The Dracons' Woman (48 page)

Saige opened her mouth, then changed her mind about trying to talk any more just yet.  She settled for nodding her head.  These men knew Lariah?  And she had been due to arrive this morning?

Suddenly her hands were free and she felt the tension on her shoulders ease a fraction.  She was lying on her left arm, but tried to move her right one forward she found that it would not cooperate.  Clarkson slowly moved it for her as Robson bent down and began working on the bonds at her ankles.  As her shoulder moved she felt an intense burning sensation that caused her to gasp. 

“Sorry, Miss Taylor” Clarkson said with a regretful frown.

She could only smile ruefully at him, but that seemed to be enough. 

Jackson rose to his feet and looked around as though searching for something.  “I’ll be right back,” he said before taking off at what sounded like a run.

Robson finished removing the bonds on her ankles and very carefully straightened her legs, easing the tension on her knees.  Saige felt the blood rush through the joints and gasped again.  She realized that just getting out of the box was going to take a little time.

Jackson returned with a large glass of cold water and a long straw.  He lowered it into the crate and placed the straw where she could reach it, and she drank her fill.  She was fairly certain she had never tasted anything as good as that water at that moment.

“Better?” Jackson asked.

“Much, thank you,” Saige whispered.

Jackson smiled and removed the glass, setting down on the floor beside the crate.  “Just let us know if you want more.”

Jackson reached for the small silver case that he had set nearby and examined it.  The inside of the case was filled with a soft spongy material with an odd shape cut into it that Jackson guessed would exactly match the shape of the silver object Lucky had removed from it.  Whatever the object was, it must be special to require such careful packaging.

Jackson stood and walked across the cargo bay toward Lucky.  He walked past Frank where he still lay huddled on the concrete floor without a glance, but took a moment to determine that Willy was still out cold before kneeling down next to the unlucky Lucky’s remains.

He reached into the man’s pocket and carefully removed the silver object.  Now that he had it in is hand he could see that it appeared to be some sort of an injector, much like the kind used to inject medications or serums by medical personnel.  The difference was that there was a sort of “needle” on this which was long, thick and had a large opening on the end.  Lucky had called it a ‘prime controller’, and the connotations of that made Jackson feel ill.

Jackson set the object down on the floor and quickly searched the rest of Lucky’s pockets but found nothing else, not even a wallet or an ident card.  He picked up the silver object and took it back to the case.  He placed it carefully into its bed of foam material and closed the lid, snapping the catch securely. 

Saige was sitting up now but Jackson knew it would still be a while before she was ready to be removed from the crate.  He paced away from them, tapping the vox in his ear to activate it.  A few moments later he heard his Prince’s voice in his ear.

“Highness, I apologize for calling you so late, but I thought you’d want me to under the circumstances,” he said.

“What is it?  Have you found Saige Taylor?” Garen asked.

“Yes, we have,” Jackson replied.  He gave his Prince a rapid but thorough version of the night’s events.

When he was finished he waited patiently for his Prince to assimilate everything he’d told him.

“Do you know where the Lobos are at this moment?”

“They are on the skyport waiting for the
Cosmic Glory
to dock,” Jackson replied.  He checked his watch.  “It should dock in the next few minutes.”

“If you can take care of Miss Taylor until they finish, they can escort her to the ranch.  Have them bring the two detainees as well,” Garen said.  “I have a strange feeling about all of this.”

Jackson smiled grimly.  He too had a strange feeling about all of this.

 “It is going to take us a little while to get Miss Taylor out of this crate.  From the appearance of her limbs, she has been in there for no less than 48 hours, probably more like 72.”

“Permanent damage?” Garen asked.

“I don’t think so,” Jackson replied.  "We’ll be able to tell more when we get her out.”

“If she seems well enough to travel, Riata can check her when she arrives.  She’s here now to check on Lariah and doesn’t plan to leave for another day anyway.”

Jackson’s heart skipped a beat.  “Is the Princess well?” 

Lariah Daniels, the first Arima in over three thousand years, was currently pregnant with triplet daughters.  There was not a single member of their race that wasn’t counting the days until the birth.  Lariah quite literally carried the future of the Jasani people within her small body.

Garen snorted.  “She is fine, Jackson, as are the babes.  However, you won’t be if she hears you call her
Princess
.”

Jackson laughed.  Lariah was small, delicate and sweet.  She also had a temper to match her red hair and emerald eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Jackson replied, relieved at the news that Lariah was well.

