation, he could admit that it was one of the most exciting sexual encounters of his life. The problem was, he wasn’t sure he wanted a repeat performance.

  Even thinking about it caused a break in his stride. Any man in his right mind would gladly trade places with him. How many men had such an opportunity dropped in their laps? No commitments, no responsibilities, just great sex whenever he wanted. He would be a fool to turn it down, and yet that was what he was almost sure he would do. He might not ever again have a night like the one he spent with Paige, but he was willing to sacrifice that for other, more important things, like trust, respect and love.

  Captain Prichard interrupted his thoughts as they entered the office. “I understand there’ve been no leads on Dr. Laserian.”

  “No, sir. We’re still waiting on the report from the credit cards to see if there’s been any activity in the last twenty-four hours.”

  Prichard sat down heavily in the chair behind his desk. “You think this Drake thing is connected?”

  “I really don’t know, sir.”

  “But you have some thoughts?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m not convinced that Drake committed suicide, despite the evidence. According to Kendal Baldwin, he had not shown any signs of being upset or agitated in any way. Also, the medical examiner found a bruise on his neck, just under his jaw. He said it looked like someone had grabbed Drake from behind, which would indicate there might have been a struggle.”

  Prichard nodded. “Have the report sent to me when the lab sends it down. In the meantime, what do we know about Southgate?”

  “I managed to speak with him this morning on my way in. We’re on for eight tomorrow evening.”

  “Do you think he suspects anything?”

  “No, sir. I called on the pretense of letting him know about the Pierce-Warner murder, since it seems connected with the other two, and inquiring whether the FBI has decided to take all the cases off our hands.”

  “And?”

  “He said that in the interest of cooperation and goodwill among departments, the Bureau thinks it best that we continue with all of the investigation and that Southgate assist us in whatever way he can. He implied that the Bureau will not step in as long as he is satisfied with the way we’re handling things.”

  “Good. At least that much is running in our favor. But we still have a major problem. Unless we locate Dr. Laserian before the meeting there’s a good possibility we may blow it.”

  “I know, and I’ve been giving it some thought. If she doesn’t turn up maybe we could use a stand-in. Someone made up like her. If we’re lucky it’ll fool him enough to get him inside the building. After that, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll have him where we want him.”

  “Set it up,” Prichard said. “Just in case. And there will be one change in the plan. I spoke with the agent in charge of the Bureau office here, and he wants in on the operation. I think you’ve met him, Pete Sanders?”

  “Yes, sir. I have. But do you think that’s wise? If Southgate spots him it could blow the whole deal.”

  “I don’t think we have a choice. Not that Sanders is pushing it, but he could. Whoever this Southgate is, he’s playing a game not only with us, but the FBI as well. They have as much reason to want to nail him as we do. So, I think it is wise if we make Sanders part of the plan. I told him you’d meet with him this evening to go over things.”

  Ryan knew better than to argue. Besides, if anything went wrong, it’d be better to have the Feds playing on their team. Not only that, but having to meet with Sanders gave him a valid excuse for not seeing Paige tonight. “Anything else, sir?”

  “No, that’s all for now.”

  Ryan left the office and started back down the hall. As expected, Paige was sitting at her desk watching for him. He went straight to his desk and began gathering up his things.

  “Where’re you off to,” she asked.

  “A meeting.”

  “With who?”

  He turned and looked at her. “Sorry, I can’t discuss it.”

  “What’s going on, Ryan?” She stood. “Why am I suddenly being given the cold shoulder? And I don’t just mean the freaked out way you’ve been acting today, although I would like to talk about that.”

  “No one’s giving you the cold shoulder, and I’m not acting freaked out.”

  “Maybe that was the wrong word.” She glanced around then stepped over beside him. “It just feels like you’re trying to avoid me.”

  “That’s silly,” he lied.

  “No, it isn’t. You haven’t been able to look me in the eye since we woke up this morning. What’s the deal? You had your fuck and now it’s ‘Adios, Paige’?”

  “You know better than that.” He lowered his voice so as not to attract attention. “I just don’t think this is the place to get into our personal affairs.”

