"I heard someone thumping and carrying on and went to go look," Yani returned, muffled.  "What call they got to go locking people up around here?"

Raven-sensei threw up his hands and clenched his teeth.  "Oh, my Lord Auditor will not love this."  He bent to the lock.

Lord Mark stood back, drawing a businesslike stunner from his black jacket.  Miss Koudelka didn't get behind him, but rather, circled to cover another angle, hitching her shoulders and flexing her hands and suddenly looking very athletic.

A tense pause, and the door fell open.

Yani stumbled out, swearing.  He looked rumpled and wild, with a big bruise on his forehead and dried blood around his nose.

Raven-sensei peered within.  "Crap.  Gone!"

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

As Roic drove them into the underground garage, Miles flinched at the sight of the mob clustered around the open door of the office where they'd left their prisoners.  His eye skipped to the empty space across the concrete where the captured NewEgypt van had been parked—and widened, when he spotted the sleek blond head bobbing above the dark ones.  He didn't even need to look down to know who he'd see standing level with her shoulder.

"What t' hell?" said Roic, pulling to a halt.  "What's Miss Kareen doing here?"

"Trailing my brother, no doubt.  What I want to know is what the hell Mark is doing here."

They disembarked, and Miles shouldered swiftly through the gawkers to stare into the barren office.  But even his best Auditorial glare couldn't make Hans and Oki magically reappear.  Not that he wanted them, exactly . . .  He turned to sort out Tenbury and Raven, Mark and Kareen, Consul Vorlynkin, Jin jittering at his elbow pouring out the escape tale in a rapid high voice, and battered old Yani, looking something between irate and contrite.  But no worse, thank God, and by his complaints still oblivious to his close encounter with one of Kibou-daini's shadier death angels.

"How long ago did this happen?" Miles tried to cut to the essentials.

"Very soon after you left, at a guess," said Raven ruefully.  "I'm afraid I under-medicated.  Sorry . . ."

Miles waved a hand, in understanding if not absolution.  "So they've been gone at least two hours, maybe almost three.  Plenty of time to get home.  Or somewhere."