Page 44 of Double Take

“Nothing they didn’t anticipate. In trying to locate the Hammond woman, they interviewed the business partner. Now they have to prevent her from yapping.”

Fuck.Faith’s best friend would be killed because of him. His presence on Terra Nova had set this in motion. “You’re all fucking assholes.”

“I’d better secure the prisoner. He’s getting mouthy.” Marshall grabbed Bragg’s arm and dragged him down thecorridor. Out of earshot of the agent, Marshall said in a low voice, “We caught a break.”

“How? By having an innocent woman die? Faith will be devastated.”

“With Rogers and Glenn gone, we have a better chance of getting off this ship. We can’t help Amity now anyway.”

“You know her name?”

An expression almost like pain flashed across Marshall’s face but then vanished. “It’s my job to know.” He stopped beside a steel door. He palmed the entry pad, and it slid open.

Chapter Sixteen

Faith paced the interrogation room. Shecould kick herself for falling for Rogers’ and Glenn’s lies. The men had capitalized on vestiges of doubt and used it against her.

If a silver lining existed in any of this, it was that she’d wholeheartedly, 100 percent believed John had told her the truth and that they were meant to be together.I love him.

She’d never put much credence in claims of love at first sight, but then she’d never believed it was possible to create an adult clone. As soon as she met John, intuition had insisted he was the one she’d been waiting for.

However, a happy ending did not seem to be in their future. If the agents only meant to apprehend him, they could have waited for him to return to the cottage. Or had their other agent pick him up at the inn. They wouldn’t have arrested her.

They wanted both of us. Why? I don’t know anything! And if I do, I don’t know that I know it!

What would Amity do when she vanished? And poor Rusty. Hopefully, Amity would adopt him.

She guessed they intended to take her to Earth, or they wouldn’t have brought her to a spaceship. Any second, she expected the ship to blast off.

She wondered again how long she’d been “out” and how much time had passed since she’d been abducted. Had they apprehended John? Was he aboard the ship? Would they allow her to see him? Or had he managed to escape?

Hopelessness swept over her. She didn’t foresee a good outcome. Two lone individuals couldn’t fight a clandestine, powerful organization willing to go to any lengths to achieve their aims.

She whirled around as the door slid open. Hands bound, John stepped into the interrogation room. A man followed him in.

She flung herself at him, hugging him tight. “Your face! What did they do to you?”

“I ran into a fist, but I’m okay. Are you all right?” he asked.

“They drugged me, but yeah.”

His face darkened, and he scowled at the other man. Then, to her shock, he released himself from the cuffs.

“What…how?” she stuttered.

“Marshall, my commanding officer, is helping us—I think.” Hands free, he enfolded her in his arms.

“Former CO.” Marshall removed two vials and a small folding knife from his pocket. He cut a tiny slit on the side of a chair, uncapped the vials, extracted two tiny silvery objects and shoved them into the slit.

John nodded. “They’ll think we’re on the ship.”

“They’ll figure out soon enough we’re not, but we have to leave the trackers someplace. Might as well be here.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“I was chipped. That’s how they found me,” John explained.

“Let’s get out of here while Rogers and Glenn are still gone. Hopefully, we won’t run into anyone else on the way out. In case we do, put the cuffs on.” He pulled another set from his pocket. “You, too, Mrs. Hammond.”

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