Bytes of Passion

Chapter 17

He'd spotted Skylar in a second, but not because she wore a red dress that stood out among the neutral tones of the other travelers in the security line of the entry point for Traicos. Her frame, her hair, the graceful lines of her arms as she moved, were burned into his memory. Her scent, the taste of her... he'd had only a few moments of heaven with her in that closet, but he could not, would not forget those, even if she never let him near her again.

Right now, he had bigger problems than what to say to Skylar to make things right between them, if he ever could. Garrox had drugged her, Teegan was sure of it. While she advanced with the security line, her movements were stiff, practically automated. Never once did she turn her head to look around, make eye contact with anyone, or perform any number of ticks people did when standing in line bored. One might think her focused, except for that glazed-over look in her eyes. Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect about her was how she moved only when Garrox whispered in her ear, as if he were a puppet master pulling invisible strings to guide her through the checkpoint. Garrox's lips brushed her ear one last time, then he kissed her cheek as if he were a loved one saying good-bye. Slipping into the crowd, Garrox didn't wait to make sure she passed the security check. He wouldn't risk being nearby if they arrested her. The bastard headed to the shuttle area where he'd disappear for good.

Teegan let him go. He had to keep his eyes on Skylar. The security line came to a grinding halt as a claxon sounded. A young blonde-haired man two spots ahead of Skylar failed the body scan. Up until now, Teegan had thought this checkpoint to be one of the more lax ones under DSPS jurisdiction, but the way the three DSPS officers pulled the man aside and stripped him right there in public view changed his mind. The officers checked every square inch of the man's clothing, body, hair, and personal areas, searching for what triggered the alarm. People on both sides of the security gate looked agitated, squirming as they watched the man forced to submit to various hands and metal devices inspecting him. Everyone except his Skylar, that is. Her face remained stoic as she looked straight ahead, patiently waiting her turn to go through the body scan, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

An officer withdrew a small datastick the size of a fingernail, from the guy's backside, which made Teegan very glad not to have his job. Not many people were brave or foolish enough to risk one's freedom, one's life even, transporting information. Council law only allowed the transfer and dissemination of information through authorized military and government news outlets controlled by the DNI, the Department of News and Information. No data devices were allowed to move between planets and space stations without special clearance, and those were rarely granted. This guy would have been better off bringing in a high-powered laser rifle or acid-bomb launcher, not that those would fit up a person's ass. Given the size of that data stick, the security setting must have been set at the highest level. Teegan prayed Skylar didn't have anything on her that would alert security. No, for whatever reason Garrox was sending her to Traicos, he was smart enough not to leave anything on her that would trigger their alarms.

Security allowed the blonde man to put his pants on before slapping energy cuffs on him and hauling him away. The claxon sounded again, pulling Teegan's attention back to the line. Hell, it was Skylar this time. Two officers ran scans over her body, stopping over the crook of her left elbow, over the needle Ephrams. The tracker. Damn! They'd located it. An officer pulled a knife from his belt and cut into her arm, without cleaning or numbing the area. Fortunately, the tracker wasn't deep and he pulled it out in seconds, leaving a calm, emotionless Skylar standing there with a bleeding arm. Another officer slapped a medpatch on the area as the first two inspected the tracker. Fortunately, trackers weren't illegal, only unusual. The man pointed her back to the line and told her to go through the body scanner again. Perfectly obedient, mindless Skylar did exactly as told. She walked through and kept walking. Apparently, they hadn't told her to stop again, which was fine since no alarms sounded this time.