Savage Redemption

chapter 10



Kat stared into her coffee, wishing they didn’t need to do this right now—or ever. She understood why Conlan wanted to hear it all again, but she hated admitting how naive she’d been. She shoved all the pain down deep where it couldn’t hurt her and started talking.

“I was only twenty-two when I took an advanced degree from the university in New Eire in biochemistry with a minor in genetics. The Dowitar Institute recruited me right out of college. They even paid off my college loans to get me to sign with them. Looking back, I can’t believe that I didn’t question why a company of their stature would offer a nobody like me that kind of money. Instead, I was flattered and threw myself into the work to the exclusion of almost everything else.”

Conlan looked up from scribbling notes on his tablet. “You grew up on a remote estate with only limited contacts in New Eire.”

Where was he going with this?

“Yes, that’s true. I’d never been to the city until I qualified for the scholarship at the university.”

“So you lacked any kind of experience that would have made you think twice about what they were offering.”

“That’s true enough.” She managed to smile at the memory. “Talk about lost and confused. It’s no wonder I buried myself in academics and graduated early. Immediately after that, the Institute set me up at their main lab with various projects to work on.”

Conlan stopped writing again. “Anything unusual about those projects?”

The tangled knot of tension in her stomach tightened up another notch. Hoping Conlan wouldn’t notice, she clenched her fists in her lap, trying to hide her increasing distress. She should’ve known better. The man wouldn’t have been one of the top investigators for the Coalition if he hadn’t been able to read body language with the best of them.

“Kat, just tell me. I’m going to find out anyway.”

“Okay, fine.” She forced her hands to relax and started in again. “To answer your question, not to start off with. Mostly they gave me simple assignments suitable for beginning biochemists. I think they were testing not only my range of knowledge but also my ability to work independently. When I completed all those tasks on schedule and under budget, my assignments gradually became more complex.”

She paused to remember how it had all played out. “I was just getting to know my coworkers and making a few friends when I was called into the director’s office.”

When she got lost in the memory, Conlan prodded her to continue. “What was wrong?”

She dragged her eyes back up to meet his. “Oh, nothing was wrong. Turns out they were so pleased with my progress that I was being offered a raise, not to mention my own lab located at another, more remote site with higher security measures in place.” She hesitated. “If I was interested, all I had to do was sign a statement promising to not discuss the nature of my research with anyone inside or outside of the company. I was to report directly to a contact at the home office.”

Conlan looked up from his notes. “Is that last part normal?”

She shrugged. “I had no way of knowing. Remember, it was my first job. However, they explained that a lot of the work we did was for private clients who paid top money for discretion as well as expertise.”

Sitting there answering questions had her flashing back to when she’d been arrested and interrogated for hours. The only difference was that Conlan hadn’t chained her to the chair. Maybe it would help to get up and move around.

She covered her jitters by pouring both of them another cup of coffee. The apartment was too small for pacing to be of much use, so she gave up and sat back down.

“Most of the work was pretty straightforward. I’d be given a problem to work on. Once I came up with a solution, they’d take all my records, including my computer, and I’d get a new assignment along with all new equipment.”

“When did you first suspect something wasn’t right?”

“About a year after I was transferred, I was abruptly given a new project. They told me it was mine alone to pursue as I saw fit without supervision or interference.”

She paused to get it all straight in her head before continuing. Those moments of excitement had been pretty short-lived. “Then, a couple of months into the research, I noticed the papers I’d left on my desk the previous evening had been moved. I ignored it the first time, thinking maybe I was imagining things. The second time it happened I mentioned it to the head of security. He checked the computer logs, which showed that no one had come into or gone out of my lab except me.”

“Did you believe him?”

She shook her head. “There was no reason not to, but it still bothered me. Then I began to deliberately leave my papers with a specific page out of order. For a few days, they remained exactly as I’d left them. I almost convinced myself that I’d been wrong, but then I gave it one more try. The next morning all of the pages were back in the right sequence.”

Was that a glint of approval in Conlan’s eyes?

