Page 30 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

Men he loved… There was no point in fighting it. He was head over heels in love with Alex and would do anything to protect him. He sat down with a thump, his heart pounding.

Alex came running down the stairs and stopped as he saw the expression on Josiah’s face.

“Oh. Joe.” He knelt in front of him. “You’re giving up everything for me. You have security, respect, a good job, people who care about you. I’m an idiot.”

“No.” Josiah shook his head firmly. “No. It’s what I want.

I want you. I choose you, Alex, and I choose living, because I don’t know what I’ve been doing these past seven years, but it sure as hell wasn’t that.

I want this. I’m just shocked by how much.

” He kissed Alex, then stood up. “Are you ready? Then let’s go. ”

He grabbed the rucksacks and was halfway to the garage when his holopad buzzed.

“Joe… it’s Elsie.” She sounded out of breath.

“Elsie? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I was just about to retire the Kathleen Line nym when there was a call on it. There’s a woman… she was so distressed. Her brother’s an IS. He was in a bad situation – he escaped, but he’s been stabbed several times and he’s bleeding out. She asked for help. She has nowhere to go.”

Josiah stood there, his chest heaving. He looked at Alex, who had heard every word.

“Can’t she take care of him?” Josiah snapped.

“No – she’s an IS, too. She can’t even shelter him. She managed to get to him, but she can’t take him back to her flat because she shares it with several other indies. She doesn’t know what to do. Oh, Joe! I know we’re closing down, but surely we can save one last person, can’t we?”

Josiah whirled around, trying desperately to think of a solution, an alternative that didn’t involve him and Alex changing their plans.

“What about Derek or Jan?” he asked. “Send them.”

“I told them to shut down. They’re on their way out of the country.”

“Oh shit.” Josiah turned back to see Alex still gazing at him. “Elsie… we can’t help. Call her back, tell her to take him to a hospital. At least she can save his life, even if we can’t get him out.”

Josiah suddenly felt Alex’s hand on his, prying the holopad out of his grasp.

“Elsie – it’s Alex. Ignore Joe. Of course we’ll help. Where are they?”

Josiah watched in a haze as Alex calmly took down all the details and ended the call.

“Alex… no. You can’t give up your one chance at freedom for this.”

“Of course I can.” Alex smiled wanly. “Solange wouldn’t judge me for giving up on justice for her, but she’d smack me around the head for giving up on that poor bastard bleeding to death out there.

Even if she wouldn’t, I couldn’t live with myself if I did.

” He dropped his rucksack. “Come on, Joe. Let’s rescue someone tonight – even if it’s not me. ”

They left their rucksacks in the hallway and ran to the garage.

Josiah grabbed a medical kit on his way – he’d insisted all Kathleen Line operatives had first aid training after Peter’s death, not that it would have saved Peter.

Josiah had already possessed the basics, having been in the army, but nothing could have saved Peter, given the nature of his injury.

“Which vehicle?” Alex asked.

Josiah grimaced. “I never use my Inquisitus AV on Kathleen Line business, so it’ll have to be the Jag.

Usually, I change vehicles in a garage nearby – I’ve got a few ducks stashed in various locations all over the country – but we don’t have time for that tonight.

At least these indies are close by – there are no lost zones to cross. ”

After Peter’s death, Josiah had only ever driven the Jag around the block every so often to ensure she was in working order.

Slamming her into reverse, he shot her out of the garage at high speed, trying not to think about the last time he’d taken her on a rescue mission.

The events of that night crowded into his mind all the same. He glanced at Alex.

“You’re thinking about it, too, aren’t you?”

“Yeah – it’s impossible not to. You holding up okay?” Alex asked shakily.

“I’ll be fine. God, I hate this fucking car, though.”

Alex grinned. “I love her!”

“Jesus – what is it with me and men who love these stupid old cars?”

Alex filled him in on their rescue mission as he drove.

“The woman is called Jenna, although Elsie said that’s almost certainly not her real name.

Apparently, escaped indies rarely give their real names.

” Alex shot him a wry grin. “She hasn’t seen her brother in a while, but she speaks to him every month.

Tonight, she got a frantic call from him – he was being bullied and got into a fight with his supervisor.

He’d decided to run away, but the supervisor got wind of it and confronted him – with a knife.

Hendrik – that’s her brother’s name, or so she said – managed to get away, but he’s in bad shape.

