She found she enjoyed escaping. It made her feel more alive. More real. Most of the time she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. As if she were watching her life unfold, hovering above herself, floating through the days. She couldn’t seem to find sure footing on the ground. Everything was surreal.
“You still there?” His voice was low. Sweet. Caring. It always was, but what he never did was suggest she come back to Falling Rock. And that made her more nervous than anything else.
Had she read too much into their relationship? Maybe he had simply come to see her in Omaha because she asked him.
Shit. It was her turn to speak. “I’m here.” I miss you.
“Have you looked into taking some classes? You could sign up for something online if you aren’t ready to physically register somewhere. Get a feel for what interests you.”
She hated that she couldn’t read between the lines when he spoke to her. Was he trying to get her to move on with her life without him, or was he simply being supportive and not wanting to pressure her?
“You’re quiet tonight,” he continued, prompting her to realize she hadn’t responded again.
She sighed. “Sorry. Guess I’m just tired. I can’t think about taking classes right now.” She shuddered at the idea, especially if it meant moving in with her parents twelve hours from Ryan and never seeing him again.
“That’s okay too.” Why did he have to be so damn agreeable and understanding? She wanted to shout at him to insert some feeling into their conversation. Their relationship had been far less awkward before they kissed. It was strained to the point of uncomfortable tonight.
She pursed her lips, concern about his level of interest in her bringing tears to her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for him to hear her crying and question her about it. She didn’t have a good lie handy.
There was no way she would come right out and say what she was thinking. She had no right. For one thing, she didn’t want to pressure him. He had too much going on in his life for her to add to his stress. He needed his full attention focused on his parents, not some woman he met several weeks ago and spent one night watching television with.
“Emily?”
“I’m here.”
“We can hang up if you want to go to sleep.” Did he sound disappointed? It was enough to perk her up.
“No. I’m sorry. My mind keeps wandering. It happens a lot lately.” Mostly because I can’t stop thinking about you. “Tell me about your dad. What was he like when you were younger?”
Ryan chuckled. “He was fun…when I saw him. Both of my parents were. I’ll give them credit for one thing—when they were with me, they were fully present with me. I didn’t see them every day. They often stayed at the bunker and left me with my grandmother, but they almost always came home on Sundays.”
She smiled. “I bet you were precocious.”
“I so totally was. I got into everything. By the time I could stand or walk or speak, my parents had to work hard to entertain me. My grandmother wasn’t into science. She was more of a history buff. But when my parents were home, we did science experiments that would knock your socks off.”
Her smile broadened at the passion and love she heard in his voice. When he stopped talking, she filled the void. “You’re going to see them again. I can feel it.”
“I hope you’re right.” He sighed. “I should get some sleep. I want to get up early and check on my dad’s progress. I can’t believe this is really happening. I can’t see him yet, of course, but I know he’s in that chamber, warming up, reanimating while I wait.”
“I bet it was stressful watching me come back.” The entire time Ryan would have been praying for the optimum results in order to instill hope that he could obtain the same for his parents.
“You can’t imagine. I didn’t sleep more than a few hours at a time for weeks. I was so worried. I didn’t breathe easily until you opened your eyes that first time and smiled at me. Best moment of my life.”
Her breath hitched. His tone made her think he was somehow invested in her specifically as though they had been long-separated lovers. That wasn’t the case at all, of course. His interest had been in ensuring Emily survived to prove it would be possible for Tushar and Trish to also be resuscitated. Nevertheless, the way he said those words warmed her.
Perhaps she was living in an imaginary world. A dream.
Maybe she wasn’t even awake at all but rather still suspended in that cryostat in an underground bunker.
Chapter 13
“Shit.” It was the first word her father had uttered in several minutes, and it was spoken as they pulled onto the street of her childhood home.
Emily lifted her gaze to find a black unmarked car with tinted windows parked in front of her house. Her spine stiffened. That couldn’t be good. If it belonged to the military or the government, someone would have let her know.
This car had to belong to a reporter or a religious zealot. She wasn’t about to place a bet on which one, but she was curious to know how they’d found her. She’d been praying Ryan was being overly cautious by suggesting she not go home.
“Go in the house,” her father said as he pulled into the driveway. “I’ll handle whoever this is.”
No way was Emily going to leave her father alone outside dealing with a problem she brought to his doorstep. She didn’t tell him this, but she exited the car and beelined for the mystery vehicle.
Before she reached the end of the driveway, a man stepped out of the passenger side, adjusting his tie, a huge smile on his face. He held out a hand as she got closer. “Aaron Danforth. Daily Times.” He closed the car door and stepped her direction, hand still outstretched.
Emily didn’t accept his hand. Instead, she planted her palms on her hips and narrowed her gaze. “I don’t know what you thought you were going to accomplish here, but you can get back in your car and drive away right now. I won’t have reporters harassing my parents.”
Danforth lowered his hand. “Ma’am, we have no intention of bothering anyone. We were just hoping for a statement.” Everything about him rubbed her wrong, from his stance to his frame to his face. Tall. Lanky. Cocky. Grinning. Balding. Far too confident.