“My plan was to go to Richard Jacobs, one of the two other researchers who worked in the same building, and ask him for advice. I was hoping to get some hard evidence first, figuring he wouldn’t believe me if I showed up in his office raving about page twenty-seven being right there in front of page twenty-eight.”

Conlan ran his finger down a page in the court report. “According to your previous testimony, the two of you were friends.”

She managed a small smile. “Yes, we were. Even though company policy discouraged contact between the research scientists, inside or outside of work, he and I hit it off. We even went out for a drink a couple of times, but—”

Before she could finish, Conlan cut her off. “Were you and this guy lovers?”

What did that have to do with anything? “No, not at all. I’m sure I testified that we were just friends. Why?”

Conlan shifted in his chair as if uncomfortable. “The specifics weren’t anywhere in the records. I needed to make sure of the exact nature of your relationship.”

Even if his excuse made sense, she had the odd feeling that there was more to his question than that, although she couldn’t imagine what it would be. He couldn’t possibly be jealous, especially because Richard had been dead these three long years. She should know. She’d been convicted of his murder.

“Even if he would’ve believed me, I doubted the higher-ups would, especially on such skimpy evidence. I started tracking which reports were being monitored and kept copies of my originals to compare to later copies. Some had actually been altered and my data skewed.”

She stared at a point on the wall, not wanting to see how Conlan was reacting to all of this. “That’s when I came back late one night and broke through the firewalls to see what the other two researchers were doing. It turned out that they were both working on variations on the same project as mine but were several steps behind where I was. They were both duplicating my research but applying it to other parameters. Clearly I’d been lied to about the whole program.”

Her anger at that betrayal felt as raw as if it had happened yesterday.

“After that, against company policy, I installed a program on my computer that operated in the background, recording anyone who logged in or breached my firewalls.”

The tips of Conlan’s fangs were showing now. “And how did that work out for you? I’m assuming the Institute wouldn’t appreciate your doing that even if you felt it was justified.”

“Yes, that came up at my trial. In fact, the prosecution used that as proof of a deliberate attempt on my part to sabotage the research I was being paid to do.”

“And what was the nature of the research?”

She felt obligated to remind him of the company’s policy of silence. “Remember that I promised to keep the nature of my research secret under penalty of prosecution if I were to break it?”

He responded to her question with a harsh laugh. “Seriously, Kat, that’s the least of your worries right now. Besides, I figure them trying to kill you pretty much negates any agreements you made back then.”

Who was she to argue the point?

“I was told that an outside client, one who wished to remain anonymous, wanted help determining the best way to target a specific gene to increase resistance to a variety of diseases in cattle. It was pretty heady stuff. A breakthrough in this area could have widespread implications for all kinds of livestock.”

“And did that seem like a legitimate project?”

“Yes, at least at first. But once I got a look at what the other two were doing with my findings, I wasn’t so sure.”

“How so?”

“If we were targeting the bovine genome, why was the third researcher working with human tissue and blood samples? And Richard’s work involved both vampires and chancellors. When I tried to feel him out on the subject, he shut me down, pointing out that neither one of us had access to the big picture.”

Conlan looked up from his notes. “Did you keep backups of your findings?”

“Yes, not that I was supposed to. Another one of the company’s security measures was to scan us every time we left the building. We weren’t allowed to carry out any paperwork, portable drives or laptops—you know, anything that would’ve let us steal a client’s research.”

“So what did you do with the copies?”

“I hid them in my lab.”

God, she’d been so stupid back then. “I know that sounds crazy, but I thought if I had printouts of everything, I’d be able to prove if my work was being tampered with, and that the intent of this line of research should be reported to the Coalition. From what they said at the trial, all of the research was destroyed in the fire. They also said the client wasn’t suing for damages because they’d lost interest in pursuing that particular area of study.”

Conlan went on point. “Why would they do that?”

“I was too caught up in my own problems at the time to worry about it. I’ve never come up with a good answer to that question, though. If they found out that the Institute was using the research for its own purposes and didn’t like it, why not try to recoup their losses?”

