James Axler – Freedom Lost

“I’m glad for you my son’s ended a teenage crime wave, really. One of you two guardians of Freedom going to take me to him?” Ryan asked.

Rollins smirked. “All in good time. First tell your drinking buddy to let my sec man keep his nut sac.”

“Ease off, Doc,” Ryan said.

“See?” Doc told the young sec man in training as he sheathed the blade info the ebony stick. “Safe to procreate another day.”

“What else, Rollins?”

“You have to make a detour. Morgan wants to see you before you can speak to your boy or Lauren.”

“What’s your baron want with me?”

“He’s not a barontold you that before. He just wants to talk, to deal, to offer. Yeah. If you impress Morgan, all this stink might just up and blow over like a bad dream.”

Chapter Nineteen

Ryan sent Doc into the Freedom Center complex to tell Krysty, J.B. and Mildred about Dean and Jak, then walked with the two sec men to a boarded-over mall front. An old sign overhead identified the site as a former Spencer’s Gifts. A single door with a sec keypad and a card slot was recessed into the solid front. Rollins slid an ID card into the slot, then punched in a quick seven-digit code.

“Go straight down the hallway until it ends, then go right. You’ll pass a few doors on the trip. Don’t bother trying them, they’re locked. They’re just back doors into some of the other mall stores anyway. Keep going until you come into a glassed-in waiting area. A guard will be waiting for you. He’s got your description. Tell him you’re Cawdor, and he’ll send you through.”

“You’re not coming?” Ryan asked. “Surprised you’ll let me in to see Morgan alone.”

“Frankly, Cawdor, I’ve got better things to do. This mall doesn’t police itself. Besides, Morgan can take care of himself.”

“When do I get to see Dean?” Ryan asked.

Rollins sighed heavily. “Haven’t you been paying attention? You can talk with the boy after you’ve spoken with the boss.”

As Rollins turned to walk away, Ryan grabbed him by the upper bicep. The big man whirled and knocked off Ryan’s grip with a snarl.

“I’m getting damn tired of you laying hands on me. Do it again and they’ll be hosing you up off the floor, pit champion or no pit champion.”

Ryan’s face was a grim mask. “I just wanted you to know that if anything happens to Dean or to Jak, I’ll cut your heart out.”

“See the boy comes by chilling honestly. Both of them are fine. Hell, after what they’ve been up to tonight, I’m glad they’re locked away to protect innocent mall citizens from their reign of terror.”

“Good. Then I won’t be taking you on,” Ryan gritted. “At least not yet. I just want to know what kind of man this Morgan is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Most places I’ve been in like this, the man behind the curtain is usually crazy. Power goes to their minds and rots their brain from within, like some kind of rad sickness. They start thinking they’re a god or some other higher power, barking out orders to yes men like you, reveling in their twisted fantasies as long as they’re backed up by a blaster and their own private army.”

“Then you’re in luck, Cawdor. Morgan is probably the most rational man I ever met. His private army is busy watching over his domain, not over his own ass. Why he wants to talk with a loser outlander like yourself is beyond me.”

“You shooting straight?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? After you wrap up with Morgan, get the boss to send you down to the Wings and you can talk to your boy.”

Ryan watched Rollins stride away, talking into one of the portable radios he’d seen hanging from many of the sec men’s waists. He wasn’t thrilled with having to walk into a discussion with the mall’s baron alone, but the way the cards had been dealt so far, he didn’t have much of a choice.

The one-eyed man crept down the long hallway, following the directions Rollins had given to him. Just for the hell of it, he tried a few of the doorknobs belonging to the numerous doors he was passing at regular intervals, but all of them were frozen in place. Locked, as Rollins had said they would be. A few bullets from the SIG-Sauer would solve that problem, but the muffled sound would carry and what would be the point anyway?