by Ciana Stone
“A project for the government?” Minora asked. “You must be mistaken, Mr. Slater. My niece is a professor of physics at the University. Prior to that she worked for Fermilab.”
“I’m afraid that’s not entirely true,” Slater said smoothly. “You see those positions were merely a cover for her real work. Now, I need to know if you’ve seen or spoken with your niece in the last few days.”
“Actually, I haven’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“I assure you that my impairments are purely physical, Mr. Slater.” Minora’s voice took on a supercilious tone. “I am in complete command of my mental faculties.”
“I don’t doubt that for an instant. However, I must ask that you tell me where I can find your niece.”
“That would be impossible to say.”
“Ms. Laserian, I know from my long association with Dr. Laserian that you and she are very close. I can understand how you might be reluctant to divulge her whereabouts to just anyone. But as you have seen by my credentials, I am not just anyone. Therefore, I must insist you answer my question. Where is your niece?”
“I’ve already answered your question. I do not know.”
“I think you do.” Slater leaned over and put his hands on the arms of her wheelchair. “And I will have an answer. Don’t make this difficult, Ms. Laserian.”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Slater?”
Slater chuckled and a shiver danced down Senna’s back. Minora might be stubborn and even brave, but there was no way she could take on Slater. If she didn’t give him what he wanted voluntarily, he would probably get nasty.
She looked around the library for something she could use as a weapon. She didn’t think the books would be much help. Somehow the idea of attacking him with a volume of Yeats didn’t seem plausible. Then she remembered the old shotgun Cook kept in the pantry.
She tried not to make a sound as she crept across the library and eased open the corridor door. Cautiously, she looked one direction then the other. There was no one in sight. She quickly made her way down the hall. As she drew near the foyer she heard a noise behind her. She turned to look. A split second later someone grabbed her arm.
She yelped in surprise and lashed out. Her fist impacted with the man’s jaw and his head whipped around. She struck again and he released her to block the blow. Before she could turn to run, a second man grabbed her from behind.
“Let go of me!” she shouted as he wrenched her arm up behind her, and pressed the barrel of a gun into the back of her neck.
He didn’t speak, but twisted her arm more sharply.
“See here!” Mrs. Muller’s voice came from across the foyer. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Call the police!” Senna shouted. “Hurry!”
“You’ll do no such thing!” Slater’s voice was like a cannon. Mrs. Mueller stopped in her tracks. “Make sure the housekeeper doesn’t do anything foolish,” Slater directed one of the men.
The man took Mrs. Mueller’s arm and led her into the living room.
“You, come with me,” Slater barked.
The man holding Senna shoved her forward and she stumbled down the hall to the sitting room.
“What are you doing?” Minora exclaimed as Senna was pushed into the room toward her. “Senna, are you all right? Have they harmed you?”
“No, I’m fine.” Senna rubbed her arm and glared at Slater and his man.
”Make sure there are no more surprises,” Slater snapped. The man nodded and left the room.
“Now, I want answers.” Slater turned his attention to Senna.
“What answers?”
“Don’t play that game with me,” his tone was one of warning. “Where have you been? Who are you working for?”
“I’ve been with a friend and I work for the university.”
She didn’t expect his reaction. His slap was hard enough to make her pitch to one side. “Shall we try again?”
She bit back the expletive that came to mind and stared hatefully at him. “I have never been known for my patience, Doctor, and what little I do have is wearing dangerously thin so I suggest you answer me.”
“I’m not working for anyone,” she replied sullenly. “As you well know. As to where I’ve been, it’s none of your business. As of this moment our association is over.”
“Hardly,” he sneered.
“I beg to differ.” She gave him a disdainful look. “It’s over.”
He pulled a cellular from his pocket and dialed. “Have Kinski prepare what he needs and bring him to the Laserian estate. We’ll perform the session here.”
At that moment Senna wished there were such things as superheroes or magic—anything to get herself and Min out of the house and away from Slater and his evil doctor. Unfortunately, all she had to rely on was herself and at the moment she was not feeling very resourceful.
The she had an idea. “No.” She took a step toward him. “Not with Min here. Let her go and I’ll cooperate, otherwise I’ll fight you and you know you’ll never achieve the level of control you need hypnotically if I resist.”
Slater regarded her for a long time. Senna forced herself to stare unblinkingly at him. If he called her bluff she didn’t know what she would do.
“Very well,” he agreed.
“And your promise that she will be safe. That nothing will happen to her.”
“Agreed.”
She turned to Minora. “Take Mrs. Mueller and go to Colleen’s house in Florida.”
“No,” Minora argued. “I won’t leave you.”
“You have to,” Senna whispered. “Please Min. It’s the only way.”
Minora looked up at Slater then back at Senna. “Please, Min,” she pleaded. “For me.”
