Page 84 of Dangerous Devotion

I couldn’t wait to meet Zotov again—preferably in a courtroom.

Wouldn’t that be a poetic ending to this unfortunate meetup?

To see him after I taught him exactly what a fatal error underestimating your enemy was.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Iblinked awake, then immediately closed my eyes again as the bright light sent a piercing pain through my skull. Where was I?

I took a deep breath, then took stock.

My head was slightly foggy, and my limbs felt heavier than they should. When I opened my eyes again, the stark, white walls came into focus, and with them, the memories of the attack and the realization of my current situation rushed back in.

A noise caught my attention—the seamless door that had almost appeared sealed was suddenly opening.

My chest tightened, and I scurried backward, putting as much distance as I could between me and the door. I backed against the wall, and my heart raced as the door was fully opened, but the entrance remained empty.

Then, someone peeked around the corner and pulled back immediately.

Every muscle in my body tensed, and I clenched my fists.

This was it; whoever was coming for me, they were in for the fight of their lives.

I got up into a crouching position, waiting for someone to appear.

And then someone stepped into the entrance.

And I was ready to attack.

It took me a split second before I recognized Birdie’s face. I deflated like a perforated air mattress as relief washed over me, and I sank back onto the floor.

“Are you okay?” Birdie whispered, her eyes scanning the room. But she didn’t enter. Instead, she turned her back to me and surveyed the outside.

I nodded, finding my voice. “Yes, I’m okay. What’s happening?”

Birdie glanced over her shoulder nervously. “Come with me.”

I got up on wobbly knees and followed her outside.

When I stepped out of the white room, I blinked as my eyes took a while to adjust to the dimmer light outside. As I turned to look back, I froze in shock. The “room” I’d been held in wasn’t a room at all—it was a massive, egg-shaped pod.

The stark, white interior I’d been trapped in was actually the inside of this high-tech cocoon. Its outer surface was smooth and pearlescent, reflecting the sparse light in a way that made it seem almost alive.

I stumbled backward, almost afraid it would attack me. The thing looked completely out of place, in complete contrast compared to the surroundings.

We were in what looked like an abandoned construction site. Bare concrete pillars stretched upward, and half-finished walls created a maze-like structure around us. Plastic sheets fluttered in the breeze, and piles of building materials were scattered about.

The egg-pod stood out like a spaceship in a junkyard. Its sleek, futuristic design was completely at odds with the rough, unfinished nature of the building. I could see wires and tubes connected to its base, disappearing into the concrete floor.

“What the hell?” I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the pod. “Birdie, what is this place?”

Birdie grabbed my arm, urging me to move. “I don’t know, but we need to go. Now.”

I followed Birdie who led me along a corridor. I peeked through an opening, and there were more of these egg-pods on the other side of the construction site.

The contrast between the stark-white, cutting-edge technology of the pods and the raw, unfinished state of the building was jarring. It was as if someone had set up a top-secret lab in the middle of an inactive construction zone.

Birdie suddenly stopped. “Everyone’s leaving in a hurry, and I need to find the others.” She grabbed my arm. “Listen carefully—there’s a side entrance through there, down the hall, then go right twice, then left. There are metallic outdoor stairs. Go down, but make sure nobody sees you. Outside, there’s a hole in the fence about 50 yards to the right. Slip through it and keep running until you hit the tree line.”

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