Emily glanced around to ensure this was the only reporter camped out front. “This is a neighborhood. People live here. You’re not welcome. Leave right now or I’ll call the police.”
The man held up both hands, glancing over her shoulder. She was certain her father was behind her. Danforth addressed him next. “Sir. Aaron Danforth. I just have a few questions for the Daily Times.”
Her dad set his hands on her shoulders. “Did you hear what my daughter said? I don’t think she minced words.” His stern, deep voice boomed loud enough to make Emily jump in her spot.
“We’re prepared to offer you a sizable check in exchange for exclusivity,” he stated, his confidence still in full swing.
Emily’s face was on fire. She’d never been so furious in her life. How did this asshole find her?
“We aren’t interested in your money. We’re interested in our privacy,” her father continued. He sounded as angry as she felt, his words dripping with venom. Good for him. Emily had no idea her father had it in him.
Danforth had the audacity to chuckle. “I’m afraid that ship has sailed. I suggest you at least listen to my offer. Before long your entire street is going to be covered with reporters. When that happens, my offer won’t stand.”
Roger gripped Emily’s shoulders tighter as he stepped around her, pushing her behind him. “We have nothing to say to you. And the same goes for anyone else who shows up.” He pointed at the man’s car. “I’m not going to say this again. Drive away now, or I call the police.”
There was at least one other person inside—the driver. Emily couldn’t tell if there was anyone in the back with the windows so tinted.
Danforth reached inside his front pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he held with his outstretched hand. “Look this ov
er. You might change your mind. I’ll come back later.”
Roger shook his head. “Are you deaf?”
The taller man sighed, shifting his gaze to Emily, adjusting his arm to offer her the envelope instead.
She decided it was best to humor him, so she snatched it from his long fingers. “Get out of here.”
Danforth nodded and ducked back into the passenger seat. A moment later, the black sedan pulled away slowly.
“Come on, Dad. Let’s go inside.” Emily tugged on her father’s sleeve. He was still fuming, his body turned to watch as the black car rounded the corner and disappeared. Finally, he shook himself out of it and followed Emily into the house.
Her mother was right inside the door, wringing her hands. “What did he say?” she asked, her gaze shifting back and forth between Emily and Roger.
Emily stuck her finger under the corner of the flap and opened the envelope as her father shut and locked the front door. She pulled out several sheets of paper, her hands shaking as she scanned down the first page and then flipped to the second. “My God.” Their offer wasn’t small.
“Let me see,” her father stated, leaning over her shoulder. “Wow, those assholes are relentless.”
“What do they want?” her mother asked.
Emily lifted her gaze. “They want to pay me for an exclusive story.”
“You’re not going to do it, are you?” she asked.
“Of course not. I don’t even have permission to do it. In fact, I need to call General Levenson and let her know.” She pulled out her cell phone and lifted her gaze, taking a deep breath. “And then I’m going to leave.”
Her mother gasped. “Leave? And go where?”
“Anywhere. I don’t want these people parked outside your home because of me. That one car is going to turn into dozens.” Emily rushed through the house toward the guest room she’d been staying in.
She didn’t own many belongings, but she had a few things she wanted to take with her. Her suitcase was in the back of her dad’s car. She scrambled to grab a few pictures, her remaining clothes, and the shampoo and lotion set Ryan had bought her as a gift the first time she took a shower.
Her mother rushed around behind her. “Emily, stop. You can’t just leave.” Her voice was frantic. “You don’t even have a place to go.”
Emily grabbed an overnight bag her mother had stashed in the closet and filled it with her remaining belongings. For a moment she felt a twinge of sadness at how her life had been reduced to a carry-on suitcase and an overnight bag—all items she’d purchased in the last few weeks.
It was weird not owning anything. Of course, it wouldn’t have been realistic for her parents to keep her belongings. After all, as far as anyone was concerned, Emily had died. No one would have ever expected her to be revived. They’d never been given that hope.
Except Ryan’s parents. They had gone into suspension with hope. And of course, Ryan had known there was a possibility all along. But no other family had been told anything except that their loved one had died and been cryonically preserved for future scientific research.
Sadness washed over her, emotions bombarding her as if they’d been held back for all these weeks while she tried to reassimilate to life. Suddenly it was all too overwhelming. The stress had gotten to her.
Everything was a giant unknown. She had no idea where she would live or work. And more importantly, she had no idea if the man she had fallen for would be in the picture when the dust settled.
Worse than that, she couldn’t burden him with this. Her reawakening was not his problem. He had a very full plate. She needed to let him go so he could deal with his parents and his job instead of worrying about her. A relationship with him was a pipe dream.
A tear slid down her face as she jammed the last few things into her bag and zipped it closed. She tugged it onto her shoulder, wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath to face her mom.
Joy stood in the same spot, not hiding her own tears. “Please stay,” she whispered. “We’ll handle the media. We just got you back.”