“Any idea what the Institute was going to do with your findings?” he asked.

“All they could do with mine was improve the immune system of cattle. It was the other two researchers who were looking at expanding the applications. I did the groundwork, and they applied my findings to their own studies.”

Conlan looked up. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned a third researcher, but his name never came up in your trial. Why?”

“It was Rory Cooper.” She shivered and wrapped her arms across her waist. “He died when his transport hit a tree. It happened about a week before all of this blew up in my face.”

The color of his eyes shifted from sky-blue to icy-gray. “Any hint that it was anything but an accident at the time?”

“Not that I know of. But looking back, the timing sure seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does. I’ll see if I can track down a copy of the report.” He paused to make a few notes. “So, all the research was lost in the fire.”

Well, except for the flash drive she’d managed to sneak out. Three years ago, she’d held back that one bit of information in case she needed a bargaining chip. Would sharing it with Conlan put him in danger, too?

He must have read her hesitation, because his skin flushed hot with temper and his fangs ran out to full length. “Don’t even think about holding out on me, Kat. Not this time. What did you do?”

“Fine.” She hated confessing everything she’d done wrong, but at the time she’d been desperate. “I downloaded all the files onto a flash drive that was disguised as a necklace. Once I got it outside of the Institute, I mailed it to myself in care of a private post-office box my sister kept in New Eire.”

Her eyes burned as she admitted, “My stupidity eventually got her killed, just like it did Richard.”

But now wasn’t the time for tears, as she stared into the bleak landscape of her memories. “I stopped working on the project and asked for a meeting with the board of directors, convinced that once they knew what was going on, they would put a stop to it. When I presented my findings, they thanked me for bringing the matter to their attention. I was supposed to hear from them the next day about their decision. At the time, it felt as if they were patting me on the head, not really taking me seriously.”

Conlan had filled several pages with notes, but he stopped writing to ask, “That’s the night the lab burned to the ground?”

She nodded. “Richard died in the fire, trapped in his office. The chemical explosions left nothing but dust and destruction in their wake. I heard there was hardly enough left of him to bury.”

“And you were charged with his murder because they said you had tampered with both the sprinkler and the alarm systems.”

“Yes.”

She could still remember every detail of the short trial—and how everyone had stared at her as if she were a crazed killer. Right up until the judge pronounced sentence, she’d still believed her innocence would save her.

Conlan picked up the story from there. “That’s when I was assigned the case. According to the Dowitar Institute’s signed affidavit, they’d fired you for industrial espionage because you’d stolen the research and were blackmailing them. You retaliated by setting fire to their facility.”

He shoved her court transcript in front of her and pointed to a particularly damning passage. “They have you on record entering the building after hours that night and leaving a short time later. If you didn’t set the fire, why did you go there at all? Even you have to admit that that bit of evidence looked pretty damning.”

“Once I found out what my research was really geared toward accomplishing, I went there that night to destroy what I could of it. I double-scrubbed the hard drive on my computer and shredded all the hard-copy files I had. Only a fool would set a fire in a lab full of chemicals.” She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the tension. “I knew they might have eventually pieced together enough of my work to get started again, but I only wanted to buy enough time to retrieve the flash drive from my sister, so I could take it to the authorities.”

Conlan stopped writing and leaned back in his chair, clearly aware that they’d finally gotten to the crux of the matter. “So...what was it for? Your research...?”

“If the compound we were creating was introduced to a water supply, it would kill every vampire and chancellor who came in contact with it.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“That’s what I said.”

Conlan looked back at his notes. “I’m guessing you also picked up a little insurance by copying both Richard’s and Rory’s work, too.”

“Yes, I did.” She slammed her hands down on the table out of frustration. “But I didn’t set the fire.”

“Son of a bitch,” he said again, tapping his pencil against the tabletop.

* * *

A knock on the door jarred Cyrus out of the financial report he’d been reading. It was just as well. Everything was costing far more than predicted, but he’d figured his associates had been overly optimistic on the price of doing business. Not that it mattered. He’d have paid double, even triple their early estimates to ensure the success of this mission.