Minora nodded. “May I summon my driver?”
“I’ll have you taken wherever you want to go,” Slater replied.
Senna didn’t like the sound of that. “Then there’s a change we have to make in our arrangement.”
He gave her a sharp look but she faced him determinedly. “Nothing happens until I’m sure she’s arrived at her destination safely and I’ve spoken with her.”
“No.”
“Then the deal’s off.”
“Fine,” he replied. “Make it tough on yourself. I’ll still have the information.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she tried to sound confident. “Even Kinski agreed that an attempt to extricate the information by force could be disastrous. Are you willing to take the risk?”
Slater’s eyes narrowed. “All right.”
Senna felt as if she had won at least a minor victory. She turned and leaned over to whisper to Min then straightened up. “When she arrives in Florida and calls me, we can begin,” she told Slater. “And don’t think of trying anything funny. Unless she says the right thing I’ll know you tried to double-cross me and if that happens I promise you I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t get the information.”
“Understood.”
By the time Slater’s operative arrived with the car to take Minora to the airport, her luggage had been packed and was waiting by the door. Senna gave her a tight hug. “It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Just do like I said and everything will be fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Minora replied.
“I am.” Senna attempted to sound sure. She watched as the operative steered Minora’s chair to the car and helped her in, then she closed the front door and looked at Slater. “You better not be lying to me,” she warned. “If anything happens to her…”
“I gave you my word,” he interrupted. “So, drop it.”
“Fine,” she snapped and marched by him to go into the study.
He followed and took a seat as she flopped down on the window seat and stared outside. For more than an hour she tried to come up with a plan to escape. Each one she considered was discarded. Maybe Konnor could pull it off, but she was not him and she could not do it alone. The best she could hope for was ei
ther blind coincidence or an act of divine intervention.
“I’m hungry.” She stood up, unable to sit still any longer. “You want something to eat?”
“No.”
“Well, I do.” She started out of the room but he called out and the man posted outside the door stepped in her path.
“Go with her,” Slater ordered.
The man nodded and followed her though the house. She pushed open the kitchen door and walked toward the refrigerator. A moment later a dull thud made her whirl around.
Konnor was lowering the unconscious man to the floor. No sooner were his arms empty, than she was in them. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you!” she whispered then pulled back. “We have to get out of here.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why all the hired help?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Slater’s here and he called for Kinski. I can’t cooperate with him anymore, Konnor.”
“Why?”
“Slater threatened me and Min both when I said I wouldn’t help him. I made a deal that if he let Min leave and she arrived safely at her destination I would cooperate. I didn’t mean it but it was the only thing I could think of to get Min out of here. The problem is if I do anything now he might have her…he might do something to her.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem,” he said with a smile. “I happened to be coming across the backyard when they were leaving. Luckily I had a friend with me. As we speak Minora is being taken to a private airfield in Lancaster, South Carolina, where a plane will be waiting to take her somewhere safe.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” she asked. “Let’s get out of here!”
“It’s not that simple.” He didn’t move as she tried to tug him toward the door.
“Why?”
“I have to take care of Slater.”
“You mean…” She stopped and gawked at him.
“I mean that as soon as he finds out you’re gone he’ll sound the alarm and we don’t know how many men he has working for him. I have to make sure we have enough time to put some miles between us and this place before anyone discovers you’re gone. I want you to go to the gatehouse and get the car. Pull up to the back door. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“There are three more of his men in the house,” she pointed out.
“Then it shouldn’t take long,” he said with a wink. “Now get moving.”
She did as he said and ran to the gatehouse. A moment of indecision made her stop as she considered which car to take. Finally she jumped into his car and drove to the rear entrance of the main house. She was there less than five minutes when Konnor walked out.
“Slide over,” he said as he opened the driver’s door.
She moved over and he got in behind the wheel. “You didn’t…” She couldn’t finish the question.
“No, he’ll be fine in a couple of hours. Now, what’s going on? Why did you take off?”
“It’s kind of a long story,” she replied. “Where are we going?”
“West.”
“West? Where exactly?”
“A place I know we’ll be safe until we figure out what to do.”
“Thank you,” she said gratefully.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he replied. “We aren’t out of the woods.”
“I trust you,” she said softly.
He looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. She smiled as she reached over to put her hand on his arm. “If you can’t trust the man you love, who can you trust?”
For a moment he just stared at her. “Love?”
She looked into his eyes and nodded. He looked away and she felt her chest constrict. She should not have told him. But now that the words had been spoken it was too late. You stupid idiot! she berated herself. How dumb can you be—just blurting it out like…
“So do I.” His voice was so soft it didn’t register for a moment.
“Huh?” She looked at him sharply.
“I said so do I.” He turned to look at her. “I love you.”
Astonishment robbed her of her voice. All she could do was stare at him in surprise.
