Inevitable Series 04 The Unrelenting Read online

  "I'm worried about Blair too but if you run off without a plan, you won't be helping him."

  "Until I know Blair's condition, I can't make a plan." He checked his watch again. "I don't have time to discuss this. I have to go now or they may leave. And I'm telling you right now Simon, that is not going to happen."

  "Jim, just stop for a minute and think about this. You could be making matters worse."

  He pulled his coat on. "By trading myself for Blair? I don't think so."

  "They won't trade," Brackett said and both men turned toward him. "They want you both now."

  "Fine. I'd rather be with Blair." Jim moved toward the door.

  "I'll tail you from Harson's," Simon said, grabbing up his own coat.

  "No. I'm not willing to risk you being seen."

  "And I'm not willing to risk losing you right along with Sandburg."

  "Dammit, Simon, that's not your choice."

  "I'm still your commanding--"

  "I think I have a solution," Brackett said, his voice over-riding Simon's.

  Jim turned sharply toward him. "What the hell are you talking about, Brackett?"

  "This." Brackett held up a small listening device. "If they didn't check Sandburg for bugs, they're not going to check you either. It's part of their arrogance." He moved to Jim and hooked the device to the inside of his shirt

  "You have an endless supply of these things?" Jim asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

  "Never know when they might come in handy. Captain Banks and I can listen to every word that's said. Once we know where you are, we'll call in back-up." He glanced at Simon looking for confirmation.

  "It sounds like the best plan we've got right now, Jim."

  "They think you're alone in this," Brackett continued before Jim could protest. "That you and Sandburg have no one to turn to. They won't be expecting me or Banks."

  Jim stared at the man who was responsible for his partner's disappearance, who had threatened all of Cascade with the Ebola Virus. Could he really trust him to help? Or was the man simply setting him up again?

  Don't trust him. Trust me.

  Blair's words came back to Jim. His partner had been so sure that Brackett would come through for them. And here was Brackett telling him that that was exactly why he was here. I trust you, Blair.

  "Okay, Brackett, we'll go with your plan. But I'm warning you, if you're lying to me, you're a dead man."

  #####

  Jim stopped the truck parallel to the old railroad station at the end of Harson's Road and shut off the engine. He could hear a lone heartbeat coming from inside the abandoned building to his left. It was not Blair's. Probably Walsh.

  "I got one guy inside," he whispered. "Hold off on back-up until I'm with Blair."

  A moment later, Walsh appeared from the side of the broken-down building. He strode toward the truck, his gaze sweeping the entire area as he moved. Ex-military. Jim could tell by the way he carried himself. He had known men like Walsh his entire life. Could see the cold glint in his eyes. Had had a little of that in himself until he met Blair. He knew in that instant that what Brackett had told him about this man was true. That Walsh would probably relish the idea of hurting someone like Blair. His jaw clenched at the thought. Jim needed to keep his Guide as far away from him as possible.

  Walsh reached the truck and slid into the seat usually occupied by Blair. It took all of Jim's control not to reach out and strike this man the way he had heard him do to his partner on the tape.

  "So you're Ellison," he said, his dark eyes narrowed as he stared at him. "I know your reputation."

  Jim met his steely gaze and held it. "And I know yours."

  One side of Walsh's mouth curled up. "Good. Then that will make this all that much easier." He nodded toward the keys still hanging in the ignition. "Drive."

  Jim started the truck and put it in gear. As he followed Walsh's directions, a sinking feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach.

  Damn. I can't believe they've had him here the entire time. Why the hell didn't I know?

  Jim pulled the truck to a stop a few feet from the front of the lumber mill where Alex and Brackett had held Blair just a month before. "Why did they bring him back to the lumber mill?" Jim asked, not really expecting an answer but wanting to be sure that Simon and Brackett knew exactly where he was.

  "You'll find out soon enough." Walsh pushed out of his door and waited. The man had not produced a gun. Had made no threats to Jim at all. And Jim knew that these men understood that having Blair was enough of a threat to keep Jim in line. He opened his door and stepped out.

