BACKTRACKER by Milo Fowler (e book reader txt) 📕

Lennox cursed the monk. "He's not here. He's out cold on thefloor, right where you left him. Which reminds me." Lennox squatted down,pulling up the hem of his tuxedo jacket to keep it from getting anywhere nearthe floor. "Since when has kidnapping been part of your cult's mysteriousways?"

Kuan had no answer. It had been wrong to use the child in thisway, to try to force a man like Gavin Lennox to do what was right for his city. One life versusthe lives of so many had seemed like an acceptable risk. But now Kuan knew hewould never forgive himself for such a horrifying lapse in judgment. He shouldnot have brought the child to The Pearl.

But what was this disgusting place?

Where am I?

Lennox waited for Kuan to reply, but the monk had lost his tongueagain. "No matter. I'll ask the kid myself."

He flipped the cap off the lighter and the flame leapt upward togreet him. He winked down at the holy man and turned his back on him as the airchanged again, undulating like a murky pool.

"You cannot leave me here!" Kuan struggled to hisfeet, his movements rigid with terror.

"Don't worry." Lennox chuckled without looking back."I shall return."

As he stepped through the breach, the room around him changed. Theraccoon-eyed ghoul heaving into the sink dissolved into the air, and the layersof grime on the walls, the floor, even the ceiling were whitewashed away tobecome the spotless MALES restroom on The Pearl's second tier. There lay the boy in the middleof the pristine floor tiles, unconscious and alone.

The clink of the lighter cap echoed as Lennox pocketed it andglanced back at the restroom door. Still locked. Stifling a cold shudder, hestepped toward the boy in a halting stride. There was no right way to go aboutthis.

"Hey." He crouched down and jostled the kid's shoulder.The rough fabric was cold and damp. It was raining tonight—hard, from what herecalled. The boy had been out in it for a while, by the looks ofhim.

You killed his father. He saw it happen withhis own eyes.

Maybe he had, at that. "Hey."

The boy stirred, eyelids flickering beneath locks of bedraggleddark hair. One pupil shone through the twisted strands and widened.

"Easy." Lennox retracted his hand as the kid thrashedagainst the cords on his wrists and ankles.

"What the hell!" his voice echoed wildly as he writhedon the tile floor.

"Just take it easy—"

"Screw you, freak!"

"I'm not the bad guy here, kid. That would be the monk wholeft you like this." Lennox waited for the boy to pause and listen."I found you in here. But if you want, I'll leave."

The boy cursed, fighting against his bonds once more before givingup. For now. "Where am I?"

"The Pearl. In the restroom." He noted the change thatcame over the boy's face.

"The Pearl..." Horror and rage in equal measure flashedthrough the eye behind his raggedhair. It focused on Lennox's tuxedo. "Who are you?"

"I work here."

The boy seemed to accept his answer. He raised his bound wrists."Can you help me out?"

"Of course." Lennox reached forward and took the knottedcords in hand. A knife would have made short work of this, but he had time tospare. And a question or two while the knots begrudgingly yielded. "Sotell me, what do you remember? How'd you end up here?"

"I was—" He stopped himself. "This guy inwhite—there were two of them. They...took me."

"From your home?"

"No. I wasn't...home."

"Wet out there tonight. A real mess. They could have snatchedyou off the street without anyone noticing, I suppose."

"I was—" he started, as if for a moment he'd remembered. Then he replied,defeated, "I don't know where I was."

Lennox arched his brow. "Really?" The cords on the boy'swrists came free, and he started rubbing them to get the circulation going."Sounds like you've had a rotten night."

"You have no idea." The boy sat up, kept his eyesdowncast as he pushed out his bound ankles for Lennox to untie. His smallfingers were still too numb to be much help.

"Why'd they want you—these guys in white?"

"Freakin' perverts, probably."

Lennox had to chuckle at that. "Yeah. Probably." Hefocused on the knot between his fingers. "Would you like me to Link upanybody for you—your dad, maybe?"

The boy flinched. "No." His voice choked against hiswill. He coughed, hanging his head. "No, I'll just...go home."

Lennox watched him. "You're sure there's nobody I shouldcall, let them know you're ok?" Whatabout his protector?

"No, it's all right." He tried to keep his eyes hiddenbehind his hair, but that one stubborn pupil shone through, roving along thetuxedo before him with an acute awareness of detail. "What's your name,mister?"

"Gavin." Lennox smiled. The ankles were free. He stood andbacked away as he coiled the two lengths of cord and pocketed them."You?"

The boy massaged his sore ankles, waiting before he tried them outunder his full weight. "Harry," he said without looking up.

Lennox palmed the sensor grate beside the door, unlocking it. Theboy didn't notice.

"Pleased to meet you, Harry." He thrust both hands deepinto the pockets of his slacks. The fingertips of his right hand brushed the polishedsilver of the lighter. "So. Are you up for a tour of The Pearl?"

An unguarded look of revulsion flooded Harry's expression."No thanks, mister."

"Call me Gavin." Lennox smiled.

It was the dream of every kid in NewCity to one day, as an adultcitizen, hold the credit necessary to enjoy all that The Pearl had to offer.They could only imagine the exclusive wonders that took place behind its doors.But this little guy isn't like every other kid in town. No, not at all.

He was apparently the son of the world's most infamous scientist:the man who had harnessed the power of negative energy to invent time travel,not to mention a means of traversing the multiverse. A real genius for theages. Too bad living in hiding had taken such a toll on him.

From what Lennox had witnessed earlier that night, the old geezerhad lost his wits. He'd been little more than a fragile shadow of his formerself. Unfortunate that the kid had to see him ripped in half, but these thingsoften couldn't be helped.

Lennox was known to act rashly on rare