His hand came near the lens and technical snow filled the screen.
“He found another camera.”
Harding turned from the lust in his arms and leaned to the monitor. He smelled like cigarettes and coffee. How could Alicia kiss that? Once again, gross. Harding clicked a few more keystrokes, and a bird’s eye view filled the screen. Brilliant. A camera in the ceiling. “How many of those do you have?”
“Enough.” He slapped her shoulder and turned back to Alicia. “I have to attend a meeting. Keep an eye on things, will you?”
“You bet. See you tonight.” Alicia winked.
Shaking her head, Helena turned back to the screen just in time to see Laura disappear into the ceiling. “She’s in the ducts.”
Alicia slipped into the chair next to hers. “We’ll see which ways she goes. Hot or cold?”
“Did you know all along Harding didn’t plan to kill her?”
Alicia shrugged. “I suppose. I know she’s his pet.”
“And that doesn’t bother you? I mean, you are dating the man.”
She traced the inside of her lips with her long fingernail and smiled. “We aren’t dating. That isn’t what this is.”
“Just answer the question.”
“I guess.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Whatever happens, happens.”
Helena faced Alicia and stared at the girl she had spent the last few years getting to know. S.I.U. made them eat together, bunk together, basically do everything that didn’t include a toilet break together, for over a year. When they went into the field, they wanted the two of them to pass as sisters. That could only happen if they were super close to one another. It had worked. They bonded. But now, it was like that other girl didn’t exist. Never her true friend. Just passing time to be placed on the case. Who knew? “What has happened to you?”
“Nothing.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Nothing? When you and I first met, you were just as angry as me.” Helena could not believe how passive she was being. Incensed, she slid back in the chair and stood, pointing, her hand shaking. “She killed not only your father, but your entire family with that bomb. Do you not remember? Don’t you care anymore?” She shook her head and mocked, “Whatever happens, happens?”
Alicia folded her fist under her chin and leaned forward on the desk. “She didn’t kill my family.”
Helena faced her, legs apart, arms folded. “What?”
Alicia yawned before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a manicured nail. A small sardonic grin passed over her features. “This was never about us, but always about you. We knew if we fed that rage, you’d do the right thing. So, he put me in as your handler. The only way it worked is if I could identify with you.”
Helena could not fully comprehend what she was hearing. Was she merely a pawn to bring Laura in? Her legs wobbled. She stepped back and sat in a chair by the door.
Alicia didn’t seem to care she had just dropped a bomb; she just went back to the monitors.
“Did you ever care about me?” Helena squeaked.
“Sure.” Alicia glanced over her shoulder. “About as much as you cared about Laura’s team.”
Tears welled in Helena’s eyes. Why did that bother her so much? Probably because she felt betrayed and realized she didn’t have one friend in the world. The ones she had, she betrayed, and the one she thought she still had betrayed her. This was getting worse.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Laura wedged her legs between the two panels of the ceiling duct and put her hands down to Myers. The man was a brute, pulling him up would not be easy.
“Just pull to get my hands on the opening, and I can lift my own body weight,” he said.
She complied. Within seconds, Myers was in the space, too. Sweat beaded her face and body. Turning the heat up was a sure sign this was about conditioning. This wasn’t her first rodeo. She knew this company inside and out. They didn’t plan to kill her, but rather reprogram her.
Often, it worked. She had seen rebellious teens turn into robots after conditioning exercises. But she was Laura Black-Chappelle. No way could S.I.U. have her again. She crawled down the duct until it hit an end and then kicked out the vent and dropped to what looked like a boiler room.
Myers joined her.
She leaned to his ear, “You cannot let them have you. No matter what they do to us. Understand?”
He pulled back and met her stare. “There is nothing they could do to turn me. No matter what, I’m with you, Charlie, and Eri. I trust only them, and my loyalty is always to you guys.” He touched her stomach. “And to him or her.”
That surprised her, but she let it go. “Helena is here. It may come down to you choosing to shoot her or join her.”
There was conflict in his expression. She knew it. Could he pull the trigger and kill the woman he started to love? Flashes of Bryce filled Laura’s mind. If the roles were reversed, there was no way she could have ever killed him. Love fell deep. It got in crevices nothing else could inhabit.
With a hardened stare, Myers clenched his jaws and answered, “She killed Denise. That cancels all of it. Any love that was there is now replaced with disgust. The woman I thought I loved did not even exist.”
Laura wrapped her arms around Myers’ torso. He was too tall for her to reach his neck. He touched her back. Together, they would get through this. Somehow, she had developed a real bond with Myers lately. Her heart softened in his hug. Whatever it took, she would get them out of here—alive—and back with their family. “Let’s go.”
The boiler room was even hotter than where they had been before. Loud engines turned and heat radiated off them making the room almost unbearable. Sweat damped their hair and clothing. Together, they walked around in circles for close to an hour, finding no exit. Nothing but the vent they had entered.
“What now?” Myers yelled loud enough for her to hear it over the machines.
Laura usually had the answer, but not today. “I don’t know much, but I know we cannot stay in here. We’ll die.”
