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.