The Bachelor's Auction

Chapter Fourteen

A helicopter descended towards the landing pad on top of the clinic, which was next to the gun range. Two teams with stretchers were waiting just inside the rooftop portal awning for the patients on board. The patients' conditions had been radioed ahead so preparations to take care of them were in place. Lucas stood waiting in the corridor that everyone would walk down with the patients to enter the clinic from the roof. Beside him stood a man who had taught him a great deal about survival. The patient on the first stretcher was the man who'd "played" the drug kingpin. One look at him and Lucas knew he was headed for surgery. The second stretcher contained Carrie. She was unconscious but he didn't think she'd need surgery. His hands relaxed. He would have followed but the man standing next to him put his arm out to hold him in place. Next to enter was the pilot, then finally, Chad and Dan. Upon seeing them they stopped without speaking.

"Shall we go into the conference room, gentlemen?" Mr. Dixon, his former mentor asked.

"Why not," Dan replied. A single nod was his only acknowledgment of Lucas.

Lucas wouldn't have followed them except that Mr. Dixon waited for him to precede him into the conference room. The room was only a few doors from where they were currently standing.

"Are you sure you don't want to come back?" Dixon asked after closing the door, directing his remark to Lucas.

"Quite sure," Lucas answered. "Is that it?"

"Of course not. Please sit down all." Dixon smiled thinly at him.

"What are her weaknesses?" Dixon asked Dan.

"Her skills are at a basic level."

"Really? Then why is the stand-in heading for surgery instead of her?"

"He made several miscalculations." Dan shrugged.

"Miscalculations that her basic training trumped? I find that hard to believe. Don't cover for her, Dan. Don't downplay her skills. If I can't trust your assessments I'll have to base my decisions on what I've just seen." Responding to the raised eyebrows around the table Dixon continued. "Of course, I'll consider other objective data." He ignored the one eyebrow that was Lucas' and which remained raised. He looked at Chad, "What would you like to say?"

"She has great potential. Her physical skills are at a basic level. But her ability to think strategically is outstanding. I don't know how well the man she knew as Charles Gold knows her. Do you know?" Chad turned to Lucas.

"No, I don't. My understanding is he was in the process of attacking her when her mother entered the room. She's said no more than that and I didn't press her."

"Why not?" Dixon asked. "Isn't that important information to know about the woman you were training and wish to marry?"

"I'm not in your business any more. As long as she is fine with being with me, that works. In fact, it makes her less likely to 'stray' from our marital bonds, should we get that far." Lucas laid his hands flat on the table. He wanted Dixon to know that he wasn't bothering him with his habitual clipped demeanor.

"But you've trained her to be an operative."

"No, I've trained her to protect herself to the extent that time allowed."

"It was amazing to see how cunning she was," Chad interrupted, "lulling the fake Mr. Gold into complacency. Once he chained her to the bed and started to hit her, she asked if that was part of the scenario; throwing him off balance. when he went to get his forgotten backpack she used the time to free herself. although he hadn't done much of a job at securing her, she immediately freed herself from the handcuffs." Chad looked at Luc briefly. She barricaded the door, climbed out the window and searched for a weapon. She made a slingshot and used marbles as projectiles to disabled him. That's very resourceful. She beat him in the head with an iron curtain tender. She probably used more force than she intended; though I'm not sure of that. We had to call the chopper."