“Do these machines have water?”
“If they do, it would be boiling.” Laura glanced at the vent. “We need to go back up there and see where else it might take us.”
Myers sauntered to bottom of the vent. “Let me go first though. I can pick you up easier.”
Laura nodded and then cupped her hand to give him a boost. He stepped in and jumped to the opening. His muscles had to be screaming. In this heat, with no water, they had little energy left. He reached down from the hole. Laura had to leap three times, but finally made it. They crawled in silence back to the space they had come from. Before dropping back in their locked room, Laura wanted to see if there was anything the other way. She crawled over the hole and started down the other path. The comforting sense of cool temperatures began to flow through the space. The closer she got to the end, the cooler it got. She kicked out the grate and jumped down. Relief filled her body. A walk-in cooler. The wet clothes and sweat on her body made her cold, and instantly, she was freezing.
Myers jumped down, closed his eyes, and breathed deep. “Now this is what I am talking about.”
Laura went to the handle on the freezer. It wouldn’t budge. She tried again. No luck. “Myers?”
Myers walked to the handle and tried it. It didn’t move.
“We need to go back. I don’t know how long we can survive in here.”
He nodded and walked back to the hole.
Suddenly, a metal door shifted over the hole above.
Panic shot through Laura’s heart. “No!”
Myers cupped his hands. “Jump up and see.”
Laura stepped in and leapt at the metal door. Hard, stiff, not going to budge. “We’re trapped.” She stepped back down, rubbing her arms. “I didn’t think they wanted to kill us. I figured it was torture, or conditioning, but not this.”
“Maybe it still is. How long can we l
ast in here?”
“Maybe fifteen to twenty minutes.”
“Body heat,” Myers said, teeth chattering. “We need to remove our wet clothes.”
There were bags of potatoes wrapped in burlap to her left. “Yeah, I have another idea too.”
He saw the point of her gaze and must have read her mind. They quickly dumped the potatoes from the sacks and then popped holes through the bottom. Myers pulled off his black shirt. His muscles were dotted with goose bumps. He turned away while Laura pulled off her T-shirt. Both wrapped in the scratchy cloths.
Myers shifted to the corner of the room filled with cardboard boxes of vegetables that would hopefully give them more insulation. He sat with his knees bent and spread apart. Laura wedged between them as he wrapped his arms around her arms. They weren’t warm, but they helped. Within seconds, her body temperature raised some.
“I’m sorry this is happening to you,” Myers whispered in her ear.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry this is happening to us.”
He held her tight, rubbing her arms periodically.
Her mind began to soften and sleep threatened to take her. She closed her eyes.
Myers jolted her awake with hard shake. “Don’t fall asleep, Laura. You know this.”
That would not be easy. “I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
“I thought you said they didn’t want to kill us.”
What did she know? Greenstone was dead, and Harding had his own ways of doing things. “I have no idea anymore.”
“Do you think they are watching?”
Laura glanced around the cooler. A small camera lay just above the shelf. “I know they are.” She pulled a hand out from under the burlap and waved at the camera. “They wouldn’t miss this show for anything.”
Suddenly, the lock on the freezer door clicked.
Both jumped up. Stars threatened to drop her, but Laura blinked to stay conscious. She tried the handle. It opened. Both rushed through and into a kitchen. Without hesitation, Laura ran to the water faucet and began drinking. Myers joined her. Once she had some water in her system, she turned for the drawers and started searching for a weapon. She had opened the second drawer when a group of agents with guns loped in. The men surrounded them and waited without a word. Normally, Laura would have tried to take them all out, but right now, she was too lethargic to do anything. A Hispanic man waved his gun at both of them, and said, “Let’s go.”
Myers handed Laura her T-shirt. She dropped the potato sack and struggled to pull it on over her head. Together, they pushed past the armed men, walking back to their room. Inside, Helena stood with a scowl and a syringe. “On your knees, now!”
Laura glanced at Myers. His lips were tight, his face taught like stone. Hatred poured from his eyes. She could only imagine the betrayal he felt. After Denise, it took everything in him to love again, and it was nothing more than deception.
Defiantly, Myers crossed his arms and spread his legs shoulder width apart. Obviously, he was not going down by his own will.
Laura decided to be more compliant. Right now, she wanted the nap guaranteed in that syringe. Her body felt like gelatin, and her head was pounding with pain. She kneeled to the floor and bent her head to the side, revealing an open neck.
“How submissive of you.”
“Helena, you can’t keep drugging her. There’s something you should know.”
“Myers, don’t.”
Helena walked in front of her, pulled her hair before jamming the needle deep into Laura’s skin. “Watch me.”
She winced. Then darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Teddy knocked back two aspirins, trying to block out the incessant gobbling of their feathered cover. Protection or not, hundreds of turkeys gobbling were going to drive them insane. “I think I’d rather face Harding’s goons.”
“How long do we have to stay here again?” Eri asked with her elbows covering her ears.
“I think we should find another place to stay, man.” Charlie clicked a few buttons on the laptop and spun it around. “There is a bed and breakfast about a mile from here. We could pretend to be two couples in from the trails.”
