Free CovertDesires by Chandra Ryan Page B

they
drove. It was really all he could do from the floorboard of the back of the
transport he’d been thrown into. His hands and feet had been tied and he had a
hood pulled over his head so he couldn’t see anything. But he could still hear.
And feel each and every turn they took.
    So far they’d taken two rights followed by a left and then
one more left. And they’d gone by a river and past a space hub. If he were to
guess he’d say they were in the business district. It wasn’t anything in
particular he’d heard that made him think that was where they were. But more of
what was absent. It was too quiet. There hadn’t been any heavy mass transports
going by in quite some time. They had to be in an area where everybody owned a
private vehicle or paid a great deal of money for a rental.
    They turned again and he was thrown against a wall hard
enough that he saw stars. “Where are you taking me?” Nobody had answered him
the first dozen times he’d asked the question but he hoped the thirteenth
attempt would bring him some luck. It didn’t.
    He continued twisting his wrists against the rope that held
them captive as the transport drove. If he could find something sharp he might
be able to cut through the bindings just as Rowe had back in the shed.
Remembering her made his heart beat faster and his stomach twist with dread.
She would know something was wrong by now. Would she leave it to the
professionals to track him down?
    He only had to give the question a few seconds of serious
thought before he shook his head. Probably not. He wouldn’t if their situations
were reversed. And she had told him at the hospital that she would save him
again. He just hadn’t realized it would be happening this soon.
    The car turned once more and he felt something slide out of
his pocket and fall onto the floor. It had to be his reader. That was the only
thing he carried with him. If he could turn it on, the agency would be able to
track him. He couldn’t reach it before with his hands tied. But now that it was
free he might be able to.
    The reader had fallen onto the floorboard in front of him.
All he had to do was roll over and he might be able to reach it. He wasn’t
certain how much room he had to maneuver in. But since he hadn’t bumped into
any feet or legs during the trip he assumed he was alone in the back. Which was
something. It meant he might be able to get a signal out without anyone
noticing.
    After bumping his head on an interior side panel and what
felt like a seat bottom he finally managed to flip himself over. Now it was
just a matter of lining himself up with the device. It seemed as if this whole
process was going to be significantly easier when he thought it up. Still, it
was the best option he had at the moment.
    He wiggled around on the floorboard for several moments
until his fingers finally bumped into the cool metal of the reader. He’d done
it. The reader was within his grasp. It only took a second to locate and press
the power button. As soon as it vibrated he flipped himself back over and
tossed the device. He hoped it landed under the seat in front of him but there
was really no way for him to know with the hood on. But as long as it’d gone
far enough that his captors didn’t notice it he’d be happy.
    They continued driving for what felt like an eternity. It
was probably no more than a couple of hours. But time dragged without any
context clues for him to observe. Finally, just as he was starting to feel some
play in the rope, they came to a stop. He stopped playing with the bindings and
held perfectly still as the door hissed open.
    “Who are you? Where am I?” He didn’t expect any answers and
he didn’t get them. Large hands pulled him out of the vehicle and made him
stand. “I’m with Special Investigations. Kidnapping me is a galactic offense
and is punishable with detention and fines.”
    “Shut up.”
    The man’s voice was deep and it had a distinctly slurred
accent but it wasn’t