Desmoterion, page 28
Stevenson radioed to the field team. “Proceed to the abandoned gas station due south and a little west from your position. I’m giving you the coordinates now.”
* * *
Trent pulled up his pants and wandered away from Girish. “Okay. I’m gonna have a shower.”
In the washroom Trent stripped and piled his clothes on top of his boots carefully keeping them off the dirty floor. He listened hard to the silence outside before turning the shower on stepping under the water. No towel and a dirty room, but it would be better than not washing at all.
He focused on the task and refused to let himself dwell on what just happened. He didn’t expect cuddles and kisses. They were just two frustrated men who’d escaped the prison from hell and needed relief, that was all it was. Girish didn’t like him, so of course he wanted to forget it.
The feeling wasn’t mutual though. Trent thought he could fall for Girish big time and all too easily.
Afterward Trent didn’t bother to cover up but also let himself air dry. His escape partner had seen it all, so fuck it.
“I’ve been thinking,” Girish said from his seat on the cardboard as Trent walked some laps of the room naked to help his body dry. “She was so ashamed of you that she felt the need to disfigure you to make you straight? What kind of reasoning is that?”
“The same kind of reasoning your father had when he tried to rape you. Neither of them was thinking logically at all. You father was a sick perv; my mother was a sick psycho-sadist. Both paid with their lives. I didn’t hesitate for a second after this attack. I smashed her face into the counter while trying to strangle her, all the while, bathed in my blood. I was so pissed at her actions that I didn’t care.” Trent stopped to sigh. “It wasn’t until afterward that I realized what I’d done. Also, the fact that I was getting woozy from standing. I stole her transporter and raced to the hospital.”
Girish raked his hands through his hair, dragging it up on the top of his head. “I felt so ashamed of being abused by my father that I never brought it up in court. They found out later, but it was only after they examined me.”
“It was the same for me. I didn’t want to admit that she attacked me and almost cut my dick off. They found out later when they recovered they found blood in the transporter. There wasn’t enough blood from my mother to cause that.”
Girish shook his head. “I just can’t comprehend something like that. I can’t even imagine how it was for you to cope. Though knowing you as I do, I doubt you ever did.”
Trent returned to his pile of clothes and started to pull them onto his still damp skin. “What was to cope with? I killed a parent, I fled the planet, and I’m reminded by the scars every time I changed clothes. The memory of her attacking me still haunts my dreams, so I didn’t need a visual of it.”
“You know what I mean, Trent. Coming to terms with what happened to you. If you’re still being haunted by it, then you haven’t coped with it.”
Trent turned back to look at Girish. “Neither have you, considering every time I mention anything to do with your abuse or your father, you get riled up. I will when you do.”
Girish got up and approached Trent. “Just because I still get jumpy thinking back to being abused doesn’t mean I haven’t dealt with it. It’s a reflex at this point. Just like you defending yourself when someone tries to hit you.”
“The only reason I learned to be that good is to defend myself against Mike or anyone like him getting a jump on me.”
Girish looked into Trent’s silver eyes and leaned closer. “Basically, we’re the same. We had the initial motivation to beat someone who was our superior, but along the way, it helped us cope with past things.”
Trent smiled at Girish. “In a way, but I purposely motivated you with the premise of trying to beat me. I coerced you into taking the bait, but I could see it change you for the better. You’re not as much of a hothead as you were when you first arrived. Yes, you still took swings at me when you got frustrated, but it was less frequent.”
“I think I’d have been motivated to kick your ass, anyway. In fact, I still want a chance at doing just that once we cross the border and end up where we’ll ultimately stay. You owe me that much for all of this.”
Trent laughed. “What’s this we stuff? Don’t you want to get as far away from me as possible?”
Girish turned and paced away. “Maybe at first, but you won’t survive without me covering for you.”
“I could do all of this myself, but it’s better to have another set of eyes as a lookout.”
“Still, I’m—”
“Shh!” Trent put a finger on his lips and Girish fell silent. “They’re on the way. We’ve got maybe two minutes.”
They both hastily readied their arms.
Trent pulled out his gun and a spare clip. “Don’t they ever learn?”
Girish readied a rifle and aimed. “Apparently not.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Are they even trying?” Stevenson gritted his teeth as the bullets flew around the area.
“I haven’t asked for them to be eliminated yet.”
Stevenson turned to face their leader. “They’re not trying to eliminate them, just trying to get them out. Dupont and Kannan aren’t making it easy.”
Kipper rolled his eyes. “This won’t work, just like it hasn’t so far. We need to be ahead of them, not trailing behind.”
The leader’s eyebrow rose. “And how do you propose to do that?”
Kipper motioned to Delgado. “He might have the path Trent is taking. You see, there are gaps in security, and Trent might have those in mind, ways to slip over the international border. One in particular is right here, directly southeast of their position. If we can get to that gap before they do, we can ambush them before they have time to fight back. Right now we’re just being picked off — yet again — as they wait for us to approach.”
The leader glanced over at Stevenson. “What do you think about this plan?”
