Scarlet (28 page)

Red gave him a sad smile. "I knew you were going to say that."

"It just doesn't sound like her. She cares about you."

Red snorted. "Maggie and the others cared about me as long as you were around. The second you left, they accused me of running you off. As if that wasn't bad enough, they insinuated that I was sleeping with Raphael and the new tactical team members. The final blow came when they added murder to the already full stack of accusations leveled against me."

Morgan sat in silence, digesting her words. He couldn't believe Nuria would abandon Gina the moment his back was turned. He'd done everything for that town. Protected them. Lied for them. Killed his own cousin for them. And this was the gratitude he got?

"I'll talk to them," he said, before cutting himself off. He'd been about to say, when he got back, but Morgan knew there was a very good chance he'd never see Nuria again.

Gina must have realized it, too. because she looked away. Before she did, he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"I need you to be strong. We both knew going in this might be a one-way trip for me, but I had to try anyway. I couldn't allow them to hurt my family." He choked on the last word. Why hadn't he just let the past remain buried? Why had he run off. when the present needed him so much? "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier."

He squeezed her hand. "I've missed you so much," he whispered, brushing her lips reverently with his fingertips.

Tears slipped down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. "It's not fair," she said. "We just found each other and now this."

"I'll figure something out. I always do." The lies slipped easily from his mouth because Morgan knew how much she needed to hear them.

"Maybe my grandfather can help. He's friends with the republic leader in charge of corrections. He can put in a good word for you."

Morgan's head jerked vehemently. "I don't want him involved. What if that's what Roark was after all along?"

"I don't follow." She frowned.

"Roark told me he was after us, but what if that was another lie? What if he really wants your grandfather? If the commander steps in. Roark could question his loyalties and claim he's unfit to lead the tactical team."

"Could he do that?" Fear colored her features, making her seem more fragile than a synth-egg. Her hands started to shake.

"Look what he's accomplished thus far. I'm in detention and you're about to lose the only thing you ever loved—your job."

"That's not the
only
thing I ever loved," she murmured.

His grip on her tightened. "Promise me when you leave here that you'll go into hiding until this mess blows over.''

Their gazes met and locked. "You know I can't make that promise," Gina said softly.

Morgan pulled her close as fear threatened to rip his heart from his chest. He had no idea how he'd get out of this mess. No idea how he'd prove his innocence. He couldn't protect Gina from in here and Morgan had no doubt she was in danger. He'd been a fool to chase the past. A fool to leave the one thing that meant more to him than anything else in this crazy world. And he was about to lose it all.

chapter nineteen

Roark fumed as he sat behind his desk. How dare the leader of the Republic of Missouri force him to drop off his detainee at the Taos detention center? How had Sam even known Morgan Hunter was in his custody? Roark grimaced
as he recalled the news report he'd arranged.

Of course Sam knew that he had Morgan—the whole world knew. Thanks to his associate's premature announcement,
it had cost Roark a fortune in credits to ensure he'd regain custody. He slammed his fist down on his desk, causing the nearby items to jump and tumble onto their sides.

His vidcom buzzed, interrupting his tirade.

"Roark here." he said, his tone clipped.

"The
woman has arrived," the voice said, before cutting off.

Roark smiled. The fact that Gina Santiago was visiting Morgan meant she'd gone to IPTT headquarters for help. Technically, they hadn't done anything wrong by getting her in to
see the detainee. But if they inserted their power any further over the line, Roark would have cause to ask for Robert
Santiago's resignation. And he knew just how he'd make sure that happened.

He glanced out his office window as workers inside the biodome hustled to their jobs as dawn broke. He had one more thing to take care of before he could put his plan into action. Roark pressed a button on his desk.

"Michael, I need you to come in here," he said. Just the thought of being in the same room as his assistant set his heart racing. His disgust over what he was, and the fact that Roark had allowed the man to work so closely with him still left him shaken. Well he wasn't about to have an Other running around the office unless he could control him. And there was only one way he could do that.

Roark pressed another button. "Stand by," he said.

Michael entered his office a moment later. "Yes, sir. You called?"

"I did," Roark said smoothly, feeling anything but calm Under his desk were two weapons, one meant to stun, the other meant to kill. If Michael made one wrong move, Roark would kill him. "Some disturbing news has reached me."

Michael frowned, his pale skin rippling with the effort "Are you talking about the lab bombing, sir?"

"No, it's something more immediate. Right here under our noses, so to speak."

"I don't know what you mean." he said.

"You will in a moment," Roark said, firing the stunner.

Michael's eyes widened in shock as he looked down at the wound blossoming on his chest. "Why did you shoot me? "

Roark's heart thundered. The shot should have downed him instantly. Maybe his physiology was messing with the stunner's effectiveness. "You know why, you freak bastard," he said, firing again. What would he do if the man didn't go down? He moved his fingers to the other gun. The next shot would be fatal.

