The Rogue Retrieval (30 page)
Read The Rogue Retrieval Online
Authors: Dan Koboldt
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“The magic of Alissia should not be taken lightly. There's an allure to this world that we have yet to understand.”
â
Â
R
.
H
OLT,
“A
LISSIA
R
ETROSPECTIVE:
F
IFTEEN
Y
EARS
”
VEGAS DREAMS
Q
uinn Bradley had finally arrived.
For twenty years, he'd dreamed of seeing his name in the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Of taking the stage at a major casino there, and joining the ranks of magic's elite. Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Penn and Teller. He'd worked his ass off to get here. Designing his own tricks, performing seven nights a week, building his profile online and onstage.
Even so, as he waited in the shadowy alcove backstage, he fingered the stone pendant that hung from a silver chain under his shirt and wished he were more excited about it. Quick fingers and cleverness had taken him a long way, but he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever have made it happen without help from CASE Global Enterprises. Kiara had made good on her promise, and suddenly Rudy Fortelli calledâÂnearly panting with excitementâÂto tell him that a major casino had a slot open. Just a three-Ânight engagement, but still a big deal. Quinn hadn't asked what they were offering to pay. He'd just cashed one hell of a big check.
It was The Bellagio, of course. The most iconic casino of them all, the home of Cirque du Soleil and countless other top-Ânotch acts in the entertainment business. He should have known. CASE Global never went in for anything but the best.
That's why they picked me
, he thought with a smile.
“Quinn?” a woman asked. Timid and quiet, but he'd know that voice anywhere.
“Veena! I'll be damned.”
The newly minted head of research for CASE Global's largest and most secretive research project looked downright uncomfortable in a silver cocktail dress. Never mind that it was Armani, and worth a small fortune.
She probably doesn't even know.
They went to shake hands, but ended up hugging instead. Six months ago, he hadn't even known her. But they'd fled from reptilian predators and been stranded in another world together. She was like the sister he'd never had. “Damn, it's good to see you.”
“Likewise. And it looks like you're doing well.”
He winked. “I'm a tough negotiator. But I'm glad you came.”
“It's on business, I'm afraid.”
“Company business?”
“Exactly.”
He should have guessed. She wasn't the kind to take a pleasure trip. “I'm not due back for another Âcouple of weeks.”
“Yes, well. It's a big crowd out there.”
“Is it?” He shook himself and rubbed his arms. “Thank God. I was afraid to look.” Afraid he'd see a wide field of empty seats.
“That kind of exposure makes the executives a bit nervous.”
“For security reasons?”
“Not exactly. I'm to remind you of the, ahâ” she leaned close and lowered her voice “âÂnondisclosure agreements.”
He laughed. “Is that why they sent you? I thought stern intimidation was Kiara's department.”
“She wasn't able to come herself.”
“Logan, then.” The big man could have just said it all with a look.
“He's busy as well, I'm afraid.”
“Did they find the Swedish guy?”
“Only his boat. He made the mainland, but Mendez is hot on his trail.” She looked away, and grimaced.
I should invite her to play poker sometime.
“What's going on, Veena?”
“We're under a lot of scrutiny because of the mission failure. And the news from over there, about my former mentor . . . let's just say it's worrisome.”
“Sounds serious.”
“You'll be briefed on-Âsite. Kiara wants you there as soon as possible.”
“I can fly down in the morning.”
He'd have to make some arrangements for an early departureâÂThe Bellagio manager was sure to throw a fitâÂbut that could wait. It surprised him a little how quickly he'd agreed. Normally he didn't like to jump when Kiara said to, but the idea of being near the gateway again excited him.
Maybe even more than what I'm about to do . . . and that's saying something.
“Oh, that would be wonderful.”
A chime sounded, a polite warning from the theater manager.
Chaudri's eyes widened. She looked as nervous as he felt. “I suppose I should give you some time alone. Are you ready for this?”
“To hear my name announced on the Vegas Strip?” He flashed her a grin. “Been ready my whole life.”
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Dear Reader,
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It means so much to me that you took the time to read my book. Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Dan Koboldt
October 2015
Â
T
his book would never have been possible without the efforts of many Âpeople. I'd like to thank my wife, Christina, for her endless support. She and our little ones (Audrey, Elliott, and Sam) somehow tolerate my writing obsession, which takes me away far too often.
Special thanks to my critique partnersâÂDannie Morin, Eric Primm, Gina Denny, and Kate MayroseâÂwho helped me get this book into shape. I'm also lucky to have friends like Diana Urban, Tex Thompson, Shana Silver, and Michelle Hauck, to keep me sane along the way.
I'm grateful to my agent, Jennie Goloboy, for believing in me and serving as my coolheaded career adviser. I'd like to thank my editor, David Pomerico, for acquiring my book and helping it reach its full potential. Rebecca Lucash, Christine Langone, Caroline Perny, and the rest of the team at Harper Voyager have been fantastic. Thank you!
Last but not least, I'm thankful for my writing groups and communities: Codex Writers, The Clubhouse, the Pitch Wars community, WashU Fiction, and Impulse Authors Unite! Writing is a solitary profession, but because of them, I've never felt alone.
Â
Dan Koboldt is a genetics researcher and fantasy/science fiction author. He has coauthored more than sixty publications in
Nature
,
Human Mutation
,
Genome Research
,
The New England Journal of Medicine
,
Cell
, and other scientific journals. Dan is also an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He lives with his wife and children in St. Louis, where the deer take their revenge by eating the flowers in his backyard.
The Rogue Retrieval
is his first novel. You can find him online at http://dankoboldt.com/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DanKoboldt.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE
ROGUE
RETRIEVAL. Copyright © 2016 by Daniel C. Koboldt. All rights reserved under International and Pan-ÂAmerican Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-Âbook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-Âengineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperÂCollins e-Âbooks.
EPub Edition JANUARY 2016 ISBN: 9780062451903
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062451910
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