They were standing well inside the convenience store, but also within view of Alice, the snotty clerk.
The way Diesel looked at her was impossible to miss. Alice didn’t miss it, either. Juliana saw her surprise. The anger had seemingly gone out of her. She didn’t smile, exactly, but she nodded once in their direction as if acknowledging Diesel was, for now, Juliana’s.
Interesting.
“Come on. I’ll show you my office.”
“Can’t wait.”
He took Juliana’s hand and moved toward the back of the store. She liked that he seemed to want to keep touching her as he led her around the convenience store like his date at a party.
Behind them the bell on the convenience store doors rang three times in quick succession. Presumably it meant that if Alice hadn’t caught them canoodling, then there were about to be three more opportunities to be interrupted from customers coming inside. This sparked an unreasonable flash of anger.
Unreasonable because this was his workplace and not Lover’s Lane. Juliana needed to be more cautious about kissing him whenever the desire emerged—which was every single second in his presence—instead of giving in to her unparalleled attraction in public.
Diesel led her past Maxwell the Martian, down the hallway and past his receptionist’s desk to his office. A door labeled Our Fearless Leader was ajar, and someone stood on the threshold.
“Cam,” Diesel said, not relinquishing her hand as he pushed past his brother and skirted the outer edge of the desk.
Juliana looked at Cam, noticing what looked like a miniature blue and white megaphone hooked on his belt. She had a flash of memory so strong she staggered against Diesel.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Juliana stared into his eyes but only saw a recent dream she’d had, and recited the memory out loud. “I dreamed that I saw a half octopus-half man creature heading for the basement of this place.”
Turning toward Cam, she pointed at the small megaphone. “And then he came along and pointed that bullhorn at me until I fell asleep.”
Chapter Twelve
Diesel watched Cam’s expression carefully as he quickly positioned himself in front of Juliana.
Cam snagged the Defender from his belt, just as Diesel expected.
“Don’t, Cam,” he said. “Obviously it doesn’t work on her.”
“It did at first. Step out of the way.”
“No. I don’t want you to shoot her. She remembers what happened as if it was a dream.”
“That’s impossible.”
“You just heard her for yourself.”
“What is going on here?” Juliana asked, her voice wavering and fearful. “Thatwasa dream. Wasn’t it?”
Diesel gave Cam a look that said he’d better behave and turned away. The moment he did, Cam aimed the Defender at Juliana and shot her again.
Her eyes closed. She crumpled like paper, heading straight toward the floor until Diesel caught her and lifted her into his arms.
“I told you not to do that! What is wrong with you?”
“We need to study her and find out how she can remember. She shouldn’t be able to.”
“No. We don’t. She’s not some guinea pig you can experiment on in your basement laboratory.”
His brother frowned. “They were gerbils and none of them were ever hurt in any way.”
“No, Cam. You may not study her. That is my final answer!”