*    *    *

Michael dropped into a nearby chair and crumpled for-ward, but not before he sent out a silent cry for help to his brother.

Raphael awoke instantly and bolted upright. He looked around the room, trying to figure out what had disturbed him. The echo of Michael's cry remained in his mind. Pain-filled and distant, the sound bounced a few more times before fading away.

Michael, are you okay?
He sent the message using the old form of communication the military developed back in the war. Silence met him.
Michael, I heard your call. Answer me.
Something was wrong. He could feel it. Raphael glanced down at the naked woman lying beside him. She'd been
a poor substitute for Gina, but he'd needed a warm body
to get lost in.

He stroked a finger down the side of her face and she snuffled in her sleep. He smiled and felt a flush of pride that came
from loving her well. Raphael threw back the covers and stood. The air felt good against his bare skin. He glanced out the window. With dawn's arrival, it was too light to travel to the Republic of Missouri. He could do it, but not without a lot of pain and sunscreen. He'd have to wait until dark and hope he heard from his brother again.

Raphael walked into the cleansing unit and flipped on the viewer. An image of Morgan glowed to life and his mind froze. What in the world was going on? He turned up the volume, keeping it low enough to not disturb his lovely hostess from her beauty rest. He'd had better things to do last night than watch the news.

The words "sabotage," "bombing," and "detention center" were dropped like verbal land mines. They were followed by the word "escape" and then a picture of Red. He turned the volume up a little louder.

"We repeat. The man wanted for questioning in the Santa Fe Cloning Lab Corporation bombing has escaped. It is believed he might have been assisted by this woman. Her name is Gina Santiago. She is a former International Police Tactical Team officer and should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see her, do not approach and call the authorities immediately."

Raphael was moving before the last word faded from the screen. He had to find Red.

*    *    *

Red arrived in Nuria at dawn. She'd driven through the night. She was tired both mentally and physically, and wanted nothing more than to head to the water trader to go to sleep. She pulled the shuttle around to the rear of the dissecting lab and climbed out. Her back ached from sitting. She wasn't used to spending long hours riding around anymore. She looked up and saw a few people walking down the street. Red waved. When they saw her, their eyes widened and they rushed off.

Terrific. Nothing had changed since she'd been gone.

Red grimaced. She still didn't know how she was going to get Morgan out of the detention center. There had to be proof of his innocence somewhere at the Santa Fe Cloning Lab, but the question was, how could she get to it? She placed her hands on the small of her back and stretched, trying to work out the kinks.

Rita came alive on her wrist. "Gina, you have an urgent message from the commander."

Red frowned. What was her grandfather doing calling her so early? Maybe he wanted to see how her visit with Morgan went. "Go ahead and put him through."

Her grandfather's face appeared on the tiny navcom screen. "Hi, Grandpa. I just got back. Haven't even walked in the door yet."

His face was pinched with pain and his eyes darted as he looked around him. "Gina, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" She shut the door of the shuttle and walked toward the water trader depot.

"Where are you right now?" he asked.

"I told you I'm in Nuria. Where else would I be?" she asked, suddenly feeling tense. "Why do you ask?"

He looked around again. "Is Morgan with you?"

She blinked. "No, why would he be?" Dread seeped into her bones, anchoring her in place.

"He's escaped," he whispered.

"That's not possible. That place was locked down tight. There's no way he could've escaped. There aren't any windows, and besides, he would've told me if those were his plans."
Wouldn't he?

"It's all over the news.
You 're
all over the news," he added quietly.

"What do you mean
I'm
on the news?"

"Please be quiet and listen." Her grandfather glanced around again to ensure that he was alone. "They're saying you might have had something to do with his escape."

"What? That's insane." Her voice rose before she could stop it. Red stepped around the backside of the building to remain out of sight.

"You're wanted for questioning for possibly aiding and abetting the escape."

She looked around, feeling the sudden need to hide. "That's impossible. I didn't even have my gun. There's no way I could break him out, even if I wanted to. Morgan was still in his cell when I left him."

"I'm sorry, Gina, but IPTT has received orders to come to Nuria and take you in by force if necessary. While there we are to search the town for Morgan. And by 'we,' I don't mean me. I've been asked to step aside."

"But Morgan's not here," she cried. Red had no idea where Morgan was. Why would he escape without telling her? He knew her grandfather had pulled strings to get her in to see him. There was no way he'd jeopardize Robert Santiago's position. Not when he already suspected Roark might be trying to take over IPTT. Morgan was many things, but selfish wasn't one of them. It didn't make any sense. Red pulled herself together. She needed to think like an officer. "How much time do I have?"