Page 75 of Forged in Deception

It was about bringing light into a place where darkness reigned.

He stole a glance in her direction.

Tonight, she was dressed more formally than she had for the rest of the retreat. She’d even brought a lab coat to the hut, though it was discarded on top of Bajwa’s CD player at the moment.

Ever since the others had arrived back at the retreat site and she’d rejoined the group, her smiles had been cold, and any conversation she made had sounded forced. Asher knew her well enough now to see the gears turning. She was in deep focus mode now, single-mindedly set on only one objective until this nightmare ended.

He shared her determination, but his acting would have to be a lot more convincing.

“Mr. Bishop, are you feeling fully prepared?” Bajwa asked him, as if on cue.

He was prepared, all right. Right down to the concealed handgun he wore. Tonight, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“You bet, Doc,” he said, giving a thumbs-up and a carefree smile. “We got this. Let’s do it for Destiny!”

With this, he let out a cheer, and everyone joined in. Even Paul offered a weak whoop, though his face was etched with confusion, as though he was expecting a hidden camera to pop out at any moment and tell him that all of this was a joke.

Which, Asher supposed, it kind of was. But it was a joke he’d have to be in on for the next several hours. May as well do it justice.

“Your dose is perfect this time,” Karlin said, lifting up a glass cup and gesturing in Asher’s direction. “You’re going to actually feel what it’s like to experience DX8, I promise.”

Bajwa clapped his hands together, his dark brown eyes gleaming. “Excellent. We wouldn’t want you missing out on this once in a lifetime chance to grow and to explore our universe.”

He looked so excited that Asher could actually pity him. He could only wonder how the man would react when he learned that one of his best scientists was risking everything in order to put an end to his research entirely.

“I think we’re ready to get started,” Karlin said, getting up from her spot near the plastic cooler of DX8 and beginning to hand out doses to the others. When she reached Asher’s mat and passed him his own, her fingers lingered on his a few seconds longer than necessary. But before he could offer her so much as a surreptitious wink, she’d already moved on to Cora.

A new fear struck at him as he waited for the others to receive their doses.

He’d been so worried about whether Karlin would have the courage to go through with leaving the retreat tomorrow that he hadn’t considered what would happen if she did. Would they continue to grow closer together without the forced bonds of the retreat, or would Karlin push him away as soon as she no longer needed him?

He wanted to believe that they had a real connection, that her feelings for him were just as real as his feelings for her,but he knew that nothing was guaranteed. Worse, he also knew that even when things were going well, he had an epic knack for messing everything up.

He gripped the glass cup more tightly.

He couldn’t let himself worry about how Karlin felt about him. The life and death reality of dealing with Senera had to be his only priority, at least for now.

Glancing around the room, he let his eyes linger for a moment on each of his fellow retreat patients.

He’d failed the people who’d relied on him back in Afghanistan, and those men had been soldiers. Lily, Paul, and Cora were not. Neither was Destiny.

Neither was Amira.

He couldn’t turn back time and help her now, but he could certainly make sure that justice was truly served on her behalf, even as she awaited it in death.

Finally, his eyes alighted on Karlin, who was moving her lab coat and saying something he couldn’t hear to Bajwa.

She looked so fierce and determined, like some invincible goddess, but he knew that wasn’t true. Deep down, she was vulnerable in ways that few other people could fathom. Whatever choice she made about continuing to want him when this was over didn’t matter. She’d still trusted him, still shared things with him that she had carried by herself for years.

He would be strong for her. He would protect her.

Even if it was the last thing he ever did.

KARLIN

The sound of drumbeats filled Karlin’s ears as her patients downed their doses of DX8.

She realized she was holding her breath, but so far, nothing seemed to be amiss.

---