The Tracker

by Leslie Georgeson

  “Yes. We own the entire property.” I headed for my chromed-out Ducati that was parked between a purple Harley and a green Honda. The sporty Monster was more of a racer than a roadster. Gordon constantly teased me about it, saying it wasn’t a manly bike like his Harley. But I liked to go fast, while he liked to cruise. I’d never had a passenger before. In fact, the bike didn’t have a passenger seat, as it was made for one rider. But I liked the idea of having Jessica smashed up against me, plastered to my backside as I raced away at breakneck speeds.

  She followed close at my heels, taking everything in. “You guys must have been paid well to be able to afford all these fancy cars.”

  I cleared my throat. Did I tell her the truth? Or let her believe in her fantasy?

  “Yeah.” I decided to let her believe in the fantasy. She didn’t need to know we’d never been paid for our “work”, that we’d been forced to do the things we’d done. Or that we’d stolen the money from our “employer” to pay for all these “fancy cars”.

  “Oh! Look at that. Is that a Lamborghini?”

  “Yep.” I slid onto the seat of the Monster and picked up my helmet. “It’s Ryan’s.”

  She sniggered. “Figures. He’s such a ladies’ man. He seems like the type to have a fancy car.”

  I studied her face. What was her type? The flashy, flamboyant ones like Ryan, or the more subtle, quiet ones like me?

  She turned her head, admiring several other vehicles—Jacob’s sleek silver BMW convertible, Luke’s red Camaro, Nate’s black Escalade—then, finally, let her gaze rest on me. “Is that a Harley?”

  I snorted. “Why does everyone think a bike has to be a Harley?”

  Color washed into her cheeks. “I don’t know. Maybe because that’s the brand everyone knows about?”

  I pointed to Gordon’s purple roadster. “That’s a Harley.”

  She glanced at Gordon’s bike, then back at mine.

  If Jessica was coming with me, she needed a helmet, but I didn’t have a spare. Gordon did. He was always taking ladies for night rides on his Harley. I snatched his passenger helmet off the back of his bike and tossed it to Jessica. “If you’re coming with me, put that on.”

  She eyed the Monster a moment longer, then pulled her gaze back to mine. “If yours isn’t a Harley, then what is it?”

  “It’s a Ducati.” I pulled my helmet on. “You ready?”

  She lowered the helmet over her head and buckled it in place. Then she lifted her leg over the seat. I scooted forward as far as I could to give her room, but my ass took up most of the space.

  “It’s kind of a tight squeeze,” she murmured, moving around on the bike behind me, doing everything she could not to touch me, as she tried to get comfortable.

  I felt my lips twitching. She was going to have to touch me whether she wanted to or not. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

  A pause. She finally stopped moving and let herself relax against me. “Um, I guess not.” Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Awareness shot through me as her breasts pressed against my back, her thighs lined up against mine, and her small hands squeezed my abs. Shit. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

  “Is it…safe for us to go out during the day?”

  “No. It’s never safe.” I slipped my sunglasses on my face, then started the engine. So much for getting away from her. But now that she was here she might as well help me. Having Jessica along might actually prove useful. She said her sister looked like her. So, having a look-a-like to help follow the lead might come in handy today. I could point at her and say, “Have you seen a girl who looks like her?”

  We left the garage and headed through the forest toward the small town of Eatonton. Jessica was silent behind me as we traveled through the trees, the smell of pine filling the air. Birds took flight as we sped past. Deer bounded deeper into the woods. After about thirty minutes, we came out of the forest and the little town of Eatonton appeared before us.

  Being an hour and a half drive from Augusta, Eatonton hadn’t been affected by the gang wars. The residents went on about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. Since it was unlikely the gang wars would spread clear out here, there was no danger in this quiet, peaceful town on the edge of the forest. No one here had to fear losing a loved one to gang violence.

  I had no surviving loved ones. No one, period. Except my dreg brothers, and eventually, even they would go their separate ways. I was as alone as a person could be. I had no recollection of my life prior to when my former employer had snatched me up at age twelve. Memory suppressing drugs had been injected into me from the very start. The only thing I remembered was my first name, and there had been times when I’d even forgotten that.

  But I recalled every moment of my time as an “employee” of The Company. The captivity. The relentless torture. The pain and suffering. The painful injections. The brainwashing. The mind games. They’d tried unsuccessfully to kill me. Over and over and over again. But I was still alive. At least physically. My soul was another matter entirely. But that’s exactly how they’d wanted me. Cold and unfeeling. A powerful machine. A killer.

  Jessica waved at a woman passing on the sidewalk. Her presence in my life reminded me I wasn’t alone. Not anymore. She was here now.

  Until I found her sister.

  Then she would go. Abandon me. Like everyone else.

  The thought chilled me, though I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t want or need a woman in my life. She was nothing but trouble. So why did the idea of her leaving make me cold?

  “It’s a lot different here than in Augusta,” she said as I slowed the bike at a stop sign.

  I nodded. “Yes. Life is normal here.”

