Wren
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I move quickly into the office, my heart hammering so hard I can feel it in my throat. I reach for the touchpad and tap it, and relief floods through me when I see Roman is still logged in. He didn’t even lock the screen before storming out.
I pull the USB stick from my bra, but my hands are shaking so badly that I fumble with it. It slips from my fingers and hits the floor with a small clatter.
“Damn it,” I hiss, dropping to my knees to grab it.
Zeth pushes a wave of calm through my body. It spreads from my chest outward, reaching my trembling fingers and steadying them. The shaking stops.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and I stick the USB into the laptop’s port.
My fingers fly across the keyboard as I navigate to copy everything. I don’t know how long I have. If Roman comes back within the next five minutes, I’m done for. But I have to try. Even if I don’t manage to copy all his files, I need to get something. I have to hope it’s enough to bury the Kyzers.
The green loading bar appears on the screen, and I eye the door to the office, which I left cracked open. I tap my fingers on the table, watching that bar creep forward with agonizing slowness. My stomach churns. I feel like I’m going to be sick.
Zeth is silent inside me, but I can feel him tense and just as apprehensive as I am.
The door to the lab opens. I hear footsteps, then the door closes again.
I freeze, every muscle in my body locking up. But I don’t move yet because it doesn’t seem to be Roman. Roman is loud andobnoxious, and when he enters a room, it’s like a tornado sweeps through everything he touches. This isn’t Roman.
Maybe it’s Dale. He usually shuffles and moves slowly, his undead body not built for speed. I check the time on the computer screen and see there’s still another hour until lunch, so it can’t be Dale.
Then a feminine voice comes from the other side of the door.
“Wren? Where are you, darling? I wanted to have a word with you.”
It’s Olivia.
I feel Zeth recoil inside me, twisting himself into knots as if he wants to flee but is trapped. My pulse spikes even higher, if that’s possible.
“Please, not now,”I beg him.“We’re so close. Hang tight, please. I’m here for you.”
Zeth shakes under my skin. I’m starting to feel dizzy from our combined adrenaline, and a sharp pain stabs through my side.
“Zeth, keep it together. You’re hurting me.”
At that, he freezes. He sends another wave of calm through both of us, though I can tell it takes effort. I eye the green bar on the screen. Olivia’s footsteps are getting closer, and the bar is at ninety percent.
Come on, come on.
Just as I hear her steps right outside the office door, the transfer completes. I grab the USB stick and yank it free, shoving it back into my bra. In a fraction of a second, I’m across the room at the espresso machine. I press the button and it whirrs to life, grinding beans with a violent noise.
“In here, Olivia!” I call out, forcing brightness into my voice.
The door swings open and Olivia enters, looking around the office with curiosity. Her gaze sweeps over the room, taking in the conference table and me standing at the espresso machine.
I give her my brightest smile.
“Would you like a cup?” I ask.
Olivia sniffs, her nose in the air, and shakes her head.
“That thing is foul. Put it down, darling, I can’t let you drink such nastiness.” She waves her hand dismissively. “I was actually here to invite you to a cup of coffee, but a decent one, not what my sons gulp down like it’s water.”
I force myself to laugh lightly and turn off the espresso machine. I walk over to Olivia, careful not to even glance at the open laptop behind me. If I don’t look at it, maybe she won’t notice it either. But as I approach her, I feel Zeth’s control slip again. A bead of sweat travels down my spine. I have no choice, though. I need to keep this woman distracted, and Zeth is going to have to deal with the situation.
