“Wait for what, sir?”
“Now that’s something I can’t answer for you, Cole. Simply because that all depends on Lexi.” Wilson shoves Cole aside. Zeus bares his teeth and Cole’s nostrils flare as his right hand moves toward his pistol. Zeus won’t budge. Instead, he sits on my feet so I’m unable to move.
I have to get Cole out of here before he gets himself killed.
“Let’s go,” I say. “Zeus, get up.”
The other two men grab my arms and haul me toward the black SUV parked on the curb. The tinted windows make it impossible to see anything inside.
I don’t even have a chance to glance back at Cole as they shove me inside the vehicle, but I hear Zeus barking ferociously as they slam the door shut. Wilson slides in next to me, and the guards sit in front. They watch the road as they drive and leave the talking to him.
Immediately, he reaches over to pat my hands and thoughtfully traces the ring on my left finger. My back goes taut and my muscles constrict in terror. Tell me this is a nightmare. Please wake me up.
“Keegan seems to have a knack for eluding my men.”
Already, I don’t like the way this conversation is heading. I pull my hand away from his and bite my lower lip to keep from saying anything that will give away my terror.
“All right, let’s make this plain and simple. I have questions, and you’re going to help me get the answers I need,” he says.
But I’m too afraid to meet his gaze. I’m afraid his hardened eyes will see right through me and see how vulnerable I am.
“Where is he?” Wilson grabs my chin and makes me lock eyes with him. His sickening, sweet fa?ade fades with the violence of his movements. “Talk! And don’t try to lie to me. I’ll know… and if you think life is miserable now—trust me, things can always get worse. Much worse.”
“I—I have no idea where he is,” I say. Dang it. I wish I didn’t stutter. I glare back at him so he can see I’m not lying. “Please, sir, believe me. I had no idea he was even here until a few days ago.”
His hand releases my face as he weighs my words. “I believe you… for now.” Then, sighing, he goes on. “It’s such a shame. First your father, who you have a remarkable resemblance to, and now your brother… Seems your family is determined to piss off the commander.” He doesn’t wait for me to speak. “I don’t like chasing squirrels, if you know what I mean. I’d much rather spend my time at the lab. So you can see how this is a great inconvenience to me.”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Sweat pours down my back and sticks to the black leather.
“I can make your life very, VERY easy if you cooperate with me.”
I drop my eyes and fiddle nervously with my fingers. “What do you mean?”
“You find out where your brother is, inform me, and I’ll reward you. Then you get a nice little place in the commander’s residence and I go back to the lab to experiment.”
I can’t even entertain the thought of betraying my brother or anyone, for that matter, but I try to act like it. I’ve never been a good liar, but lives are at stake. “All right, I’ll do it,” I say as I dig my fingernails into my palms.
“Thought so. Wouldn’t want you to end up like your dear Alyssa…” His voice drips acid.
Before I can ask what he means, the door flings open in front of my building and a guard pulls me out. “This is your stop. Nice talking to you.” Wilson waves me away, and they disappear down the block.
I feel like I just made a deal with Satan himself, although I have no intention of following through.
Cole appears from the courtyard and nods his head discreetly in my direction. My body feels numb as I follow him into the familiar dark of the hallway. Our entire trip to our rooms is a blur as my mind digests what just happened.
The first thing I do is take a shower in his bathroom. I kick off my nasty slippers and peel off the scrubs while standing in the tub. Afterward, I scrub my clothes down and watch the dirt flow in circles down the drain. I cry while remembering the faces of the people, dying in their indignity, and releasing the fear I pent up while riding with Wilson.
When I step out of the shower, I wrap Cole’s towel around myself and gaze at my reflection, inspecting the blue brand on my neck. I pull away my hair, remembering what I looked like without it. Instead, I place my hands over it as Cole walks in.
“I hate that whenever I look, it’s there,” I say. Tears stream down my face and I don’t bother wiping them away. “Those poor people at the hospital today… dying from simple infections… and then Wilson—I feel like a target everywhere I go.”
He wraps his arms around me, and I turn into him, burying my face in his chest.
“I know. I know, babe. I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve this, I’ll find a way to get you out of here, I promise… I just need—”
“No. You won’t. You’re already risking too much just being near me.”