Page 32 of Girl, Bound

‘To get answers,’ Ellasaid. ‘Wait here. I’ll be back in an hour.’

***

Dr. Novak rubbed hiseyes, the harsh glow of the computer screen searing into his retinas. Onlythree days since Saunders’ death and it had already dealt the company a deathblow. Scandal and suspicion had tarnished their reputation in record time,already driving away investors and clients alike.

Three healthcarecompanies had already pulled the plug on the Seraphine deal, and all it tookwas one deserter for the rest to follow suit.

Novak understood. Fromhere on out, Seraphic Labs would always be associated with that founded thatgot murdered. The conspiracies would soon blow up. Hell, they already wereif social media was anything to go by. Assassinated, taken out by the LizardPeople or whatever the hell. Some people had even pointed the finger at Novakhimself. One less founder meant a bigger share for him, apparently.

Of course, none of itwas true.

He stared out the window of his corneroffice, the sprawling campus of Seraphic Labs spread out before him like akingdom on the brink of ruin. How had it come to this? How had the empirethey'd built been brought so low in barely more than a weekend?

Saunders. It all cameback to Saunders. The man had been a visionary, a driving force behindSeraphic's meteoric rise. He’d kept things at bay, did damage control day inand day out. The clinical trials, the covert experiments, the corners cut andrisks they’d taken. Saunders had kept it all in check, and now that he was inthe ground, it was only a matter of time before it all came crashing downaround them.

It fell to Novak topick up the pieces. To salvage what he could from the wreckage and chart a newcourse for Seraphic's future.

But the task seemedinsurmountable, the odds stacked against him like a house of cards teetering onthe brink of collapse. The board was restless, the shareholders demandinganswers he didn't have. And the authorities? They weren’t circling yet, butpretty soon the vultures would descend and pick the bones of Seraphic clean.

Novak pushed back fromhis desk, the chair skittering across the polished floor. Enough. He'd staredat the numbers long enough, the glowing digits burned into his brain. It wastime to call it a night, to retreat to the cold comfort of his empty house andthe oblivion of sleep.

He shut down hiscomputer, and the office fell into shadow. Novak gathered his things, shrugginginto his coat and heading toward the door. He stepped out into the corridor,made his way through the maze and out into the parking lot, perhaps retracingthe steps of his old friend.

Outside was a sea ofdarkness, asphalt glistening with the residue of an earlier rain. Novak hurriedto his car, the damp chill of the night air seeping through his clothing. Hefumbled with his keys, the jangle of metal on metal harsh and discordant.

And then he saw it. Afigure, leaning against the hood of his car. A silhouette backlit by the harshglare of the security lights, features thrown into sharp relief.

Novak's heartstuttered in his chest in a primal surge of fear and adrenaline. He squintedagainst the glare, his hand tightening on his keys, ready to wield them as amakeshift weapon if needed.

But as his eyesadjusted, as the details resolved themselves, the fear gave way to a cold,sinking realization.

‘Agent Dark,’ he said.‘You could have booked a meeting.’

Ella straightened upfrom her lounging position, her movements languid and unhurried. She took astep forward, the heels of her boots clicking on the pavement.

‘We already had one.And you didn’t give me a whole lot.’

‘There’s a reason forthat.’

‘Well, how about wehave a different one? Off the record, this time.’

Novak swallowed hard,his mouth suddenly dry as dust. ‘Why’s that?’

Ella cocked her head,a humorless smile playing at the corners of her mouth. ‘Because I’ve been doingsome digging. Into Seraphic. Into Saunders. And into you.’

Novak's blood rancold, a spike of ice in his veins. ‘I don't know what you're implying, but Iassure you...’

‘Save it,’ Ella cuthim off, her eyes glinting like shards of flint. ‘I'm not here for yourassurances, Doctor. I'm here for the truth. And one way or another, I'm goingto get it.’

She took another stepforward, closing the distance between them. Novak fought the urge to flinchback.

‘So here's how it'sgoing to go,’ Ella continued. ‘You're going to tell me everything. Every dirtylittle secret, every skeleton in Seraphic's closet. And maybe, just maybe, I'lllet you walk away from this.’

Novak's mind raced,frantically grasping for a foothold for some way to regain control of thesituation. But he came up empty, his every option a dead end, a path leadingonly to ruin.

He slumped backagainst his car, the fight draining out of him like water through a sieve.

‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Whatdo you want to know?’

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