  Her face lit in a smile. “Well,” she gave him a look that should have made his knees turn to rubber, “I can think of the perfect place to get into our affair.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes, feeling disgusted at her for always turning everything int
o a sexual situation, and at himself for getting trapped in the conversation. “I have to go.” He moved to walk around her.

  “Meet me later.” She stepped in front of him. “At my place.”

  “I don’t know when I’ll be finished,” he hedged. “And I don’t think your place is a good idea. What if Aaron stops by?”

  “Then give me the key to your apartment and I’ll wait for you there.”

  “Why don’t I give you a call when I get through?”

  Her expression arranged into one of suspicion but she agreed. “Okay, fine.”

  Ryan didn’t waste any time leaving. His steps were brisk. Once inside the elevator, he leaned back against the wall and blew out his breath. If only he could find Senna and somehow turn their lives back around to the way they used to be before everything turned upside down.

  Jackson Township

  “You’re a fool.” Konnor’s voice was filled with scorn. “No one’s going to fall for that scenario. There are too many people who knew Drake. It’s not going to fly.”

  “I beg to differ with you, but not only will it fly, it will positively soar,” Slater replied. “Particularly when the scenes of the good doctor and his lady friends are discovered. Not to mention the touching suicide note he left for his grieving widow.”

  “Why kill him?” Konnor asked. “Will you tell me that?”

  “He was untrustworthy.”

  “He was doing what you demanded.”

  “And trying to set me up for blackmail,” Slater replied then chuckled at the narrowing of Konnor’s eyes. “Oh, don’t act so surprised. I know all about the DVD he gave you.”

  “That disc was worthless,” Konnor said. “You and I both know it. Even if he had come back for it, and even if I had given it to him, it wouldn’t have done him any good.”

  “The question is, would you have given it to him?”

  Konnor regarded him without blinking. “What do you think?”

  “At this point I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. Just where does your loyalty lie, Chase?”

  “The same place it always has,” Konnor answered. “Me, myself, and I.”

  Slater laughed at the reply. “Look out for number one and fuck everyone who comes in second?”

  “Lesson number two from the Slater handbook,” Konnor said.

  “Then you should have no qualms about handing over the disc in question.”

  Konnor gestured toward the shelf of DVD’s. “Help yourself. Fourth from the end on the left.”

  Slater rose and went to the shelf to pull out the disc. Konnor waited until he had tucked it into his jacket and taken a seat again before speaking. “Any leads on Laserian?”

  For one of the few times in all the years Konnor had known him, a look of uneasiness crossed Slater’s face. He got it under control quickly, but not fast enough. He was worried. Time was passing quickly and each hour that they didn’t find Senna was another hour their enemies had to find her and try to get the information from her.

  “We’ll find her,” Slater said after a moment’s pause.

  “Will we?”

  “What’s going on, Chase? The Laserian broad get to you?”

  “Just doing what you hired me for.” Slater was the last person he wanted to know that he was emotionally involved with Senna. If he knew he would use it against both of them.

  “Not a very good job, I might add,” Slater commented. “If you had been watching her the way you were supposed to she wouldn’t be missing, now would she?”

  “Don’t try to lay that shit on me,” Konnor argued. “I told you from the outset that I wasn’t going to jeopardize what I’ve got going here to do this job. I have a business to run and I can’t do that if I’m babysitting some bitch for you all the damn time. You were supposed to have someone on her when I left. Don’t blame me if your guy was incompetent.”

  Slater didn’t reply. He stood and headed for the door. “Let me know if you hear from her,” he said as he started out.

  Konnor said nothing but closed the door behind him. He had no more ideas on where to look for her. Minora Laserian had been no help at all. She had basically fallen apart when Konnor told her that Senna was missing. He wondered if he hadn’t made a mistake by telling her. Now the only thing he could think to do was to go to Shen for help. But the price of asking was one he was not sure he wanted to pay, for Shen would demand to know the reason Konnor was so anxious to find Senna and he didn’t know if he could admit that his motivation was strictly personal.

  Chapter Twelve

  Senna put her head down on her arms on the table and closed her eyes. She felt like she was on overload. All day the memories had been returning, crowding in on one another, and making it difficult to sort things out. It was as if everything she had forgotten was trying to push its way to be the first to burst into her conscious mind. The strain was beginning to wear on her.

