It was on the tip of Mattie's tongue to say Dave, but then she reconsidered. Not many knew about the role of the enhanced soldiers in the running of the island, and if she said that they had approved her transfer, Nuri wouldn't believe her.
"Doctor Petrov spoke with someone in management and asked for me to be transferred to his lab. If you check the records, you'll see that I'm no longer listed as part of the hotel staff."
"I see." Nuri pulled out a tablet and began tapping at the screen. "When does this take effect?"
"Immediately. I just need to collect my things from my room. I will be staying at the lab building."
Nuri made a note on her tablet. "Fine. I'll update the housing records. Make sure you return your uniforms."
"I will."
And that was it. No argument, no questions, no attempt to keep her. Mattie wasn't sure whether to be relieved or offended that her departure mattered so little.
There wasn't much in her room to collect other than the uniforms she needed to return. She'd gotten a small allowance during the months she'd been working here, and she'd bought a few articles of clothing in the island store. That was all she had to her name.
When she entered her soon-to-be former room, only two of her roommates were there. One was Alina, who didn't seem to care that Mattie was leaving, and Nadia, who burst into tears.
"Why are you leaving?" Nadia's voice was thick with emotion. "I'm going to miss you so much."
Mattie hugged her tightly. "I'm going to miss you too. But this is good news. It's a promotion."
Nadia sniffled and pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I'm happy for you."
"I spoke to Anil, the bartender, about you. He will need someone to replace me, and I suggested you."
Nadia's eyes went wide. "The bar? But Nuri would never?—"
"If Anil requests you, Nuri will agree, and it will be sweet revenge. Don't you think? The woman she was tormenting for nogood reason was chosen for the bar where looks are important." Mattie squeezed her hands. "Anil is a good man. He'll treat you well."
Nadia managed a watery smile. "Thank you. It was very sweet of you to think to suggest me."
They hugged once more, and then Mattie gathered the last of her belongings, returned the uniforms to the storage room, and walked out of the staff quarters.
9
DIMITRI
The night air was warm and humid as Dimitri and Mattie walked toward the lab, Dimitri carrying the plastic bag containing Mattie's belongings.
It wasn't heavy because she didn't have many things, but the little she had would now be placed next to his in the closet, her toothbrush would be next to his in the bathroom, and Mattie herself would share his bed every night. The problem was that sleeping on the narrow mattress had been fine for a few days, but now that this arrangement was becoming permanent, or as permanent as it got in this hellhole, he needed to find a more comfortable solution.
The cells downstairs, where the new volunteers were supposed to be housed, had beds with proper frames and mattresses. They were brand new, brought in for when the lab would start implementing the new protocols on a fresh batch of subjects, but the enhancement program had stalled, and the promised recruits had failed to materialize.
He could take one of those beds, bring it upstairs, and push it against his existing one. Create something approaching a proper sleeping space for two people.
"What are you thinking about?" Mattie asked.
"Beds," he said.
Her eyebrows rose. "Beds?"
"We've been making it work on my single bed, but we need something more comfortable. I was thinking that I could take one of the beds from the cells downstairs and push it against mine. Not as good as a single large mattress, but better than what we have now."
Mattie leaned into his arm, her shoulder pressing against his bicep. "I kind of like the narrow bed."
"You do?"
"Mm-hmm." She smiled up at him. "You can't escape me on the narrow bed. I get to sleep on top of you, using you as my personal mattress. It's very cozy."