  She glanced around at the small town. “It was dark when I came through here a week ago, so I wasn’t sure if it was affected by the gang wars or not. It doesn’t appear to be.” She paused, her gaze darting back to mine.

  “There’s nothing a gang would want from this small town. They’re territorial. They’ll likely stay in Augusta.”

  She nodded. “So, where are we heading?”

  “To Augusta. The most dangerous place around. You ready?”

  Her arms tightened around my waist, and for a split second, I wished things could have been different, wished I could have been different. Wished I could be the type of man that she needed, that she deserved. But imagining a life with Jessica was foolish. I would never be good enough for a woman like her. I was dangerous. I was too fucked-up inside. I was a dreg.

  “Yes.” She tucked her hands up inside my shirt, against my skin, her fingers splaying across my abs. I stiffened in surprise. “My hands are cold,” she whispered, and I glanced back at her, seeing her cheeks turn pink. “Hope that’s okay if I put them against you. You’re warm.”

  I cleared my throat as heat spiraled through me. Fuck, I wanted her hands on other places. Damn her, she was going to be the death of me.

  I revved the engine and the bike shot forward. But no matter how fast I drove, I couldn’t get the feel of her soft hands out of my head. When we got back I was going to draw her again. And then, I was going to make her mine. There was no way around it. I wanted her too much to ignore it any longer. I couldn’t resist her any more.

  I’d seen the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t aware. I’d seen the way her gorgeous breasts puckered in arousal when I’d drawn her, the way her breath caught, the way her eyes darkened with desire.

  She wanted me whether she was willing to admit it or not.

  I would just have to make her aware of that fact.

  She was going to surrender to me. Completely. It was inevitable.

  And when she did, I planned to devour every inch of her.

  I planned to make her mine in every sense of the word.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Tracker

  Augusta was where Jessica’s sister had last been seen. There was a building there I intended to visit. A gang leader I intended to interrogate.
That was the lead I intended to follow. I might be able to get a visual of the girl if I visited a place she’d been recently.

  Jessica’s arms remained tightly around me the entire drive, her body pressed close to mine, her soft hands clinging to my stomach and filling my head with lustful thoughts about what I would do to her when we got back. Did she seriously think she could touch me like this—skin against skin, her fingers gently roving across my abs underneath my shirt—and not expect me to reciprocate later? It was difficult to concentrate with her hands touching me, with her body pressed against my back, with her feminine scent filling my nostrils. If I didn’t pay attention, I would crash the bike.

  Forcing the feel of her from my mind, I made myself pay attention to the road ahead.

  We passed only minimal traffic on the way, and no one stopped us. No one bothered us. No one else was headed into danger like us. We had to be cautious, wary. Danger lurked up ahead, around every corner. Bands of opportunists were everywhere, taking advantage of the chaos left in the wake of the gang wars, preying on the upheaval that had been left behind.

  At last, we rolled into the city. Jessica sat up straighter behind me, leaning away from me. “There’s soldiers here,” she murmured in surprise, turning to eye the barricade the military had stationed just beyond the city limits. “Did they declare Marshall Law?”

  “Not yet. The government brought in the troops yesterday to try to help keep the peace, but I don’t know how effective they are or how long it will last. They’re not doing much except patrolling the streets and handing out food and water to those in need.” The military’s presence here was certainly helpful to a city that had been overrun by gang violence. But their presence might make it more dangerous for me. Before, I’d slipped quietly into and out of the city at night. Now that the military was here, they were basically the law, and they had the power to make us do whatever they wanted. If we went past that barricade inside the city, then chances were we wouldn’t be able to get back out. And the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in this violent city, at the mercy of the gangs that had taken over. What was I thinking, coming out in broad daylight? Shit. I should turn the bike around and go back.

  A plan immediately formed in my mind. It had worked in the past on other missions. Would it work now? It might put me at risk. I might be dead before the end of the day. But I’d promised Jessica I would find her sister, and the only way to do that would be to go into Augusta and follow the lead. And we were here now, so we may as well continue.

  I brought the bike to a halt at the checkpoint and turned to greet the guard on duty. Two more guards stood farther inside the barricade, watching us.

  The guard at the entrance eyed me for a long moment, then swept his gaze over Jessica. “No one is allowed in or out of the city until we get this situation under control. You’ll have to go back to where you came from.”

  I glanced at the two other guards, who had turned to face us, their fingers moving toward the triggers on their rifles. They didn’t come any closer, though they watched closely.

  “How do people get to their jobs if they work outside of the city?” Jessica asked from behind me on the bike. “And what if someone wants to flee the violence here? You can’t force them to stay. That’s unconstitutional.”

  The young guard cleared his throat. “Ma’am, I’m just following orders here. It’s for everyone’s safety.”

  She huffed softly.

  My lips twitched. She was something else.

  It was time to enact my plan.

  I removed my helmet so the guard could see my face. “I’m not a regular citizen. They call me The Tracker. Perhaps you’ve heard of me. I have a mission inside this city. I really hope you’re not going to try to stop me.”

  The tall, blond sergeant suddenly jerked his body straight and raised his hand in a military salute. “Sir!”

