Breathless, she backed up. “Was it your idea or the enclave’s that Kal check my work?”
“The enclave’s,” he said, hunched as he looked at his clenched hands, exhaling as they opened. They were shaking, and Trisk put more space between them. “His findings will be going to the witches’ coven of moral and ethical standards through Saladan. The Weres have Colonel Wolfe as their representative, and the vampires have me. This is not a small matter, Dr. Cambri, and I’d advise you to cooperate with Dr. Kalamack and give him what he wants.” His eyes narrowed as his hands crooked into claws again. “I’d also advise you to stop following me.”
Damn. Every major Inderland species was involved, and she nodded her agreement, cursing herself for beginning to sweat. “Daniel’s virus is perfect,” she said, her thoughts going to her own secondary research on a universal donor virus. It was vulnerable and easy to steal if you knew where to look.
“Then there should be no problem.”
His closed-lipped smile chilled her, but she had been counting on her hidden contributions to Daniel’s virus to advance her reputation in the elven field. That would be gone if Kal claimed it as his own, and so she reached out, her hand falling before it touched him. “Wait,” she said as Rick began to turn away once more. “I know what is going on. This is Daniel’s virus. His research. I won’t let Kal put his name on it.”
Rick smirked. “I believe what the enclave said was ‘We’re not so foolish to allow a potentially deadly virus to reach the public without our best people vetting it.’?”
“What?” she exclaimed, face warming. “Kalamack is a research-stealing hack who hasn’t had a unique thought since the third grade. I know, because I was there! Bring in someone else.”
Eyes pupil black, Rick leaned close. “I don’t care, Dr. Cambri,” he said, inches from her ear, his beautiful voice reaching deep into her and twisting until fear oozed out, thick and black into her veins. “My master and the rest of Inderland simply want a tactical virus that is what you say it is, and nothing more. Whose name is on it means zip.” He pulled away from her, and she began to breathe again. Turning, he walked away, lab coat furling and his steps loud on the tiled floor. “Cooperate with him!” he exclaimed, back hunched as if in pain.
Suddenly Trisk realized she was pressed up against the wall. She didn’t remember putting herself there. “Damn,” she whispered as Rick stiff-armed the security door open, his voice pleasant as he told George to have a good night. And then the door shut, and she was alone.
But the thought of Kal near her research was even more frightening than a living vampire fighting a thousand years of instinct to not break her skin. If Kal was coming here, it wasn’t to double-check her work, it was to steal it. And sure as spoiled boys grow up to be small men, the enclave would turn a blind eye. Everything she’d worked for would be gone. How many times, she wondered, is this going to happen before they give credit where credit is due?
Anger began to push out the lingering fear that Rick had instilled. She would not let Kalamack walk over her again. She’d finally gotten his footprints off her back from the last time. The enclave wouldn’t help her. Her father . . . no, she couldn’t ask him to fight her battles anymore. She was alone. But she had skills—skills she’d never dared use before.
Pace fast, she blew into her office, jerking to a stop when she almost ran into Angie. Her assistant was waiting for her, the clipboard in her hand clearly needing her signature. “Angie,” Trisk fumbled, wondering if the woman had seen Rick pin her to the hallway wall.
“Is everything okay, Dr. Cambri?” the young woman asked, and Trisk took the clipboard.
“Saladan has a guest researcher coming in to facilitate the patent shift on the T4 Angel,” Trisk said stiffly as she scrawled her name across the bottom. “He needs your office and the terminal to the mainframe. I’m sorry about this.”
“That’s okay,” Angie said, the question of whether she’d seen Trisk and Rales arguing still ambiguous. “I’ve already got my desk emptied.”
Trisk frowned at the box of belongings by the door. “You’re taking this better than I am,” she said to try to explain away her anger. “Go on home. I’ll clear out the computer. There’re some sensitive files in there, and if there’s a problem, I don’t want it to fall back on you.”
Angie nodded, accepting that. “It’s going to be okay, isn’t it, Dr. Cambri?” she asked again, her expression pinched in worry, and Trisk managed a thin smile.
“Of course. He’ll only be here for a few weeks.” But she didn’t believe it. Her fingers began to twitch, and she hid them in her lab coat pockets.
“Okay,” Angie said, clearly not believing it, either. “I’m going to bug out then, unless there’s something else you need. See you Monday.”