My heart picks up the pace, and I close my eyes and will the intrusive thoughts away.
“Was that you or me?”
Zeth growls in my mind, his voice dark.
“Me. But don’t deny that you liked it.”
That makes me chuckle. He sounds possessive. Obsessed. I love it.
“I won’t deny it. Maybe I’ll let you do that to me later. When we’re finally out of this shithole. Granted we leave the boss’s party with our lives.”
“What happened to a one-time thing?”He’s mocking me, I can feel it. But then he gets serious.“We will leave with our lives. I’ll make sure of it.”
I hear the lab door open again. I sigh and school my face into a neutral expression. I straighten my shoulders, lift my chin, and walk out of the bedroom as I repeat to myself that I am ready, I can do this, I was trained for it, and everything will be fine.
Garrett stands there dressed in an expensive dark suit. He looks me over slowly, his eyes traveling from my toes crammed into the high heels up to my face. He nods approvingly, then motions with his hand for me to walk ahead of him.
I realize I’m not a fan of him expecting me to follow orders. I’ve been doing it for the past week, and I’m getting tired of it.
I step out into the corridor and see Dale and the golem guard waiting for us. They flank me and Garrett as we walk toward the elevator. I can’t believe I’m finally walking out of this place, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to restrain me or throw a bag over my head. The doors to the elevator open, and we all step inside. I watch the numbers climb until we reach the ground floor. The bunker is only three levels underground.
When the doors open, we walk through a hallway toward what looks like a back door. Garrett pushes it open and sunlight floods in, brilliant and blinding after a week underground. I step outside, and the light hits my face so violently that I grunt and stagger backward on the high heels, throwing my hand up to cover my eyes. Spots dance in my vision and I feel dizzy, the world tilting.
Garrett grabs my arm to steady me. Before I can react, Zeth pulls my arm free, effectively yanking it out of Garrett’s grip with more force than I would be capable of. A chill runs through mewhen I realize what just happened. The last thing I need is for Garret to become suspicious of me. It’s not like he trusts me in the first place.
The dizziness is gone, though. Zeth’s strength flows through my body, steadying me on my feet and sharpening my vision. I recover in seconds.
Garrett scowls at me, and I scowl back.
“What did you expect after a week in a bloody basement?”
He studies me for a moment, then inclines his head slightly, acknowledging the point. He waits while I blink rapidly, pretending like my eyes still need to adjust. I have to play the part of the weak, bookish chemist who would definitely not be able to get out of Garret Blanc’s grip if he chose to restrain me. It’s enough that he saw me defend myself against Roman Kyzer. He doesn’t need to know how strong I actually am.
I straighten my spine and start walking again. I take in my surroundings while trying not to look too curious. We’re in the parking lot of a burger joint off the highway. The place is run-down, with a faded sign that’s slightly crooked. A few cars are scattered around the lot.
The burger joint is a front, and the lab is hidden underneath it. Clever.
The fact that they’re letting me see the location means something. I passed their tests, earned their trust, or at least earned Roman’s trust, which doesn’t count for much, since he’s an idiot. I keep my face neutral and don’t let any excitement show. I can’t look too eager or too interested.
Garrett leads me to a black luxury sedan parked near the back. It’s sleek and expensive, with tinted windows. Dale opens the driver’s door and slides in, and the golem gets in the passenger seat, his massive frame filling the space. Garrett opens the back door and gestures for me to get in. I slide across the leather seat, and he gets in beside me.
I can feel Zeth bristling.
“It’s fine,”I reassure him.
Garrett keeps to his side and looks out the window. He maintains distance between us, and at no point does it look like he wants to crowd my space.
“You have nothing to worry about.”I feel like it doesn’t matter what I tell Zeth at this point, he just won’t relax around this guy.
“You’re starting to like him,”Zeth says.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then you’re starting to not hate him.”
I consider his perspective.
“Just because he’s polite doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Let’s not mistake manners for morals.”
