Chapter 25
tweNty-fiVe
MY GUT WAS CHURNING and I knew my vitals were all over the place. I struggled to calm down. This was just another day in the life of a worker bee. A drone, flying under the radar. Nothing to see here.
I smiled at Summer as I walked through the door, but it was too large and brittle.
I backed it off a bit and gave Hector, one of the other security guards, a nod.
He smiled back, wrinkles creasing the skin around his eyes.
He was friendlier and seemed lighter than Patrick.
Not as sunny as Summer, but still easygoing.
Summer invited me to lunch, but I begged off with the same excuse I'd used with Patrick the day before. Like him, she didn't question it.
It was approaching four-thirty in the afternoon when I found it. Buried deep in the folder system of an unrelated project. I plugged in a thumb drive and copied the whole thing. I could look through it later. At home. Safe with Quin.
My nerves were jittery the entire thirty minutes until five. I made a few notes in a file, paying lip service to doing my job. If the files contained the information we needed—I needed—I didn't plan on coming back.
I dropped the thumb drive deep in my purse, gathered my things and headed outside. The car door was open, my purse thrown across to the passenger seat, and one foot inside when I heard rushing steps. I turned to see Hector, a wide smile on his face.
"Ms. Ward, I'm glad I caught you. The tech guy wants to do something with your access card. Can you come back inside for a minute?"
A zing of fear ran up my spine. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no, no. Nothing like that. He thinks Summer got it right enough to work, but messed up some detail he needs to fix."
I relaxed. This was Hector, after all. He made dad jokes in Spanish that none of us understood, then laughed like we'd all gotten the punchline.
"Sure," I answered as I closed the car door and hit the locks on my key fob.
I kept my security badge clipped to my top, so my purse and the precious cargo inside could stay safely in the car.
My heart rate sped up as we walked a long hallway, past the door to the IT part of the building. "Where...?"
"Oh, he wanted me to bring you to the server room. It's just back here."
He held open one side of a set of double doors, waving me through. Inside was a seating area with two couches and a low coffee table. As soon as I heard the door click shut behind me he wrapped me in a bear hug and pinned my arms at my sides. I kicked as hard as I could.
"None of that now. Be a good girl and you'll be on your way al tiro."
I settled, but not because he told me to. I had no idea what was about to happen, and I wanted to conserve my energy. I couldn't reach my pendant, but the moment he released my arms I would send the signal and Bacon would send the cavalry.
"What are you doing? What's going on?"
Justin Beringer's voice answered. "We're just conducting an update for Trial 55B."
I tried to turn my head to see him, but he was behind us and I wasn't an owl. I played dumb. "55B?"
"Have you not found it yet? We know you found 54B. I assumed you'd go hunting for the iteration. It was the next logical step."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do, but no matter." He moved in front of us and took a seat on the couch.
He seemed to study me for a moment. Hector held me immobile and I felt like a fly in a spider's web.
"If you can behave, you can sit and talk like the professional I know you are.
" He waved to the other couch. "If not, then I'm afraid you'll remain restrained.
I thought about the pendant. Anything to have my arms freed. "Of course I can speak with you like a professional. I'd like to know what's going on."
A nod from Justin and Hector released me. I straightened my shirt and made a show of smoothing the front as I moved to the couch, which hid the movement of me tapping the pendant. By the time I sat down, it was done.
I waited for Justin to speak. I wanted to claw his eyes out. Spew curses at him for violating consent in such horrible ways. But I managed to hold my tongue.
"I imagine you think me a monster, if you read any of the files in 54B."
He settled one ankle on his opposite knee and relaxed into the couch cushions, infuriating me further.
"There were egregious ethical violations, not to mention deficits in protocol, and a lack of oversight."
He tilted his head. "I would think you'd have more of a problem with the lack of consent."
"I thought I covered that by saying egregious ethical violations." Not the smartest move to clap back, but even I could only hold my tongue for so long.
Justin laughed. "So you did." He sighed. "You are a rare gem, Haven Ward. I do so hope we can continue to work together."
