Chapter Thirteen – He Takes the Bait
Lyle stepped out of his car and loosened his crooked tie. He had just enjoyed a nice dinner at The Hidden Truth, where he had been "getting to know" another waitress. He'd gotten as far as her name and number. She expected him to call tonight, and he intended to do so.
He entered and turned on the lights with a gloved left hand and was slightly surprised to see Jarod's form on the floor. He knew, at once, that Miss Parker had decided to take action, but refused to believe that she could similarly ensnare him. Lyle moved Jarod's face with a foot and, satisfied that the Pretender was indeed asleep, cuffed his hands behind him. Then he continued with his business.
Jarod stayed asleep the whole night. The sedative, which had been diffused, lasted until morning, keeping him in a light slumber. Lyle looked at him and smirked. "Wake up, pretty boy," he sneered.
The man on the floor moaned as he opened his eyes. "Where am I?" he asked.
Bringing his face very close to Jarod's, Lyle said, "You're with me." He got up again.
He groaned as things clicked and as the act induced a minor headache. He revealed the subject of his thought process in an exhalation: "Miss Parker."
"Yeah," Lyle drawled. "She was supposed to turn you in to The Centre after that plane crashed." He watched Jarod struggle to an upright position. "Oh well. Now I get to do it myself and reap the benefits.
"I am not going back there," the captive snarled.
"Of course you're not," he said vaguely as he pulled out a gun and covered Jarod's head with a hood. There was a sharp intake of breath as Jarod remembered being kidnapped as a child and he panted as he returned to the present. "What's the matter, Jarod?" Lyle asked out of feigned concern. "Are you afraid of the dark?"
There was no response.
Lyle mocked him with false admiration. "Of course not. You're too smart to be scared of the dark." Curious as to what cause the reaction, he asked, "Does the hood remind you of something?"
Once again, Jarod did not deign to respond.
Dismissing the topic, Lyle said, "It doesn't matter." He pushed the gun into Jarod's throat. "Come with me," he instructed as he guided Jarod out of the house, to his car, and into the passenger seat. "You're going home."
After a brief conversation on his cell phone, Broots informed Miss Parker: "My guy on Blythe Street says Mr. Lyle's taken the bait."
Sydney was also with them in Miss Parker's office. "Are you sure this'll work?" he asked.
"My dear brother underestimates both me and Jarod," she responded flatly. "We've got room for mistakes."
The captor and his captor approached the steps that led to The Centre. Feeling with his foot, Jarod never misjudged a step. In a moment of feigned kindness, Lyle held the door open for him and then made up for it by pushing him through when he hesitated.
"Welcome back, Jarod," Lyle said, gesturing the grand lobby the other could not see.
A man who seemed older than his age due to the portable oxygen tank he toted approached them. "What is the meaning of this?"
"The Triumvirate still wants Jarod back, Mr. Raines," Lyle replied in an insolent fashion. "Or has the bounty for his capture been removed without my notice?"
"Take him to SL-14," Raines sibilated. "I'll deal with him later."
"Ah, but I caught him," Lyle reminded. "Or is your memory not so good these days?"
"Fine. Have it your way. You can have him."
"Thank you, Mr. Raines," Lyle sneered. He pulled Jarod by the arm towards an elevator. Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots fell into step behind him. "What do you want?" he asked, irritated.
"I just wanted to offer my congratulations on finally capturing Jarod," Miss Parker answered, not the least sincere. "However did you manage to do it?"
"A few good leads and an overlooked clue can really be useful sometimes," he said, also acting.
"And where, pray tell, did you find these clues?"
Sydney began to hear a heavy breathing and realized Jarod was mad at Miss Parker. "Calm down, Jarod," he said.
Although he could not see the doctor, he managed to face him by pinpointing the source of the voice. "Thanks for the help, Sydney," he growled in a contemptuous tone.
Lyle cryptically remarked to Miss Parker, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
The elevator finished descending and Lyle took Jarod's hood off. The five walked a short distance to an enclosed area guarded by a single Sweeper. The Sweeper unlocked the door, pushed Jarod in, and removed the handcuffs. After the Sweeper got out of the cage, the man inside began pacing and testing the bars.
Lyle began to leave. "Have fun," he said. "I'll see you later."
"Don't worry, Jarod," Sydney said in an attempt to console him. "I'll do what I can to make sure you're in good hands."
Jarod scowled. "I was in perfectly good hands in the outside world: mine."
Miss Parker smirked. "Not good enough." To Sydney and Broots, she said, "Let's go."
The three left. After making sure that Jarod would not be able to break out, Lyle left as well. The Sweeper put on a pair of extremely dark sunglasses yet and after a while, a strobe began flashing intermittently, blinding the Pretender and leaving sparks in his eyes.