The Last Detail

by Melissa Schroeder

  “What the hell’s going on?” he asked, apparently realizing something else was happening. Finally.

  Without turning around, she said, “Samuel Dawson, you are under arrest for the procurement of secrets and the selling of those secrets for profit.”

  Silence filled the room. She could feel the seething anger start to rise within him. Even without looking at him, she knew he wanted to kill her. And he would if she didn’t go through with her next threat.

  She turned to face him and was not ready for the fury that now burned in his eyes. She deserved it and would be ready to do murder if their roles had been reversed. But, she didn’t give a damn. Or she would as soon as she told herself not to at least a million times.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Zenich Industries said that you stole some technology, along with positions of their undercover agents to sell. Your supervisor turned you in.”

  She waited, knowing the explosion would come next. She didn’t have to wait long.

  “You fucking bitch.”

  The building shook from what sounded like an explosion.

  “What the hell was that?” Dawson asked.

  She shrugged. “You know this place. There’s always some kind of hit.” Which was true enough. Organized crime thrived on Arcadia, and on a night like tonight there would be a hit somewhere.

  “You think you can get me off this planet without problems?” He asked as he looked to raise himself out of the chair.

  She held the stunner out in front of her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I don’t have to bring you in alive, and I won’t if you give me trouble.”

  He sneered at the small weapon. “You think that scares me?”

  “It should. It isn’t normal. I added five hundred nanovolts to it. You might survive, but the last guy I used it on never recovered.” She saw that her threat was working, thank God. She didn’t want to test it out on Dawson. “They say that he’ll never wake up, but he does relive the pain of the hit over and over in his coma.”

  His eyes narrowed. She knew he was trying to decide if she was telling the truth. She was, although the collar she had used it on was not even close to Dawson’s size.

  “Good, you look like you might just be acting smart for one time tonight. I have to take you to base camp. Am I going to have a problem with you?”

  His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth. “No. Not at the moment.”

  “Good. Now, let’s get you up and out of here. I have my transport pod waiting for me at the depot station down the street.”

  She reached out for him, but he stopped her with one word. “Don’t.”

  The cold tone made her want to recoil. Hell, she wanted to leave, just give up on the mission and go back to base camp. Why was she reacting this way? God, it was stupid, beyond asinine. Instead, she shrugged and watched as he lifted himself out of the chair. He stepped closer to her.

  “Tell me something.”

  “What?”

  “Do you whore yourself out all the time, or was I just special?”

  She felt the gash to her heart and the slice at her pride. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been a whore at one time. And usually, a man calling her that would end up with his balls aching from her knee. But instead she smiled.

  “Anything to get the job done, slick.” With that, she motioned to the door with her stunner. “Let’s go.”

  As his captor pushed him down the street, Sam mentally cursed himself. The one mistake he made, the one woman he knew he shouldn’t have anything to do with, but he had been too intrigued, too needy. Now she had a weapon that could fry him pointed at his back and he was being taken somewhere that would mean certain death. On top of that, she had confiscated his laser dagger. It was his favorite weapon, dammit.

  Someone had set him up. Probably his supervisor. That retribution would come later. First, he had to get rid of the bitch he was with right now.

  Denton and Reid needed to be warned. If their names had fallen in the hands of someone out for money, they would be dead by the end of the night.

  “Hurry it up, Dawson. Big man like you should move faster.”

  Hearing her voice made him want to snarl. Dammit to Hades, he wanted to use that fucking stunner on her himself. Unfortunately, the sick fuck that he was, he still wanted her. He was still aroused, still couldn’t forget the way it had felt to have her hands on him. Damn woman was going to drive him insane.

  “What makes you think I’m dirty?” he asked, knowing that if he could distract her, he might be able to overpower her.

  “Well, the accusations come from someone at Zenich Industries.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. I just got the collar, and they put a lot of credits on your head. I needed them.”

  There was something in her voice when she said it that struck him.

  “How many?”

  She sighed. “Five thousand.”

  He stopped and turned. She almost ran into him.

  “Don’t try anything, Dawson.”

  “I’m not. But what could I have stolen that would be worth that much?”

  She shrugged. “I’m sure you know what you took. Although the agents’ names alone would probably be enough. Don’t think you can distract me. Let’s get moving.”

  He did as ordered as he pushed the problems with the price on his head away. He had to figure out how to get away from her so he could clear his name. Then he could investigate the set up. The street was deserted. The idea that either Reid or Denton would come to his rescue wasn’t an option. They knew when he went to bed with a woman they wouldn’t see him for at least the night, if not a day or two. So he had to create some kind of diversion to escape.

  They turned the corner that led to the bar when he heard the first siren.

  “Fuck,” Lou muttered.

  The red and blue lights flashed as they neared where the bar was. Or where it had been. The whole front of the thing had been blown away. The multitude of law enforcement officers had both of them stopping in their tracks.

