Chapter 9 Gamete Transport and Fertilization
GAMETE TRANSPORT AND FERTILIZATION
*Samantha*
I didn’t even finish hanging up the phone before I texted Tara.
Sam: Come to the lobby. Kristiansen the Elder wants to see me. Can you be here in five? I’ll let you in.
My compulsion to use humor wherever possible demanded that I include an emoji. Tara responded with a thumbs-up less than thirty seconds later. I pocked my phone, squared my shoulders, and tried to remember every breathing exercise I’d ever learned in thirteen years of therapy.
This was it, a showdown. The sequel nobody asked for but the universe, in its infinite sense of humor, had green-lit anyway.
On my way out of the office, I made a point of passing the coffee lounge and swiping the free mini-donuts on the counter, because if I was going to face Tobias again, I wanted to be heavily fortified by fried dough and sugar.
I also considered taking the elevator, but decided to walk the stairs for the sake of dispelling my nervousness.
Four flights down, my heart was pounding out a bossa nova in my chest and I had to stop, lean against the stairwell wall, and check my phone to see if Tara had replied with anything new.
She hadn’t, but as I rounded the last flight to the lobby, my phone buzzed. It was her.
Tara: Andreas doesn’t want you to meet with Tobias.
I stopped short, reread the line three times. Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I immediately typed a reply.
Sam: I’m meeting him. Please come to the building and I’ll let you in. I want you with me.
My finger hovered over the send button for half a second, but then I hit it. The message was direct and honest. A second later my phone buzzed.
Tara: Okay. On my way.
I slipped the phone into my pocket, trying to ignore the simmer of annoyance in my gut. Maybe Andreas had good reasons for wanting me to avoid Tobias. But he hadn’t communicated them to me clearly. I saw no reason why meeting Tobias would be risky, especially with Tara present.
And if I was ever going to get closure on what happened to my dad—or even just a scrap of information that I could chew on—this was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.
I reached the glass doors that separated the lobby from the second badge-access area and stepped to the side, hiding myself from the main area.
Through the doors, I spied Tobias waiting near some midcentury modern couches with the exact same bored expression as last time, except now he was scrolling through his phone and occasionally looking up to glare at the security guard on duty behind the desk.
He wore a suit that was only slightly less well-tailored than Andreas’s but made up for the sloppiness by being a loud shade of periwinkle.
I watched him for a second, and used the time to remind myself that Tobias Kristiansen was not the real threat.
His mind games wouldn’t work on me. He could threaten and cajole and I would remain unshakable.
Unlike Henrik—who was unpredictable and unhinged—Tobias’s penchant for manipulation seemed to stick to the established playbook of following up threats with behind-the-scenes machinations.
Which meant that if I could just get him talking, he might let slip something useful about my father’s fraud case.
Tobias walked over to the security guard and said something. The guard stood and gestured for Tobias to follow. I assumed they were heading to the same private area where we’d met the last time he’d paid me a visit.
Movement outside the building caught my eye. Tara pulled up at the curb and parked in a space that definitely wasn’t legal. Seemingly unperturbed, she strode across the sidewalk. Making eye contact with me through the glass, she nodded once and waited for me to open the door.
I pushed open the second access door and jogged across the lobby to open the main entrance for Tara. She stepped in, pulled off her gloves, and eyed the scene like a SWAT team leader prepping to breach.
“You want me in the room?” she asked, voice low and calm.
“Definitely,” I said, matching her volume. “You can punch him if he tries anything.”
She grinned, and the energy in the lobby shifted in my favor.
I led her down the corridor to the side office where I’d met with Tobias previously, and we passed the security guard on the way. He didn’t give us so much as a double take. It was like stepping into a time capsule of discomfort.
Tobias turned as we entered, and his eyes flicked over Tara, then back to me. “Bringing body doubles everywhere you go now?” he asked, his voice sliding off the vowels like they’d personally offended him.
“Actually, yes,” I said, seeing no reason to sit down. “What do you want?”
He shrugged, then set his phone on the table in the middle of the room and crossed his arms. “It seems you didn’t take my advice last time. Have you forgotten? I can make the rest of your academic career very, very uncomfortable.”
I almost laughed, it was such a weak opening gambit. “How very innovative. This is the same threat you made last time, and see how well that went?”