  I held back a surprised laugh. So he’d heard of me. And apparently respected me. Or feared me. I wasn’t military, at least not the good kind. Far from it.

  The kid was young, probably no older than twenty. Sergeant MacDonald, his name tag said.

  I returned his salute, deciding to milk this situation as much as I could. If he was going to treat me like a hero, I was going to let him believe that’s what I was. He didn’t need to know what I’d really done.

  The other two soldiers lowered their weapons, apparently deciding I wasn’t a threat. I didn’t think they could hear our conversation from where they stood.

  “What did your superiors tell you about us?” I asked Sgt. MacDonald.

  He swallowed hard. “Just that if we encountered any dregs, that we were not to interfere or engage you in any way. That we were to let you pass without incident.”

  I smirked. “You’re engaging me now.”

  His baby cheeks turned red. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

  “Enough with the ‘sir’. I’m just a regular guy like you.” This kid wasn’t a threat, but I didn’t want to give him a reason to become one. Because then I might have to incapacitate him, and the last thing I needed was the military after my ass. “We won’t be inside for long.” I motioned to Jessica. “Her sister is missing. Stolen by one of the gangs. My mission is to track her down.” I pulled my helmet back over my head.

  He nodded, his expression filling with awe. “Yes, sir. You’re crazy to go in there, but I won’t stop you. I can’t spare you any protection. Our job is just to stay here and keep people from entering or exiting the city until more soldiers arrive.” He cleared his throat. “Be careful in there.”

  And just like that, we were allowed inside. Would getting back out be as easy?

  “Thank you, Sgt. MacDonald.” I waved and sped past the checkpoint. The other two guards moved aside as we drove past.

  “Were you in the military?” Jessica probed, her curiosity obvious, as we slowly cruised down the street. “What type of soldier were you?”

  “The best kind and the worst kind. Best meaning the most skilled. Worst meaning the most dangerous. We weren’t typical military, though our training was similar to that of the specialists.”

  “Like the Navy SEALS or the Marines?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm,” she murmured. “Did you save people on your missions? Do heroic things?”

  I wouldn’t call the things I’d done heroic. “No,” I mumbled. “We’re the dregs, remember?”

  She was silent a moment as she considered that. “The most worthless parts. That’s terrible. You’re not worthless. None of you are. I thought ‘the dregs’ was just a nickname, but it’s not, is it?”

  “No. We really are dregs. Worthless in the government’s eyes.”

  Comprehension dawned in her pretty eyes. “The government was your former employer?”

  She was smart, my little slave. “Not directly. My former employer is known only as The Company. They’re a private government contractor. But I suspect some, if not all, of its owners are actual members of the government. It’s run by a retired Army general who’s as corrupt as they come.”

  Why was I telling her all this?

  She made a sound of disgust in her throat. “There’s so much corruption in this world. That’s why I went into law, you know.”

  Law? A soft chuckle of admiration slipped out. She wasn’t a cop. She had the wrong vibe. What was she? “What did you do before the gang wars?”

  She looked away for a moment, staring down the street. “I’m an attorney—or I will be, as soon as I take the bar exam. I graduated from law school in May. The gang wars broke out before I was able to sign up for the state bar exam.”

  “No shit?” I brought the Monster to a halt in an empty parking lot and glanced back at her. I’d never expected that, though I wasn’t sure why. I could see this woman going far in life. She was definitely way out of my league.

  This new knowledge about her only confirmed my belief that I would never be good enough for her. It would probably be
best if I didn’t touch her when we got back. If this wasn’t proof that she was too good for me, then I didn’t know what was.

  “Really.” She turned back to me and smiled. “That surprises you?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. You’re a smart woman. You could be or do whatever you wanted.”

  Her gaze softened. “Thanks.” She hesitated, then asked, “Can I ask you something?”

  Wariness crept under my skin. I wasn’t good at talking with people, especially about myself.

  I nodded, and won another smile from her in return. Damn, the woman had a nice smile. I found my gaze zeroing in on her lips. What would she taste like?

  “I know it’s none of my business, but how much does a soldier like you make? I mean, is it like a certain amount per job?”

  I cleared my throat. “No. In all honesty, we weren’t paid at all. I lied about that. We were nothing but slaves, forced to do what we were told. We stole the money when we escaped. Noah hacked into their server and transferred millions of dollars into a different bank account. We split it between us once we were free.”

  “You stole it?” Her eyes widened. Then she smiled. “Good for you. Noah must be another dreg?”

  “Yeah. He’s The Hacker. You’ll probably meet him soon.”

  “Then you weren’t discharged? You escaped?”

  I sighed. “Both. We were discharged, but we escaped before they could execute us. Maybe I’ll tell you about it someday.”

  She was quiet a moment. “Can I ask you another question, then?”

  Why not? She’d already gotten more out of me than anyone else ever had.

  “Sure. Ask away.”

  She cleared her throat. “If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?”

  Her question threw me. “Huh?”

  “Seriously. What would you want to be?”

  Good enough for you.

  I shoved the ridiculous thought aside. That would never happen.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Free, I guess.”