  Neither of them said a word for a second or two as they watched the activity. Then someone noticed them. A reign of laser fire hit the building beside them. Adrenaline and fear pumped into his system as he felt her fingers wrap around his biceps.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  He glanced at her. “You don’t want to turn me over to the LEOs?”

  She snorted. “And give up my credit? No fucking way.”

  “Mercenary?”

  She nodded. “You bet your cute ass.”

  They slipped down the street away from the club and they came across a hunter he had seen before. Hendrix was a step above scum, although from his dingy clothes and the sunken expression on his face, he seemed to have slipped down with that scum.

  “Going somewhere with my collar, Campbell?” Hendrix asked. Sam felt Lou’s hand tighten on his arm.

  “I think you have that wrong. He’s mine.”

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought you didn’t go for men.”

  Even as pissed as he was at Lou, Sam didn’t like the way Hendrix was looking at her. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that sent a chill through his blood.

  “I didn’t say I didn’t like men.”

  “You turned me down.”

  She snorted. “And what does that have to do with whether or not I like men?”

  It took a second for her barb to hit home. The leering expression in the man’s eyes dissolved into anger and he pointed his gun in her direction.

  “He’s mine.”

  She sighed, the sound of it filled with irritation. He knew that she was losing her temper.

  “Don’t push me, Hendrix.”

  “You think you’re so smart. Of course you’re one of the best trackers. Why the hell do you think Flores sent you out after this one?” He tossed a sneer in Sam’s direction. “He’s not going ever pay you what he promised.”

  She said nothing a
nd Sam glanced in her direction. She was a bit taken back by that comment but she rallied. Straightening her arm, she aimed her stunner at her adversary’s groin.

  “I’d step aside if I were you.”

  He snickered as he pointed his own weapon at Sam. “Sure you want to—” He broke off in a horrid scream of pain when Lou hit the switch on her weapon. The man fell to the ground, his weapon clattering over the pavement as he twitched and drooled.

  “Shit. I hate having to do that.”

  She released Dawson for a second but kept the weapon aimed in his direction. She picked up Hendrix’s gun and put it in her extra holster, then pulled out his communicator. After slipping the communicator in her belt, she turned back to him.

  With a smile that sent ice shards cutting through his blood, she said, “Now, remember what that looks like, Dawson, and maybe you’ll remember to behave.”

  Chapter Three

  Something sick and slimy settled in Lou’s belly and she did not like it. Something was really off about this assignment. She had seen the documents, seen that Dawson really was on the take, or so said his supervisor. But the truth of the matter was, she didn’t like coincidences.

  “Who is Flores?” Sam asked as they hurried toward her transport. Her nerves were frayed and each step they took shredded them even more.

  “What?”

  “Flores? The one Hendrix mentioned.”

  She sighed, irritated with herself. She knew her momentary lapse about Jared had caught Sam’s attention.

  “He’s my boss. And no, I don’t think he sold me out.” At least she hoped not. If he did, he was a dead man. But she couldn’t see him doing it. Jared was a lot of things, and he was pretty cut throat. More than once she knew he had crossed way over the line of what was considered acceptable behavior. Still, he usually only did that when there was no other choice, and she was the exception. He had never once sold her out, even though he’d had more than one chance to do it.

  “Ah, so you’re involved.”

  She couldn’t stop the little hitch in her heart at the statement. Jared and her had never been sexually intimate. If there had been one man she would have allowed in her bed, it would have been Jared. Too bad he showed little-to-no interest in her in that way. He had too many bed partners at his beck and call.

  With a mental shake, she pushed those thoughts aside. She said nothing to Dawson as she kept putting one foot in front of the other. The bad feeling she felt was growing with each meter they covered. Something was very wrong.

  “You can let me out of the restraints.”

  She didn’t respond. She kept her attention on the area around them as they skulked down the street. Damn, if this wasn’t going south and fast. She needed to get Dawson back to base camp before anyone else decided to pop up on her radar. And then she could deal with Jared.

  She knew before she saw the guards around the depot that they were screwed. She turned the corner and saw enough armored men to put the fear of God in her.

  “What the hell?” Dawson said as she shoved him back.

  She leaned against the building and peeked around the corner. The guard’s sensors apparently hadn’t picked them up, but it wouldn’t take them long. Their chances of fighting their way in there to get her vehicle were slim to none.

  “What the fuck is going on now?”

  His irritated tone added another layer of agitation wrapping around her spine. She hadn’t ever had a job go this bad this fast. She had a safe house here, one that Jared knew about. Once she didn’t show up with Dawson, Jared would head to the planet and know exactly where to go.

  She started back in the direction they had just come from. “Come on.”

  “No.”

  She turned around, her weapon aimed at him.

  “Move it, Dawson.”

  He shook his head. “No. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  She had no fucking idea, but she wasn’t about to admit it to him. That would show a weakness she couldn’t afford. Not with any man.

