Page 95 of Retribution
‘Good.’ He leans back in his seat. ‘So, you are the chemist. I knew it could not be that idiot, Maverick Shaw.’
I frown at Sauvage, not liking the way he’s talking.
‘Mav is very brilliant,’ I contest stiffly. ‘But I was the one who worked out the problems with the original formula. I made the first batches. I was telling you the truth before. It’s a temperamental drug. Making it requires a delicate touch.’
‘Le toucher de la femme,’ he muses. ‘Where have the Novelles been hiding you, hmm?’
‘An institution,’ I say candidly, tilting my head at him.
He snorts.
My gaze falls on the bed again.
‘Mr. In-charge said that’s your bed.’
‘The hotel is mine. So is everything in it,’ he says. ‘And his name is Thomas.’
I think Sauvage sounds bored.
‘Can I go in there?’
‘Go in where?’
‘The bed cage. I’m curious.’
His brow furrows but he nods.
I get up, feeling much more like myself as I walk to the slightly open door and crawl into it.
‘It’s like a soft mattress!’ I exclaim.
His head is tilted. ‘Oui.’
‘And it’s warm.’
‘The floor is heated.’
I turn onto my back and stare up, then I look at the door.
‘And people are locked in?’ I ask, glancing back at him.
‘That is the idea.’
I turn so that I can see him more easily.
‘Doesn’t seem safe,’ I remark with a frown. ‘What if there was a fire? Someone in here would be burnt to a crisp!’
His lips twitch and I get the sense that he’s amused.
‘There is a way of opening it for emergencies.’
‘Have you been in here?’ I ask him.
‘Not to sleep.’
I raise my brows. ‘Oh.’
I get out from underneath and return to my seat.
