Page 35 of Degradation
‘Good.’
Mav shifts on the bed. ‘You don’t think we should tell her?’
‘No,’ Shade’s footsteps stop abruptly. ‘No way. She’s...not someone we want on the team, Mav. I know you care about her. I do, too. Of course I do, but she’s a wildcard. She’s brilliant in her own way, but we can’t trust her with this. Not this.’
I try not to let my spirits fall. The way Shade feels about me isn’t new information, and I was just thinking about how I can’t trust them either, wasn’t I? This shouldn’t bother me.
I push the emotions away. They have no place in this plan.
‘Okay,’ Mav concedes. ‘Fine. We’ll talk to Blake when he gets back. Figure out how we’re going to spin this to Sauvage. Where is Blake anyway?’
‘Don’t know, but he took his nine.’
What’s a nine?
‘I thought he wasn’t doing that for them anymore.’
Shade’s voice sounds tired. ‘Still has a debt to clear. It’s not like he can say no.’
I feel the bed bounce a little as Mav gets up.
‘I need to go back to the lab,’ he says, sounding closer to me. ‘Want me to carry Daisy into her room?’
‘No, she doesn’t want to be alone, and I get it. I have an errand. Blake should be back soon. Leave her in here for now. Maybe her being in his bed when he gets back will put him in a better mood than he usually is after.’
I hear them both leave, and I shift with relief, going over all the new information I’ve learned. I wish they’d have talked about the lab more, but at least I’ve found out that I’m right about the second drug. I’d assumed it was something else they’d patent sell to Big Pharma for a lot of money though. It’s clearly not. It’s an illegal substance.
The moral implications give me pause. What if it’s something nasty and highly addictive like fentanyl or heroin? Could I be a part of something that would hurt people, destroy their lives?
No, I couldn’t.
I need to find out what Envy’s properties are before I can do anything, and I can’t do that until I can get back to the lab.
I yawn, feeling tired all of a sudden, and I burrow into Blake’s bed, smelling the scent of his shampoo lingering on his pillow.
There’s a low thump and movement in the room. I sit up with a start and immediately see Blake sitting at the end of the bed. Relaxing immediately, I let out a long sigh as I try to calm my racing heart.
His breathing is harsh, and I frown at his back. Is that blood on the side of his face?
‘Blake?’
‘Go back to sleep, Daisy.’ His voice is gruff, not normal.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask in concern.
‘I’m fine.’
My hand reaches out to touch him, but as it comes to rest on his shoulder, he jumps up and whirls around. His eyes are glassy, and his expression turns furious.
‘Don’t fucking touch me, shut in!’ he hisses. ‘Didn’t you fucking hear what I said? I’m fine.’
His sneer is nasty, making him look like a different person, not one I’d ever want to be around.
‘What is it with bitches like you, huh? Leave me the hell alone!’
My eyes widen, his angry words penetrating deep, and I blink, my face shuttering completely. My heart as well.
They aren’t your friends, remember? Shouldn’t have let your guard down.
