Chapter 12
The bright fluorescent lights of the Andloor Capitol building were fortunately muted by Esmie’s sunglasses.
Her eye prickled as if sensing the anxiety they each carried while they filed into the small hallway.
Sweat beaded along her hairline and trickled down her back.
Esmie kept her eyes to the ground, although she wanted to stare and take in her new surroundings.
White, glossy vinyl with flecks of black met her gaze.
The brightness of the hallway mixed with the many different groups of people walking by, set her on edge.
She felt exposed even though she was sandwiched between her brother and Samson behind her. Thinking of him made her cheeks warm.
Leo stopped, giving Esmie a chance to glance around.
They were now in a large open room with a tall glass window wall opposite them, inlaid with glass doors, facing a street view.
The ceiling was several stories above their heads.
Metal detectors sounded. People filtered in, chatting in low voices, except for the security guard who yelled “Next!” every so often. Esmie guessed this was the atrium.
“State your business.” A voice droned. Esmie dropped her throbbing head, her desire to scratch engulfed her entire body.
“Leo and Samson returning with a guest.” Leo flashed his badge and lowered his voice on the word ‘guest’. Samson also flashed his badge.
The voice snorted. “Have fun.” Samson grabbed Esmie by the elbow and shoved her forward.
“Hey,” she snapped at him.
“Shut up and move,” Samson snapped back.
She ground her teeth. When they said they would be rough with her, she thought it was a turn-of-phrase.
Even if they did have to make it believable.
Leo steered them to an elevator bank at the back of the atrium.
He waited for everyone else to board, insisting they could wait for another elevator.
When they were able to get into one alone, he quickly boarded, yanking Esmie inside then he jammed the button to close the doors before someone else entered.
“Could you be any more rough?” Esmie hissed at them.
“No talking,” Leo responded, his dark eyebrows raised and his green eyes pierced her with a look to shut up.
Esmie pressed her lips together, forcing her eyes to stay on the white vinyl floor reflecting the gold trim of the walls of the elevator.
Apparently, they weren’t out of the woods yet.
The elevator dinged with each level as a cool female voice announced the floors.
At the eleventh floor, the doors swished open.
Leo picked up his pace, guiding them through hallways with Samson keeping up, forcing Esmie to practically jog to avoid Samson bumping into her, the heat from his firm body consuming her thoughts, causing her to trip a few times.
Several times her thoughts strayed to wonder what would happen if she did accidentally fall behind, forcing him to bump into her.
Was his body as firm as it looked? From the way his button-down gray shirt and black slacks hugged his body, she would take a bet his body was a firm as it appeared, although maybe she should chance it to be sure.
She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to play the ‘bump into your crush’ game.
By the time they reached the end of what felt like the hundredth long hallway, where a beechnut-colored door with a keycard access sat on the right-hand side, Esmie was huffing.
Her entire body prickled, wanting to be scratched.
As soon as they entered, she was going to rip off the hoodie.
A small, glass plaque with alphanumeric characters stated 11L25 in glowing red letters hung on the right side of the door.
Leo swiped and entered. Samson and Esmie rushed inside after him.
The door shut with a click. They were plunged into darkness.
A moment later, a single lamp light clicked on.
Computers stationed on a large countertop in the middle of the room, hummed to life.
The back wall sported another counter with cabinets above and below.
“Sorry for keeping you in the dark, we can’t make anyone aware we’re in here. It’s one of the few offices without video and computer monitoring,” Leo said, jumping onto a swiveling stool. He scooted up to a computer, clacking away at the keys.
“Can I check your eye?” Samson appeared next to Esmie who jumped.
He placed a hand over the grin on his face.
She rolled her eyes, brushing the hood off her head and removing the sunglasses, jamming them into her pocket.
The dim room was actually a nice change from all the bright lights, especially for her head and eye.
“Come this way.” Samson uncuffed her then gently guided her toward a chair that looked like a dentist’s chair at the far end of the room.
The lamp glowed in her face as she lay down.
Esmie rubbed at her wrists. Some skin flaked off.
Were the cuffs that tight? They were uncomfortable but she didn’t remember them rubbing her wrong.
“It’s not pretty to look at.” Esmie wanted to shy away as Samson peered at her eye.
What a first impression. They couldn’t have met on better terms last night before she had this crazy thing on her face.
She sobered at the thought. Would a man ever look at her the same again?
