Rogue(122)

I said, “Or if he can, we’re pronged.”

She brought up a phone, and I realized I could have run that errand myself. Then I realized I was beat and hurt. Did it show? It must.

I punched in the code and waited.

Randall answered. “I’m calling a truce,” he said.

“No truce,” I replied, and disconnected. I pulled Naumann’s code and was about to call when Randall called back. Good. Psychology was working.

“They have your daughter,” he said.

That brought everything to a complete stop.

“What?” I said.

“Timurhin has your daughter.”

“How?”

“Apparently, the discussion I had with him about who was tracing me was after he hired you. By ‘discussion’ I mean he screamed, then threatened after I told him, and I should have killed him on the spot, regardless of outcome. I guess he was able to track you through the same methods we use, once he knew your current name. This is my mistake. I’m calling truce. We go get her.”

“I can’t do that.” Oh, fuck me, this was bad. Nausea gripped me at once, worse than anything I’d ever felt. My daughter. My raison d’etre.

“Then you get to decide if you want me more than her, because I’m going to get her. You can run your own op, or team up, or kill me and lose her. Your call, tough man.”

It took less than a second for me to agree, “Truce. Only until then.”

“Good. You need to meet me.”

“When do they tell me they have her?”

“They told me. I’m supposed to salvage my honor by bringing you in. They kill you and let her go.”

“Do you believe them?”

“If I did we wouldn’t be talking.”

“Smart man. We could have avoided all this if you’d been silent.”

“Yeah, well, I learn slow.”

“You always did. We’ll discuss that later. What do I need to know?”

“Yeah, as if I’ll hang around for you to nail me. Meet me at the warehouse in Plainfield, corner of Wright and Industry.”

“On my way,” I said, but he’d already disconnected.

So this was the plan. They wanted us to face off and the best assassin win. Then they’d bribe or blackmail us into further missions, they thought.

Under other circumstances, it would be amusing to watch them try to manipulate us. They really thought they were clever. They really thought they had leverage. My only concern was that my daughter might be roughed up, frightened, or worse, raped in the meantime. Part of that concern was that if they did so, I’d kill them all. I’d hunt them down in detail and show them what painful death really was. It wouldn’t bring her back, though. If they took her from me, I’d just start killing, and keep killing until someone stopped me . . .

Shit.

Under these circumstances, I had to be ice cold, try for subtlety. My goal was to get my daughter out as gently as possible.

Then I had to kill Kimbo before he disappeared.

Of course, he was planning to keep her alive, then disappear.

The meat puppets of Timurhin were just bugs to be stepped on in the process. They were already dead and probably didn’t know it.

Dammit, I couldn’t underestimate them. Some were probably former professionals. Ego had ruined me last time. I couldn’t do it again.

And they really did have my daughter.

I double checked that. It was easy enough, but I’d take his word on nothing.

Her phone was shut off, out of the net. No answer at the house. Her school hadn’t seen her.

Finally, “Andre, it’s Dan.”

“Dan! Are you back groundside?”

I paused a long, aching second to simulate a call from space. “Shortly. Have you seen Chelsea?”

“Not today. There’s been an older guy around her. I assume he’s one of the guards?”

Pause. “Ah, yes.” Dammit, no. They wouldn’t interact with her, and she shouldn’t know they were there. They also couldn’t do around the clock. They were facilities monitors and checked her whereabouts periodically. So this guy was a plant.

“Okay, I should be back in a few days, then,” I said.

I disconnected and slumped, shivering and twitching.

Silver said, “What can I do to help?”

I said nothing, but faced the wall and wondered how this had come about.

“Is it a trap?” she asked. “Would he go after her?”

“No. Nothing in his background for that, nothing I can imagine. Nor was he anything but gentle and fatherly around her.”

Kimbo was right. This was his fault. He’d blown my cover, and knowing he was indiscreet, Timurhin’s people would be afraid of me doing the same. Then, they knew I was a double agent. They had no reason to trust me. That, and my pursuit had definitely antagonized Randall into some of the stunts. They didn’t really want her. She was a hook to get me. I hadn’t caused the leak, but people with that kind of money and that level of risk didn’t care about why, just what. They wanted out of the game before it got worse. They’d want me and Randall both.