Not a chance in hell. "On what, exactly?"
A fingertip tapped his bottom lip as he hummed in thought. "You honestly haven't seen 55B, have you?"
"No, I have not." It was the truth, but one I regretted at that moment. Just how bad was Trial 55B?
"Have you met one of our wyrfangs?"
"Is that what you call them?" Don't react. Act dumb. "The creatures in the 54B photos?"
His lips pursed before he tsked. "And we were doing so well. Don't start lying now. We have to have the truth. We have to know if our efforts have been successful, the same as any trial we run. Have you been in contact with them?"
"I don't know how you want me to answer that, given you haven't confirmed you're talking about the creatures in the original trial."
He jerked forward and hissed, "Yes, the creatures in the photos. Have. You. Met. One?"
I tried to relax, but every muscle had tensed at his quick movement. "No."
He sat back and gave me a sarcastic, sad look.
"That's disappointing. I hoped you would approach this scientifically, that you'd be eager to explore what we've been able to accomplish.
" He tilted his head. "But I don't quite believe you.
I think you have met one. Spare yourself what comes next.
Help me return them where they belong, and I'd be willing to let you go. "
"You're delusional." I added a shake of my head to my Oscar-level performance.
"I fought for your life, you know. Kevin was only supposed to watch you.
Report if you made contact with a wyrfang.
" Justin sighed. "He decided on his own that you were an abomination that needed to be killed.
When he disappeared, the principal wanted you eliminated.
Too much of a risk, they said. I convinced them to wait, to give it a bit more time.
" He shook his head like I'd disappointed him.
"I think you're lying. At the very least, you're hiding something.
Why else would you go digging through the files? "
I kept my lips sealed tight.
His eyes rose to Hector, still standing behind me. "Get the truth. If she's bonded, we may still be able to use her."
Hector's chuckle turned my blood to ice.
Justin's last words as he turned and left the room were, "Get creative."
My breath sawed in and out of my chest, fear coursing through my veins. I felt like a squirrel in the middle of oncoming traffic. I didn't know which way to run.
Hector took the choice from me. He grabbed my biceps and hauled me upright, then walked me to a metal chair in the corner. He pushed me into it and tied my hands behind my back, and zip-tied my ankles to the chair legs. I tugged, but I was trapped.
I shivered as he ran a finger along the nape of my neck.
"You are so beautiful, and so stupid. You should have told him what he wanted."
"I don't know anything!"
"We'll see."
He ripped open my blouse, exposing my upper back and left shoulder. I screamed. From behind me, I heard Hector's chuckle. The same sound I'd thought of as cheerful, now sounded evil.
"Are you willing to answer his questions now?"
I steeled my spine. If he thought I would cave after having my shirt ripped, he was in for a surprise.
"Ah, a fighter. Good. I hate when they start to whine so quickly. Let's see if this loosens your tongue."
The acrid smell of chemicals and the hiss of liquid were the only warning I had before pain exploded.
A lick of fire traced a path across my back.
It felt like my flesh was peeling from my body.
The pain continued, boring deeper. I clamped my teeth on the side of my tongue.
I was determined not to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream, but I couldn't contain the whimpers.
"Still no? I hate to mar this pretty skin, but the boss wants answers." He sighed like he was sorry. He wasn't. His tone was the same as a kid choosing candy in a store.
Another spill of fire, this one creeping across my shoulder blades and down onto the back of my arm.
The scream tore from my throat, the pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced.
I couldn't escape the chewing sensation as it crept along my skin.
I yanked at the ties on my wrists and ankles, but they held fast.
"Working for a lab makes sourcing acids convenient. This one is a nasty variant I cooked up myself. The pain worsens. The sooner you talk, the sooner I can make it stop."
I slumped as far forward over my legs as I could, despite it revealing more of my back. I would hold out. I had to hold out. The cavalry was coming. But I wasn't sure how much more I could take.
As pain overtook my consciousness and the world faded to black, I wondered if they'd reach me in time.