  Walsh nodded toward the front of the mill. Jim walked ahead of him, sending out his sense of hearing, searching for his Guide's familiar heartbeat. There were three people inside. Two together in a room on the first floor and beyond that...Blair. His heartbeat was too slow. Unconscious. Most likely. And Jim thought his breathing still sounded labored. He turned his head slightly to the left, trying to pinpoint his location. But the building was too large. The echoes inside throwing him off.

  He was led to a small room on the first floor. Inside, hanging on the back of the door, was a dark blue Armani suit.

  "You've got five minutes to change your clothes." Walsh crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb.

  "Forget it," Jim said, unwilling to give up his link to Simon and Brackett.

  Once again, the side of Walsh's mouth curled into a satisfied grin. "You don't change your clothes, you don't see your partner."

  Jim began unbuttoning his shirt.

  ###########

  Simon pulled the link from his ear as he lost communication with Jim. "That's it." He pulled out his cell phone and punched in the number to the station.

  Brackett lifted his binoculars and looked at the building in the distance. "Ellison said to wait until he was with Sandburg. We don't even know if the kid is in there."

  Simon hesitated. Brackett was right. Jim hadn't confirmed Blair's presence in the building. If Sandburg wasn't here and they converged on the building, they might never find him. "Dammit!" He slammed his phone shut.

  "Don't worry. If they have both of them in there, then they'll be moving them soon."

  "How do you know that?" Simon snapped.

  "Because I know how these guys operate." Brackett glanced at him briefly. "I know that they could only spend so much time in a place like this before they long for the comforts they're so used to. Our best bet is to wait right here and move in on them when they come out."

  Simon lifted his binoculars and glanced back toward the mill, weighing his options.

  #######

  "Where's my partner?"

  "You have a one track mind."

  Walsh led Jim through the first floor of the mill, past a row of closed doors. He had been monitoring Blair's condition since he first found him. There had been no change but Jim had been able to pinpoint his location - just four doors down from where they now were.

  Walsh pulled Jim to a stop before an open door. "Inside," he ordered.

  Jim took one last look at the room where Blair was being held before stepping over the threshold before him. Two men sat on the far side of the room in wing-backed chairs facing him. Jim recognized them immediately from the pictures he'd pulled off the computer after Blair disappeared. He had to dial down his sense of smell against the strong odor of pipe tobacco that permeated the room.

  "Detective, don't you look splendid." Spenser Therman smiled with obvious pleasure. "The suit fits you perfectly." He indicated the chair beside him. "Please come in and sit down."

  Jim remained where he was. "I was told I could see my partner if I changed my clothes. I've done that. Now I want to see him."

  "And you will but can't we at least be civilized about this." Once again, he indicated the seat beside him. "We were just going to have a sherry. Would you like one?"

  "I want to see Blair," he said again, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

&
nbsp; "Can you tell us where he is now?" Caleb Grahm asked around the pipe clenched in his teeth.

  "Four doors down. Small room. He's unconscious."

  Therman nodded, his pleasure increasing. "Very good."

  "You want me to do parlor tricks, fine. Let me see Blair and I'll perform all the parlor tricks you want."

  "Do you still need him?" Grahm asked, releasing pipe smoke with each word.

  Jim's brow creased. "What?"

  "It's a simple enough question." Therman grabbed the bottle of sherry from the small table beside him and poured himself another drink. "I understand that in the beginning you needed him to help you get your senses under control. But why do you still need him?"

  Jim did not answer.

  "When Brackett first told us about Blair, we thought he was going to be exactly what we needed," Therman went on, unfazed by Jim's silence. "After he failed with Alex, we began to wonder if Brackett had been wrong about him. But then there was the incident with the Lowry's. When we discovered what they believed about him, well, we were intrigued all over again."

  "But he's been one disappointment after another," Grahm added brusquely.

  "What do you want?" Jim asked.

