Closing the Circle (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 6)

by Jaye McKenna

  Hard brown eyes met his. “Can you at least tell me why you would risk your career to help him? Is it because he helped you on Alpha, and you feel like you owe him?”

  “Partly. When he helped me and Miko escape, I told him… I told him if he ever needed a place to stay or to hide… to contact me at the Institute.”

  Pat’s eyes narrowed. “You said partly. What’s the rest of it?”

  Cam let out a long breath. “Given what’s happening on Alpha… what might be happening here, once word gets out… I think if we can get him back on his feet, I can put him to work. If he’s interested.”

  “Put him to… Cam, what the hell? Put him to work as what?”

  “I have a few ideas.”

  “You can’t trust him,” Pat said, shaking his head.

  “I never said I did. But… Draven is like a feral dog. Feed him, give him a safe place to sleep and something to believe in, and maybe I can make him my feral dog.”

  “I don’t know why you’re bothering. You’ll never be able to trust him.”

  “Because I can see what’s coming, Pat. Can’t you? I think I might need someone like Draven around in the near future. Now, are you going to help me or are you going to arrest me?”

  There was a long silence before Pat scowled and said, “The last thing the Institute needs right now is a change in leadership. And the last thing I want for Kyn is to have to step into your shoes at a time like this. I won’t help you. I can’t. But I won’t turn you in, either.”

  “Thank you,” Cam said, shoulders finally loosening.

  “Not so fast, Asada. There’s a condition. If you’re going to harbor a criminal out here, I want him under guard. You have a job to do back at the Institute. And with Neil gone, you’re needed there now more than ever.”

  “Who do you have in mind?”

  “Someone who can’t be manipulated psionically,” Pat said flatly.

  “Kyn?”

  Pat nodded. “I trust him completely, and he’s ex-military, so I know he can handle himself.”

  “He was there when Draven shot Jared,” Cam said.

  “Yes, he was. But I trust him to be able to put that aside. And to be frank, I don’t know who else I can ask.”

  “If Kyn can do the job without being an ass about it, then I’ll agree to it,” Cam said.

  Pat shot him an unreadable look. “Why do you even care?”

  “Because if I do decide to put him to work, Draven needs to know that he can trust me to protect him. That’s part of the deal.”

  “I’ll make sure Kyn understands that.”

  “Make sure you mention Miko,” Cam suggested. “Kyn would do anything for Miko.”

  “You’re a manipulative bastard, Asada. I understand that Neil appreciates your… initiative. And I know how much you trust Miko. But this is so far out of the goddamn box…” He raked a hand through his hair. “Just make sure you don’t lose sight of the box entirely, okay?”

  “I’ve never lost sight of it, Pat. Not for a moment.”

  Pat held his gaze for a long time before finally looking away. “I’ll have Kyn out here first thing in the morning.”

  * * *

  Draven was wide awake when the cabin door slammed. The bang was followed by the sound of a flyer engine powering up and the craft lifting off. When the buzz of the engines had faded into the distance, he heard quiet steps on the stairs, and then Cameron stuck his head around the door.

  “You okay by yourself for a little longer?” Cameron asked. “I want to grab a shower.”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Cameron nodded. “I won’t be long.”

  As he listened to the sound of running water, Draven’s skin itched with the need to get clean. He dimly remembered being given a sponge bath at some point, but he’d been drifting in and out of consciousness at the time, and that had to have been several days ago.

  When Cameron came back, dressed in clean clothing and toweling damp hair, Draven blurted out, “Can I have a shower, too?”

  Cameron stopped rubbing his hair and considered that. “Bath,” he decided. “You’re not strong enough to stand in the shower for that long, and Eleni would kill me if you slipped and cracked your head open. She left a little while ago.”

  “I thought she was staying the night.”

  “She was, but… Pat Cottrell followed me out here. She hitched a ride back with him.”

  Draven froze. Was Cottrell going to haul him in for questioning? Maybe Cameron had lied. Maybe he’d only taken care of him so he could turn him over to his FedSec masters whole and ready for interrogation. “The FedSec director?” he asked carefully.