Suspecting his assistant had at long last put in an appearance, Cyrus didn’t mind keeping the fool waiting until he’d scanned the last of the figures. Finally, he put the papers back in the drawer and cleared his desk to deal with whatever the latest crisis was about to drop in his lap.

“Come in.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, Councilman Eddington, but I wanted to apologize for missing your call earlier.”

Yeah, right. Cyrus doubted the man was sorry at all, but for the time being they had to work together. Later, though, after all of this was settled, there would be a reckoning. Rather than dwell on it, he motioned for the man to take a seat across the desk.

“Do you have anything to report? Did they get her?” He already knew the answer. If the mission had been successful, the man would be gloating, not shifting uneasily in his chair.

“Not yet, sir. I know you’ll be shocked to hear that Rafferty’s security chief had one of his chancellors fire a rocket launcher at our men when they tried to serve the warrant at the front gate. After they withdrew, someone shot out their back tires.” He frowned. “I’m sure Rafferty will deny any knowledge of it since it happened away from his estate, but you know it had to be one of his men pulling the trigger. Our men were late reporting in because they had to walk a couple of miles to call for help and then wait for someone to bring them new tires. We’ll be getting the bill for the additional expenses, I’m sure.”

“No doubt.”

This made no sense. Rafferty wasn’t anybody’s fool, so why would he risk so much for one human woman? As far as Cyrus could tell, there’d been no contact between Kat and the vampire prior to the shoot-out in the valley near the O’Day estate. It wasn’t hard to guess that she’d learned that Rafferty had a soft spot for strays and had gone there hoping for asylum.

Vampires were all territorial and were prone to attacking when they felt threatened, but that didn’t feel right in this case. No, there had to be a connection or some bit of knowledge that Cyrus was missing. Time to fall back and regroup.

“Okay, call our men off for the moment. I want you to hunt through the files we have on Kat Karr. She has to have ties to someone on Rafferty’s estate. That’s the only explanation that makes any sense. Find out who it is, and we’ll go from there.”

The younger man sat forward, resting his elbows on Cyrus’s desk. “I might be able to help with that already. When the Karr woman went missing three years ago, she left a Coalition chancellor by the name of Conlan Shea high and dry. He should’ve been executed in her place, but he was one of Ambrose’s favorites. The head man pulled some strings, so Shea only spent two years in prison. When he got out, Rafferty hired Shea to head up his security team on the estate.”

“So you think Kat would dare come to this guy for help? Considering what she did to him, that seems unlikely.”

His assistant responded with a careless shrug. “No way to know if she even knew he was there. I agree that any other chancellor would’ve killed the woman on sight, but what if Shea was still harboring some feelings for her? She fooled him once, so there’s no reason to think she couldn’t do it again.”

Cyrus poked and prodded the idea, but it seemed more plausible than Rafferty going all protective over a total stranger. “Okay, so this guy knows that her life expectancy is zero if Ambrose gets his hands on her. Does he really think his employer will take on the whole Coalition to save one human life?”

Hell, no, Rafferty wouldn’t be that much of an idiot, so the chancellor had to know Kat’s time was running out. If she still meant something to Shea, he’d do anything to keep that from happening. Yeah, that felt right. Cyrus didn’t often get premonitions, but he listened when it happened.

For the first time in hours, he felt a rising tide of excitement. “I’m betting Shea will take the woman and bolt. Tell your men to start a search for his known friends and associates. He’ll reach out to one of them and soon, if he hasn’t already. If we can find the right one, we stand a good chance of catching them.”

His assistant knew a dismissal when he heard one. “I’ll get right on it, and I’ll keep you posted on any progress we make.”

“See that you do.”

When the door was closed, Cyrus pulled out his report and started reading again. After all, they needed to make sure everything was in place when they finally found the information she’d stolen three years ago. At long last, the pieces were coming together. Soon the humans would be able to regain control of the Coalition, and their world would be swept clean of all species of fanged vermin.

