“Right,” she answered as she handed the bottle to me. I sat up and took a few sips, ensuring that I didn’t vomit all over her. They stayed down with relative ease, so I guzzled a little more before I capped the bottle.
“Can I see your father?”
“Perhaps you should rest more,” she suggested.
“I’m all right,” I said, eager both to prove my mettle as a scientist to her and to see the cryo chamber. The technology alone was blowing my mind. I couldn’t wait to dive into what had been done by my predecessor.
A momentary pang of fear shot through me. The man here before me–the one who had one all of this–was now dead. Was that bad luck or something more?
“Hey, Nattie…I had a question,” I said, my voice tentative.
“Of course, what is it?”
“The other doctor, the one who did this. How did he die?” I almost didn’t want to hear the answer to this, but better to know what I was getting into, right?
Wrong, apparently.
Nattie shot Nadia a wide-eyed glance, her features twisting with upset. “He was murdered.”
My stomach twisted into a tight knot and suddenly, I wasn’t so sure that water was going to stay down.Murdered? Was that a terrible coincidence? Somehow, I didn’t think so.
“I’m so sorry to have dragged you into this. I should have told you before we came down.” Her features turned apologetic, tears shining in her eyes as she perched on the edge of the cot next to me, her hands wringing.
“No,” I said as I slid my arm around her. “No, it’s okay. I just was curious, that’s all. Doesn’t change my decision at all to help you.”
She glanced up at me, her watery eyes focusing on my face. “Really?”
“Of course,” I said with a grin.
I didn’t want to be murdered, but at the same time, this was the woman of my dreams, and I didn’t want to let her down. This could be the thing that won her over, the thing that pushed us into super couple status. I wasn’t about to miss out on this kind of opportunity.
She leaned into me, cuddling closer against my chest, her head on my shoulder. My heart soared as I held her closer, kissing the top of her head.
Across the room, her sister cleared her throat. “Sorry to break up the love affair, but we have an issue.”
My heart skipped a beat as I imagined commandos surrounding the building and busting down the door. I tightened my grip on Nattie, determined to protect her.
She pulled away from me, rising with her features questioning. As much as I wanted to protect her, it seemed she had no need of my protection.
I pressed my lips together, disappointed a little. When I’d met her, I’d assumed she was a battered woman, someone who would cling to me because she needed me.
But this woman had no need of anyone. She was strong, resilient. She didn’t need me, and that put me at a heavy disadvantage in seeking her affections.
I couldn’t offer her anything she didn’t already have. I’d watched Julia and my father grow closer partially because he could whisk her away to Paris, London, anywhere in the world. He showered her with gifts. Wasn’t that the billionaire playbook?
But what happened when the girl of your dreams was royalty?
I shoved the doubts aside. I could still impress her with my handling of her father’s case.
I rose next to her as Nadia clicked off her display and shoved her phone into her pocket. “Our dear brother has found out that we are here. He is in the building searching for us. Time for us to play our roles.”
“Right,” Nattie said, untying her cape from around her neck and tossing it on the cot. She twisted to face me, cupping my cheek in her hand. “I’m sorry, I need to run. But Stefan can show you to the cryo chamber and then to Dr. Bartholomew’s office. You’ll find all of his notes there.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, I’ll take a look over everything,” I said with a nod, trying to find a way to ask about when I’d see her again.
I glanced around the darkened room, wondering if I’d be stuck in the secret lab for the rest of my days.
“Uhh, will you be back soon?”