Chapter Thirteen
“I don’t want you to leave this room, all right?”
Senna looked up at Konnor from where she sat on the bed. “Are you going to tell me where you’re going? What if something happens and you don’t come back? How will I be able to find you? “
“We’ve already gone over that,” his tone of voice discouraged further questions. “I will be back.”
“Fine.” She was tired of the argument anyway. First they had disagreed on where they should go when they left Charlotte. Senna wanted to tell him about Marcus, and all of the things she had remembered but something made her hold back. She wasn’t sure what it was, something in his behavior. She felt as if he were holding back something from her.
Konnor was adamant that she go along with his plan. What that plan was she had no idea. He would only say that he would tell her what she needed to know when the time came but first he had to go see someone. She had tried to convince him to let her accompany him but he flatly refused. He wouldn’t even tell her who he was going to see.
Then they turned to the debate about Ryan wanting to see her and neither of them had been very willing to give in to the other. As far as she could see there was no need for him to accompany her to meet with Ryan. It might be a completely stupid thing to do with so many people trying to kill or abduct her, but she felt she had to do it. With all things considered, there was no need to put both of them in danger.
He had disagreed, loudly, insisting there was every need and reminded her time and again that she was in very real and serious danger. She had pointed out that since no one knew where she was, she was not in immediate peril and besides that she could not believe that anyone would make a move against her while she was in the company of a police office. Konnor had laughed at her and called her naïve.
“Lock the door,” he said as he pulled on his jacket.
“Yes, sir,” she replied hatefully, still angry that he had won the argument.
He gave her a hard look then walked over and sat down beside her. “Senna, I’m doing what I think’s best to protect you. Try to understand that. I know that you’re brilliant in your field but you’re not experienced in this sort of thing and that puts you at higher risk. I’m asking you to trust me. Can you do that?”
She looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. Part of her did trust him, the part of her that was in love with him. And that was the largest part. But there was still a portion she had held back and she couldn’t help it. Konnor frightened her at times and that made her unsure of him. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “I guess I can be pretty stubborn at times.”
“To say the least,” he teased.
She looked up at him and saw the smile on his face. “That’s pretty good coming from you,” she teased in return.
He gave her a lingering kiss that served to make her temperature rise. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She nodded and watched him get up and leave the room. As soon as she flipped the security lock she ran across the room and took the cellular Marcus had given her from her purse.
“Senna?” His voice sounded anxious.
“Hi,” she said as soon as he answered. “Listen, I can’t talk long. I just wanted you to know everything’s okay so far. I have to see someone this evening and after that I’ll get in touch.”
“I still think this is unwise,” he protested.
“But necessary,” she argued in a tone of finality. “Don’t worry. I’m safe and no one knows where I am so I’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
“I’ll call you later tonight.”
“I’ll be waiting. Be careful, please.”
“I’ll try. Bye.”
Replacing the phone in her purse she looked around the room and sighed. There was nothing much to look at. She flopped down on the b
ed and stared up at the ceiling. After ten minutes she felt like she was going stir crazy. She couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.
Finally she decided to kill some time by taking a shower. By the time she finished only half an hour had passed. She turned on the television and flipped through the channels for a few minutes then turned the set off in disgust.
“This is ridiculous!” she complained to herself as she stretched out on the bed. Having nothing else to do she started going over all the things she had remembered. When she came to the cloudy image in her mind of the man who had saved her when Lucas destroyed the prototype, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on seeing his features.
The minutes stretched out and before she realized it she had fallen asleep, reliving the event in her dreams.
* * * * *
Hornet’s Nest Park, Charlotte, NC
“None of your usual havens will be safe,” Shen said quietly. “By now Slater will have men watching all of them. “
“What makes you think he knows all the locations?” Konnor asked in an argumentative tone.
Shen gave him a look out of the corner of his eyes. “Do not underestimate his capabilities or determination.”
“You’re right,” Konnor said in exasperation. “And I suppose you have a better idea.”
“Indeed.” Shen didn’t smile but his tone lightened. “Accompany her where she wishes to go.”
“What?”
“Have you lost the ability to understand the English language?”
“I understood what you said, just not why.”
This time a smile did appear on Shen’s face. But only for a moment. “She now possesses knowledge that she didn’t have before, knowledge that none of us possess. It is that knowledge that will lead her to the place we must find.”
Konnor thought about it for a second. “What kind of knowledge? She didn’t mention anything to me.”
“Perhaps she trusts you less than you believe,” Shen remarked. “Whatever the case, she now holds the key to unlocking the final gate.”
“How can you know that?”
“There can be no other explanation for her disappearance and sudden reappearance. If our adversary had taken her she would not now be waiting for you. Likewise, if Slater or his men had found her, she would not be where she is. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that whoever she was with provided her with a way to access the memories.”