  “Yeah.” Cameron sighed and tossed the towel aside. “He recognized you. Your psionic signature, anyway.”

  “And?” Draven’s heart pounded in his chest, so loud Cameron had to be able to hear it.

  “I told him Miko said helping you was important. Miko’s got a lot of credit with him at the moment. He’ll keep quiet. He wasn’t happy about it, but he won’t turn you in. Or me.”

  “You? But—”

  “He threatened to arrest us both. After I talked him down, he laid down some conditions.”

  Draven licked his lips. Cameron had stood up for him? To a FedSec director? “What kind of conditions?”

  “He wants you under guard. He’s sending somebody out tomorrow.”

  “Somebody?”

  “Kyn Valdari. He’s my assistant director. He’s psi null, so Pat figures he’ll be safe enough.”

  “Psi null? I don’t… what does that mean?”

  “Means you won’t sense him. Even if you’re standing right next to him. It’ll be okay. Kyn’s a good guy. And with all that’s going on right now, I really do need to be back at the office. People are starting to ask questions.”

  “Ah.” He tried not to let his disappointment show. Of course Cameron had other duties. Duties that he’d neglected badly in order to keep Draven alive.

  “We still have to work out a schedule, but I’m thinking Kyn can work from here in the day, and I’ll spend the nights here so he doesn’t have to be away from Pat for days at a time. It’ll work out.”

  Draven wasn’t so sure about that. He’d never met Kyn, had no idea how the man would feel about being handed guard duty over a criminal.

  “I’ll go run that bath for you.”

  Cameron disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, and Draven heard the water running.

  By the time Cameron had the tub filled, Draven had managed to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. It had taken far more effort than he’d expected. His whole body hurt, every muscle aching and burning. He must have strained every one of them while he’d struggled during withdrawal.

  When he tried to stand, he went right back down onto the bed. Cameron had to help him to the bathroom and steady him while he stripped out of the loose gown. With Cameron’s help, he stepped into the tub. A little moan of pleasure slipped out as Cameron eased him down into the hot water.

  “Yeah, I’ll bet that feels good.” Cameron grinned as he handed Draven a soft washcloth. “Soap there, shampoo right there. Do what you can, and I’ll be back in a few minutes to give you a hand with anything you can’t manage. I’m just going to strip the bed and put fresh sheets on it. I don’t know about you, but the thought of getting back into a dirty bed when I just got clean makes me itch all over.”

  “Me, too,” he murmured, smiling without even thinking about it. “Thank you.”

  “Yell if you need anything. I’ll be right outside the door.”

  Cameron left him alone with the door cracked open, and Draven set to scrubbing every last trace of sweat and sickness from his skin. The hot water felt good. It wasn’t long before the heat soaked into his stiff, aching muscles and began to loosen them up.

  He wasn’t able to do nearly as much for himself as he’d hoped. His shoulders were too stiff and sore for him to reach his back. Cameron returned and washed his back for him
without being asked. When he’d finished, he set the washcloth down and reached for the shampoo bottle. “Want me to wash your hair for you?”

  Draven glanced up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Please.”

  Cameron scooped up some water in a small plastic jug and poured it over his hair, using his hand to keep it from running over his face. Strong fingers smoothed the shampoo into Draven’s hair, and he shivered with pleasure as they worked through the tangled mess, rubbing his scalp. Draven closed his eyes and leaned into the touch without even thinking about it, and Cameron didn’t seem to be in a hurry.

  It didn’t last nearly long enough. Soon, Cameron was rinsing the shampoo out and gently working a comb through the wet, black tangles.

  By the time he was shaved, dried, and dressed in a clean T-shirt and a pair of boxers that hung much too loosely on his hips, Draven was exhausted. It was worth it, though, to feel properly clean for the first time since he’d left Alpha. He had to lean heavily on Cameron to get back to the bed. They took it slow, and the sight of fresh, crisp sheets topped with clean blankets already turned down for him was enough to bring a lump to his throat.

