Page 11 of Atone in Darkness
4
What had his keeper done that had her acting more twitchy than normal? Her behavior had been off all morning. Yeah, she was upset to see he’d spent time with his captors again, but it was more than that. She jumped every time one of her precious machines beeped. In between, she watched the door as if she were expecting someone to come cruising in any second. Add the way she looked guilty whenevershe happened to glance in his direction, something was definitely up.
Had she heard some news while he was sleeping? Something that made her think that their isolation was about to end? If her mysterious employers had decided to pay them a visit, what did that mean for him? For her?
Nothing good, that was for sure.
He was about to give in to his curiosity when he heard the whoosh of the labdoor opening. Marisol went on point, her already tense demeanor ratcheting up several more notches. Her smile looked strained as she turned to greet her guest. When their visitor stepped into sight, Chase forcedhimself to remain right where he was on the cot. It wasn’t easy, though. While the guard wasn’t one of the group who were usually assigned to drag his reluctant ass down to the gym, heoften participated in the brutal games once they got him there. If he lifted a single finger to threaten Marisol, Chase would take great pleasure in wringing the bastard’s neck for him.
Regardless, it was doubtful he’d come for him. Even though he wasn’t at full strength, they all knew a single guard couldn’t physically control Chase. Yeah, the guy could gas him first. Chase wouldn’t be ableto fight back, but he was still too heavy for one man to carry. So something else was going on.
The thick glass that formed the outer wall of his cell would’ve made it nearly impossible for a normal human being to hear the low-pitched conversation between Marisol and her guest. Luckily, Chase’s sense of hearing was anything but normal.
“Dr. Riggs, Wesley said you asked for me this morning.”
Her smile only grew more strained. “Yes, I did.”
When she didn’t continue, Dan looked more puzzled than concerned. “Did you need something specific?”
He looked around the lab, his gaze pausing briefly on Chase before moving on. “Did you get another shipment you need help unpacking?”
“No, but thanks for asking.” She shot a quick look toward Chase before giving the other man her full attention.“I have a couple of questions and wasn’t sure who might know the answers.”
Dan went from relaxed to wary in a heartbeat.“What kind of questions?”
She didn’t reply right away, but then she visibly drew herself up to her full height and straightened her shoulders as if preparing for a major confrontation. God, what was she up to now? The answer wasn’t long in coming.
“I have some serious concernsabout what is going on around here that I need to discuss with someone in authority. I thought you might tell me the name of the person I should be talking to.”
The guard immediately widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. If he thought that would intimidate the good doctor, he was in for a surprise. Danny Boy wasn’t nearly as big as Chase was, and she’d never once backed downwhen he’d tried the same tactics on her. He’d never been able to decide if she was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Right now, it didn’t matter. She had no idea exactly how vicious this guy could be.
“What kind of questions would those be, Doctor?”
“The people at Annulus Development Corporation hired me for my medical expertise and my knowledge of physiology and genetics.” She pointedtoward Chase’s cell. “I did not sign on to see a man tortured day after day. This needs to end before it’s too late.”
Chase wanted to shake some sense into her. It had been too late for him the second they’d grabbed him back in Missouri. Her, too, for that matter. She may have been slow to realize that her fate was inextricably tied to his, but she was too smart not to have figured it out bynow.
Dan actually laughed. “If I did pass along your concerns, babe, my superiors wouldn’t find them nearly as entertaining as I do.”
That didn’t go over well. Marisol’s face flushed hot with temper. “This is not a laughing matter, Dan. If I can’t get satisfaction from you or your bosses, then I’ll have no choice but to go to the authorities.”
Any sign of good humor on Dan’s part disappeared.He stalked toward Marisol, forcing her to retreat until she was back up against the counter. Judging by the way her eyes flashed wide, she’d finally realized that she’d stumbled into very dangerous territory.
“Look, I’m sorry I bothered you. I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be, and I have my own work to do.”
Dan didn’t budge. Instead, he crowded closer and planted his hands on the counteron either side of Marisol, effectively trapping her. “Don’t get all snippy with me, Doctor. You might want to remember that you’re the only woman in this hellhole. Play nice with me, and I might not feel obligated to tell my superiors that you’ve threatened this entire operation.”
When he tried to kiss her, Marisol gasped and slapped him as hard as she could. Chase immediately rolled up off hiscot and started banging his fists on the glass that separated him from his keeper and her assailant.
When she tried to slap Dan a second time, he caught her hand midswing, his smile turning sly. “I like my women feisty, Marisol.”
“I’ll scream.”
“Go ahead. I’d like that, too.” Then the bastard laughed. “Rumor has it we might be bugging out soon, and we’re counting the minutes until managementdeclares openseason on you and your pet over there in the cage. Don’t count on anyone rescuing you.”
When he followed that taunt with a kiss hard enough bruise her lips, Chase cursed and yelled, “You’re wrong about that!”
He looked around for something he could use to shatter the glass. The furniture in his cell was all bolted down, but maybe he could break something free and shatter the glasswith it. Utilizing every bit of leverage and strength he could muster, he managed to kick one arm off the steel chair.
