Laura Jo Phillips (3 page)

Saige opened her mouth, then changed her mind about trying to talk any more just yet.  She settled for nodding her head.  These men knew Lariah?  And she had been due to arrive this morning?

Suddenly her hands were free and she felt the tension on her shoulders ease a fraction.  She was lying on her left arm so she only tried to move her right one forward.  It refused to cooperate, and the effort hurt.  Clarkson carefully lifted her arm and slowly moved it for her as Robson bent down and began working on the bonds at her ankles.  As her shoulder moved she felt an intense burning sensation that caused her to gasp. 

“Sorry, Miss Taylor” Clarkson said with a regretful frown.

She could only smile ruefully at him, the pain too intense for words. 

Jackson rose to his feet and looked around as though searching for something.  “I’ll be right back,” he said before taking off at what sounded like a run.

When he was finished removing the bonds on her ankles, Robson straightened her legs very slowly.  Saige felt the blood rush through her knees and into the lower portion of her legs and gasped again.  She realized that just getting out of the box was going to take more time than she had thought.

When Jackson returned he had a big glass of cold water and a long straw.  He lowered it into the crate and placed the straw where she could reach it, and she drank her fill.  Nothing had ever tasted as good as that water at that moment.

“Better?” Jackson asked.

“Much, thank you,” Saige whispered.

Jackson smiled and removed the glass, setting it down on the floor beside the crate.  “Just let us know if you want more.”

Jackson reached for the silver case that he had set nearby and examined it.  The inside of the case was filled with a soft spongy material with an odd shape cut into it that Jackson guessed would exactly match the shape of the silver object Lucky had removed from it.  Whatever the object was, it must be special to require such careful packaging.

He rose and walked across the cargo bay toward Lucky.  He passed Frank where he still lay huddled on the concrete floor without a glance, but took a moment to determine that Willy was still out cold before kneeling down next to the unlucky Lucky’s remains.

He reached into the man’s pocket and carefully removed the silver object.  Now that he had it in his hand he could see that it appeared to be some sort of an injector, much like the kind used to inject medications or serums by medical personnel.  The difference was that the needle was long, thick and had a large opening on the end.  Also, the reservoir was made from solid metal rather than the usual transparent plastic, and it felt oddly heavy.  He remembered that Lucky had called it a
prime controller.
  He didn’t know what that meant, but there was something about the object that made his bearenca want to bare its fangs and growl.

Jackson set the object down on the floor and quickly searched the rest of Lucky’s pockets but found nothing else, not even a wallet or an ident card.  That bothered him a great deal.  Jasan had very strict immigration laws, and they were very careful about who they did, and did not allow to reside on their world.  He could not imagine how these three
squiliks
could have been granted a visa. 

He picked up the silver object and took it back to the case.  He placed it carefully into its bed of foam material and closed the lid, snapping the catch securely. 

Saige was sitting up now but Jackson guessed it would still be a while before she was ready to be removed from the crate.  Clark and Rob were still helping her to move her arms and legs in an effort to restore circulation slowly, and although the process was painful, Jackson was impressed to note that Saige had not uttered a single complaint.  She certainly seemed different from other women he’d observed.  He couldn’t help thinking she would make some happy male-set a very fine Arima. 

Jackson shook his head at his own flights of fancy as he paced away from Saige and his brothers before tapping the vox in his ear to activate it.  A few moments later he heard Prince Garen’s voice in his ear.

“Highness, I apologize for calling you so late, but I thought you’d want me to under the circumstances,” he said.

“What is it?  Have you found Saige Taylor?” Garen asked.

“Yes, we have,” Jackson replied.  He gave his Prince a rapid, but thorough, version of the night’s events.

When he was finished he waited patiently for Prince Garen to assimilate everything he’d told him.

“Do you know where the Lobos are at this moment?”

“They are on the skyport waiting for the
Cosmic Glory
to dock,” Jackson replied.  He checked his watch.  “Which should be within the next few minutes.”

“If you will take care of Miss Taylor until they finish, they can escort her to the ranch.  Have them bring the two detainees as well,” Garen said.  “I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

Jackson smiled grimly.  He, too, had a bad feeling about all of this.

“It’s going to take us a while to get Miss Taylor out of this crate.  From her condition, I’d guess she’s been in there for no less than 48 hours, probably more like 72.”

“Permanent damage?” Garen asked.

“I don’t think so,” Jackson replied.  “We’ll be able to tell more when we get her out.”

“If she seems well enough to travel, Riata can check her when she arrives.  She’s here now to check on Lariah and doesn’t plan to leave for another day anyway.”

“Is the Princess well?”  Jackson asked, his heart skipping a beat in fear. 

Lariah Dracon, once Lariah Daniels, the first Arima in over three thousand years, was currently pregnant with triplet daughters.  There was not a single member of their race that wasn’t counting the days until the birth.  Lariah quite literally carried the future of the Jasani people within her small body.