  Cameron helped him into bed and pulled the blankets up over his shoulders. “There’s fresh water here.” He gestured to the water bottle on the bedside table. “Do you want anything else? Something to eat, maybe? Eleni said you did okay with the broth and crackers. I can heat up some soup if you want. There’s homemade chicken noodle in the freezer.”

  Draven’s stomach growled at the thought of it, and Cameron laughed, dark eyes crinkling at the corners.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  After Cameron left, Draven settled back against the pillows, enjoying the feel of clean sheets against clean skin while he contemplated the things Cameron had said.

  Miko must have a great deal of credit with these people, if his word was enough to influence a FedSec director. Had it been Miko’s word that had made Cameron drop everything to help him? Or was Cameron simply keeping the promise he’d made on Alpha?

  No… that didn’t balance. What Draven had done for Cameron on Alpha was nothing compared to what Cameron had done — was still doing — for him.

  What kind of debt was he racking up?

  And what kind of payment would be demanded?

  Chapter Six

  Cam read over the message he’d written to his search-and-rescue operatives and shook his head. The tone was completely wrong. Too distant and matter-of-fact. He deleted it and started over.

  Now that people were beginning to straggle in from the field, Cam was having to explain why they’d been recalled. It frustrated him no end that he couldn’t tell them when — or even if — they’d be allowed to return to their assignments. They’d all been following the news, of course, so they knew what was happening. Technically, he wasn’t even supposed to confirm that the recall was related to the Aion Incident, but he considered most of these people family, so he told them what he knew, and hoped that Director Iverson and Senator Cottrell would return from Earth soon with answers.

  At least Pat’s plan to put Kyn on guard duty during the days was going smoothly enough. Kyn hadn’t been thrilled with the assignment, but the fact that Cam was taking back the reins at the Institute apparently made up for the inconvenience. Cam hadn’t dared ask what Pat had told him, and Kyn hadn’t volunteered the information. They’d seen very little of each other in the four days since Cam had returned to his office — just a few minutes in the mornings and evenings, during what Kyn drily called The Changing of the Guard.

  A sharp rap on his office door made him jump, and Cam called, “Come on in.”

  The door opened and his oldest foster sister, Anja McKinnon, strode in. She wore a black flight suit with a patch and gold bars on the sleeve proclaiming her captain of the Wanderlust, the freighter she co-owned with her brother Marek. She was in her late forties, and though she didn’t normally look it, today she did. Dark smudges under her eyes and lines of strain around her mouth spoke of too much stress and too little sleep.

  “What in the fucking hell is going on?” she demanded, stopping in front of him and standing with her back ramrod straight. The few years she’d spent as a civilian hadn’t been enough to erase the habits of two decades of military service.

  Cam gave her a grim smile. “Nice to see you, Anja. You’re going to have to be a little more specific about which hell you’re referring to.”

  Her hazel eyes softened a little, but the tension in her shoulders remained. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to growl. Let me start over.” She flashed him a brilliant smile and turned on the legendary McKinnon charm, full blast. “Good to see you, Cam. Got a minute?”

  “For you, I’ve got whatever time you need. What’s on your mind? And what are you doing here? I didn’t think you were due back here for a couple of months.”

  Anja grabbed a chair from the conference table, spun it around, and straddled it, folding her arms across the back. “Alpha Station is now requiring registration of psions,” she said flatly. “We were refused docking there unless we agree to be boarded and have every crew member tested and registered.”

  A cold weight settled in Cam’s belly. “Did you refuse?”

  “Half my fucking crew are psions. Damn right, I refused.”

  “They wouldn’t let you dock at all?”

  “Not even to refuel. We had to cough up a sum that amounted to the standard docking fee just to have a tanker come out and juice us up.” She narrowed her eyes. “Marek’s busy trying to drum up a buyer for the cargo, but I don’t think he’s going to have any luck.”

  “Why? What are you hauling?”

