He doesn’t answer, just walks straight past me toward the bedroom. I follow him, confused, and stop in the threshold. My eyes widen. The room has been cleaned out overnight. The bed and dresser are gone, replaced by a long table with chairs arranged around it. It’s been turned into a sort of conference room.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Roman sets down his laptop and papers.
“My father has decided that this new Flame operation is of utmost importance and top secret. I’m to work from here now, so I can keep an eye on you and also make sure no information about the Flame escapes these walls.”
I blink at him. He’s going to work in here? With me? I never saw this coming. The bedroom was never my personal space, just a place to sleep when they locked me in, but I would’ve never guessed their next move would be this.
“But what about the cameras?” I ask.
Roman laughs. “What cameras?”
I frown and look at the ceiling where I know the cameras are positioned. There’s not even one in sight. I turn and walk back into the lab, scanning the corners and ceiling. They’re all gone. Every single camera has been removed.
Roman walks past me and pinches my ass like the idiot that he is.
I sneer at him, but he ignores my reaction.
“Top secret!” he says.
I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose. Roman is already giving me a headache, and the workday hasn’t even started yet. How am I supposed to work when he’s here? He’s driving me crazy.
He looks over my workstation with fake interest.
“Have you started yet? What are you waiting for? Chop-chop.”
I blink at him slowly, staring like he’s the bloody eighth wonder of the world.
“Where’s the Crimson? I thought your father wanted me to turn it into Flame.”
“Change of plans,” Roman says. “The old man decided to sell all that since it was right there and all. You can cook more, right? And turn it into Flame.”
I can’t hide my exasperation.
“What was the point of that? Why sell the Crimson for its regular price when he could’ve waited a few more days and introduced the new drug to the market?”
Roman wags his finger at me.
“Nope, that’s a no-no. You are not to criticize my father’s business decisions. Now, where were we? Ah, right. Chop-chop.” He claps his hands at me.
The gesture positively infuriates me, but Zeth sends a rush of calm through my body before I can snap at Roman. I force a smile and reach for my apron and gloves.
But inside, I’m seething. I’m not criticizing Viktor’s decisions. I’m upset because the Crimson I cooked is now out there on the streets, causing harm. I’d hoped that if I introduced him to the Flame, he’d let me work with what I’d already cooked, and that would delay the drug hitting the streets. By the time the batches of Flame were ready, maybe I’d have something substantive to take the organization down. Now that plan is out the window, not that it was a plan at all, more like a stray shred of hope.
“You couldn’t have known what he would do,”Zeth says in my head.
“This job sucks,”I tell him.“I love it, but it sucks. It comes with a lot of guilt and very little reward.”
“Not to mention the danger,”Zeth adds.
I focus on my work, pulling on my gloves and reaching for the basilisk venom, but the peace doesn’t last. It’s not even ten minutes later when the door to the lab bangs open again.
Lucien and Cesar stroll in, each carrying a laptop and more papers. I cock an eyebrow and observe what’s about to unfold, because I can feel the tension in the room, and I know it’s going to be good. I’m munching on imaginary popcorn.
Roman loses his shit immediately.
“What are you doing here? Get the fuck out. This is my operation. Dad put me in charge of it.”
