Page 43 of Seal My Fate

“I’ll manage,” Wren replies tightly. “Even if I want to rip his fingernails out for putting us in danger.”

“You’ll have to get in line,” Saint mutters darkly. “And his fingernails aren’t the only thing getting ripped from that fucker’s body.”

I look between them: furious and deadly. They have more in common than they thought. “As long as we’re all on the same page,” I say, with a wry smile. “Lunch should be fun!”

We takethe Tube across town to the Southbank area of the Thames. Wren is still paranoid about being followed, and after what happened in the countryside, now I am too. So, we stick together: Wren hidden under a ballcap and dark glasses, with Saint trailing twenty feet behind us, watching for anything suspicious.

The café Phillip suggested is connected to the National Film Theater, a big complex with movie screenings and lecture theaters. There are tons of people around, and I breathe a small sigh of relief, seeing the security guards posted around the place. Nobody would be stupid enough to try and come after Wren in a place like this.

And even if they did, I’m reassured by a glimpse of Saint, taking up position at a table across the room. He hides behind a newspaper, but I know, he’s watching everything.

Protecting us.

“Ready to meet your BFF?” I ask Wren. A part of me is worried she won’t be able to keep up the act, but when Phillip waves, and comes over with a tray of drinks, Wren is all smiles.

“So, how does it feel, being the big shot in charge?” she asks, teasing.

“Stressful,” he replies, taking a seat. “Mostly it’s just mountains of paperwork.”

“Your favorite. Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Wren grins.

“Were you able to take a look around the servers?” I ask, leaning forward confidentially. I don’t expect for a minute that Phillip will give us any useful information, but I pretend like I do.

Sure enough, Phillip nods. “I did. I checked everything,” he tells Wren. “Double-checked, even. All the human trial data, right from the start. I looked for the inconsistencies you told me about, but I didn’t find anything. It’s all clean.”

“Oh.” Wren pretends to look disappointed.

“What does that mean?” I ask, playing dumb. “There was only a problem with the first trials with the mice, but these ones are OK?"

Phillip nods. “Whatever was going on before, Valerie must have learned from the mistakes, and made sure everything ran properly with the main trial. It’s all aboveboard.”

“That’s great news,” I exclaim, pretending to be relieved. “Isn’t it great, Wren?”

“Uh huh.” She’s looking at Phillip with tension in her gaze, and I can tell that she thinks he’s lying through his teeth.

“I know you were worried the trials were compromised,” Phillip adds. “But it’s alright. The drug works.”

“What a relief!” I exclaim. Wren still doesn’t say anything.Shit. I kick her under the table, and she jolts.

“A big relief,” she agrees. “I just wanted to make sure the science backed it up. So many people are counting on this research, you see.”

“Right.” Phillip coughs, looking flustered.

Looking guilty.

“But if the trials are all genuine, then we don’t have to worry anymore!” I add loudly. “We can forget all about the other data and move on with our lives.”

“That’s good.” Phillip says quickly. “Moving on is good.”

“Isn’t it?” Wren gives him a tight smile. “I’m so proud of you, you know. Taking over the project, running the whole team. It must feel amazing, knowing you’re going to be changing the face of medicine.”

“Uh, yes. It’s… a big thrill,” Phillip replies, swallowing hard.

Wren’s smile widens. “I have to admit, I’m jealous. I miss lab life,” she says, with a wistful tone. “And the new Ashford HQ! That’s a step up from our Oxford digs, huh? No more getting lost in the storage closet every time we need a new petri dish,” she adds with a grin.

Phillip seems to relax a little. “It’s crazy,” he says. “The tech they’ve got there… There’s a new liquid chromatograph that makes my heart skip a beat.”

“No!” Wren laughs. “How long were we begging for one?”

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