Page 24

“What do you think the activity session was all about?” Ben asks while we pass the lunch bowls. “He’s such a freak. Did you see the way they pretty much had to carry him away?”

I concentrate on the vegetables to hide my glare.

“He looked really sick. I hope he’s alright,” Lucy says.

“You were with him, Rebecca. What happened?”

I force a shrug. “Like Lucy said, he didn’t look well. I saw him go in the wrong bathroom and wanted to make sure he was okay. Security came in and took over shortly afterwards.”

Ben shakes his head. “I don’t get you. How can you even care at this point? I mean, you’ve seen what he’s like.”

“He’s still a person and I wasn’t going to let him die on a bathroom floor if he was in trouble.”

“Whatever. He would’ve let you.”

I can’t look at them and study my plate again. “Yeah, well, maybe we’re all too hard on each other.”

“What did he say? Did you talk to him?” Lucy’s tone is more sincere than the others, and I soften a bit.

“Not really. I wasn’t in there for long before the guards came in. He seemed to have a headache or something.”

“Maybe it was a migraine. I get migraines. They wipe me out.”

“Probably.”

My tablemates move on to other subjects, but I know the “gym incident” is the main topic throughout the dining hall. I can only guess what rumors and misinformation is flowing from table to table, but I no longer care about the gossip. He doesn’t, and there’s no time for that anyway.

I just pledged to turn on him. I have no idea what that means.

Clausen doesn’t make me wait long to find out.

I’m excused from my private session after lunch, and he leads me down the familiar path to The Room.

My pulse pounds with each step, my palms sweaty and warm.

I tuck them in my back pockets, doing my best to seem surprised by everything I’m seeing.

Meanwhile, my mind is racing with counter-thoughts.

I could probably still escape this nightmare.

Maybe they’d let me go home if I promised to keep my mouth shut.

I still don’t really know anything, right?

And they think I know even less than I do.

Daniel’s survived years of this. He’d be okay on his own.

This isn’t my fight. He’d forgive me for abandoning him. Hell, he begged me to leave.

He would forgive me, but I wouldn’t.

Light from the end of the hall illuminates the dark corridor and chills me with its odd appeal. The warm glow emanating from such a terrifying place only magnifies its horror and chips at my resolve. Clausen seems to sense my hesitation and grabs my arm, nearly pulling me forward.

“Top secret research labs,” he explains as we walk. “Most students and faculty don’t even know about this floor. Only those with top-level clearance have access. This is quite the honor, Rebecca. I told you, you were special.”

He’ll have to forgive me for not hugging him with gratitude.

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light when we step inside the room. As soon as they do, my gaze settles on Daniel, and his expression shatters me. Regret. Apology. He wishes I’d run.

I’m even more relieved I didn’t.

“This morning was unfortunate, but it brought us together, so we can’t deny the success,” Clausen begins in a matter-of-fact tone.

Daniel studies the floor, and I see they’ve extinguished his characteristic fire.

Clausen clears his throat and focuses on me.

“We’re looking for memories of a man in his mid-forties.

He’s the CEO of Emmit Market Corporation and would be in Daniel’s past from about three months ago. ”

I nod and let my eyes meet Daniel’s. The panic building in his expression mirrors mine, but it’s too late to resist. He flinches at my touch. Does he feel the same sparks I do every time we touch?

I pull away. “Nothing. I only saw a meal from many years ago.”

“Try again,” Clausen says. “Keep trying until you see him.”

“This could take days. She obviously can’t control what she sees,” Daniel mutters.

“Then we’ll sit here for days. What do you see now?”

“A swimming pool surrounded by a fence.”

“How old is Daniel?”

“Just a child.”

“And now?”

I feel the blood drain from my face. “He’s in this room.”

Clausen seems pleased. “Is anyone else in the room?”

I nod and try to steady my breathing. “You, another woman, and a man of about fifty with an expensive blue suit.” Daniel shoots me a warning look.

Clausen steps forward. “Red tie? Dark glasses?”

I can’t look at Daniel when I nod.

Clausen exchanges a glance with one of his colleagues. “Senator Albertson,” he whispers to himself. “Keep going with this one. Forget about the CEO. What’s happening in the vision?”

Daniel jerks in the chair. “I already told you Albertson was clean. There’s nothing you can use!”

“Shut up. We’re finished talking to you. What do you see, Rebecca? Can you see inside the Senator’s head?”

I’m flustered now. It doesn’t help that Daniel is clearly trying to relay a message of his own that I can’t interpret. He gives up and returns his attention to the director. At least the anger is back. I feel safer with him in fight mode.

“She can’t see shit like that. You might as well let her go. She’s not going to be able to help you even if she wanted to.”

“How do you know?” Clausen asks, glaring at him.

Daniel returns his heated gaze. “You know I know.”

“Maybe you do, but I also know how well you can lie.”

Darts shoot from Daniel’s eyes, but he doesn’t respond.

I decide to follow his lead. “He’s right. I can’t see what’s in that man’s head, only what’s happening from a third party angle.”

Clausen curses and studies us coldly. I shiver at the expression he trains on Daniel. “I don’t care which one of you gives me that information, but it’s going to happen. It’s up to you how we do it.” He motions to his companions who follow and lock the door.

