Page 26 of Forged in Deception

She was going to get him that dog, and more. He had always been the one person in her life who truly loved her. She couldn’t let him down.

Not after what had almost happened to him already.

At last, she heard Bajwa clearing his throat.

“All set?” he asked, gesturing toward her and Ned’s empty dishes. Ned nodded, and to her relief, Bajwa finally got to his feet.

“All right, people!” Karlin watched as the others ceased their chatter, letting their attention fall on Bajwa. “I hope you all got a good night’s rest and a good morning meal because today’s the day we start making history. We need you at the top of your game! Over to you, Karlin.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she got to her feet and tried to look half as excited as her boss. “The reality is maybe alittleless exciting than Dr. Bajwa’s motivational speech would have you believe,” she joked. “We’re actually not going to be giving you any DX8 until tomorrow.”

Axel led the small crowd in a chorus of light-hearted boos, and suddenly Karlin’s smile felt a lot more genuine. “But that doesn’t mean that today isn’t going to be meaningful,” she continued. “Like we said yesterday, if we’re going to succeed at properly testing out DX8, we need to be a solid team. We need to have each others’ backs.”

She felt a fresh barb of guilt piercing her stomach. So much for having her patients’ backs as she was actively putting them in danger.

She snuck a quick glance at Axel before continuing. Their eyes met for only a moment, but somehow, he seemed to know exactly what she was feeling. He gave her the slightest hint of anod, but it was the look in his eyes that told her he needed her to keep being brave.

She cleared her throat. “Psychedelic drugs are, in my opinion, more serious than anything else on the market or on the street. They work within the depths of the mind, where there is still so much that we don’t understand.

“For years, our team here at Senera has been not only studying DX8 in terms of chemicals and atoms, but holistically, as well. Ancient cultures from all over the world prepare and use various psychedelic plants native to their regions. We’ve learned a lot from all kinds of different shamans and other traditional healers, and one thing that has come up again and again is the importance of trust. Trust between guide and seeker, and trust between seekers themselves.”

She paused again, allowing her words to sink in.

This time, she couldn’t force herself to meet Axel’s eyes.

Talking about seekers and shamans and ancient drug rituals had always made her feel a little foolish–she was a scientist, after all, and not exactly prone to reveling in the unquantifiable–but this was different.

Now that she knew of his Christian faith, she imagined she could actually feel his judgment radiating from across the room.

John had hated her work with psychedelics ever since he’d become a Christian, but he especially disapproved of her learning from traditional elders or attending their psychedelic ceremonies. He hated these practices not because they were fake or silly, he said, but because they were real, and they were dangerous.

Karlin shook her head, hoping no one had noticed just how far she’d gotten lost in her own thoughts. She wasn’t here to worry about demonic portals to the underworld, or whatever else John and Axel and maybe even Destiny thought about.Whatever her emotions wanted her to believe, the facts told her that science was on her side, and that was that.

“Anyway,” she continued, giving a little chuckle that sounded fake even to her own ears, “Today we’re going to start off with a moderate hike, enjoy a picnic lunch, and do a basic group intake.”

Bajwa nodded, cutting in at last to take over. He looked like he was about to jump out of his shoes with excitement.

She was relieved to get out of the spotlight, and even better, Bajwa looked more than pleased with her little speech. So far, nothing he’d done or said gave her any real reason to fear that he knew what she and Axel were up to, and she was going to make sure it stayed that way.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

ASHER

Asher handed his plate to Ned, careful not to let the little wooden knife and fork fall into the sand.

Of course they didn’t use plastic cutlery here.

Even their disposable plates looked to be made of some sort of recycled paper pulp.

“Lunch was great, thanks,” he said to the quiet camp cook, who looked distinctly uncomfortable to be beyond the walls of the dining hall. Ned offered a nod and a half-smile in return as he turned to grab plates from the others.

Asher had told the man the truth–the salad really was good, as far as vegetarian salads with no cheese or croutons went–but on the whole, he was already excited to grab a nice burger back in San Antonio. Maybe he’d invite Gabe along so he could watch him eat half his weight in salad and bland chicken. This health-obsessed place would have been perfect for him.

Save for the experimental, mind-altering, synthetic drugs.

He caught himself glancing in Karlin’s direction, wondering how she’d feel about grabbing a bite with him when all this was over.

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