Page 22 of Forged in Deception

He got to his feet, pulling a couple of stray spines from where they had embedded themselves in his hoodie’s sleeve before walking toward her.

Steep red stone walls rose all around the small valley, blocking off some of the cold wind, though it was still chilly without the fire. The place reminded Asher of being on the inside of a giant bowl.

“Fortunately for you, that was barely a cactus,” Karlin said with a laugh, beckoning him forward. “But seriously, you’re good?”

He nodded, accepting her invitation to enter the shadowy structure. Unlike the modern guest cabin he was staying in, this one looked old and decrepit, with a slightly crooked roof and several missing roof tiles.

As his eyes adjusted, he realized that the dim interior wasn’t any nicer than the outside. Two rickety wooden chairs sat around a small log table with an empty bookshelf behind it. The only other furniture was a short stretch of cabinets on the opposite wall, a threadbare futon, and a black pot-belliedwoodstove that had been left unlit. A single candle was burning in the middle of the table, giving just enough light to see by.

“Is there really nowhere else that we can meet?” he asked, plunking himself into one of the chairs as Karlin did the same. “That hike on the way in was rough, especially that last hill. And can we at least start a fire? It’s dark. And freezing.”

“Apparently it’s not just those west coast men who are soft,” Karlin joked.

“Ha-ha. Seriously, what is this place? It’s kind of a dump. No offense.”

“I’m actually not sure. I’m guessing it came with the land when Senera bought the place,” she said, casting a glance at the small window near the front door. “Anyway. Never mind that. We need to get to the important stuff. We don’t have all night.”

Asher nodded, picking at a hole on the edge of his chair’s armrest where decades-old stuffing was beginning to spill out. Now that he was actually alone with Karlin, he was beginning to feel a little bit nervous. Her personality was a bit of a roller coaster to navigate. Two minutes ago she’d been smiling and teasing him, and now she was all business. It made him feel like he was constantly losing his balance.

Still, he knew he could help her come around. He’d only known her for a couple of days, and building trust took time.

“Allow me to give you today’s briefing, ma’am,” he said, matching her serious tone. “To begin, I was awoken around 0600 with the help of the Samsung alarm clock your organization so kindly provided. Following that, I went to acquire breakfast in the dining hall, wherein I found a near-total dearth of protein–”

“Axel,” Karlin warned, rolling her eyes. “Be serious.”

“I am!”

She glanced at the table between them, and then at the bookshelf.

“Looking for something to chuck at my head?” he added, giving her a wink. “Karlin, come on. I’ll stop being a butthead. But you really need to relax a little. No one has any reason to suspect we’re in here.”

“That’s why we’re not lighting a fire. There would be smoke from the chimney.”

“So? Karlin, it’s past midnight! Everyone is asleep or almost asleep,” he said, trying to decide if it was amusement or frustration he was trying to keep out of his voice. “You need to accept that we are going to need to take some small risks if we’re going to pull this off. Not communicating during this investigation is not an option.”

He had kept his tone light, but to his horror, she looked like she might actually burst into tears. When she finally spoke, her voice shook.

“Today was scary for me, okay?” she said meekly. “My stomach still feels like it’s in knots, I’m beyond exhausted, and now I don’t think I’m going to get any sleep, so I’m gonna be a wreck tomorrow, too. So yeah, I need to relax, but it’s not that easy.”

Asher felt guilt twisting in his gut.

“Hey, hey,” he said softly, shaking his head. He leaned forward slightly in his chair and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You’re right. I’m sorry for goofing around so much. I do stuff like this all the time. It’s easy to forget that this is new for you.”

Though Karlin hadn’t moved to shake off his hand, he could feel her bristling a little beneath his touch, and further pity shot through him. This woman clearly struggled with trust, and he had no doubt she had her reasons. He pulled away and leaned back in his chair.

“It’s not even just that,” Karlin said. “I mean, it is nerve-wracking having an undercover private security operative walking around. But it’s more than that. I feel so guilty.”

“Why? It’s a necessary omission of the truth in order to get the job done.”

“Not because of that. I’m worried for my patients. I know that the risks of taking DX8 are greater than Bajwa and I are letting on, especially in patients with comorbidities.”

“Which I’m guessing your patients have?”

Karlin nodded. “This is the first Phase II trial, which permits us to actually use the drug to treat mental health orders like we would be doing once it’s on the market. But DX8 isn’t ready. I’m so worried for my patients. They’re my responsibility, and here I am, letting this retreat continue. I just feel so slimy.”

Okay, now that made a lot more sense.

Karlin knew things that her patients didn’t. Would they have agreed to this trial if they knew the real risks they were taking?

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