| |
––––––––
WHEN JETHRO AWOKE it was dark. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust but they didn’t. They wouldn’t. He was weak now. It’d be days before he could see in the dark again. He sat up and something moved on the floor by the door.
“You’re awake.” Indy stood up. “Figures. Your mother is going to kill you.”
“My mom?” His mom couldn’t be here. She should be somewhere else, somewhere safe.
“Yeah. We just convinced her to go to bed. She’s been at your side all night.”
“What’s she doing here? Turn on the damn light.” He hated being at a disadvantage. The Guard could see him but he was blind in the dark.
“You can see better than I can in the—”
“Not right after my shot.”
“Oh.” Indy flipped the switch. “Her and your sister arrived a little after Conguise left.”
“You were supposed to tell them to hide.” He struggled to sit up but he dropped back down, exhausted.
“I did. They rushed back to town as soon as they heard about what was happening to you. Got here fast too and had no trouble finding you. Pays to have money.” Indy headed for the door. “Let me get you something to eat.”
“Money? We don’t have any money. What are you talking about?”
“The Almighty. Your sister’s boyfriend. Davies is his name, I think. They were staying with him on his boat, hiding out like I told them to do but Davies found out about your...punishment and they wouldn’t stay away. Davies was able to locate where you were taken afterwards. Probably paid someone pretty well for that information.” Indy shrugged. “Anyway, your mom and sister have been here ever since. Early this morning, your mom convinced Kim to go home and make sure everything was okay with your Guards and Grunts but she’ll be back soon I’m sure.”
He groaned. “That’s just perfect. I’ll never get them to leave.”
“You should be glad they care enough to be here.”
“I am. It’s just that, I have things I have to take care of and they can’t find out.” He leaned on his side. “Any word on Trinity? Have they caught her yet?” It’d been days since she’d betrayed him, but she couldn’t have gotten far. It’d been late when she’d left and she’d taken that Producer with her. She had to have left a trail even he could follow on his weak days. They should’ve caught her by now and if they did, he wanted her here with him.
The Guard glanced at the door as if he wanted to bolt. Whatever Indy had to say it wasn’t good. He stopped breathing. If they’d killed her or even hurt her, he’d tear them apart. She belonged to him. He was the only one who was allowed to cause her pain.
“They haven’t caught her or the Producer. They found their tracks and...there was a lot of blood. Something happened, but they aren’t sure what.”
“Was it her blood?” He stifled a groan as he forced himself to sit up.
“They have no idea.” Indy ducked out the door.
“Fools.” He flopped down on the bed, wincing at the pain in his back. Blood meant nothing. She could’ve killed something or it could be the Producer’s. He refused to believe she’d been hurt. Life wouldn’t be that cruel. He’d accepted his punishment. He deserved his reward.
A few moments later Indy returned and placed a tray full of food on the table next to the bed.
“I need to get into the woods. I have to find her.” He ignored the food. He didn’t have time to eat. Every moment he stayed gave her more time to escape.
“You won’t be any good in the forest for a week or so and you know it.”
Indy was right but he couldn’t sit around doing nothing. “Get me pen and paper. I need to send a message to Jason.”
Indy gave him a curious look but turned to leave.
“Also, bring a map of the forest. I need to make plans.” Just because he couldn’t go into the woods himself, didn’t mean he couldn’t send his army. He leaned against the headboard and winced, stuffing a pillow behind his back. Everything hurt more since his shot.
His soldiers may not be able to find Trinity, but with his help, they’d find members of the AC. He’d capture Hugh’s soldiers and then he’d offer Hugh a deal—Trinity for the lives of the others. It was perfect. There was no way Hugh would turn her over. It didn’t matter how many soldiers’ lives were at stake. He didn’t blame Hugh but the soldiers would. No one creature should be more valuable than the war. Hugh would prove he was no different than every other Almighty, putting his wants above everyone else’s and the soldiers would revolt. The best part was, as soon as Trinity found out, she’d surrender. She wouldn’t allow anyone to suffer for her. He’d end the war and get his prize.
Indy came back into the room, tossing a map and pen and paper on the bed. “What message are you sending our benevolent leader?”
“He promised me an army.”
“What? When? How many?”
He ignored the first two questions. He wasn’t ready to talk about his night with Jason and the young House Servants. “As many as I want.” He picked up the pen and paper. “I need the names of Guards, good soldiers, who’ll be loyal to me and only me.” He couldn’t risk anyone telling Jason about the AC soldiers he was going to capture because he needed them as bargaining chips. “And I need the names of any Guards you know, inside or outside of the Protective Services, who know the woods. We need Hunting Guards.”
“Hunting Guards don’t do well in the Protective Services. They tend to wander away.”
