Page 90 of Cruel Master
I let my feet take over, speeding toward the big building as questions churn round and round in my head. Should I trust this ghost? Shouldn’t I find people to tell about what is happening so they can try and fix it? But that would take a long time. There would be questions. Discussions. By the time it all got sorted out, it might be too late.
Shouldn’t you be trying to escape?
The thought almost makes me stumble, but I right myself and keep up my steady pace. I’m a captive. I’m now sort of free. Why wasn’t it the first thing that popped into my head? And why, even after I’ve thought of it, am I still not changing direction?
I love you.
That intense kiss.
Him looking at me like I’m something he can’t stand to lose.That’swhy. However fucked up and wrong this all is, I can’t leave him to whatever happens when that timer reaches zero.
I speed up. I pass a few people, some of whom glance at me but not with any major interest. It’s so normal that it threatens to start weirding me out again, but I push on. I can worry about all that later when this—whatever the hell this it is—is dealt with.
By the time I reach Hadrian’s lab building, I’m sweating, and my breath is coming hard. Definitely out of condition. I pause at the door, which has another hand scanner, but it swooshes open. Candice seems to have the locks handled.
I stare at the elevator. Shit. Which floor was it again? Does Candice have control over that, too? I wait, hoping it will appear by magic, but it doesn’t.
Fuck.
I don’t have Hadrian’s perfect memory, and so much has happened today. Everything is turning into a blur. I close my eyes, aware of every lost second. It wasn’t a long trip. Third or fourth floor, maybe? I hit third and hope for the best.
Luck is on my side, because as soon as the doors slide open, I recognize Hadrian’s lab. I stand in front of the door and wait.
Nothing happens.
Where is the magical click? I press my hand to the palm sensor, but it doesn’t work. My clammy skin turns chilled as cooled air blows over me, and I shiver.
“Candice?”
I don’t even feel ridiculous talking to a disembodied AI creation. I just want a response. Something. I can almost see the timer ticking down.
I slap the door. “Candice? Are you there?”
Nothing happens. Behind me, the elevator chimes. Someone is here.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Juliet
Ishouldn’tfreakout.It’s not like Hadrian’s lab is the only one on this floor—there are other doors. But my mouth dries as the elevator light winks out, and the doors slide open. What if it’s the person behind the timer, hunting me down? Or some weirdo cult member looking for a sacrifice? Hadrian says they don’t do that here, but I’m not sure I buy it.
But when the doors open, they reveal a small figure. Pale skin, blotchy, washed-out hair. Candice’s friend, the one who lost it at Hadrian earlier. What was she called? Quinn. She clutches an iPad, and her eyes widen when she sees me.
“You…” She looks over my shoulder, down the corridor, and at the closed lab door. “What are you doing here? Where’s Hadrian?”
This is so far from anything I was expecting that I just stare at her until she waves her hand in front of my face. “Hello?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Where to start? Just fucking start somewhere. “He's trapped. In danger. Candice—a small part of her—sent me here, but I can’t get in.”
Quinn’s lips part, and her hand presses against her chest. She draws in a breath. “She’s alive! Oh fuck. I wasn’t sure it was real. What do you mean part of her? What—”
I hold up a hand. “Please. There’s no time. Did she contact you?”
“Maybe. I don’t…” She holds up her iPad. “We used to use this app to talk. It’s been dead since…” Her lip wobbles. “But this just came through. I ran here.”
I try to focus on the screen, though her hands are shaking. It’s an unfamiliar messaging app, and the latest message is just a string of emojis. I finally make it out. It’s a gaming controller, repeated over and over.
My heart drops. I’d been hoping for something useful. Instructions, maybe. Some fucking clue as to what to do. But then my brain kicks into gear. “Why did that make you come here?”