  “Supplies and equipment for establishing a colony. It was supposed to go to some back-to-nature group on Alpha.” She rested her chin on her arms. “Know anybody who wants a fresh start on a brand new world? Because if we can’t offload this shit, we’re going to be seriously in the red.” She shook her head. “This could break us, Cam.”

  “Can’t you break up the cargo? Sell it off piecemeal?”

  “It’s not that easy. It’s all modular. Meant to go together. I suppose some of it could be broken out, but…” She shook her head. “Who am I kidding? There’s no market for this stuff. It’s all special order.” She sighed heavily, then said, “What can you tell me about this registration bullshit on Alpha? Anything?”

  “First I’ve heard about registration, but I know Alpha had some rioting problems after the Aion Incident. The Federation Senate called an emergency session. Senator Cottrell and Neil Iverson headed for Earth nearly two weeks ago. Pat and I have both had orders to recall our field operatives, but that’s about all. We’re just waiting to see which way the Federation Senate’s going to jump.”

  “Yeah, we got news of the riots when we caught the data-dump from the Alpha beacon.” She looked grim. “Same shit’s happening on Indigo, but I don’t suppose that’s made it here yet.”

  “What happened on Indigo?”

  “Peaceful protest turned riot. Three people were accused of being psions. The crowd burned them alive.”

  Cam’s stomach turned. “Holy…”

  “Yeah. There was video. It wasn’t pretty. I expect it’ll be all over the news nets here before long, if it isn’t already.”

  “The reactions we’re seeing across the Federation don’t give me a whole lot of confidence in terms of what the Federation Senate is going to decide.”

  “No. Me, neither,” Anja said. “I think most people didn’t really believe psi even existed until now.”

  “But show them an extreme example, and they’ll have us all registered.”

  “Or killed.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his face with his hands and exchanged a weary look with her. “So what are you going to do?”

  “Give my crew leave until we know what the situation is, I guess. I don’t dare try to dock anywhere else. Who knows what’ll happen while we’re in transit? I just hope we can find a buyer for the damn ca
rgo. If we can get rid of it, we’ve got enough contacts here that we can probably scare up another run on short notice. If we can’t…” She shrugged.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you.”

  “Yeah, me, too. I’m going to go hunt down Alek and Trevor, and give Mom and Dad a call. You want to get together tonight?”

  “Can’t. I’ve got a commitment.”

  “A date?” Anja arched an eyebrow. “Word is you’re a free agent.”

  “That’s old news,” Cam said, rolling his eyes. “Trevor’s moved on already. To Eleni, believe it or not.”

  “Good for him. Eleni, eh? I can see that working. What about you?”

  “Who’s got time? It’s all work.”

  She gave him a wry grin. “For you and me, both, kid. Well, be warned: as soon as Mom finds out the Wanderlust is on-station, there will be a Sacred Family Gathering, and your presence will be required.”

  Cam gave her a mock salute. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best to be there.”

  Anja’s expression sobered. “Do me a favor. Use your contacts to find out if the Aurora Senate is considering following Alpha’s lead. You know how it goes; once the Core Worlds implement something, the rest of the Federation falls right into line.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  The moment Anja left, Cam fired off several messages to his contacts on the Command Council, and one to Miko, who could find out what, exactly, was being discussed behind closed doors.

  * * *

  Draven lay curled on the couch, pretending to sleep. He liked the couch. It sat against a windowless wall, positioned in such a way that if he lay with his head at the end in the corner, he could see the entire main floor of the cabin, as well as the door.

  It felt safe.

  Across the room, Kyn stood at the kitchen sink, washing the supper dishes. Draven had offered to help, but Kyn had told him quite firmly that he was here to make sure Draven rested.

  Although Kyn was supposed to be his guard, he’d also taken on the duties of a caregiver. He’d supported Draven when he could barely manage the half dozen steps to the bathroom without collapsing. He’d brought food, made sure Draven was drinking enough, and covered him with extra blankets when he shivered. He didn’t appear to be armed, but he moved with the liquid grace and economy of motion of a martial artist.