Page 62 of Eternal

“You’d never go against that?”

“Never.” He scowls like he’s disgusted by the insinuation.

“That’s interesting, considering all your dirty little secrets.” I smirk. “Paul Donovan did you a favor. What was it?”

“Paul?” Simon’s eyebrows pinch at the mention of Teal’s father. “What are you talking about?”

“Three years ago, you gave Paul Donovan a seat on the board for Montgomery Psychiatric Ward. The same year that his daughter was admitted. What did he do for you to get him that spot?”

“He was voted in like anyone else.”

“At your recommendation. Which, given your position as Medical Director, you knew they would listen to.”

“It’s not unusual for me to submit recommendations for new board members.” Simon dances around the answer.

“It is when he has a conflict of interest due to his ownership in two competing hospitals. That alone was enough to disqualify him from the position. Still, you pushed for it.”

Simon looks between me and Kole, who’s still standing silently at my side. “The board looked past it.”

“Why?” I grab Simon’s face and force him to look at me. “What convinced them?”

“Paul threatened to go public.” Simon’s breathing is labored.

“About what?” I grip his jaw tighter. “What did he have on you?”

“He knew we didn’t have approval yet for some of the medical trials we were running.”

It’s amusing how easily Simon breaks. You’d think Sigma House would have taught him better than that, but that’s the problem with the generations before us. They were soft. They were weak. They let their position make them feel strong when it means nothing.

I shove Simon’s face to the side, stepping back. “What kind of medical trials?”

“Visual therapy.” Simon catches his breath, struggling against the restraints. “It was supposed to help with PTSD.”

“I don’t care what it was supposed to do. Whatdidit do?”

Simon sighs, meeting my stare. “It’s not that simple. We were still calibrating when Paul came along. We were using visual stimulants like hypnotherapy mixed with measured doses of hallucinogens to incite a specific reaction. We were trying to tap into specific triggers to elicit a different response. But…”

He looks off, swallowing hard.

“But what?”

“There were complications.” Simon’s gaze snaps to mine. “Patients were left with gaps in time. Missing memories.”

“Holes.” I shake my head, remembering what Teal called them.

Simon tries to nod, but he can’t. “We should have shut it down.”

“But you didn’t.” My jaw clenches, already knowing the answer. “Tell me something. Did you know why Paul actually cared about the trials when he threatened to expose you? Or were you really just another pawn? Did you really think he wanted it shut down?”

“At first, yes.” Simon’s teeth clench. “But then he changed his mind. He promised to make it right. Said that no one had to know about the issues so long as we could fix it. He told us if he was on the board, the Council would back us.”

And, of course, they did.

“What did he give you for helping him gain his seat?”

Simon doesn’t answer. His jaw clenches, and he presses his lips together.

I grab him by the throat so hard he immediately chokes for air. “Answer the question, Simon.”