Page 114 of The Chase
“Got caught in it, then?” She raised her chin to the door.
“Forgot my brolly.” I gave a thin smile. “I’m Zara Leighton.”
“Okay, great. Go ahead and sign in.” She tapped away on her keyboard, her screen hidden from view behind that overly large marble reception desk.
“Do you have a pen, please?” I scanned the counter for one.
“First time here?”
“Yes. Is Mr. Wilder here?”
She hesitated for a beat and then narrowed her gaze. “He’s expecting me.”
Expecting to have his eyes gouged out, more likely.
Smiling I said, “Running a bit late for that meeting.”
“Oh, are you from NG?”
NG?
“Yes.” I blinked her way.
“I’ll give you a key card for the lift.”
My gaze followed hers and my throat tightened as I took in that large metal death trap, its gaping mouth threatening to devour and inevitably crush those stupid enough to enter.
“Which way are the stairs?”
“You can’t use them unless there’s an emergency. It’s a security measure. You can’t have access to all floors.”
“What if people don’t like lifts?”
“It’s not an issue.”
Not an issue for her, obviously, she merely sat here on the ground level protected by all this marble and chrome and didn’t have to put her life on the line.
She pointed to the space between us and, on my look of confusion, added, “It’s an air keyboard. If you could just sign in.”
“I don’t need a pen?”
“Use your finger.”
“For what exactly?” Punch the air?
She punched the air and a transparent screen came down between us, her bored face reflecting clear on the other side.
“Did Tobias invent this?” I managed.
“Mr. Wilder? Yes. The whole building. There’s a pool on the twelfth floor and a gym we can use during our lunch break.”
I tried to hide the fact I was hyperventilating at the thought of having to use the stairs while being chased by those guards.
Punching my name into the keyboard with a pointed finger, I messed up and had to delete “Xars” and change it to “Zara.”
She busied herself on her screen and I reached for thatGQ, flipping through the pages, trying to calm my nerves.
There, a few pages in, were more photos of Wilder looking just as dashing along with an accompanying interview. Reading the highlighted points, I learned that Tobias had donated his holographic technology to medical schools in developing countries, so students could learn anatomy and physiology in the classroom before being let loose in laboratories. It was admirable but also turned my stomach a little when it previewed the detail of what was possible. The students could literally reach in and peel away three-dimensional body parts.