  "We want to understand how this works for you," Grahm answered simply. "That's why we want to know if you still need him. Could you still be a Sentinel if he were cut out of the picture?"

  Jim tensed, not liking this line of questioning and where it was leading. "Blair is the reason I can do what I do," he said, suddenly understanding that he needed these men to see Blair's worth. Knowing right now that they held his partner's life in their hands. "He anchors me. Without him, I would lose my control. My focus."

  Therman nodded. "We've theorized something like that."

  "But we're having a hard time figuring out how to prove that theory," Grahm added. But there was something in his cold expression that told Jim that that wasn't completely true.

  Would they kill Blair in order to try and prove their theory?

  Grahm took another long drag on his pipe. "We're going to be leaving here, Detective. Right now, Sandburg is too ill to move. We want you to get him healthy enough to travel." He checked his watch. "You have one hour."

  Jim didn't ask what would happen if he couldn't do what they were requesting. He didn't want to know.

  Walsh stepped forward and gestured toward the door. Jim hesitated only a moment before exiting the room. He moved stiffly toward the place where Blair was being held, tension knotting the muscles of his back. Blair was still unconscious and as each minute ticked by, Jim's worry deepened. How sick are you, Chief? Even before he stepped into the room, Jim could feel the heat coming off his Guide.

  Fever.

  Blair was burning up. Jim crossed quickly to him. Blair lay on a cot, curled on his side, his hair hanging over his face. Jim crouched down beside him and reaching out, brushed his Guide's hair back. Bruises marred the side of his face where Walsh had struck him. Jim rested his hand on his forehead, not liking how warm his skin felt. He bent closer and whispered, "You're going to be fine now, Chief."

  "You really shouldn't tell him things that aren't true." Walsh stood at the end of the cot, his gaze on Blair's still form.

  "I never lie to my partner," Jim said, keeping his hand on Blair's forehead.

  "So you really do consider him your partner." Walsh spit the last word out with disgust then dragged his gaze up to Jim's. "Is he really worth all this trouble? Worth your life?" Taking two steps forward, he reached toward Blair.

  Jim caught his hand, stopping him. "Touch him again and I'll kill you."

  ########

  Blair could feel something cool on his forehead. Could hear a voice speaking to him in soothing tones. With great effort, he dragged himself back up to a conscious state. Jim's face floated above him.

  "Hey, partner," Jim said softly.

  Blair blinked slowly, wanting to be sure he was real. "Please tell me we're home in the loft," he managed, his throat dry.

  "Wish I could buddy." Jim pulled the cloth from Blair's forehead and going to the sink, rinsed it out. "That's some fever you've got going there, Chief."

  "You know me, Jim. Never do anything halfway." He closed his eyes as the cool cloth once again touched his skin. "Man, Jim, I'm sorry you got pulled in too."

  "Listen Chief, if it's a choice between sitting home worrying about you or being here with you, I'd pick here every time."

  "Thanks, man."

  "Blair." Jim sat on the edge of the cot. "Are you sick because you tried to contact me...like Lowry did with you?"

  "Yeah, I think so."

  "Dammit, Blair, if you knew it was making you sick, why'd you do it twice?"

  "I had no choice," Blair said, surprised by the sudden anger in Jim's voice. But as he stared up at him, he realized it wasn't anger that burned behind his eyes but worry. "Jim, they told me they planted explosives in Simon's house. I had to try and warn him." And suddenly, he realized the implication of Jim's words. "If you know about the second time, then Simon must have told you. Must have gotten the message."

  "He got it, Chief. Loud and clear. Scared the hell out of him. He showed up at the loft in the middle of the night wanting to know what was going on and I really didn't have a choice-"

  "You told him?" Blair's heart seemed to stop in his chest. "How much?"

  "Everything," he said softly.

  "Oh man. Has Simon packed my bags for some nice padded room somewhere?"

  "No. That little stunt you pulled was a pretty convincing argument."

  There was something else he wanted to ask Jim. Something he needed to know. But as Blair tried to remember, his head began to pound. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hand coming up to rub at his forehead.