Emily wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tight. “It’s gonna be okay, Mom. I promise. I’m not leaving forever. I’m just going to lie low somewhere until this passes.”
Her father set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Your mother’s right, Em. We don’t want you to leave. I don’t care how many cars pile up out front.”
Emily lifted her face. “The neighbors will care. And you’ll be hostages in your own home.”
“There’s no guarantee it won’t happen anyway,” he pointed out. “People might think getting the story from us is just as good.”
Emily nodded, grabbing his forearm. “You’re right. And please don’t give them anything. It would just be fuel for the fire.”
“You know we won’t, Em.” He sighed. She recognized the resignation in his expression. “Where will you go?”
“For now, it would help if you would drive me away from here. I’ll call General Levenson. She’ll send someone to pick me up from somewhere.”
Joy’s voice shook. “Why don’t you just wait here? The government can send someone to the house.”
Emily shook her head. “I want to be gone before anyone else shows up. It will be harder and harder to get away without being followed after more people get my address.”
“She’s got a point, Joy.” Her father exhaled long and slow. “I don’t like it, but it’s safer if I take her to a drop-off location than waiting here.”
Joy was shaking as she gripped Emily’s biceps and held her daughter close. Her gaze penetrated deep. “Promise you’ll be careful. Don’t take any chances. We just got you back,” she repeated.
“I’ll be fine, Mom. Promise.”
Two seconds after her father pulled out of the driveway, Emily had Temple on the phone.
“Damn,” Temple muttered after Emily told her what happened. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Yes.”
“Which means someone worked really hard to hunt you down, and they’re willing to sell the information to anyone who will buy it.”
“It’s all so crazy,” Emily responded. It boggled her mind that anyone would go to this much trouble for a story.
“Not unexpected. I’ll plant a few feelers outside and see if we can figure out who’s selling your information. What I need to do is get someone undercover so we can nip this in the bud, but it won’t change the fact that you’ve been found. Soon everyone will know your face. I want you to come back here.”
“Really?” The idea of returning to Falling Rock made her heart race. But was it the best idea? “Are you sure that’s a good plan? I don’t want to be responsible for jeopardizing the project or put anyone’s life in danger inside the bunker. Wouldn’t it be better for me to go someplace else to hide until this dies down?”
Emily shivered, rubbing her arm with her free hand. She might very well lose her mind and the thin grip she had on reality if she went into hiding alone. But she had dozens of other people to think about before herself, including twenty-one souls who didn’t have any idea what was going on outside their cryostats.
“Not a chance. It would actually be harder on all of us if we had to worry about your safety from a distance. I have someone coming to pick you up now. I’ll send you the meeting spot. You’ll be safer here. This bunker is more secure than anywhere else you could go right now. We’ve added a dozen more guards to secure the fence line. The people outside the gate aren’t going to go away simply because you’re not here. They have bigger fish to fry. If they don’t realize it already, soon everyone in the world will know we have twenty-one other people to revive.”
Emily chewed on her lower lip. Temple was right. The shit had hit the fan, and everyone was going to have to do their part to ensure the survival of the team. “Okay, but just for a few days until we can come up with a plan that’s best for everyone. And if there’s even a hint that I’m the food source for the vultures, you have to promi
se to move me immediately. I don’t want the project jeopardized over me.”
“Of course. Neither do I.”
Chapter 14
Ryan had been calling Emily for hours. He’d also sent her about a dozen texts. When he couldn’t reach her, he resorted to pacing outside the room where his father’s body was still reanimating. It did no good. It changed nothing. But it made him feel better to be close.
“Ryan.” The soft, sweet voice behind him made him spin around so fast he nearly lost his balance.
Suddenly, there she was, in the flesh, though he hardly believed it. In fact, he blinked. “Emily?”
She smiled as she leaned her shoulder against the wall in the hallway. “You know a lot of women who look enough like me to cause confusion?” A twinkle in her eye made his pulse pick up.
He rushed forward, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her off the floor. The next second, his lips were on hers. He didn’t care who saw them.
When he finally let her go, she slid down his body, planting her hands on his chest. She was grinning. “Good surprise?”
“The best. What are you doing here? I’ve been calling you all day.”
“I thought I would surprise you. Also, my phone died.”
“I told you to charge it every night,” he teased. “Smartphones can do a lot of stuff, but they run the battery down fast.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Yeah, and you still haven’t told me what I owe you for buying the phone. How did you set up a plan for me? I’ve never seen a bill.”
He’d purchased it for her himself, and he’d put her on his plan. He hadn’t told her because he didn’t want her to feel weird about it or pressured in any way, especially since he’d done all that within weeks of knowing her. It had been presumptuous. “Don’t worry about the phone right now. Tell me why you’re here.”
She sighed loudly. “Someone found me. They were camped outside my parents’ home when we returned this morning. I gave them a piece of my mind, as did my dad, but I knew they would come back soon and bring their friends.”
Reviving Emily: Project DEEP, Book One Page 10
