Had that been new information? She sighed. What difference did it make? Krew still lost his life. “Krew’s suicide was the reason I started feeding information to the media. I’dnotified the authorities about the widespread abuse and medical malpractice at Nuevo. Nothing was done, so I started sending videos to reporters.”
He clasped his hands behind his back, his expression hard. “What made you leave?”
“I’d done everything I could from the remote outpost, so I returned to Earth. I know months went by and it seemed like I’d forgotten, but I was working to bring down Nuevo Biotech the entire time.”
His chin lifted and his emerald gaze locked with hers. “If you’re such a fucking hero, how did you end up on Rydaria?”
It was a valid point. Whistleblowers were often celebrated. Such was not the case with her or the others who had offered testimony. The public was so enraged by Nuevo’s complete disregard for the law and basic human decency that they turned on anyone at all associated with Nuevo Biotech.
“The authorities promised me all sorts of things to keep the information flowing, but when the trials started, I was arrested just like everyone else. I think they meant for me to receive a lighter sentence, but the judge made it impossible. Everyone employed by the Griffin Project was exiled to Rydaria. There were no exceptions.”
He lapsed into silence, his expression turning thoughtful. His gaze swept down the length of her body as he unclasped his hands. “Undress.”
Her momentary reprieve was clearly over. She continued unbuttoning the borrowed shirt.
“What else did Gabriel tell you?” He made no move to assist her, but he watched her closely.
“Not much,” she grumbled. “You took a really quick shower.”
As she freed the last button, he opened the front of the shirt exposing her naked body. He arched his brows as his gaze moved over her nudity. “What did you hope to learn?”
“Anything he was willing to tell me.” She wasn’t sure why he was bothering with conversation, but encouraging his talkative mood was in her best interest. “I know what was done to you, but I know very little about you as a person. Did you work for Echo, Inc.?”
“We all did.”
Not sure if he meant it literally, she looked into his eyes. “Everyone in Eagle Village used to work for Echo, Inc.?”
“I’m surprised Gabriel told you.” Patrick moved behind her and eased the shirt off her shoulders. “He likes to pretend that the past doesn’t exist.”
The shirt slipped down her arms and then Patrick tossed it over a nearby chair. “Were you guys friends before Nuevo or did your friendship develop during your captivity?”
“We were friends before,” Patrick admitted as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about Nuevo. Change the subject or I’ll find a better use for your mouth.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. This was as close to cordial as Patrick had been and she wanted to take advantage of his good humor. “Where did you grow up? How did you meet the Torloni twins?”
He ran his hands down her arms then back to her shoulders, his warm breath stirring the back of her hair. “I grew up in LA and worked at a bar near Caltech. That’s how I met Gabriel. The Torloni twins and their friends were regulars.”
Having the proverbial first date conversation while completely naked was odd, but Patrick had seen her naked repeatedly, so Heather did her best to ignore her nudity. “Did you attend Caltech or just serve beer to the frat boys?” His touch was harder to ignore than the fact that she was naked. His hands were warm, his caress light and unhurried.
“I’m a self-educated graphics designer.” Rather than moving to his original position, he turned her to face him. His hands settled on her shoulders once again. “I did freelance work for the Torlonis before they convinced me to work for them full-time.”
“What sort of graphics did you design?” They stood so close that she had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes, but his hands remained on her shoulders.
“They hired me to design their website and then pepper social media with promos. One of the videos went viral and the rest is history.”
“The Torlonis were folk heroes. They helped so many and accomplished so much. Why does Gabriel want to pretend the past doesn’t exist?”
Patrick’s gaze darted away from her face, and he lowered his hands to his sides. “Gabriel pushed for the merger. Most of us had serious concerns about getting into bed with Nuevo Biotech, but Gabriel convinced Raphael to accept the offer.”
There was significance in his statements as if the events were common knowledge. Heather searched her memory but came upwith nothing that explained what he meant. “What offer? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Nuevo offered to buy out Echo. They insisted that the company would be left intact and simply be protected by the Nuevo umbrella. It was all bullshit, of course. They waited until the relocation was complete and then took every employee of Echo to their research labs.”
Stunned by the ruthlessness of what he described, she just stared at him for a tense moment. “How did they explain your disappearances, why family members suddenly stopped communicating?”
“Transport explosion,” Patrick told her. “Everyone on Earth believed we never arrived.”
Heather shuddered. “That’s horrible.” And then she remembered what started the conversation. Gabriel blamed himself for the captivity of his employees. If he hadn’t pushed for the merger, what followed never would have taken place. “Do others blame Gabriel or is his misery self-imposed?”
