CovertDesires by Chandra Ryan

familiar to Jack. “I just wanted to give you fair
warning.”
    “Considerate of him, ain’t it?”
    The second man’s voice wasn’t quite as deep as the other’s.
But he had the same slurred speech pattern. That combined with their use of
slang instead of proper grammar left him wondering if they were originally from
one of the smaller settler planets. It’d become common for crime syndicates to
recruit from the rustic worlds because of their harsh landscape, physically
demanding jobs and low income. Everybody wanted off.
    But even if he were right it didn’t really give him any
advantage in the current situation. “I do my best.”
    They guided him over rough terrain and up a series of six
steps before they stepped over a threshold. They must have taken him to a
building. And since he hadn’t walked over pavement and there weren’t many
stairs he was betting he wasn’t inside the city limits.
    He took a deep breath as soon as he heard the door sliding
shut behind him. Dust. Wherever they’d taken him smelled of dust and mildew. An
abandoned building in the middle of nowhere made sense under the circumstances.
Didn’t bode well for his odds of making it out of this alive. But it would be a
logical choice.
    “I’m so glad you could join me, Agent.”
    This third person’s accent was crisp and polished. He didn’t
have the same background as the other two. “Wish I could say I was glad to be
your guest for the evening but I think we’d both know that would be a lie. Care
to cut to the chase?” He was walked across the room and then pushed down into a
hard chair before his hood was removed.
    He was in a house. In a formal sitting parlor that looked as
though it’d seen better days. The upholstery on the furniture was faded and
covered in a thick layer of dust and there were heavy webs in the corners. But
the state of the room wasn’t what really interested him. He just scanned his
surroundings to look for any possible advantage. What caught his attention was
the man sitting across from him in an expensive business suit. He was the same
man who’d visited Thomas in detention.
    “Right down to business. I can appreciate that.” The man
leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. “My employer wanted me to
have a word with you.”
    “And who is this employer?” He wasn’t expecting an answer
but he had to at least ask the question.
    “Someone who has the power to make your life very unpleasant
if you keep running facial recognition programs on his employees.”
    He took a small measure of hope from the statement. If he
were going to kill Jack he wouldn’t talk about future consequences. On the
other hand Jack had seen his face. That wasn’t a good sign. “Why would they
want to do that? I’m a likable guy.”
    “You’re digging too deep into matters that don’t concern
you.”
    “And what matters are those, exactly? I’ve got a lot of open
cases right now.” He knew which case the man was referring to but he wanted to
hear him say it. There were things he could learn by listening to the man’s
answers. Jack just had to make sure he asked the right questions.
    “The Subservient.” He sat back against his chair as he
spoke. “She survived. As did you. And you arrested the men responsible for
hurting you both. Some would consider that a victory.”
    “I do consider it a win.” No lie there. But that didn’t mean
it was the only prize to be had.
    “That’s good to hear.”
    “I am a little curious though.”
    “That’s not so good to hear.”
    “What did your boss want with them?” He waited for a second
for the question to sink in. “I mean, if I had been a broker and had sold him
the location, what would he have done with the Subservients?”
    “That’s really not important.”
    “What is important?”
    “That you’ll get to keep your Subservient regardless of his
plans.”
    So it was a man they were after. Not a huge surprise but
still good to have it confirmed.