“She is fine, Jackson, as are the babes.  However, you won’t be if she hears you call her
Princess
.”

Jackson laughed.  Lariah was small, delicate and sweet.  She also had a temper to match her red hair and emerald eyes.  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Jackson replied, relieved at the news that Lariah, and the babies, were well.

“If Saige needs urgent medical care, I’ll have the physician here at the spaceport check her,” Jackson said. 

“Please accept our highest thanks for finding her,” Garen said.  “I don’t know what we would have told Lariah if she hadn’t been found.”

“Happily, that is not now a concern,” Jackson said.  “I’ll send a message up to the Lobos, and we’ll see to Miss Taylor’s care until they return.”

“Thank you, Jackson, we appreciate it,” Garen replied. 

Saige was happy to be sitting up, and relieved that she could move her arms on her own, though her muscles were still slow to respond.  Her hands and feet still felt numb, but they were getting better.  When Rob handed her the big glass of water she was able to wrap her hands around it and hold it, an improvement which helped raise her spirits.  Her legs didn’t feel like they were quite ready to jump up and go dancing, but if forced, she thought she might be able to walk a short distance.

Jackson returned and knelt down beside the crate, studying her carefully for a long moment.  “Miss Taylor,” he began.

“Please, call me Saige,” she said, her voice still croaky but, like everything else, improving quickly.

Jackson smiled.  “Saige, I don’t think you’re going to be able to walk just yet, so I want to carry you out of here and into my office.”

“Getting out of here sounds good to me,” she said.

“Do you think you need to see a physician?”

Saige hesitated.  “How about I let you know later?” she asked.  “Right now I’m just stiff, sore and thirsty.  Nothing I need a doctor for.”

“All right, but if you change your mind let me know,” Jackson said.  “Right now the plan is to get you to my office where you can rest comfortably.  You can even take a shower if you like.  The Prime Guardians are up on the skyport investigating your disappearance from the
Cosmic Glory,
but they’ll be back down here as soon as they finish.  When they return, they’ll escort you to the ranch.  How does that sound to you?”

“That sounds wonderful to me,” Saige replied enthusiastically.  A lot of what Jackson had said made little sense to her, but the offer of a shower was clear.  “Do you think it’s possible that my luggage would still be on the
Cosmic Glory
?”

“Unlikely,” Jackson replied regretfully.  “The
Cosmic Glory
probably would have transferred it to the skyport before leaving dock.  But, I’m not really sure what happens to luggage belonging to a missing passenger.  I will look into it as soon as we get back to my office.”  Jackson paused as a new thought occurred to him.  “Saige, if I can’t locate your luggage you might have to make do with whatever clothing I can find around here.”

“I’m not proud,” Saige replied easily.  “As long as it’s relatively clean and covers me up, I don’t care.”

“You are a remarkable woman,” Jackson said.  “Especially considering what you’ve been through.”

Saige blushed at the compliment, uncertain how to respond.  She’d received very few compliments in her life.  “Thanks,” she said finally.

“Take another sip of your water and relax for just one more minute,” Jackson said.  “We need to tend to a couple of issues here, then I’ll get you out of this box.”

Jackson stood and walked away, gesturing to his brothers.  Clark smiled at her, and Rob patted her ankle, before they both rose and joined Jackson a few feet away. 

“Prince Garen wants to interview these two…people,” Jackson said with obvious distaste as he gestured towards Willy and Frank.  “He’s also requested that we personally see to Miss Taylor’s care until the Lobos return from the skyport.  They will escort her, and these men, directly to the ranch.  But I don’t want these humans out of our sight until we hand them over to the Lobos.  If they disappear like Landon did, I don’t think I’ll be forgiven so easily again.”

“There’s a new ground-car that just came in to the rental desk,” Rob said.  “It’s quite large, and comfortable enough for Saige to lay down and sleep if she wants.  It also has a big enough trunk for those two.  We should prepare that for their use.”

“Good idea,” Jackson replied before looking around the large cargo bay.  “Let’s move that ground-truck inside, lock up this bay door and call in a forensics team.  I want to know everything there is to know about all three of these men, that vehicle, the crate Saige was locked in, and the maintenance man who
fixed
the doors this morning.  Quarantine this cargo bay until further notice.”

“Understood,” Clarkson said.  They discussed a couple of other matters but it took only a few moments.  When they were finished, Jackson went back to Saige and knelt beside the crate again.

“You ready to move?” he asked.

“Very ready,” she replied. 

Jackson reached over and carefully lifted Saige Taylor into his arms.  This woman was a personal friend of Princess Nahoa-Arima Lariah Dracon, and as such, very important.  If anything else happened to her, Lariah would be extremely upset, and
that
was to be avoided at all costs.