She had to get a bus to where he was holed up, terrified he’d die before she arrived. That’s the address we’re going to.”

“I hope it’s legit,” Josiah said suddenly. “We normally ask them to meet us at one of our rendezvous points, areas we know well, so we can scope them out first. We could be walking into a trap.”

“You’re just jumpy because of Tyler lying in wait for us,” Alex pointed out. “There’s no way he could have set this up so fast, and he definitely didn’t know who Elsie was – you were right when you said that was a fishing expedition.”

“I hope so,” Josiah said grimly. “We do occasionally get emergency calls, but not ones this urgent.”

“I’m excited.” Alex grinned at him. “I get to be on the rescuing team this time. Next best thing to being rescued.”

“Maybe, if we get this wrapped up fast, we can still leave,” Josiah said, glancing in the mirror. It was nearly 1a.m., and nobody was around.

“Maybe,” Alex said, but they both knew that was unlikely.

The Jag felt clunky and strange compared to the ease of his AV, but they still made good time on the quiet streets, arriving in a dark residential street less than fifteen minutes later.

“That’s it,” Alex said, pointing at a bus shelter halfway down the road. Josiah pulled over next to it. Alex reached for the car door handle, but Josiah stopped him.

“Wait. Let’s watch a moment first.” Peering through the drizzle outside, he could just about make out a huddle of what looked like blankets in the back corner of the shelter.

Then the blankets moved, alerted by the car lights, and he saw a pale face, streaked with red.

“Stay here,” he ordered Alex. “If there’s any trouble, take the Jag and get the hell out of here. ”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” Alex rolled his eyes.

Opening his car door, Josiah walked swiftly over to the bus shelter. There were no lights except those from his car. He squinted through the dark and could just about make out two people.

Drawing closer, he saw a man lying on the floor, and a woman with one arm around him, trying to keep him warm. Her other arm was shielding her eyes, where she was being blinded by the car headlights.

“Hey… Elsie sent me, I’m Joe,” he said, crouching down in front of them. “Are you Jenna and Hendrik?”

“Yes… I didn’t know where to take him. I’m pressing on the wound to his abdomen, but he’s soaking through the bandages I brought with me,” she said desperately.

“I can’t see to give him more treatment, and I didn’t want to draw attention to him.

He’s too big for me to lift and carry somewhere safer. ”

“It’s okay. We’ll take care of that now.” Somehow, without looking, he knew that Alex had followed him. “I’ll carry him to the car.”

He picked up the young man, who cried out at the movement. “Hold on, Hendrik. It’s okay,” he said soothingly, rising to his feet. Hendrik wasn’t a very big or heavy man, and it was easy enough to lift him. Alex held out a hand and helped Jenna up, too.

Josiah straightened, holding Hendrik securely in his arms, and in that moment, they were all illuminated by the car’s headlights. They stood, stock still, frozen in shock as they suddenly saw each other clearly for the first time.

“Investigator Raine?” “Jenna” whispered.

“Dr Baumann?”

They stared at each other, stunned.

“Please… he’s my brother,” she cried. “Oh God… this is a trap!” She whirled around in a panic, as if expecting police ducks to suddenly appear.

“It’s not a trap, Sofie,” he told her urgently. “I run an underground railroad helping escaped indies out of the country. Elsie works for me. Now, get in the car – quickly – before we’re seen.”

She hesitated, a look of agonised indecision on her face.

“He’s bleeding out, Sofie. We don’t have much time.

You might as well trust me – you have no other options.

” He turned his back on her and carried the young man to the car.

Alex opened the back door, and Josiah gently placed him inside.

“Get in,” Josiah ordered, returning to where Sofie still stood, ashen- faced, by the bus shelter.

“You’re a doctor, and I have medical supplies at home.

Between us, we’re the best chance he has. ”

Clearly understanding he was her only choice, she gave in and scrambled into the car beside her brother. Now they were lit by the interior lights, Josiah could see that Hendrik was in a bad way. His breathing was shallow, there was blood all over his clothes, and he was deathly pale.

“Alex – you drive,” he instructed, tossing Alex the key. “I’ll sit with Sofie and Hendrik.”

He slid in beside Hendrik and retrieved the medical kit he’d brought with him. “You’ll need to operate on him when we get home. For now, let’s do what we can.” Josiah ripped open Hendrik’s coat so she could examine the wound.