“What’s going on? Who is that guy?” I ask Daniel. Terrified, I kneel in front of the chair, searching his face. At first, I fear he intends to ignore me. He can’t fade into stubborn silence on me now. After drawing in a ragged breath, he meets my gaze, clearly at war with himself.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbles. “I’m going to get you out of this.”

“We’ll figure something out. What’s going on?”

He clenches his eyes shut. “They want information they can use to blackmail the man you saw.”

I exhale in disgust. “Why? Why would they do that?”

Daniel stares at the door with a hard expression. “The less you know the better. Just continue telling them you don’t know anything. You did fine earlier.”

“Don’t you think I’ve earned the truth yet? Don’t you think I deserve to understand why I’m locked in a basement? Look at me. I’m in this now, too!”

He does, and the guilt on his face doesn’t make me feel better. “Like I said, I’m sorry you were caught up in this. Follow my lead, and I’ll have you back upstairs dining on gourmet food and hanging out with your new friends by the end of the day.”

“What?” I cry in disbelief. “You really think they’re going to let me go? Now that I know about this place? About what they do to you? Clausen led me down here like this was part of a campus tour.”

“You don’t know what you know, but it’s not over for you. We’re getting you out of this. If we play it right, they’ll have no reason for you to share my fate. It’s me they want. They thought you’d be able to help them, and now they’re not so sure. We’ve planted enough doubt.”

I take a deep breath, wanting to believe him, but how?

None of the evidence supports what he’s saying.

“What are you going to do?” I ask, not even trying to hide my skepticism.

He would have read it already anyway. When he doesn’t look at me, my stomach drops.

“You’re going to tell them what they want,” I breathe out.

“I have to. They own me at this point, and they know it. Maybe you’re my trigger now.” His tone is so quiet, so damaged. It must destroy him to admit they’ve won. “Just this once, I’ll give in. Then once we get you away from them, we can recalibrate things back to how they were.”

My jaw drops, anger climbing in my chest. “That’s your plan? I’m not leaving you here on your own!”

He glares back just as hot. “Stop it, Rebecca. You’re loyalty was touching in the beginning, but now it’s become a liability. How can you still not get it? You. Can’t. Be. Here!”

“I don’t get it because you won’t tell me anything! You give me cryptic half-truths and expect me not to wonder about the rest? I know there’s more. I know that table isn’t there for storage!”

His expression hardens as he strains toward me. “The truth isn’t going to change anything. It would just guarantee you’d belong to them forever.” His anger fractures into desperation. “Please stop asking. Let’s concentrate on getting you off their radar and putting things back to normal.”

“No! Normal is you being tortured while everyone hates you over lies!”

He shakes his head, angry tears glistening in his eyes. “What are my options, Rebecca? You think that’s what I want? You think this hell was a choice? There’s only one way out for me. One way, and I obsess over it twenty-four hours a day.”

“You want to end your life,” I whisper in horror. I can’t breathe.

“Of course I do. I’ve tried multiple times.

” He swallows, and I’m crushed when his gaze sinks into mine.

“It’s my only weapon. My mother came to the same conclusion.

” I shake my head, unable to speak. “She did it for me. They were using us against each other, and she thought if she removed herself from their grasp they’d lose their advantage.

” His voice trails off. “Instead, they doubled their efforts on me and took more precautions.”

“How long have you lived like this?” I ask, heart pounding.

“Since I was eleven. It wasn’t always like this.”

“When did your mother pass away?”

He clenches his jaw and stares at the floor. “Two years ago.”

“You were born in Germany?”

He nods with a distant look.

“Then how did you end up here?”

“I can’t talk about this anymore.”

Of course not. I’ve lost again. “Fine. So what do we do when they come back?”

“Continue telling them what you see if they demand it, and deny you know anything else no matter what.”

“No matter what?” My voice is barely audible.

He doesn’t look at me. “I don’t think you’ll have to see the really bad stuff. I’m going to give them what they want; I just need to hold out long enough to negotiate.”

“Negotiate?”

“How’s your arm?”

“Huh?”

“That was quite a bump against the dresser this morning.”

“You’re trying to distract me. It’s not going to work.”

“You’re also hoping Matthew and Sara start dating, but are afraid Connor won’t be satisfied staying friends.”

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. “He’s nice, just not my type.”

“You need to work on your types.”

“Maybe.” I meet his gaze. “You know I’m not going to be able to just move on like you want.”

His smile fades. “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

I shake my head. “We’ve already been over this. Do you really think they’ll let things go back to the way they were?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

He doesn’t respond, and I suspect that will remain yet another mystery.

The door opens again, and Clausen parades in with his gang of assistants. I look to Daniel, shocked at the tears in his eyes. He clenches them shut as if to hide them.

“You know what I want,” Daniel says.

“You give us details about Emmit Market Corporation and we release Rebecca?” Clausen confirms, and Daniel nods.

My gaze shoots to his in alarm. “What’s going on? What are you doing?” His tortured expression meets mine. “Daniel!”

“I’m so sorry,” he says, and all goes black.