“If Saige needs urgent medical care, I’ll have the physician here check her,” Jackson said.  He turned to see how far his brothers were progressing with getting the young woman out of the box.

“Thanks for finding her,” Garen said.  “I don’t know what we would have told Lariah if she hadn’t been found.”

“Happily that is not now a concern,” Jackson said.  “I’ll send a message up to the Lobos, then see to Miss Taylor.”

“Thank you Jackson, we appreciate it,” Garen replied. 

Saige was happy to be sitting up and relieved that she could move her arms, though her muscles still seemed slow to respond.  She still felt a little numb and very sore, but was feeling better by the minute.  When Rob handed her the big glass of water she was able to wrap her hands around it and hold it, which raised her spirits a great deal.  Her legs didn’t feel like they were quite ready to jump up and go dancing, but if forced, she thought she might be able to walk a little bit.

Jackson returned and knelt down beside the crate, studying her carefully for a long moment.  “Miss Taylor,” he began.

“Please, call me Saige,” she said, her voice still croaky but, like everything else, improving quickly.

Jackson smiled.  “Saige, I don’t think you are going to be able to walk comfortably for a while yet, so I want to carry you out of here and into my office.”

“Getting out of here sounds good to me,” she said.

“Do you think you need to see a physician?”

Saige hesitated.  “How about I let you know later?” she asked finally.  “Right now I’m just stiff, sore and thirsty.  Nothing I need a doctor for.”

“Alright, but if you change your mind let me know,” Jackson said.  “Right now the plan is to get you to my office where you can rest for a bit.  You can even take a shower if you like.  The Prime Guardians are investigating your disappearance from the
Cosmic Glory
but will be back down here as soon as they finish.  When they return, they’ll escort you to the ranch.  How does that sound to you?”

Saige nodded her head enthusiastically.  A lot of what Jackson had said made little sense to her, but the offer of a shower was clear.  “I would love a shower,” she said.  “Do you think it’s possible that my luggage would still be on the
Cosmic Glory
?”

“I don’t think so,” Jackson replied.  “I think the
Cosmic Glory
would transfer it to the skyport before leaving dock, but I honestly don’t know the procedure.  I will look into it as soon as we get back to my office.”  Jackson paused as a new thought occurred to him.  “Saige, if I can’t locate your luggage you might have to make do with whatever clothing I can find around here.”

“I’m not proud,” Saige replied easily.  “As long as it’s relatively clean and covers me up, I don’t care.”

“I have to say that you are a remarkable woman,” Jackson said.  “Especially considering what you’ve been through.”

Saige blushed at the compliment, uncertain how to respond.  She’d received very few compliments in her life.  “Thanks,” she said finally.

“Take another sip of your water and relax for a minute,” Jackson said.  “We need to tend to a couple of issues here, then we’ll get you out of this box.”

Jackson stood and walked away, gesturing to his brothers.  Clark smiled at her, and Rob patted her ankle, before they both rose and joined Jackson a few feet away. 

“The Princes want to interview these two…people,” Jackson said with obvious distaste as he gestured towards Willy and Frank.  “Prince Garen has requested that we personally see to Miss Taylor’s care until the Lobos return from the skyport.  They will escort her, and these men, directly to the ranch.  I don’t want these guys out of our sight until we hand them over to the Lobos.  If they disappear like Landon did, I don’t think I’ll be forgiven so easily again.”

”We should let them use the big ground-car that just came into the rental desk,” Rob suggested.  “It’s quite large and comfortable enough for Saige to lay down and sleep if she wants.  It also has a large enough trunk for those two.”

“Excellent,” Jackson replied before looking around the large cargo bay.  “Let’s move that ground-truck inside, lock up this bay door and call in a forensics team.  I want to know everything there is to know about all three of these men, that vehicle, the crate and the maintenance man who
fixed
the doors this morning.  Quarantine this cargo bay until further notice.”

“Understood,” Clarkson said.  They discussed a couple of other matters but it took only a few moments.  When they were finished, Jackson went back to Saige and knelt beside the crate again.

“You ready to move?” he asked.

“Very ready,” she replied. 

Jackson reached over and carefully lifted Saige into his arms.  This woman was a personal friend of Nahoa-Arima Lariah Dracon, and as such, very important.  If anything else happened to her, Lariah would be extremely upset, and that was to be avoided at all costs.