No, she couldn’t bear it. Her heart fluttered at the thought of having to deal with this for the rest of her life.
A warm hand covered her balled up one at her side.
“Don’t worry. Your brother has a brilliant mind.
Together, we’ll figure this out.” Samson reassured her.
He smelled like a cologne she liked. One with white musk cedarwood, and vanilla.
She only knew the scent profile because she looked it up after she smelled it on a guy, she found attractive at school.
It smelled much better on Samson. Esmie wanted to inhale his scent more, but she already had been weird enough with this interaction.
“Thanks,” she mumbled to cover her embarrassment. “How’s it looking?”
“Well, I didn’t see what it looked like before, but from what he told me, I think it’s grown.”
“Really?” Esmie pushed up from the chair, searching for a mirror.
Samson handed her one lying on the counter behind him.
He was right. The purple had increased its space on her face to covering her whole eye, from the top of her cheekbone to the bridge of her nose and finishing with a swipe toward the side of her hairline as if painted on with a brush that pulled away quickly.
“You look ready for battle.” Samson grinned.
Esmie dropped the mirror and placed a hand on her hip. “Mentiroso. It looks awful.”
“I don’t know, I kind of like it. It complements the green in your eyes.” Esmie blushed at Samson’s intense stare as he assessed her face. She raked a hand through her hair, pulling several hairs out. Not one to shed a lot of hair, she stared at them, wrinkling her nose.
A loud ringing filled her right ear. She crouched on the ground covering it as it increased in intensity.
When the ringing let up, voices replaced it.
Lots of different voices. Too many. Esmie stared around, her vision in her right eye focusing then unfocusing.
Figures appeared in the distance, some walking, some seated.
She closed her eyes, grabbing the sides of her head which pounded.
“Quick, set her back in the chair, we need to inject her now.” Leo’s voice sounded far away.
“Inject me with what? I don’t want to be injected.
I hate needles.” Esmie attempted to crawl away.
Samson came up behind her and scooped her up in his strong arms. The momentum made the room spin, and Esmie grabbed her head again, willing the world to stop moving.
Her stomach didn’t respond kindly to the sudden movement.
“I’m sorry, but we have to. It’s the only way to save your life.
” Samson placed her back in the chair. Esmie squirmed but Samson pinned her arms to the chair rests, several more hairs stuck in her fingernails.
She glared at him yet the expression on his face was filled with fear instead of the all-business tone he had carried. “Where’s the serum? She needs it now.”
“I’m trying. I wasn’t sure of the dosage.” Leo scrambled around, pulling a needle from the drawer and a glass bottle filled with blue liquid.
“Doesn’t matter, we can worry about that later. We don’t have much time.” Samson commanded.
“Much time for what? What’s going on? What are you injecting me with?” Esmie tried to fight against him, but Samson kept a firm grip on her arms.
“Quita, I’ll explain later. I promise.” Leo approached her, his hand hovering over the cap on the needle.
Esmie kicked at his hand. The needle fell and he swore, searching for it in the darkened room.
Samson loosened his grip due to the commotion which allowed Esmie to slide away.
Her triumph was short lived when her feet hit the floor.
Searing hot pain flashed across her face.
She stumbled, grasping at anything to right herself up.
The counter was the closest, but before she could gather herself, she retched into the sink within the counter.
How gross. She swayed in place trying to move away but another flash brought her to her knees. Esmie groaned in pain.
“Leo, throw me the needle! She’s only got a few minutes before it’s too late for the serum to work.
” Samson snaked an arm around her waist. He yanked off the hoodie, exposing her skin in only a tank top.
Esmie stared at the skin on her arms, the first layer completely sloughing off with little effort.
“What’s happening to me?” Esmie cried. Samson sat on the floor behind Esmie, wrapped his legs around her, pinning her legs down. If she wasn’t so scared and disoriented, she would have enjoyed the action more. It was the most she’d had in a while.
“Sorry hun, this is going to hurt.” In a swift motion, Samson jammed the needle into the back of her arm, pressing down on the plunge.
Esmie screamed as hot liquid poured into her.
Her whole body seized up, going rigid. The hot turned into a gentle warmth that spread throughout her body.
The air shifted around Samson. At least she thought it had.
Was he glowing? She couldn’t tell for sure as everything got fuzzy.
Samson stroked her hair whispering, “It’s going to be okay.
” What a romantic thing to do to a girl he barely knew. If only her hair wasn’t falling out.
It was her last thought before she passed out.