Forbidden Fantasies Bundle(185)
“Alive? Sometimes that isn’t enough.”
“Cade’s working in Colorado. Leading tour groups through the mountains.”
Boone smiled. That made sense. “What about Harper?”
“She’s working in a clinic right here in L.A. Downtown. She’s happy.”
“Good. That’s great.”
“We’re keeping under the radar, buddy. But this. This might turn into something ugly. And then what?”
Boone looked him right in the eye. “We prevail.”
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON BY THE time Seth was finished with every room but the kitchen. Kate and Christie were still in there, but they weren’t working. They were cooking. And from what Boone could see, having a decent time of it.
He was sitting at the table, looking over some of the bugs Seth had discovered. The technology was so cutting edge it felt more like James Bond equipment than real things used by real people. But there were lots of folks out there whose sole purpose in life was to try and crawl into places they didn’t belong. He should know.
Seth sat down across from him. He looked tired, but healthy. Which was good. They all needed to stay in shape.
“What’s cooking?” he asked.
“Chicken and rice, with assorted vegetables,” Christie said. “And for dessert? Nothing. Not even a damn piece of pie.”
“Why not?” Seth asked.
“Blame your friend.”
Seth slugged Boone in the arm. “You still don’t get it about women and chocolate, do you, buddy?”
“Shut up. She’s in training.”
“Yeah, right.”
Boone laughed, and Seth did, too, and it was good to hear that. He watched as Seth got out his gadgets, knowing the full sweep in the kitchen wasn’t going to be made easier by the crowd, but that was okay, too. It was good to be a team, however makeshift.
“Whoa, what’s this?”
Boone looked at what Seth was worried about. His scanner was pinging, but Boone couldn’t tell where it was pointed. He had to look under the table. At Milo.
“Oh, shit,” he said.
Seth looked at him with a shake of his head, then leaned down and petted Milo on the neck. He paused, nodded once.
“RFID?”
“Yep.”
“How long has this bastard been tracking her?” Boone asked, although there was no way in hell he was ever going to have the answer.
9
“WHAT IS THAT?” Christie moved closer to Boone and Seth, who were crouched over Milo. “What are you talking about?”
Boone looked up at her. “Does Milo have an electronic dog tag?”
“No,” she said. “I thought about getting one, but I wasn’t sure about the side effects.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said. He petted Milo, who rewarded him with a whimper and a lick. “Good boy.” Boone stood, but Seth stayed down, manipulating Milo’s neck.
“Is he hurt?” she asked, willing herself not to get crazy. It was hard, though, because it was Milo.
“No, he probably didn’t feel any pain. The RFID is implanted with a needle. Only, this one feels larger. It’s got broadcasting capabilities. Its own power source.”
“So is he listening to us?” she asked, her voice in an involuntary whisper.
“No,” Seth said. “It’s not a listening device. It’s a location tracker.”
“He knows where we run,” Boone said. “Train. Shoot.”
Christie sat at the table, thinking seriously about having a drink, even though she wasn’t that fond of liquor. This was all so bizarre. The bastard was tracking them through her dog? What kind of mentally defective creep was he?
“We have to get it out of him,” Seth said as he stood. “I’ll get my bag.”
“Wait just a minute here.” Christie looked from Seth to Boone. “Are you thinking of cutting him up?”
Boone came around to her side of the table and sat next to her. “We’ll make sure he isn’t hurt.” He looked at Seth. “You have any Novocain in there?”
“Close enough.”
Christie backed away from Boone. “Are either of you veterinarians? No? Then there is no way in hell you’re going near my dog with a knife. Is that clear?”
Boone looked at Seth. Kate looked at her hands. Seth scratched his head. Then he paused, and connected again with Boone. “I can fix it. But you’ll have to take him to a vet to get it removed.”
“What do you mean, fix it?” Christie asked.
“No knives. Nothing like that. I can disable it.”
“It won’t hurt Milo?”
“Milo won’t feel a thing.” Seth bent to his duffel.