What if he’s poisoning me? Does it matter? No.
“Oh… wow.” I try to suppress my gag reflex, which is odd because I’ve never had much of one until this tea coatedmy throat. He’s making me drink his diarrhea. That’s the only explanation for what’s in the cup. “What is this?”
“Herbs. Mushrooms.”
The soft hum of a motor sounds, followed by deeper grinding sounds. Straining my neck, I catch a glimpse of him shoving carrots into a juicer. After a minute or so, he turns it off and glances back over his shoulder.
“Finish tea?”
My nose scrunches. “Not yet.”
“Finish.”
I imagined bacon and eggs, maybe fresh squeezed orange juice, tea with sugar. But this? This is torture. My stomach will not approve of this liquid waste. However, for reasons I can’t understand, I finish the tea with one big gulp.
Don’t gag!
“Good.” He hands me a tall glass of carrot juice.
I’ve never had plain carrot juice, but anything—an-y-thing—is better than that tea.
“Slowly.”
I cease my gulping.
“Chew it.”
I frown. What does that mean? Chew the juice?
Yimin takes a sip of his drink and swishes it a bit then swallows. “Chewing. Assimilating. Digestion starts in your mouth.”
“Are you a doctor?”
He shakes his head. Ichewmy juice.
“What do you do?” I ask.
“I live.”
“I live” is not an answer, until I think about it. Maybe it’s the perfect answer.
“I guess it’s better than the alternative.” I shrug.
Yimin eyes me, and he then nods slowly. “Mr. Moore should not have let you stay with Mr. Reed. He carries a negative energy. It’s not good for you.”
I laugh. Negative energy from Theodore Reed? Why ever would anyone think that? “No need to worry about it. I don’t think his negative energy will kill me.”
It’s impossible to escape Yimin’s gaze. His look makes me feel like he knows more about me than I do.IsTheo’s negative energy going to kill me? Or just his bare hands wrapped around my neck?
“Do you think he’s dangerous?”
Yimin nods.
Well, shit! I didn’t expect that. In spite of the Nellie and Harold incident, I trusted Nolan to not put me in danger. Clearly my circumstance in life has affected my judgment and all instinct for self-preservation.
“Do you know why he’s dangerous?”
“He doesn’t value life.”