Stevenson scoffed at Kipper. “I think he’s leading us away from where Trent will be. I don’t trust anything Kipper says, like his convenient cameras not syncing up.”
Kipper’s eyebrow rose. “If I was helping Trent, why the hell would I lead you to where he might be headed? We all know Trent is trying to cross the border. There would be no point in getting this close if he wasn’t trying to cross undetected. This is the closest gap. Sure, there are others, but why would Trent go even further south to go into them?”
“Then let’s station people at all the gaps. That way, we’ll even the odds.”
Kipper laughed. “Trent and Girish have wiped out twenty-five men so far, plus whoever is on the current team. Do you even have enough men for every spot? Why spread yourself thin instead of aiming for one of them?”
The leader looked down at Delgado’s display. “We are getting thin on men, but I believe we can do the spot you’re talking about and this one south of it. That way, if he happens to see the first set, he won’t expect the second set.”
Kipper said to Stevenson, “Then you might as well pull out the men currently shooting at Dupont and Kannan. You’re going to need them.”
* * *
Girish glanced up at the lack of gunfire. “Are they retreating?
Trent looked out from behind a metal cabinet. “Looks like it. I wonder if they’re planning something. I sincerely hope not to blow this place sky-high. Even the leader wouldn’t take that risk with old gas tanks underneath us. Though Stevenson probably would if he’s still leading this.”
“That would explain the stupidity these guys are exhibiting. I mean, sure, they didn’t expect us to blow up a building, but this is too easy. They have to know that both of us are trained weapons experts.”
Trent inched over to the location unit to look at it. “It looks like they’re moving away. They’re all piling into two box-transporters.”
“What way are they going?” Girish got up from the ground. “Do you think they know where we’re heading next?”
“If they do, Kipper will make sure it’s not the right spot. Many spots along the border have openings, so he probably sent them down to one south of ours to throw them off.”
“Why would Kipper help us?”
Trent laughed. “Because he needs us to get to the location first. Did you think I was doing this all alone and just for my own selfish needs? I’m making sure the safe house is safe before they all get out.”
“But how are they getting out? I doubt the leader will just let them waltz out.”
Trent winked at Girish. “Never mind that it will come into play later once we get to the house and secure it.”
Girish’s eyebrow rose. “Why do I have a feeling there’s more to it than that?”
“There is, obviously, but they’re waiting for me to give them access to it. Once I do, other things will take place. As I said before, I’ve been planning this for a long time, and all of them know what they must do when I get to the safe house.”
* * *
Kipper watched the team head south and breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn’t see Trent leave for the east as the plan dictated, they wouldn’t suspect that Kipper had given them the wrong information. Delgado had only seen the southern gaps and not the one directly east of Trent’s position, so until that happened, Kipper had to bide his time and wait.
Even Trent knew that Kipper couldn’t protect him every step of the way without being noticed, but little things like this made it look like he was still trying to track Trent down.
Delgado nodded. “The team is at the first location.”
Stevenson called into the second team. “Proceed to the south of the first team to the next location. We don’t know when Trent plans to cross so that it might be until tomorrow morning. Take turns watching if you need to.”
Ward frowned at his display. “I can’t break through that abandoned gas station they’re in. What the hell is Trent using to block us?”
Kipper shrugged. “No idea, but I have a feeling Trent poached things from various missions. Since the people were dead by his hand, it’s not as if they were going to come looking for them. Several used what would be considered satellite or signal jammers. That’s probably what he’s using or something modified to do that.”
Stevenson moved away from the console.
Kipper hoped he wasn’t heading for Emyr.
* * *
Emyr glanced up in time to see Stevenson coming for him. He held his ground and waited. Letting up that he was helping Trent was not a good idea.
Stevenson pointed to the back area. “Do you have signal jammers in there?”
Emyr frowned at the question. “Why would I, boyo? We have computers for that.”
“Just answer the question, Laurent.”
Emyr shook his head. “No, I don’t have any jammers in my kits. There would be no need for one with all the tech we have here on our computers. I assume you’re asking because of Trent.”
“Yes, he’s using a jammer on our satellite tracking, and I want to know how he’s doing it.”
Emyr shrugged. “It could be any manner of things. There are portable jammers, but what if Trent managed to extract his tags? If he did, you wouldn’t be able to track him. Same with Girish if Trent took it off him.”
“We figured that out already, but that doesn’t explain the satellite jamming. He has something that I believe you constructed for him.”
Emyr laughed. “Why the hell would I do that? Sure, I liked Trent, but that would mean instant death on my part. Do you think I’m that stupid? Besides, he probably got them on missions. Several of the terrorists we’ve tracked down over the years had something similar. All he’d have to do is obtain one of those, and he’d be all set. There’d be no need to build one from scratch.”
Stevenson sneered at Emyr. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
Emyr went back to cleaning the guns. “Suit yourself, but I think you’re not giving Trent enough credit for his skills. He’s way more advanced in electronics and weapons than you think he is.”
* * *
Trent and Girish sat near each other, eating some food.
