Page 53 of Broken Surrender
“The test subject’s brother,” I said. “I work in Business Management.”
“Right. Desmond Callen.” Good. He knew me, then. He gestured behind me. “She’ll escort you out.”
I glanced around, but there was no one there. “I’m checking on my—”
But by the time I turned around, the man was gone. I faced the observation room, looking through the two-way glass. Corinne seemed okay, just tired. But as I looked closer, blue and purple bruises marked her throat, her lip bloody, like she had chewed off the skin, or been hit. I clenched my fists.
“What the—”
“She resisted,” Kate said. She slid her arms around me. “And since itispart of the procedure, we had to make adjustments—”
“Adjustments towhat?” I snapped. I shoved her off of me. “Open the door.”
I banged on the door, pounding my fists, but Corinne stayed in a deep sleep.
“Open the fucking door, Kate,” I snarled, gritting my teeth.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Her shoulders sunk, but she forced a smile. “That would jeopardize the project.”
“What project?”
She pressed her fingers to her lips. “It’s very safe. It’ll be out of her system in forty-eight hours, and then, she won’t have any memory—”
“No memory?” I yelled. “What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything.” She raised her hands in defense. “We were testing how the medication works on anxiety and—”
She stopped, hesitating before she finished. My blood ran cold.
“And what, Kate?” I said, my voice calm, daring her to answer. “Howwhatworks, exactly?”
She put a hand behind her neck. “How anxiety and libido are linked.”
Everything in my world went red. My chest tightened, my throat sore, my eyes burning. I hurled my fists into the glass. Kate jumped back, but the glass didn’t break. Corinne kept sleeping.
“Libido?” I asked. Blood pumped in my veins. “Her sex drive? At eleven?”
“Libido and anxiety have a long, connected history—”
“From the eighteenth fucking century,” I howled, shoving her against the wall. “What did you do to her?”
“My brother treated her.”
My eyes widened, thinking back to the elevator. Dalton pulling up his pants. The man leaving the observation room.
“You let your brother fuck my sister?” I growled. I grabbed her neck. “She’s a child!”
“Calm down.Youagreed to this.” Her tone was even and controlled as she choked out the words: “You signed the papers. You’re as responsible as the rest of us are.”
Us.
How many people were involved?
With my free hand, I grabbed my knife out of my pocket. I had fucked her only a few days ago and now, I knew what this was about. She had never wanted me. She just wanted to go after my sister. The last of my blood. And I hadn’t questioned Kate because she had said I would be able to observe.
I had trusted her.
Tears fell from Kate’s eyes, bulging and red. I squeezed, her face turning purple. But then I let go, dropping her to the floor. She gasped, holding her chest.
