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It felt to Harlan as if he had been standing there for hours while the thoughts flitted through his head but it must have been only seconds. What was he going to do? His mission was still incomplete. He had yet to discover the person behind the kidnapping, or whether it was linked to the off-world drug syndicate, and now it seemed he didn't even know the true motive behind the whole affair.
He flicked a quick glance at Patrick, who was scowling in his direction, and Rik, who was beginning to look more cheerful, anticipating his imminent release.
His head told him he should gloss over the revelation and leave now with Kam and Lu, so that at least he'd have a chance of completing his mission and getting re-instated. He should trust that Patrick and Rik would remain unharmed. But his heart wasn't so sure. He couldn't forget how casually Kam had proposed killing Patrick.
"Let's go," pressed Kam, his hand now just touching his stunner, waiting for Harlan's decision.
Harlan gave an infinitesimal shrug and bent down to pick up the last box.
He came up with his stunner in his hand, and aimed it at Kam.
"You go ahead," said Harlan, his voice steady. "I think I'll wait for Patrick."
The two men locked eyes across the cave.
"You gone crazy or something, Hal?" demanded Kam. "You think you and your man are going to run out and hide somewhere in the forest after the release?"
"I'll take my chances."
Kam snorted. "The chance to get caught, you mean. Maddon's flyer will be here before you've gone a couple of kays."
"Will it?" asked Harlan, drily.
"What do you mean? Of course it will!" insisted Kam, now gripping his stunner and beginning to ease it out of the sidepocket.
"Stop right there!" ordered Harlan. "Put your hands on your head where I can see-"
"What's the holdup?" interrupted Lu, poking his head into the cave. In that split second's distraction, Kam fired, right through his pocket. Harlan collapsed to the ground.
"No!" shouted Patrick, wrenching at the chain.
"Don't worry, he's only stunned," said Kam absently, picking up the last box and handing it to Lu. Then he bent over Harlan's unconscious body and took his wristcom and stunner.
"You know, I never felt he was wholly committed to the job," Kam told Lu. "Bringing his lover along was always going to be problematic, but we don't have to worry about that now. He'll stay here with the other two."
Ignoring the frantic questions from Patrick and Rik, Kam and Lu left without another word.
Moments later there was a sshhhh, a soft thud, and a tongue of dirt pushed through the entrance into the cave. Then there was total silence. The only light came from the one Lu had brought at the beginning.
"They've blocked the entrance!" blurted Rik in surprise. "Why did they do that? It'll just make it harder for Dad to get to us."
Patrick hesitated, reluctant to destroy Rik's hopes, but he could only think of one reason. The lock wasn't going to work and Rik's father was not going to get their location.
No-one was coming. They were meant to die here.
~~~
It was 16:00. Chris Maddon took a deep breath and entered the final code to complete the ransom transfer. He waited, holding the disposable wristcom in both hands, unable to sit down. Any second now he'd get the co-ordinates for Rik's location and then he'd hear from Rik himself. Any minute.
The seconds clicked past... one after the other... Click. Click. Nothing. It had been four minutes. Five. He shook the wristcom, unable to believe that something had gone wrong.
He waited half an hour, hoping against hope that there had been some sort of technical problem, some mechanical reason for the delay but eventually he had to grapple with the fact that he had been betrayed. The ransom money had gone but the kidnappers hadn't delivered their part of the bargain.
Distraught, Maddon told his security team the bad news, then put through a call to the Chief of Police herself. He had to believe Rik was still alive... but in any case, he needed search parties, as many as he could get. He still had credits, he could offer a reward.
~~~
Light years away, on the planet Geuser, the man who occasionally called himself "Smith" sat back in his chair and watched the VidNews from Belus.
He'd had a report from Kam a few hours ago via the daily Interplanetary message service, and although he said one of the hirelings had caused a minor disruption, everything had been settled satisfactorily. When the bodies were found, eventually, it would look like a tragic accident. All the trappings of a standard kidnapping would be there, the lock, the restraints, and no signs of violence on the bodies. Other than damage caused by dying of hunger and thirst, of course.
And all the rumours he'd managed to manipulate would lead them in the direction of Frank Yelt. He smiled and poured a small brandy.
He flicked the console unit screen across to show the week's spaceship departure schedule. There was a ship to Belus in two days time. He booked a cabin for himself and sat back.
It was time to visit Uncle Chris and offer his condolences.
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Dangerous Love (ONC 2019 - LGBTQ)
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