She swallowed her surprise. “Ghosts have left me alone so far. I think I’ll risk it.”
“I don’t believe in them either.” He took a long drag on his cigarette and let the smoke slither out of the side of his mouth. “Lovers’ quarrel? Looks like you two had a little falling-out down there.”
Talia’s face heated. She reached for the door. Damn hotel left her nowhere to run.
“You know you have options, don’t you?” Spencer’s tone was friendly and helpful, but Talia still didn’t feel she could quite trust him. She couldn’t trust anyone.
“What do you mean?”
Spencer cocked his head. “I wondered if you knew. Adam’s got a file on you.”
The word file bothered her, as if she were a specimen, a case under examination. But Adam had been aboveboard with his curiosity and questions. She’d shown him personally what she could do. She’d revealed her connection to Shadowman. Even the images of herself. Any good researcher would take detailed notes, and the notes would be kept in a file. So she pushed the bothersome term away.
“Yeah, tests on your DNA, et cetera.”
Talia felt the blood drain out of her face. She hadn’t consented to that.
“But it’s the video surveillance Adam has on your apartment that would bug the hell out of me.”
Now she felt ill.
“You don’t believe me?” Spencer’s eyes glittered as he took another drag. “You sleep in a T-shirt, panties, and nothing else. And by the end of the night the sheets are all twisted up at the end of the bed so that your pretty bottom—”
“Shut up.”
“At least you believe me now. Things around here are never what they seem.” He stamped out the cigarette on the concrete at his feet.
“Take you, for example,” Spencer continued, the volume of his voice rising as she moved away from him. “You look human and act human, but you’re not.”
She squeezed her arms tighter around herself. He obviously had something to say. And, all things considered, she’d rather know.
“As the SPCI liaison, I’m supposed to be privy to everything that goes on here. I gather Adam has been as secretive with you as he’s been with me.”
Talia’s eyes prickled. Adam was sick. Twisted. He’d lived with a monster so long that he’d become one himself.
“You don’t have to stay here. You have alternatives through SPCI. First of all, you’re not alone. There are others out there like you, housed at alternative facilities. We don’t have the frills that Segue does, and the furniture is seriously outdated, but at least you know how things stand. Your rights will be protected. Your privacy protected. It’s not the best life, but it’s an honest one.”
Honest. What a joke. She couldn’t trust anyone.
“You say the word, and you’re out of here. No confrontations. Just an easy transport to the SPCI compound.” Spencer waved his hands like a magician before the poof.
Talia’s mind worked furiously. She could get out on her own. Give herself a head start. But not Arizona or Vegas. Find a little place out in the middle of nowhere, away from the flow of people. She was sick of people.
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“Nah. You’ve already made up your mind. You’ll take the hard way.”
Spencer strode toward her and stopped at her side. Too close. “Adam’s right about one thing. A wraith war is coming. There is nowhere on this planet that will be safe for long. Keep that in mind.”
He yanked open the door to the interior and left her alone with the night.
TEN
“WE want the California.” Gillian held out her hand. “The salon is waiting for us, and Talia has asked to come along. So I am afraid the Diablo won’t do. We need a four-seater.”
The trio of women stood in Adam’s office. Talia stayed back and let the other women do the talking. She’d had a long, sleepless night of deliberating, but her choice was made. First step, a lift to town.
“There are six very nice cars in the Segue lot—what makes you think I’ll lend you one of mine?” Adam’s tone angled up with incredulity.
Gillian didn’t back down. “Our shared joy of a luxury vehicle.”
His gaze darted to Patty, who grinned in agreement with Gillian.
Talia watched the byplay with resentful interest. She didn’t know what the California was, but the request clearly irritated him, which gave her less satisfaction than it should. She just wanted to get out of there. Being in the same room with Adam made her skin tight, her nerves edgy.
Adam’s gaze finally hit Talia and rested there, as if he were considering something. Studying her, again. She struggled to keep her expression impassive. The Segue credit card was in her pocket, and she intended to charge everything she needed. Her escape from Adam Thorne’s specimen lab would be wholly paid for by him.