He leaned back on his heels, lips twisting. “You don’t think I’ll do it?”
“I don’t think it’ll be any more effective this time,” I said, deadpan, channeling the ghost of every grad school office hour I’d ever attended.
His face didn’t change, but his eyes narrowed a little. “I haven’t done anything yet. Don’t test me. One phone call is all it takes.”
This tripped me up. I was under the impression that Tobias had already made the phone call, already twisted the arms and greased the wheels that got Dr. Hauser’s funding frozen. So why the veiled threat again? Why not just say, “I did it. Here’s what you get if you don’t play nice”?
Unless there was more leverage he could apply . . . ? Or maybe Tobias was just fishing for a reaction. I was about to confront him when he withdrew an envelope from his inside pocket and placed it on the table next to his phone.
I rolled my eyes so hard I worried I might detach a retina. “Are these more pictures of me with Andreas? Are you making us a photo album for our wedding?”
Tobias’s mouth twitched. “This envelope contains a contract you might find interesting, but I do have some new pictures, from last week. I believe my younger brother paid you a visit, yes?”
I froze. Henrik.
The name landed like a barbell on my chest. Suddenly the world was too bright and every sound felt amplified, like my ears were trying to track every molecule in the room. Tara must have noticed because she shifted her weight next to me, shoulders tensing as if to intercept a thrown punch.
I managed to speak, but it came out hoarse. “Did you put Henrik up to that?”
Tobias shook his head, lips curling with what I assumed was mock disgust. “No one puts Henrik up to things. He has his little hobbies, and fucks things up all on his own.”
The envelope sat between us like a land mine. I forced myself to look at it, to focus on the reality in front of me rather than the panic mounting in my throat at the reminder of Henrik’s visit.
“What’s the contract for?” I asked, keeping my voice steady only through raw will.
Tobias didn’t touch the envelope, but he tapped the table next to it. “I can get Henrik under control, but I want control of my father’s shares. I know about the addendum.” His eyes crawled over me, evaluating. “Are you already pregnant? Henrik said he didn’t think so, not yet anyway.”
The blood in my body stopped moving. “What is the contract for?” I repeated.
He drummed his fingers on the table. “Walk away from Andreas, from our family, and I will make it worth your while. You could start your own company with the amount I’m offering you.”
“That’s what’s in the envelope?” I said, letting the disbelief saturate my tone. “You’re trying to pay me off so I’ll leave Andreas?”
“That’s an ugly way to put it, but yes,” he said, not the least bit abashed.
I looked at Tara. She watched Tobias with a mixture of obvious professional disdain and plain personal contempt.
I turned back to Tobias. “I’m not interested.”
He shrugged, like he didn’t expect me to say yes anyway. “Don’t blame me if Henrik’s clumsiness makes you lose something precious.” His voice had gone soft and creepy.
I took a step back, my body demanding that I escape. “This conversation is over.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I turned, grabbed Tara’s sleeve, and practically ran for the door. Behind us, Tobias called, “My offer has no expiration date, come to me anytime.”
Once we were around the corner and out of sight, I leaned against a wall and bent my head, trying to regulate my breathing. Damn it! I’d gotten nothing valuable from Tobias. Not a single thing.
Tara placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and asked quietly, “Are you okay?”
I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say I was fine, that none of this fazed me.
But the truth was, the second Henrik’s name came up, my brain stopped working and adrenaline had flooded my body.
I’d meant to pump Tobias for information about the fraud, about the addendum, about what steps he was taking to stake his claim on the shares, but instead I’d let fear short-circuit my entire personality.
Forcing a smile, I pushed away from the wall and shook out my hands. “I’m fine. I should get back to work.”
Tara eyed me for a long moment, then let her hand drop. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to leave. We can go at any time.”
I nodded. And I couldn’t stop the disloyal thought from creeping into my mind. I wish Andreas were here.
* * *
I decided to head home early and take the virtual call with my therapist from the apartment.
There’s a feeling I experienced sometimes, especially after a taxing day, where my thoughts were both tangled and muted, where silence sounded like background static and I wanted to escape it by doing something unproductive but engrossing, like an internet search for my fake fiancé to see if he was trending on the chess subreddit.
Not that I was about to actually do that.