  "You okay?" Jim asked.

  "I can't think clearly." He squinted up at Jim. "My head's killing me."

  "Let's see if we can fix that," Jim said. "Okay Chief, you know the drill. Take deep breaths. Concentrate and push away everything but my voice."

  "What are you doing?" Despite his pain, a smile pulled at the corners of Blair's mouth.

  "Your job, Darwin, so shut up and pay attention. Now close your eyes."

  Blair's eyes narrowed as he stared up at Jim.

  "Close 'em, Junior."

  Blair let out a long breath and closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt Jim's hands on his temple, rubbing gently. "Now, listen to the sound of my voice. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Clear your mind. Instead of feeling the pain, you feel relaxed." His fingers continued to rub his temple. His soothing voice droned on and on until Blair felt the pain leave his body. Felt his mind clear.

  "Is that better?" Jim asked.

  "Yeah it is, man. Thanks." He blinked open his eyes. "Jim, you didn't find me, did you."

  "Sorry, Chief, not this time."

  Blair nodded. "I don't know if it's a coincidence or what but Therman and Grahm have this theory. They thought as long as I didn't know where I was, you wouldn't. They've kept me blindfolded and --" He stopped as he saw the startled look that crossed Jim's face. "What? What is it, Jim?"

  "We're in the lumber mill, Blair."

  Jim's words settled over him like a heavy cloak, smothering him under the weight of their meaning. "They were right," he breathed. "They have to be. Otherwise, why couldn't you find me here? You did last time. That's why they picked this place. They knew--" He tried to sit up but was forced to stop halfway up as the nausea returned.

  "Take it easy, Chief." Jim helped him sit the rest of the way up. "It doesn't really matter."

  "Yes it does, Jim. I'm supposed to know what I'm doing and I don't. They not only figured out that there's a connection between us but found a way to use it against us." He brushed sweat-dampened hair away from his face. "With everything that's happened, I don't know if I can ever trust myself again. I feel like every instinct I've had about this has been wrong. I proved that when I trusted Brackett." He shook his head. "I'm sorry about that, J
im. You were right about him. I shouldn't have believed him."

  "No, Blair, I was wrong. Brackett's outside right now with Simon trying to find a way of getting us out of here."

  "You're not serious, man." But the look on Jim's face told him he was very serious. "Jim, he double-crossed us. That whole thing on the road was a set-up. They just wanted to see if I was gullible enough to buy what Brackett was selling."

  "I know all of that, Blair. Brackett told me everything. And the fact that you trusted him after everything he'd done, that's what brought him back. So don't tell me you're no longer going to believe in yourself because I can't accept that."

  Swinging his legs over the side of the cot, Blair leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "I just don't know, Jim. I feel like I got us into this entire mess because I listened to my instincts...and they were wrong."

  Jim shifted until he was sitting beside him. "Blair, look at me."

  Reluctantly, Blair opened his eyes and shifted his gaze to meet Jim's. He could see a determination behind his partner's eyes. A confidence that went to the core of his being.

  "Everything that you do for me," Jim began, his voice low with emotion, "it's all instinctual. I depend on you, on your instincts to get me through every day. You stop believing in them and I honestly don't know where that will leave us."

  Blair swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. "Thanks, Jim," he whispered.

  #########

  Simon lowered his binoculars. It had been almost an hour and nothing had changed. "Dammit, Brackett, I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing much longer."

  "I don't think you'll have to. We've got movement."

  Simon focused his attention on the mill. A man walked around the side of the building where Jim's truck and a dark sedan were parked side by side. A minute later, he drove the sedan around the front and parked it. "Who's that?"

  "Walsh," Brackett bit out as the man disappeared back inside the building.

  "What's he doing?"

  "Getting ready to move out." Brackett pulled out his weapon and screwed a silencer onto the barrel of the gun.

  Simon pulled out his phone and dialed the station. "Time to call in the cavalry."