“I don’t care. We need them. We need Guards who know the ins and outs of this forest. We’ll borrow some from local hunters if we have to.”
“Okay. I know a few in the service and they might know others.”
Indy started rattling off names as Jethro wrote. By the time they were done he had over sixty names on the paper and another twenty on a maybe list. He grabbed another paper and wrote a quick message to Jason, explaining that although he wasn’t ready to go into the forest, he’d lead from his house because he was eager to gain his prize. It was true, but it’d also appeal to Jason’s depravity.
When he was done, he handed the envelope to Indy and took a bite of the now cold sausage. Suddenly, he was starving.
“I know you’ll be weak for a while, but what exactly does that shot do?” Indy leaned against the wall.
“Not positive.” He stuffed more food in his mouth and shrugged. “I started taking them after my surgery. I thought it kept me walking but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Then why take them? I hate to say this, but I don’t trust that professor.”
He stopped eating. “I don’t either. Not completely. Not anymore.”
“Stop taking the shots. I heard your conversation through the door, but I don’t think the professor truly believes you’ll lose the ability to walk. I think there’s something else going on.”
“I can’t take that chance. It isn’t only walking that I won’t be able to do any longer.”
“What else? From what you’ve said, taking the shot makes you weak. You can’t see in the dark, you’re tired—”
“My injury damaged my spinal cord.” His gaze locked with Indy’s. “I lost all feeling below the waist. All feeling and all movement.”
It took a second but finally, Indy’s face paled. “Holy shit! I wouldn’t take that chance either. I mean even the Guards who are altered can still mate, they just can’t reproduce.”
“Exactly,” he said. “I won’t risk that.”
“Don’t blame you.” Indy looked down at his feet. “I hate to bring this up. I mean, you’ve been good to me and everything.”
“What?” He stuffed another sausage into his mouth. The Guard was uneasy for some reason. His eyes fell on the bedding on the floor. Indy must’ve slept in here to protect him. He looked at the Guard. “You can ask me anything. You’re the only one I trust.”
“What’s the deal with Tee?” Indy’s face flushed a bit, but his eyes never wavered from Jethro. “I mean, I know you’re into House Servants and the stunt Trinity pulled on you was bad, but Tee is just a kid.”
“She’s not here for that.” He held up his hands. “I swear. I’m not into anyone that young.”
“Thank Araldo.” Indy grinned. “I’d hate to have to leave you. You’re the best master I’ve had.”
The term grated on him. Indy was his friend not his belonging.
“You may want to talk to her about this”—Indy waved his hand—“situation.”
“Why? Does she think...Shit.” There was no telling what Jason had told her when he’d delivered her to the house.
“She told me she was here to take care of all your needs. Emphasis on all and that she couldn’t take care of my needs unless she had your permission.”
“You asked her?”
“No! She’s a kid. She just said it. Out of the blue. I mean, we brought you home and she was here. After we tended to your wounds, Rex left. Tee and I went into the kitchen to get something to eat and she blurted this stuff out.”
“Females do find you attractive.” He shot the flustered Guard a warning look.
“I swear. I didn’t do a thing to her. I didn’t even flirt.”
“Keep it that way.” He pushed the tray of food away. “The poor kid probably thinks I mean to whore her out to my friends. I need to explain some things to her.”
“Where’d she come from?”
He didn’t want to give Jason’s name, but he also didn’t want secrets between him and Indy. The Guard was the only friend he had. “This can go no further. If this gets out, I’m dead.”
“I still belong to the Council. I’m only on loan to you. Don’t tell me anything I can be forced to reveal.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you as soon as you belong to me.”
Indy’s eyes widened with hope.
“I’ll figure out some way to get them to give you to me or I’ll buy you from them.”
“Thank you.” Indy’s voice cracked and he glanced away.
“Until then, know that she was being used as...as you suspected. I came across her and made a deal to free her. She now belongs to me and I need to make it very clear to her that no one can force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. No one.” He smirked. “Well, I do expect her to clean and cook, but nothing with her body.”
“You have your work cut out for you. She isn’t a very good cook and she’s kind of lazy.”
“Of course she is. Why would I expect anything else? I seem to only like irreverent and disobedient Servants and Guards.”
“But, I take you to get drunk and meet females.”
He laughed. “That you do. Go get Tee.”
Indy chuckled as he left the room.
He stared at the empty doorway. Soon, he’d have a Guard to look after along with the Servant. How could he focus on capturing Trinity when he had to make sure that Tee was safe? He’d be gone on campaign for weeks on end. Jason could come snooping around. He’d have to talk to his mom and Kim. Tee would need to stay with them while he was away. Actually, she needed to stay with his mother forever. Once he brought Trinity here, he didn’t want Tee anywhere near this place. Right now, he was Tee’s hero and he didn’t like the idea of tarnishing that.