Teddy’s heart flipped. Would he and Willow have to share a room? Not that he minded, but he was still trying to believe that kiss was actually real. “Sure.” His voice cracked, and he cleared it. “Sure, sounds good. Anything is better than here.”
Willow nodded from behind a bandana she had wrapped around her face to block out the smell.
“Good, it’s settled. Let’s go.” Charlie led them back to the green car and jumped in the driver’s seat with Eri next to him.
Willow and Teddy piled in back. The drive wasn’t long, but there was definitely heated tension between the two of them. Was she worried about staying in the same room, too? Did she want to? Did he want to? Even though they sat a few inches away from each other, it was as if they were holding each other passionately. She glanced his way and smiled coyly. He grinned back. Like a game of checkers, each took his or her turn looking, flirting, smiling, and sending awkward messages with their eyes. Not one sound, yet volumes of story were written in those few miles. He swallowed.
When the car parked, both jumped out.
Charlie and Eri were oblivious. The two of them were married. What did they have to worry about? Teddy had only had one other sort-of girlfriend in his life—Alicia. And that was extremely short lived and barely counted. Truth be told, he was hardly a ladies’ man. Women made him nervous. Most of his incessant talking was due to his nervousness around them. In this moment, he felt very uncomfortable but also excited at the expectation of spending some time with Willow alone.
Which was it? He had no idea. Like everything else in his life, he’d play it by ear. They could always keep one foot on the floor like the old days. But wouldn’t she find that weird. Most women did. Why would she be any different? Could he even act normal with her in the same room? Of course, they had been alone before at the house. Why was this different? Nothing would happen. Stop torturing yourself, Teddy. This is stupid.
He grabbed his duffle bag and scuffled behind the group, silent, which was probably a dead giveaway that something was up. He always talked. Never quiet. They would know. She would know. Panic enveloped him. Perspiration soaked his beanie. Was this really happening? Was he about to share a room with the beautiful Willow? What then? Was it even kosher? Call him a prude, but he came from a very conservative background. His mother would kill him if she didn’t think he was already dead.
Charlie held the door open for all of them and then walked around to the desk. “Hello, we would like to get two rooms. We just had a long day and need to stay for just one night. We don’t believe much in technology, so I hope cash will be okay.”
Teddy tried not to laugh. He was surprised the “king of technology” could even get that sentence out with a straight face.
“Cash will be fine as long as there is no hanky panky going on here.” The older woman glanced at both girls. They both smiled, and the lady narrowed her eyes, and then nodded. “Okay.” She spun a book around and pointed. “Sign here.”
“No, ma’am. No hanky panky. This is my wife and her sister.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. After all, Eri was Chinese and Willow was a pale redhead. “And the young man?”
“Long-lost cousin. He can stay with me.” Charlie wrapped his arm around Teddy. “The girls can have the other room.”
Teddy didn’t know if he was relieved or sad. On one hand, the stress of what to do about Willow was gone. On the other hand, a small part of him wanted to spend time with her, discuss that kiss. But this was better. He was slightly sure.
The two of them split ways in the hall. Charlie opened the door to a room filled with antique furniture that smelled of mothballs and wood oil. The bed was swathed in a quilted cover and looked to only be a full size. “Well, this will be cozy.”
Charlie laughed. “It’s fine. You
can have it. I can sleep on the floor.”
“Are you sure?”
“Dude, I’m so exhausted from the drugs and all that happened to us today, trust me, I could sleep anywhere.” He grabbed one of the extra pillows from the back of the bed, tossed it on the floor, and then grabbed a comforter from a rocking chair. “Night.”
“Night.”
Teddy turned a key on the side of the lamp and the room fell dark. He pulled off his hoodie and shoes and climbed between the blankets and sheet. It was cool and comfortable, but every time he turned, the bed squeaked, waking him again.
Charlie obviously didn’t notice. He was out, snoring.
Too many memories and ideas flashed through Teddy’s mind. He tried to clear it, but he worried about his friends and what was to become of them. So much had happened in the last week. More bad than good. Usually, he was the optimistic one. But right now, he was overwhelmed with sadness, as well as, anger.
How could Charlie, or any of them, sleep right now? He rolled out of the bed, trying not to step on Charlie as he exited the room. The hall was eerily quiet, but every step on the old wood planked floor groaned in complaint. Wincing with each step, he tipped toed down the staircase and out onto the veranda. The breeze felt soft to his skin. He inhaled deep and closed his eyes.
“Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”
He turned around to see Willow wrapped in a blanket sitting on a porch swing, smiling. “No, and to be honest, I don’t know how anyone can.”
“Eri said they were drugged with something, and it hadn’t worn off yet. She was pretty much out the second she laid down.”
“Yeah, Charlie too.” Teddy pointed to the swing. “May I?”
She unfolded her legs and patted the seat. “Please.”
He sat next to her and sighed. “I just want Laura and Myers to be okay. To find Deshawn. We have no leads, and to be honest, I’m worried.”
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