Page 19 of Forged in Deception

She glared at him, and in return, he gave a dramatic wink.

Seriously? The man was impossible.

“You’re supposed to be undercover,” she hissed under her breath.

“It can be part of my cover. And it would be fun.”

“We still have to be professional,” she argued.

Axel crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Fine, fine. Professional. Have it your way.”

“Good. I will.”

She tried to sound confident, but she felt herself blushing once again.

What was the matter with her?

Fine, he was cute. She could admit that much. Especially his muscled forearms, his blue eyes, and his just-disheveled-enough-to-look-unintentional facial scruff.

But that didn’t change the reality of the situation she was currently in.

Even if she was willing to try and enjoy his company, she absolutely had to keep him at arm’s length. Even if she didn’t need to be professional, she was not interested in getting too close to him or to anyone else. She had an important career to focus on, and that would be even more true if she managed to successfully take down her current employer. Getting involved with some guy who wore wrinkled band shirts and hated museums didn’t exactly fit into her plans.

Before she could attempt to steer the conversation toward a safer topic, however, she heard the door to the dining hall fling open across the room. To her relief, Dr. Bajwa and several of the other attendees began to file in.

CHAPTER

NINE

ASHER

Asher watched with interest as his fellow retreat attendees piled into the large dining hall, chatting casually with one another as they lined up to grab breakfast. Aside from himself, Karlin, and Ned, there were five others who would be staying on-site.

“How well do you know these people?” he asked Karlin, keeping his voice low.

“Aside from Bajwa? About as well as you do.”

He nodded, watching as the others filled their plates with food and began making their way toward the table one by one. He had done as much research as he could with just their names, but he hadn’t gotten very far on most of them. No criminal records, no crazy news articles, no sex offenders. It was likely that they were all what they claimed to be: a completely random group of individuals who had reasons to want to try an experimental psychedelic. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be surprised later.

A short, somewhat stocky man cleared his throat loudly and remained standing as the last of the guests settled down in their chairs near Asher and Karlin. Doc Bajwa, he assumed.

“Good morning, everyone,” the man said brightly, a chunky gold ring flashing on his finger as he clapped his hands together. “As most of you know, I’m Dr. Daman Bajwa, and I am so thrilled that this exciting day has finally arrived! Before we eat, let us give ourselves a quick round of applause!”

The others began to clap and Asher joined in, stealing a glance in Karlin’s direction. She was clapping, too, but the grin on her face was clearly plastered on.

Not for the first time, he felt a pang of pity for her. She had a lot on her shoulders. The outcome of the next two weeks would affect her life irrevocably, even if it went well.

“I would like everyone to stand up, one at a time, and introduce yourselves. Keep it brief, please–I’m sure you will forget a name or two, but by the end of our two weeks together, I’m sure you will all have become dear friends. Experiencing the magic of DX8 together has a way of bringing people together at a deeper level, so I hope your hearts are open! And remember: teamwork makes the dream work!”

Though the man was clearly a huge nerd, Asher had to admit that Bajwa’s enthusiasm was pretty infectious. He found himself returning the man’s beaming smile without needing to fake it.

Karlin had told him that Bajwa lived, slept, and breathed DX8, but he hadn’t expected the man to have such childlike excitement about the whole project.

From what research he’d managed to do into the man, Asher had assumed his goals were simple: successfully research groundbreaking drug, make a ton of money, live happily ever after.

He didn’t doubt that it was indeed Bajwa’s plan to do just that.

But now, seeing the man in person, he understood how Karlin and many others had continued to work beneath him for so long despite his tyrannical management style, not to mention his willingness to take dangerous risks with their patients’ health. If the man was faking his passion for his area of research, he was one heck of an actor.

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