  “It looks like there’s more to your backlog of crimes, if you ask me. For some reason, the authorities have a hard-on for catching you.”

  “Give me a break. Those weren’t LEOs.”

  “What do you mean? They were in uniform.”

  “Packing enough firepower to take out most of this side of the planet. You know LEOs don’t have that kind of equipment. Their budgets are shot.”

  Dammit, he was right. She slinked past her captive and peeked around the corner again. She saw the people standing watch and realized that Dawson was right. The ammo was definitely top of the line. Regular LEOs didn’t get much ammo and definitely not the latest gear. Irritation and embarrassment filled her. She should have noticed that right off.

  “Pretty nice weaponry,” Dawson said, his breath feathering over the back of her neck. Her body responded immediately. Her breathing hitched, her nipples tightened and the yearning she had felt since she had seen him in the bar grew. She was doomed to be attracted to the wrong kind of man.

  Needing some space, she elbowed him in the ribs. He stepped back with a curse.

  “Back off, Dawson.”

  “You know we will look less inconspicuous if I’m not shackled.”

  She turned to face him again. Lou knew he was right. They would gain attention from the armor on the street if they saw her leading him along. It could be a coincidence that the bar was blown to Hades, but she didn’t believe in them. There was something definitely off about this retrieval.

  “I promise to behave.”

  She snorted. “How many times do idiots buy that? I don’t trust you any further than I can throw you.”

  “I don’t have warm cuddly feelings for you either, but this way we can at least have a fighting chance. Or are you afraid you won’t be able to get me shackled again.”

  She sighed. If they were made, he would be a sitting duck. Her one and only chance of making it back to home base and getting the credits was taking Dawson in by herself. If they were captured by LEOs or whoever the hell those uniforms were, she would lose her collar.

  “Okay. On one condition.”

  He smirked. She wanted to slap that smile off his face. Of course, the horrible thing was that she wanted to jump his very gorgeous bones too.

  “You try anything and I will stun you. Do not think about fucking with me, or I will fuck you up.”

  He nodded, a look of mock gravity etching his features. She knew he was planning something, but at this moment beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  “Turn around.”

  He did as ordered and she entered the code into the small keypad. He sighed and his shoulders relaxed. As he turned around, he massaged his wrists. She opened her pack and threw his shirt at him. He grabbed it one-handed and hurriedly put it on.

  “Okay, let’s get going.”

  “Don’t you want to know what those agents are up to?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t give a damn as long as they don’t get in my way.”

  “No sense of loyalty.”

  The barb hit home, sunk its claws into her heart. “I hate to drag you into the real world but most people in this quadrant don’t have the luxury of loyalty. Being loyal to yourself is the only thing that matters.”

  “That’s a bit cold hearted.”

  “It might be. But I wasn’t selling secrets to the highest bidder.”

  “I wasn’t either. I was set up.”

  She offered him the coldest smile she could. “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before. In fact, I hear the Bathazar Detention Center is filled with innocent men just like you.”

  “Think, woman. You get here, another bounty hunter shows up, and then the bar that I meet my contacts in is blown to hell. I was set up.”

  “By who?”

  “I have no idea, but I will tell you that when I find out the person is dead.”

  She did not doubt it from the tone of his voice. “You really think you were set u
p.”

  He leaned forward and she held her stunner up. “Don’t do anything to make me hurt you, Dawson.”

  He glanced down at the weapon then back up to her face. “I’m not dirty. You might not understand this, but I have honor. I did not sell secrets, I would never do that. And those two women who probably died at the bar were my partners. They were sold out to the highest bidder. You might not have loyalty to anyone, but I do. Now what’s your plan?”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and most of the anger he had built. “I have a safe house. Or Flores does. It’s in the mountains. Only agents who work for Jared know about it.”

  “A rendezvous place for you and Flores?”

  She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the curious warmth that filled her chest at his jealous tone. He was the enemy. She shouldn’t be getting a school-girl crush on him, but it was hard to ignore the way he spit out the name.

  “Not that it is any of your business, but no. He’s my boss, and my friend.” She pulled out her scanner and tuned up the untraceable Universal Positioning Program. She typed the address and then stuck it in her pocket. “We need to grab a transport, then we can head up.”

  They rounded another corner onto yet another deserted street. It reminded her of the pictures she had seen of Chicago or New York City on Earth during the early part of the twentieth century. Gray, dingy buildings lined the dimly lit sidewalks. A cobblestone pattern made the street look as if a horse-drawn carriage would appear around the corner at any moment. It was a façade for those people who wanted to remember life in simpler times. And of course, it allowed for the less-savory types to take advantage of people lulled by mystical surroundings.

  She noticed a few transports down the street and headed in that direction.

  “Hey, I need my weapon back,” Dawson said.

  “Likely chance.”

  “I know you don’t believe me, but I know security. Slinking down the street hoping not to be found will not help.”