Page 63 of The Maverick (WaterFyre Rising #7)
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
VANESSA
After signing in, we entered a room decorated with fancy chairs, couches, tables filled with appetizers, a juice bar, and a dessert display with a frozen yogurt stand. A DJ played music at the far end of the room. This party vibe would entice any college student.
At a glance, the crowd consisted of college students and young professionals. A pretty hostess wearing an elegant black dress approached our group with a tray of fancy glasses. Her name tag read Tiffany.
“Would you like some apple or pineapplejuice?”
“That’s juice?” I asked, studying the fancy glass.
“Yes.” She smiled. “It tastes better in a fancy glass. We also have water over there.” She pointed to the beverage table.
“No cocktails?” asked Stacy.
“Sorry, no,” Tiffany said.
“How did you guys hear about this?” I asked my group.
“My thesis on Hollywood, mind control, and the CIA got Dr. Messina’s attention,” Joshua said.
“He’s a nerd.” Ana elbowed me.
“He sure is.” Stacy sipped her apple juice.
“I heard from my buddy.” Eric gave Joshua a light punch in the arm.
Embarrassed, Joshua scratched his head.
Intrigued, I said, “That’s an interesting topic. I wouldn’t have grouped Hollywood, mind control, and the CIA together like that. Where did you get that idea from?”
Joshua looked into his glass of orange juice for a moment as though considering something.
“The entire class knows why, Josh,” Ana said. “You even thanked your uncle in your thesis.”
Joshua sighed. “My uncle was in the CIA, but then he died. He mentioned a few things to me that got me researching.”
“He’s gonna make a fantastic CIA agent.” Stacy beamed.
“I don’t want to be an agent,” Joshua said.
“You’re going to be an incredible psychiatrist.” Ana patted his shoulder.
His thesis fascinated me. Perhaps Attikus could talk to Joshua about the CIA agents. So many of them had tried to kill me. I took it as a sign that Dr. Nico Messina was interested in Joshua’s papers.
Maybe I shouldn’t be here. Nerves multiplied in my stomach, but I wanted to stay for the entire event. Though I held a water bottle, I didn’t drink anything. I excused myself to use the restroom and told my group I’d join them in the room for the seminar.
I chose the last stall in the restroom. As I flushed, I dumped some of the water from my bottle to show I’d drunk something. I didn’t know if I was being paranoid, but something told me to be extra careful.
As I exited the bathroom stall, Tiffany exited the one next to mine.
She smiled at me. “Are you excited about the seminar?”
“I am. How long have you been with Modern Research Group?”
“Over a year.”
“Do they pay well?”
“Yup! As long as you do as they say, you’ll be fine.” She smiled and washed her hands.
“Are they demanding?”
“Oh, no. I meant to say, as long as you do your job, you’ll get rewarded.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a BMW key. “I paid for this car with my bonus. I graduated from college a year ago as a pharmacist, and I’m now debt-free.”
Tiffany was someone who knew medicine and its dosage.
“Wow. That’s amazing.” I stared at her key, pretending to be mesmerized. “Are you working as a pharmacist and this part-time job?”
“For now.” She flicked her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. “Besides, they trust me now, so I can do administrative work on weekends.”
“I hope to pay off my bills soon,” I said. “Thanks for the chat.”
“You can do it!” She smiled. “Just keep the vision of money in your mind.”
We entered the seminar room at the same time. She closed the door, and I heard a click. I turned to see if she had locked the door, but the lights dimmed.
“Nikki! Over here.” Ana waved at the table on the right.
“Thanks for saving me a seat.” I sat down.
A wide screen that took up half of the wall showed a video of Dr. Nico Messina addressing the group. He walked us through his lab, showing us the various parts of the programs.
The room suddenly grew extremely quiet, and someone snored. It was Stacy. I turned to look at the other tables, and they were all asleep too.
Ana yawned. “I don’t know why I’m so sleepy.”
Shit. Something was in the drinks or the appetizers. Josh and Eric were already out.
“I’m sleepy too.” I rested my head on my arm and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep. Staying still, I breathed in and out slowly for about five minutes.
Then I heard footsteps approaching, and someone said, “They’re out. Let’s get moving. The boat should be there now.”
“I’ll grab all their belongings,” Tiffany said.
The light flicked on, but I kept my eyes closed. A noise sounded from a nearby table. I cracked my eyes open. They were putting the people on rolling cots and covering them with a tarp.
Oh, my god. Fear escalated.
When Tiffany turned, I closed my eyes immediately.
“Where are we taking this group?” someone asked.
“To the warehouse down by the canal,” Tiffany said. “The boat should be ready.”
“The new research center is open now?” asked a man.
“Yeah. Suite 207. Dr. Messina has a new serum he wants to experiment with. He wants us to give it to Joshua first.”
Fear squirmed inside me.
“Why him?” asked the man.
“Something about him being a threat to our program.”
I heard more people enter the room. Terror rose in me, but I tried to focus on my breathing. Stay calm.
How could I escape them? I couldn’tjust get up and leave. They’d kill me on the spot. My mom’s face flashed across my mind. Then came Attikus. My heart sank as I thought about my loved ones. The fear increased, so I stopped thinking about them and focused on surviving.
Where was this new research center? I had to play this by ear.
Someone came and yanked my arms, shoving me into a cart. A tarp fell over me. I felt another warm body next to me. Fear tightened my stomach and shoulders, but I concentrated on playing dead.
Breathing slowly, I tried not to panic as I was pushed away on the cart.