Another Dawn (56 page)

      
He retrieved Rosie from the hotel livery and stopped for minimal supplies and something else he swore he'd never own. A gun. Graham didn't have much of a head start, but he had one. The chances of Luke running across them in the wilderness were slim at best. Even so, he prodded Rosie to the fastest pace he dared, wishing now he had Sam's Lucifer.

      
He knew exactly where the bastard was taking Sofie. Though Luke didn't have a map or road signs to follow, he knew he could ride straight to that damned mountain blindfolded.

      
He knew it in his gut, because he was riding to his own death.

Chapter 22

      
Sofie recognized the terrain before they actually reached the mountain. At first, she thought Smith was taking her back to Redemption, but he headed farther north, toward the cave where their adventure through time had begun.

      
Why? The man hadn't spoken to her during their days of travel, except to hiss orders in his surreal voice. Even when she'd begged him to tell her why he'd kidnapped her and who he was, he'd refused to answer.

      
She knew in her heart that this man was after Luke. She had no idea why, but she was determined to protect her husband, no matter what.
 

      
When they reached the familiar mountain, Smith dragged her into the cave. A powerful stench slammed into her as Sofie stared at the high ceiling, the broken steel beams, light fixtures dangling by their cords. She knew only one thing for certain. This place was much more than merely a cave.

      
"Who are you?" she asked again as he dragged her through the debris toward a door at the rear.

      
"Justice," he hissed.

      
The guy had superhuman strength, fueled by his madness, no doubt. "Let me go."
 
She jerked her arm, but his iron grip held fast. "Why are you doing this?"

      
He remained silent until they reached the door, where he dragged her through and slammed it behind them. They were in complete darkness, but it didn't smell as bad in here. Her captor's breathing sounded hollow and amplified in the confined space. She felt so vulnerable here in the dark with a madman. A tremor of pure terror replaced her anger. Did he intend to rape her?

      
He struck a match and lit a lantern. The room was filled with controls and gadgets–all broken and useless–and a computer sat in the corner. The entire mountain must have traveled back in time with them. Eerie.

      
Luke had said they were conducting some kind of electrical experiment that morning. He'd still been a prisoner then....

      
Prisoner...

      
The dizziness assaulted her again and she fell to her knees, clutching her head. Something exploded in her left temple as images soared past her mind's eye. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to decipher the flying pictures.

      
She saw Luke, bald and wearing the hospital gown. He looked terrified. And she saw herself trying to convince a man wearing a dark suit to listen to her, believe her, pay attention to her. Why?
 

      
Her usual nausea came and she drew great gulps of foul air, ignoring her captor's movements. She saw the suited man's eyes clearly now, glittering with a deranged and evil light. Hideous, terrifying eyes.
 

      
Familiar eyes.

      
"Oh, my God," she whispered, forcing her eyes open to stare at the hooded man. "You're from the future, too."
 
She pushed to her feet, grabbing the edge of a broken desk to steady her. "You were here that morning."

      
"So the
doctor
remembers."
 
Venom tinged his words. "You caused this. Prevented justice. Killed innocent people."

      
"Others?" Sofie's throat and eyes burned from the stench as she stared at him.

      
Smith shrugged. "You don't recognize the stench of rotting flesh,
doctor
?" His gaze intensified. "God works in mysterious ways. He spared only me to do His will."

      
There were dead bodies here. Sofie's stomach lurched and she broke into a cold sweat. She swallowed hard, struggling for control. Yes, dead bodies.
 

      
But she had to focus on here and now. On survival. "Who
are
you?" God, if she ever needed to remember, it was now. "Why are you doing this?"
 

      
Raspy, demonic laughter filled the room, but he stopped after a moment, seized by a violent fit of coughing. No longer dizzy, Sofie bolted for the door. His hand snaked out and grabbed a brutal fistful of her hair.

      
"Damn you, let me go."
 
She spun around, punching and slapping, clawing at his hood. The back of his hand smashed into her face and flung her to the floor.

      
"See what you did?" He yanked off the hood.

      
Struggling to her feet, Sofie stared in horror. The man's scars were grotesque, his mouth twisted into a permanent snarl. If he weren't so vile and cruel, she would have chastised herself for her reaction. When she'd dressed his burns back in Redemption, she had no idea....

