Page 16 of The Jaguar's Flower

The more Mac thought about it. He knew his next request was absurd. It would place them under Renfield’s microscope. He stepped close to whisper. “I take over the mission; she will never know we are different.”

“That’s suicide. We both know Renfield will catch on.” Avel swallowed. “How about this, when I am with her, it’s with Draven as well? There won’t be a chance for whatever it is you do with her. Think about it?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Chapter ten

Softnotesofviolinmusic filled the still air of Renfield’s office. Any that carried emotions would call the music heart-piercing, but the doctor held little to no emotion. It simply soothed his need for control during every moment of the day.

While others took their lunch break, he sat in his office and viewed the poor-quality footage on fast forward and without sound. The images came from the exam room that Dr. Morris used to speak with the experiments. Though the recordings were fuzzy, he easily deciphered who sat across the table from her with 002 at her back.

Each time Renfield watched her slide a wrapped treat to one of the experiments, the vein in his forehead throbbed. “They are not to be treated as equals. Does she not realize they are nothing more than animals that need tight leashes?” His low voice filled the empty room and drowned out the sound of the violin music for a moment.

His fingers tapped against the wooden top of his desk as he tried to figure out a way to use her actions against her and the shifters. His eyes never left the screen as he picked up the nondescript sandwich from its plastic container. Someone delivered as soon it as he finished his morning session with the experiments on the third floor. He expected to find something incriminating in the footage, but nothing presented itself.

The need to find information to keep her in line drove him almost obsessively. As a student, she showed great promise with her papers on genetics, so he followed her academic career. He ensured a contract was presented to her as soon as she completed her doctorate. He also oversaw the other factors that needed to be handled to garner her acceptance.

As he took a bite, he continued to watch the screen. The experiments easily gave their trust to her. He planned to use that detail in the future if he presented himself with Dr. Morris. The shifters would believe he did not intend to cause more psychological trauma. He wondered how long it would take for her to lose the trust of the experiments.

A shrill beep sounded through Renfield’s office. It distracted him from the footage he reviewed, the bland sandwich, and his ponderings about how to use Dr. Morris. His eyes never left the monitor as he dropped his sandwich. A grainy image of three guards appeared after a couple of clicks of the mouse.

Renfield used his tone to convey his annoyance with the disruption. “What?”

“Sir, we finished the sweeps of the recently occupied residences.” The quality of the image didn’t allow the viewer to see who spoke, not that it mattered.

“Do you require a gold star or simply enjoy disrupting my work?” Renfield almost closed the video call when the guard spoke again.

A notepad with illegible scribbles appeared on the screen. “We believe there is already a security breach or that there will be.”

His fingers tapped above the mouse as he debated the seriousness of the offense. “Which resident?”

Promptly, one of the other guards answered, “Dr. Violet Morris.”

“Do nothing until I arrive.” Renfield ended the video call. He knocked his leather chair into the wall as he rose from his desk. With Dr. Morris’s behavior, he knew she would become a problem. However, her personnel file gave him no recourse against her to keep her in line. This might be the perfect answer to everything that plagued him.

He required an escort to accompany any staff member that moved around the grounds. Some of the staff used the experiments for their own personal gains. Other members of the staff continued the psychological torment inflicted upon the shifters. They assigned a few of the human guards to escort duty since Renfield wanted to test how far the staff could push the shifters. He was the only member of the staff with the freedom to come and go as he pleased.

As he made his way to the guards’ barracks, he hypothesized what they found within Dr. Morris’ private residence. After he swiped his keycard, he pushed the heavy metal door. It opened with a loud clunk when it hit the block wall. The guards knew to expect him. However, he rarely announced himself. He barged through the wooden door of the security room within the barracks.

The three guards rose to attention, although they didn’t salute Renfield. The military trained them well. Even though Renfield was not one of the superior officers, they knew better than to question their orders. In fact, he held no recollection of serving in the military. This was simply a means to guarantee his work continued without questions.

“Sir.”

“Renfield.”

The words were flat, but he knew they feared him as much as the rest of the staff, even if the guards knew of nothing that occurred within the facility. He never reacted based on emotion alone. They knew of his unpredictable nature. None knew what to expect when in the doctor's presence.

He ignored the formalities of introductions or greetings. “What did you find?”

They thrust a miniature version of a legal pad in his direction. Surprised, Renfield’s brows rose as he noticed the paper’s soft pastel pink tone and the flowery doodles that appeared on the page. He almost dismissed it until his eyes scanned the scribbled words. Dr. Morris’ penmanship left a lot to be desired, but the words he decipher wrinkled his brows.

The guards whispered among themselves while Renfield read over the page more thoroughly. He did not see the notes as a security breach. However, her plans would disrupt his own. That was not an action he would tolerate. “Have you told anyone about what you’ve found?”

The military-issued guards were prohibited from interacting with anyone at the facility. They were specifically there to prevent any leaks of information or infiltration of the grounds. As his eyes narrowed on each man, they shook their heads. “No, sir.”

He nodded his head briefly. “Forget that Dr. Morris’ residence was searched. You are dismissed to return to your usual duties.” If they expected an explanation, they would be disappointed. Renfield held complete control of the facility and everyone in it.

Once the guards left the room, Renfield sat at the small wooden table. His eyes continued to pour over the scribbles on the page. She clearly aligned herself with the experiments, though she didn’t understand their true natures. The beasts might roll over for her now, but they would snap at the hand that fed them. Cruelty was the only way to deal with such creatures. This kind of behavior from Dr. Morris would not be condoned under his watch.

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