* * *

Conlan decided to give Kat some time to regroup. Claiming he wanted to reconnoiter, he left her sitting at the table while he went outside to take a look around.

That was his excuse, but what he really needed was to walk off some of his own frustration. Although he could understand why she’d been reluctant to trust anyone three years ago, it seriously ticked him off that she’d held back that last bit of information. If she’d told him then what she’d found, he could have forced the Coalition to investigate her allegations. It made him mad, but he’d had to fight the urge to comfort her at the same time. As usual, being around her had him caught up in a tangle of emotions.

She still hadn’t told him why she’d run out on him. Maybe it was cowardly of him, but he hadn’t been able to make himself ask the question. Promising himself that would be next on the agenda, he turned back toward the barn.

Before he’d gotten more than a few steps, his phone rang again. What the hell did Rafferty want this time? But then he saw the number.

“Lucius, what’s up?”

The big man didn’t bother with the niceties. “Get your ass out of there right now. Leave anything you can’t carry at a dead run.”

Conlan started jogging as he talked. “What’s going on?”

“I stopped in for a cold one after my run only to find out from a friend that some wannabe-soldier types had been asking around about me, claiming they wanted to hire me for a run if anyone knew where I was. Then your name came up, too. They were gone by the time I hit the bar, but I figure they’ll be back. The way they were flashing money around, someone’s bound to sell me out.”

Conlan cursed. “Damn it, Lucius, I never meant to suck you this deep into my troubles.”

“No sweat. I’ll go to ground, and they won’t find me anytime soon. But, buddy, if they’ve figured out we’ve been in contact, they’ll be checking all my favorite hidey-holes, including the one you’re in.”

Lucius wouldn’t like what Conlan was about to say, but he’d say it anyway. “Do yourself a favor and give me up if they corner you, big man. Don’t get yourself killed playing the hero.”

“Like hell! I don’t rat on friends.”

“Damn it, Lucius, just do it. Make them work for it, though, because they’ll know if you roll over too easy. Take their money and run. All I ask is that you keep enough to buy the first round the next time we’re together.”

He was back inside the barn, the need to run riding him hard. “I mean it, Lucius. I don’t have that many friends that I can stand to lose you. Watch your back, and don’t worry about the two of us. We’ll be fine.”

Conlan figured he should probably be crossing his fingers on that last one. There was no guarantee they’d be okay at all, but his friend had done enough.

At least Lucius quit arguing. “I hope so. I’m going to lose this phone now, so you won’t be able to reach me at this number anymore. I’ll text you the new one as soon as I can. You know, in case you need another ride.”

While it wasn’t unusual for Lucius to change numbers often, Conlan took it to mean his friend was genuinely worried about the caliber of the men who were looking for him. He hoped that wherever the big man was headed was truly safe. Then an idea hit Conlan.

“Lucius, fly your ass out to Rafferty’s place. Tell him I sent you. You’ll be safer there than you will on the run, especially when you don’t know who’s chasing you.”

“I’ll think about it.” Lucius hesitated briefly and then added, “Damn it, Conlan, I hope that woman is worth all of this fuss.”

Conlan had been wondering about that himself. Maybe he’d finally lost his mind, but it wasn’t in him to abandon Kat. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“I’ll let you know how it works out. Now get it in gear. I should warn you that the last time I talked to Rafferty, Ambrose O’Brien was with him. I hear he’s been wanting to hook up with you for years.”

Just as Conlan expected, his friend found that hilarious. “I’ll look forward to meeting him, then.” The call ended with the sound of Lucius’s booming laugh.

Inside the apartment, Conlan’s smile disappeared. The whole situation was spinning out of control.

“Pack up. We’re leaving.”

Good to her promise to take orders, Kat immediately gathered up the papers on the table while he shoved the few things they’d unpacked back into their bags. She followed him out to the transport and waited until they were a short distance down the heavily rutted road before she stated the obvious.

“They’ve found our trail.”