      
"Who are you?" she whispered again, biting back her rising terror. "Why are you doing this?"

      
"Carlton V. Graham," he said, leaning against the closed door and holding his chest. "Warden of this brand new federal penitentiary."
 
He barked a derisive laugh. "Dispensing justice one...last...time."

      
Sofie shook her head, trying to sort through the man's crazy explanation. "This mountain was a prison and you were the warden?"

      
"I
am
the warden."
 
Continuing to rub his chest with one gloved hand, he pulled the hood in place again with the other. "The first, the last...and the only warden."

      
Okay, so the guy had a motive for his demented behavior. He was obsessed. "I still don't understand why you're trying to hurt me."

      
"You caused this."
 
He held his hands toward her, palms up. "You and your terrorist friends."

      
"Terrorist?" Sofie pressed down on the top of her head, trying to remember more. "No, I'm a doctor."

      
"Think so?" Obviously struggling to regain control of his rage, he picked up a length of rope and told her to turn around.

      
Sofie weighed her options. There was only one exit, and The Incredible Hulk wasn't about to let her leave. Would Luke know where she'd gone, or would he believe she'd left him?

      
The mere thought of hurting him brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. She would not show weakness.

      
"You still haven't told me why you kidnapped me," she said, holding her head high. "Why?"

      
"He'll come for you."

      
"Oh, God."
 
Sofie swallowed hard, hope and fear mingling into a new, undefinable emotion. Luke would come for her. "You left a note."

      
"Of course."
 
Graham pushed her shoulder until she turned her back to him, then he tied her wrists together. "Nolan will come soon."

      
"Don't hurt him."
 
No longer able to hold back her tears, they spilled silently down her cheeks in scalding streams. "Please, don't hurt him."

      
"Your lover is a murderer."

      
"No."
 
Sofie turned quickly to face the man. "No, he can't be a murderer. Besides, he was inno–"

      
"He claims innocence."
 
Graham grabbed Sofie's upper arms in a bruising grip. "Nolan was found with the proverbial smoking gun. He was guilty all right."

      
"No."
 
Her gentle Luke would never kill anyone. She couldn't accept that. "You're mistaken."

      
"So
you
say."
 
Graham released her arms and moved to the door, turning to face her again with his hand on the knob. "For eleven years, I waited to see justice done. Eleven years..."

      
"He was waiting for justice, too," Sofie whispered. "Real justice."

      
"I postponed my retirement to see Nolan fry."

      
Fry? Sofie swayed, trying to understand. Realization made her stagger. She looked at Graham, finally comprehending where they were, and what the so-called electrical experiment had really been. "Oh, my God."

      
Graham clenched his fist, staring beyond her at something only he could see. "Six times, he was granted a last minute stay of execution."
 
He met her gaze again. "Much more mercy than he showed his victim."

      
"Luke is innocent."
 
Sofie's voice caught in her throat, but she refused to shed more tears. "He's innocent."

      
"Guilty."
 
The warden shook his fist upward. "And I
will
carry out his sentence. It's my duty."

      
"Just let us go."
 
Sofie cleared her throat. "It's 1891. Nobody cares."

      
"I care."

      
"Please, don't–"

      
"Do you remember how he looked that morning?" The maniacal gleam in Graham's eyes intensified. "They shaved all the hair off his body and head, then restrained him in the chair."

      
The warden's words coincided with Sofie's fractured memories. Her stomach lurched as she remembered the terror in Luke's eyes. "I remember," she whispered. "My God, I remember."

      
"This prison was high tech all the way."
 
Graham looked around and sighed. "You and your friends ruined it all."

      
"What friends?" She drew a deep breath, wishing she could use her hands to push her hair out of her eyes. "You keep blaming me for this, but I'm–"

      
"Responsible for this injustice."
 
The warden's voice fell to a whisper. "Terrorist."

      
"I don't understand."
 
Tears burned her eyes again. "I just don't understand."

      
"Justice is all that matters."
 
He opened the door, looking back over his shoulder once more. "You don't need to understand anything but that."

      
He reached behind him and grabbed the lantern, then left her in total darkness.

      
She bowed her head. "Please, don't let Luke come after me."