'I see.' The dragon gave an odd sound, like a heavy rain splashing into a puddle. A chuckle? 'There is at least one area where you humans excel. You are by far more clever than the K'da.'
Jack made a face. 'Yeah. Big fat furry deal.'
They had reached their floor before Draycos spoke again. 'You need not fear us, Jack,' he said quietly as Jack stepped out of the elevator. 'By the very nature of our limitation the K'da can only be friends, or companions, or servants. We can never be masters.'
'Maybe,' Jack said. 'But our history's full of servants who decided they wanted to be the masters for a change. Usually, things got pretty unpleasant.'
He shook his head. 'But we didn't come here to discuss history. Let's get some sleep, huh? Tomorrow's going to be another real busy day.'
Chapter 22
The luxury corridor was deserted the next morning as Jack made his way along it, his feet dragging through the thick carpet. Back in his own area, most people had already been up and about. The idle rich must like to sleep in.
'What will we do?' Draycos murmured.
Jack hunched his shoulders, glancing around at the hand-carved designs along the corridor walls. He'd traded in the fancy clothes he'd worn yesterday in favor of his usual jeans and leather jacket, and was definitely regretting that decision. He felt out of place enough even out here in the corridor. How much worse was he going to feel once he was actually in the suite down there at the end?
Assuming, of course, he actually got inside. 'We do it straight,' he murmured back as he reached the door. 'Just walk up and push the buzzer.'
He got to the door and reached for the buzzer. As he did so, there was the sound of sliding doors behind him.
He turned. Standing in the corridor, outside the two doors he'd just passed, were two large men. Both were dressed the same way as the bodyguard from last night, and both were looking steadily at him.
Jack let his hand fall to his side. 'Or not,' he added.
'Can we help you?' one of the men said as they both walked toward him.
'My name's Jack Morgan,' Jack said, fighting against the sudden urge to duck between them and run away as fast as he could. There was an air of police or ex-police about both these men that was stirring all the old reflexes. 'I'd like to speak with your boss.'
'May I ask your business?' the first man said as they reached him. They were, he noted, somewhat bigger than they had first looked.
'I have something that belongs to him,' Jack said. 'I'd like to arrange for its return.'
The second man had pulled out a small scanner and was running it down Jack's chest. 'Really,' the first man said, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead. 'What is it?'
Jack shook his head. 'Sorry. Confidential.'
'That's okay,' the first man said, giving Jack what was probably his best effort at a friendly smile. 'He doesn't have any secrets from us.'
Jack lifted his eyebrows. 'Really. A man in his position, and no secrets at all from his bodyguards? That's amazing.'
The smile vanished. 'Look, kid—'
'He's clean,' the second man announced, putting the scanner away inside his jacket and tapping the comm clip on his collar. 'Boyle?'
'Right here,' a voice answered faintly from the clip. 'What is it, Harper?'
'We've got a kid out here named Jack Morgan who wants to see The Man,' Harper said. 'Says he has something that belongs to him.'
'Does he?'
'Not on him,' Harper said. 'You want to check with him?'
The other voice snorted. 'What, over some con artist running a scam?'
'I told you, he's just a kid,' Harper said. 'Twelve, thirteen, maybe.'
'So it's a junior scam,' Boyle said. 'I'm not going to disturb The Man for this.'
'I'm already disturbed, Boyle,' a new, fainter voice came from the comm clip. 'Have them send him in.'
'Yes, sir,' Harper said, his voice suddenly more respectful. He touched the comm clip again and gestured Jack toward the door. 'You heard him. Go on in.'
'Thanks,' Jack said, frowning as he turned back to the door. There had been something familiar about that second comm clip voice....
The door slid open as he stepped toward it. Taking a deep breath, painfully aware of Harper and his friend blocking his escape route behind him, he stepped inside.
He found himself in a room about half the size of the entire Essenay, and every bit as luxurious as he'd guessed it would be. The carved-wood walls were covered with paintings and embedded light-sculptures, the furniture was heavy and expensive looking, and the carpet was thick enough to hide large rodents in. Two archways led off to other parts of the suite, one of them from the right-hand side of the room, the other from the back.
Seated behind a computer at a desk to the left of the door, scowling up at Jack, was a young man. A cup of something steaming sat on the desk to his right, a neat row of data tubes to his left. His clothes, Jack noted, were