He steered around a massive chuckhole before risking a glance in her direction. “A friend warned Lucius that some ex-military types had been nosing around.”

Kat’s eyes flashed wide. “Is he going to be all right?”

Conlan liked that her first thought was for his friend. “I told him to fly back to Rafferty’s and hole up there.” Then he grinned. “The thing is, Ambrose has been after Lucius for years. I’d love to be there when the two of them finally meet face-to-face.”

At least he’d coaxed a small smile from Kat. It faded quickly when she leaned forward to stare out of the windshield. “Conlan, is that black spot in the distance what I think it is?”

He followed her line of sight. “If you’re thinking that’s a helicopter coming this way, you’re right.”

Out here on the road, they might as well have a target painted on the roof of the transport. Cover was scant in the area, but there was a clump of trees a short distance off the road just ahead that would offer them some protection. He cut across country, aiming straight for them. With luck, they’d reach shelter before the men in the helo got close enough to see them.

It was a bone-jarring ride, bad enough to worry him that they’d break an axle before they achieved their goal. Kat had to be scared, but she didn’t complain as she braced herself against the dashboard. Only her white-knuckled grip gave her away.

Finally, they bounced to a stop under the spreading limbs of an ancient oak. He debated whether to leave the engine running but decided against it. If the bastards had heat-signature scanners on board, the hot engine would reveal their location.

“Let’s get away from the transport.”

Because she was human, Kat wouldn’t be able to match his chancellor speed. He swept her up in his arms and ran full-out for the nearest cover. He dived over the edge of a small gully and under some shrubs, angling his body to absorb the shock of landing on the rough ground. He made sure Kat was tucked back out of sight before easing back up toward the top to watch how things played out. He wished like hell he was armed with more than a sidearm and one rifle.

The helo did a slow approach, doing a full circle around the airfield before approaching the barn. The pilot brought the aircraft to a full stop, hovering as a couple of men repelled down a rope. They brought their weapons up with an easy familiarity as they slipped inside the barn. They didn’t stay long.

When they ran back out, they were already on the radio, obviously reporting back to their bosses. Conlan felt Kat crawl into position next to him.

“What will they think?” she whispered.

“Once they spot the dishes we left drying by the sink, they’ll know we’ve been holed up there.”

She shook her head. “While you were out walking, I cleaned up everything and put it all away. I even rinsed out the cans and buried them in that pile of hay in the corner of the barn. Unless I missed something, they won’t be able to tell we’ve been anywhere near the place.”

Damn, he loved a smart woman!

He grinned at her. “That was good thinking on your part.”

Her eyes were haunted. “I’ve had years of practice at hiding my tracks.”

There wasn’t anything he could say to that. “Well, thanks to you, with luck, they’ll check this spot off their list of possibilities and move on to the next one.”

The helo dropped low enough to retrieve the two men, but instead of leaving immediately, it took one more swooping turn around the airfield and headed right back for the barn.

“I’ll be damned,” Conlan muttered as he realized what was about to happen.

One of the mercs had shouldered a heavy weapon and took aim. From where Conlan and Kat were, it was like watching a movie where the sound was out of synch with the picture. The weapon spit fire and then the barn exploded in a ball of flames and smoke. As soon as it did, the helo banked to the left and headed straight to where Conlan and Kat had taken shelter.

He sensed her growing panic and reached out to wrap his arm across her shoulders and pulled her in closer. “Freeze. We don’t want to draw their attention to us. Right now they’re flying too fast to be hunting for us. They’ll keep going.”

Please, God, let that be true.

He kept them both right where they were, hunkered down in an oversize ditch for a full fifteen minutes, telling himself that it was to make sure the bastards weren’t lurking close by and hoping to lure them out. It definitely wasn’t because of how good Kat felt tucked next to his side, warm and soft. Or so he told himself.

Finally, it was time to get moving. The sun was going down and this road wasn’t easy to traverse even in the daylight. He gave her shoulder one last squeeze.

And to his amazement, she hugged him back.