After all, he hadn’t gone into the passageways. In all this, he was the only real innocent. Trish felt guilty just looking at him—although some of her guilt was ameliorated by the burn in her bottom. She’d already paid for what she’d done, and Bella was paying now, too.
As if responding to Trish’s mental plea, Alex stirred. The Wolf and Jordan ceased their conversation, which hadn’t been very interesting, anyway, and Trish made sure not to move her feet as she leaned forward. Jordan’s hand dropped down to her bottom and squeezed in warning. Unlike the swat, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and Trish flushed a little as his hand ended the squeeze with a caress before returning to her waist.
Alex lifted his head, blinking and looking confused.
“Ah… Toy’s awake.” The Wolf’s tone was satisfied but also threaded through with curiosity.
The Wolf, Jordan, Trace, and Coraall seemed like they were hoping the memory drug hadn’t worked at all, even thoughDr. Margolis had told them it would take some time for their antidote to counter it. Alex’s head swiveled, the unfocused look in his eyes clearing as he glanced around.
“How do you feel, Toy?” The Wolf leaned forward on his desk as he studied Alex. Beside Trish, Jordan was tense, also studying the man. Jordan and the Wolf had a bet over whether Alex or Bella would be the one to recover their memory—Dr. Margolis had told them personality would be a factor in throwing off the effects of the drug—and Jordan had bet on Alex.
“What did you do to me?” Alex pushed himself up into a sitting position. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Where’s Bella?”
So, he remembered something, at least.
The Wolf smiled. “You’re testing a drug for us—newly acquired in fact. Although, it’s not exactly a new drug, just a revised version that was scheduled to go to the Moon.”
“I don’t… I can’t…” Alex wrinkled his forehead, and Trish realized she was holding her breath while she waited to see what Alex remembered. His expression remained confused, wary, worried… and then he glared at the Wolf, clenching his fists at his sides. Trish glanced up at Jordan, who still looked hopeful.
Alex pushed aside his confusion and focused on the one thing that was most important to him. “Where’s Bella?”
He’d barely glanced at Trish—not that she’d expected him to. When it came to their captivity, she was the third wheel of the hostage situation. She didn’t blame Alex and Bella—not really—butit was still a lonely place to be. No wonder Trish found herself searching for connections with Earthers like Laura and Trix, and this moment had brought that home to her in a very real way. Here she was worrying about Alex, whereas she was barely a blip on his mind, even while she stood right in front of him.
“Pet was very, very bad,” the Wolf said carefully, and Trish got the impression he was testing Alex, hoping to prod something loose in his mind. “So, I’ve sent her to the Doctor to see if he can’t cure her of that.”
The upset and panic on Alex’s face increased, his brow wrinkling as he tried to figure out what was going on. “What did she do?”
The Wolf sighed and leaned back in his chair, shooting a glance at Jordan, who shrugged in disappointment. They both looked disappointed, and it made Trish want to laugh. They might be feared warriors, powerful men, and yet, right now, they looked like little boys denied something they wanted.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” the Wolf asked, rather than Alex.
Alex’s jaw clenched, but he did the smart thing and answered the question, which relieved Trish. She really didn’t want to watch him be punished for not answering the Wolf’s questions just because the Wolf wasn’t answering his.
“Bella needed to tell me something, and we were going back to the room,” Alex said coolly.
The Wolf looked at Jordan. “So, Margolis judged the amount correctly; that’s good.” He turned back to Alex, piercing him with his dark gaze. “You don’t remember anything about what she wanted to tell you?”
Alex probably wouldn’t admit it if he did, but the obvious frustration on his face made it clear he didn’t.
How this would fit into the Wolf’s plans, Trish wasn’t sure, but he didn’t look beaten. Jordan was more disappointed than the Wolf because he hadn’t won the bet immediately, though Dr. Margolis had warned them it would take some time.
Impatient males.
The thought shouldn’t have made her smile, but it almost did. It was almost even… fond. Trish needed help. Or choicesfor company that weren’t complicit in her current position, but, since none of those were available, could she blame herself for occasionally slipping and starting to feel as though all this were normal? After all, it was her reality.
She squeaked as Jordan picked her up and secured her arms around his neck to take some of the pressure off her bottom and the backs of her thighs against his arms. It wasn’t a sharp hurt, but Trish was sore, and the more weight on those areas, the more uncomfortable she was.
“Go.” The Wolf gave them a little wave, his eyes lifting to the guards by the door. “The room is open again. Send someone to find Cora.”
As Jordan strode toward the door, Trish glanced back over her shoulder to see Alex still sitting there, staring at the ground in front of him, fists clenched, his brow furrowed as he tried to force his memories back into place.
4
Carrying Trish was a good way to let everyone know Jordan was off duty. Anyone approaching him now had better have a real emergency at hand.
That didn’t stop Trish from bombarding him with questions as soon as they were out of the main room. He was always amused by the cautious tone in her voice whenever she questioned him. Not that he’d ever tried to stop her from doing so, but she was a cautious thing. Thoughtful. Careful. A planner—like him in a lot of ways.
It pleased him. Jordan would have hated to have had to punish her as harshly as Margolis would be dealing with Bella. When Trish had turned away from the passageway in his room, he’d been relieved she hadn’t felt desperate enough to take the first opportunity of escape, and pleased at her intelligence in waiting, so he’d included a reward in her punishment, which had been much more enjoyable to him, as well.