  “Would you like to lie down?” Marcus asked.

  She looked at him, sitting across the table from her. “It’s so hard to believe. You’re here and you’re real and I know you. Do you have any idea what that’s like for me? All these years and I didn’t know and now suddenly not only are the memories returning but so are the feelings. It’s like…like I’ve been emotionally barren and now all of a sudden I’m so full it hurts.”

  Marcus reached across the table to take her hand. “Would you like to talk about what you’ve remembered?”

  “I don’t know,” she sighed. There was so much. After remembering her arrival in Syria and her first meeting with her real father, she had relived almost an entire year of her life.

  It was a little like watching a film being shown in her mind. She had recalled leaving Syria only a few days after arriving. She, Lucas and Marcus had boarded a private plane. As soon as they were aboard Lucas had given her an injection. She didn’t remember much about the trip after that except being given several more injections.

  The next memory was of waking up and finding herself in a tent in the middle of a jungle—hot, humid and green. Lucas had explained that they would be traveling by foot the remainder of their journey and she had not questioned it.

  The following memories were so amazing and unbelievable that even now she had a hard time with them. She wanted to ask Marcus if it was true but didn’t know how to begin. There were certain memories she felt she should keep to herself, things she thought might fit into the fail-safes he and Lucas has set up to protect everyone.

  After a few minutes she decided. “I’d like to ask you something.”

  “Anything.”

  “You said that you don’t know how to find the final Gate.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Because Lucas never told you. That was part of the information he kept to himself.”

  “Correct.”

  “So what information did you keep from him?”

  “You already know that.”

  “Maybe. But I want to hear it from you.”

  “He didn’t know the activation sequence to initiate the system.”

  Senna nodded. What he said was consistent with what she remembered. “Another question. Did Lucas destroy the prototype?”

  “Yes.”

  “And saved us in the process.”

  “Yes.”

  “But it wasn’t you and me who got out, was it?”

  “No.”

  “Then who did?”

  His eyes widened. “You don’t know?”

  “I remember part of it but not all.”

  “Would you mind if I ask a question?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled his gratitude. “It has to do with our final days in South America. You and Lucas spent several days alone. He said it was for the final transfer of data from the device. I understood it had something to do with the instructions concerning the final Gate and so I didn’t question him. However, I have always been curious about one thing. Lucas assured me that you would not remembe
r what had happened unless the keys were all presented in the proper sequence.

  “But I was under the impression that the memories to be erased were only those from the time of Andrea’s death until we left South America. Lucas was supposed to implant false memories into your mind. But since you have a blank in your mind about that time, what happened? Why didn’t you remember what happened after we were separated?”

  Senna didn’t know how to answer the question. “Well, I’m not sure, exactly. I remember some of it…now, anyway. I remember being carried from the camp and the explosion. We ran and ran until I thought I would die and finally we stopped long enough to catch our breath and then we ran some more. It must have been a week before we reached a village. I do remember asking if there was anyone who could take us to a place where we could get in touch with the American embassy. A man said he would take us. We went to his house and he offered us food and drink and…and after that I don’t know…”

  Marcus looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments. “You said we. Who was with you?”

  Senna looked him directly in the eyes. “I can’t tell you that. I would if I could, but I can’t.”

  “You don’t remember?”

  She got up and raked her hands through her hair. “God, this is so confusing!” she complained, more to herself than him. She thought she did remember who she was with, but she had to be wrong.

  “It’s okay.” He got up and put his arms around her shoulders to give her a hug. “There’s no pressure. The memories will come in their own time. Don’t try and force it.”

  Senna put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. If only she could be sure. Who are you? she asked the vague image in her mind. As if in reply to her question, more memories began to return.

  Myers Park, Charlotte NC

  Ryan waited in the parlor as the housekeeper left the room. He had never been inside Minora Laserian’s home and he was impressed. From the looks of things, she was a very wealthy woman.

  He wasn’t sure it was a wise move in coming to see her, but he had nowhere else to turn. The credit card check had turned up nothing on Senna. No money had been withdrawn from her bank accounts and no charges made on her credit cards. After leaving the department, Ryan had gone to the university and spoken with everyone who knew Senna. No one had seen her since she left the afternoon she was attacked by Mike Harper.