Girish glanced over at Trent. “Should we stay here overnight?”
“Yes, I think so since they’re probably headed to the border.”
Girish finished off his protein bar. “Are we heading for the border tomorrow? It’s still twenty-five kilometers away.”
“I was thinking about that. Since we still have the motorcycle, we could use it to get close to where we need to be and then ditch it into the woods or somewhere out of the way. Then just cross over the border on foot when the gap opens.”
Girish pointed to the duffel bags. “Should we lighten the load for the trek on foot? I doubt we need this much ammunition once we cross to the other side.”
Trent ate the rest of his lunch and dug into the ammunition duffel. “We might want to ditch the rifles unless you think we need it for the field ops. We can each carry some of the handguns and clips. I don’t think we need the rest of the bombs or detonators.”
“How much do we have to travel on foot to the safe house?”
Trent grabbed his device. “It’s a good thirty-kilometer trip, but there’s a small hotel along the way that we could stay in. We have money on us.”
“But we don’t speak Ruskie.”
Trent laughed and pointed to himself. “I know enough to get around. I wouldn’t have picked this place if I didn’t. Plus we’ve got translator tech plus the universal language of Orion Standard. Do you know it?”
Girish shook his head. “No. I’m a plain old English speaker. never thought I’d need OS, so I didn’t pay much attention to those lessons in school.”
“Once we’re across we’re headed for Karm.” Trent got up from the ground to stretch. “It’s close, cosmopolitan, but still, Ruska and the leader can’t touch us there even if he managed to figure it out. So I think we’ll meet people who speak many languages.”
“But it’s in the south. We’re not far enough down to reach Karm.”
Trent’s eyebrow rose. “Why do you say that? The northern part of the district is close enough for us to start, and then we can travel anywhere.”
“This house and village, won’t people be suspicious if we just waltz in?”
Trent patted Girish’s shoulder. “They’re already suspicious because that house is owned by a mysterious person who never appears. It’s not a surprise since they have locked us up until now. If anything, they’ll be amused that I finally appeared.”
“You used your real name to buy it?”
“Obviously not; I used the same name for the last house: Caleb Alexander.”
“The organization will find it in two minutes.” Girish looked alarmed.
“No, they won’t. The record of Ruska property ownership is under tight control. It’s impossible to crack open.”
“Fine, but it seems odd to be that close to where we’ve been prisoners in a prison that’s worse than an actual prison, where we had no rights and no eventual release to look forward to. My instinct is to get as far away as possible on the other side of the planet.”
“You don’t need to worry.” Trent smiled mysteriously. “There will be other things that take place to ensure no one will find us. You just have to be patient.”
* * *
Girish frowned at the sleeping bag on the floor. “There’s only one of them.”
Trent climbed into it. “We’ll have to share. It’s only for a few hours. I promise not to snore in your ear.”
Girish hesitated and then got into the sleeping bag behind Trent. There wasn’t much room to maneuver; their bodies almost pressed against each other. He tried not to touch Trent’s body with his hands, but there wasn’t anywhere to put them other than folded across his chest.
Trent laughed, shaking the sleeping bag. “You can put those around my waist if you want. Better than sleeping like a human pretzel.”
“You’re the last person I want to snuggle up to. And for the record, Trent, I’m not into guys.”
Trent shrugged, bumping into one of Girish’s arms. “Suit yourself, but it’s definitely a more comfortable position than the one you’re in now.”
“How do you even know that? You’re facing the wrong way.”
“I can tell by how the sleeping bag is pushing outward. You’re trying not to touch me, and it’s stretching the fabric. It’s the little things that you need to learn to focus on while out. They could save your life later.”
* * *
Not sure where he was at first, Girish woke up when something hit his body, for a spilt second he thought he was experiencing a retaliation from the parents for the child he’d just killed. But that happened in his dream. And then he realized it was Trent thrashing around and whimpering like a hurt dog.
As Trent had only slept a little since they escaped, at least compared to Girish, he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to wake him or just let him carry on. Plus Trent was armed to the teeth with knives and extremely dangerous even without weapons, so Girish could very well get hurt in trying to wake him up.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around Trent’s body and pulled it flush to his own, hoping to comfort the man and ease his tortured sleep.
The flailing continued for a few seconds and then subsided. Trent’s breathing returned to normal, and he seemed to be out of the nightmare.
Girish bit his lip, the warmth of Trent’s body doing all sorts of unwanted things to his own body. He tried to ignore that Trent fit perfectly against him, tucking in a spot that would normally hold a girlfriend. Not that he’d had one of those in years, but the sensation was still the same.
Not to mention being this close, he could feel Trent breathe, an odd staccato rhythm that differed from his own. It was hypnotic to Girish, lulled by the vibrations on his chest.
His eyelids started to flutter shut, his mind finally giving up with the protests in the bath of warmth.
* * *
Trent groaned, his side aching from sleeping in the same position all night. At least he assumed they’d slept all night since there were no windows in the back area to know for sure. He was about to get up when he realized Girish was holding him close.
