Free Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One) by J. T. Bishop Page B

her Shift, and then bring her in and get all the praise. There.” Leroy put his hands on the counter and looked at Ramsey. “Now that’s a theory.”
    Sherlock rolled his eyes. “It’s ridiculous is what it is.”
    “It’s not as ridiculous as having some inside source turning on us and going after Sarah to use her as some sort of weapon against us.” He turned back around, still searching through the kitchen.
    “Weapon? I never used the word ‘weapon.’” Ramsey eyed his now-empty cup and pondered the word.
    “It’s what you implied,” replied Leroy. He gave up on his search and decided on a glass of water.
    “Weapon,” said Ramsey. “Could that be possible?”
    Leroy stared at his friend in frustration. “Dear God, man. I’m sorry I said it.”
    “Don’t be. It’s a good word, and entirely realistic. Don’t you get it? That’s exactly what they could use her for.” Ramsey stood and faced his friend from across the kitchen.
    “Sherlock, they can’t use her as a weapon.”
    “Can’t they? Think about what you just said. Somebody talked or overheard something. It gets to somebody who’s peeved at the Council for some reason probably long forgotten. It’s no longer on their radar. But this guy’s got it on his. He hears the rumors, does a little investigating, finds us, and makes a move. A bit of a novice act, but he tries it and almost succeeds. But now, he’s really pissed. He’s angry I took her back, made him look foolish. Weapon? Maybe not in the ‘kaboom’ kind of way, but it certainly would make the Council look stupid if he got a hold of her, used her for ransom, or worse, killed her. You said it yourself. It’s a theory.”
    Leroy held his glass of water but didn’t drink it. He studied his friend. Outside, the shadows grew longer as the sun made its descent. He would have to leave soon. His absence would be noticed, especially if Ramsey was missing, too. They had to keep a low profile. He considered Ramsey’s comments.
    “I admit it’s a plausible theory,” he conceded.
    Ramsey continued to look at him, but not with the satisfied grin Leroy was expecting. “Now what’s going on in that head of yours?”
    Ramsey’s mind was racing. He was thinking through his actions the preceding days, and his conclusions were making him uncomfortable.
    “First of all,” said Ramsey, “it’s over there. Bottom right cabinet, near the stove.”
    “What is?” asked Leroy.
    “The hard stuff. Secondly…” He paused and sighed, considering his next words before saying them. “If this guy’s been watching me, then he knows where this house is. “ He thought again and looked at Leroy. “He knows where we’re keeping her.”

CHAPTER NINE

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    THE FIRST INDICATION that she still lived was the throbbing in her head. She could tell she was lying down on a soft surface and was covered by what felt like a blanket. She was warm. No, she was hot. She wanted to kick the blanket off, but the energy required to do so was more than she was willing to summon at the moment. She didn’t even have the strength to open her eyes. Slowly, though, as she regained consciousness, thoughts began to emerge from her brain fog and coalesce into a somewhat ordered stream of coherent understanding.
    She’d been having lunch. She had been with someone. Ramsey. John Ramsey. They’d eaten and she’d left angry, but she couldn’t quite recall well enough to remember why. It was a blur. She attempted to move her body but groaned at the effort. She hurt everywhere. Angry sparks of pain assailed her midsection. God, what did she have for lunch? Did it make her sick? She could feel the sweat trickle down from her belly. She had to get this blanket off before she burned to death. She moved her arms despite the soreness she felt and began to wiggle free, managing to get her upper body out from under the covering. It was a small measure of relief. She opened her eyes into a squint, expecting to see her own