Page 55 of Savage Seduction

“Great. Oh, and Denny?”

“Yeah?”

“If anyone tries to access that information again, don’t assume it’s them. It very well could be Viktor. He’s a narcissist and there’s no telling what he’ll be up to.”

“Will do, Bretton.”

I hang up the phone and rub my temples. There are a bunch of moving parts, and the last thing I need is to lose track of one of the pieces and then hear about it later from my boss.

I check the calendar on my phone. I'm scheduled to work at the museum again tomorrow, and I contemplate calling in sick, but then I notice that Max will be working as well. It's the perfect opportunity to have a chat with him. There's still a possibility I could bring Max in on this and work together to capture Viktor. My boss forbade me from going that route, but ultimately, I don’t give a shit what my boss thinks. If I can capture this fucker and protect Max by breaking cover, dammit, that’s exactly what I'm going to do.

CHAPTER 22

Max

Iwake up early the next morning to the sound of my phone buzzing. The incoming text is from Ben apologizing for having to miss our coffee date—the life of an Emergency Room surgeon and all that. I put the phone down and get ready for the day. I still stop for coffee since I had my heart set on some and decide to go into work a little early. I sip my coffee as I stroll up to the main entrance to the museum. Stopping at the steps I look up; the morning sun makes the stone seem clean and fresh despite a century of wear. Another sip and a satisfied smile; I'm ready for the day.

“I’m one lucky guy,” I say before making my way up to the entrance. I quickly pull out my phone and send Ben a text:I’ll be thinking about you all day. Then follow it up with a smile, wink, kiss face, and eggplant emoji. I chuckle and think,too much? Fuck it, who cares.

Once inside, I stroll through an exhibit I hadn’t had much time to enjoy—the Ancient Human Experience. The exhibit has been there for months and will officially end once the King Tut exhibit is up and running.

I lean against the viewing rail and peer at the images ofrolling hills and grasslands. The humans depicted are modern, lifelike, but they are dressed as scientists imagine they were during the Pleistocene Epoch. The ice age must have been so hard on these early humans as the signs depicted their life expectancy averaged nearly forty years of age.

I move along the exhibit and stop at another life-size diorama. This one depicts an extinct short-faced bear and a saber-toothed tiger, stalking their prey. Humans were amongst the natural food sources of both animals, but according to the signs, they stood no chance once the local population started using Clovis Points on their spears. This ushered in the dawn of modern man, showing the way out to the megafauna of the day.

I can’t help but feel some sadness as I look at all the different animals that once roamed North America. There was such an abundance of life thousands of years ago, and now it seems life struggles to hold on in the ever-changing natural world around us. I think about the Page Museum and all the animal remains that had been recently dug up in the area when the city started developing their underground train system. Tens of thousands of skeletal remains were unearthed and crated, shipped to the museum for years of exploration to come. Maybe one of these days I will be lucky enough to work at that institution as well.A boy could dream, I think.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Catherine Nakamura says as she comes up alongside me. “I could sit in here and get lost in my own thoughts and imagination.”

I nod. “Same here. When I close my eyes, my thoughts are pulled into the past. What it must have felt like to be there. There was no relief from the unrelenting cold or the constant fear of disease, famine, and predators.” I gesture toward the huge extinct jaguar skeleton that stands nearly as tall as I do.

“They often lived in fear of being hunted and killed.Could you imagine living even a day where you felt you were being stalked, looked at as a food source?”

You’d be surprised at my answer, I think. Not to mention how I currently can’t even return to my own home without feeling like I am being watched at every turn. Each step I take, I want to look behind me to see if I am being followed. Work, home, even in public places I no longer feel safe.

“You’re right. I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like,” I say.

“I’m glad we no longer live in such a world,” Catherine says. “Even though it sure is wonderful to imagine it sometimes.”

“That’s a great way to look at it. We’d never want to go back and actually live that way, but it sure is cool to think about it sometimes.”

“I love this place,” she says, her voice fading with each word.

I can’t help but notice she seems suddenly sad. I’d planned to ask about the delivery waiting in her office but am suddenly interrupted when the exhibition door swings open with a crash. Both startled, we turn toward the sound.

“There you are,” Bob says as he marches toward us.

“Bob,” I say as the man approaches.

Bob glares at me for a moment and then addresses Catherine. “Sorry to interrupt, but Dr. Austin says he needs to start breaking down this exhibit. According to the timeline presented to the security staff, we weren’t supposed to start that until next week. I don’t have the staff here to oversee this mess until then.”

Catherine’s expression tightens into pursed lips and a set jaw. “Let me handle Dr. Austin. In the meantime, stick to the original plan.” Her face and neck grow blotchy and red as her anger sets in.

Bob nods. “Great, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to complete my rounds.”

“He’s a crabby son of a bitch, isn’t he?” I say.

“You have no idea. I’m sorry you had to see that, but he’s right. Dr. Austin thinks he runs the place, but we are bound by set dates and times.”

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