Flynn nodded. He wasn’t stupid, he knew when he was being dismissed. Medicine was definitely not his area of expertise, and he didn’t want to slow things down even more by asking mundane questions. “I’ll be awaiting your report.”
As he left the room, Flynn overheard Bloom ordering another increase in Tess’s loading dose. He could only hope that Bloom was as good as everyone said he was. Starling and his crew of renegades needed a wake-up call they’d never forget and if things went the way Flynn wanted them to, Tess Ross would deliver that message in a way that no one would ever forget.
UNDER THE CLOSE SCRUTINY of the stone-faced armed security guard positioned at the inner gate leading to the Half Moon Research Center, Ryan swiped his ID badge through the security box next to the guard hut.
The light on the box changed from red to green.
The gate swung open. “Have a nice day, Dr. Donovan,” the guard in the booth said.
Ryan nodded and released the brake, giving the car a little gas. As he drove through and headed for lot A, the guard’s attention had shifted to the computer in front of him. His fingers flew across the keypad. Ryan knew the man was recording his car license plate and arrival time. He also knew that his entry was already being flashed ahead to the security team within the facility.
When he had first arrived at the center, Ryan had been somewhat amused at the high level of security. Although Bloom had mentioned they did handle some military projects on occasion, Ryan had gotten the impression that they were usually low-level projects, nothing that required this degree of precaution.
Ahead, the glass and steel structure of the Bloom Research Center loomed among a grove of lush trees, winding walkways and carefully tended gardens. As he passed the small driveway leading to Dr. Bloom’s private entrance, he noticed the back end of a black car jutting out from behind the thick hedge hiding Dr. Bloom’s parking lot and private entrance. Could it be? Was it possible that it was the same car they’d loaded an unconscious Tess into less than an hour ago?
He slowed, craning his neck to get a better view.
If it was the same limo, what was it doing here? It meant that Bloom and Flynn had lied. No big surprise there, but it was hardly what Ryan had expected. It meant that Tess had been brought to the center in spite of Flynn’s assertion that he was taking her back East to another hospital.
He clicked on his signal and turned into lot A. Not many of the slots were filled yet. Bloom had told him that July was vacation month. A lot of people were out of town.
Exiting the coolness of the air-conditioned car, he locked up and walked the short distance to the canopied entrance of the center. By the time he reached the door, the humid morning air had caused his shirt to stick to the middle of his back.
Ryan inserted his badge into the slot in the door handle. A few seconds later, the door clicked and he stepped into the main lobby.
He walked across the slate floor to the receptionist’s desk. To the right stood a luxurious cluster of butter-soft couches and chairs. Ryan knew they were butter-soft because he’d sunk into one when he’d visited the center a little more than two months ago.
He’d sat there for forty minutes until Bloom showed up to escort him inside the center for his tour. He hadn’t realized then, but he wasn’t allowed to just wander around the research facility. Someone was always at his side during that initial phase. Now they tracked him like all the employees—through his identity badge.
“Good morning, Pam,” he greeted to the young woman seated behind the receptionist’s desk. Ryan had a sneaking suspicion that even Pam was a highly paid, thoroughly trained security guard.
“Good morning, Dr. Donovan. Warm enough for you?” She flashed him a pleasant, totally professional smile and pushed a small black box across the countertop toward him.
“Too warm to be in a suit and tie, if that answers your question.” Ryan hefted his briefcase up onto the gray-and-white-flecked granite countertop and pressed his thumb to the electronic print pad.
He drummed his fingers on the aluminum of his briefcase while he waited for the computer to run a check on his thumbprint.
Pam tilted her head and then nodded. “You’re clear to go in, Doctor.”
Ryan grinned. “You’re positive I’m not an impostor?”
Pam smiled politely back, but it had an almost remote, chilliness to it. Apparently joking about security issues wasn’t on the research staff’s list of approved conversations.
“Have a nice day, sir.” She returned her attention to the computer screen in front of her. Ryan knew he’d been dismissed.
He turned to leave and then paused, remembering the limo parked in Dr. Bloom’s private lot. “Is General Flynn still here or has he left for the airport? He seemed interested in some research data I mentioned to him yesterday.”
For a nanosecond, Pam’s fingers froze over her keyboard. But then she glanced up, her eyes innocently questioning. “General Flynn? I’m sorry, I’m not aware of anyone with that name registered as a guest here at the center.” Her fingers flew over the keys again. “But let me check for you.” She paused a moment and then shook her head. “No—no one by that name here at the center.”
Ryan shrugged. “Guess I was wrong.”
She nodded. “Yes, it would appear so.” She waited. “Was there anything else I could do for you, Doctor?”
“No, that’s all. Thank you.”
He turned and walked through the steel door leading to the offices. His nerve endings tingled. Flynn was in the building. And if Flynn was in the center, then so was Tess.
Chapter Eight
Groggy, Tess tried to roll up on her side, but she found herself pinned and unable to move more than a fraction of an inch in either direction. Something tight and incredibly uncomfortable held her flat on her back.
She opened her eyes and the light hit her eyes like a laser. A sharp zing of pain ripped directly to the center of her skull. It was like having someone tear her brain in two.
She squeezed her eyes shut and moaned softly. Even the sound of her own voice was painful. She tugged at her wrists, but there was no budging them. She tried moving her feet. No luck. They were secured, too.
She lay still, panting slightly as she attempted to push away the confusion and pain pressing down on her. It was like trying to slog through a sea of warm, sticky molasses.
Lifting her head, she opened her eyes a crack and stared down at her body. Damn, they’d secured her to the bed again.
Leather straps, padded with white fleece, were buckled around all four of her extremities, drawn so tight that her skin was raw and reddened. But it was the strap across the middle of her chest that kept her from moving in either direction very far. It would also keep her from bending down to use her teeth to unbuckle the restraints.
She rolled her head on the lumpy mattress. No pillow and no hair clip. They weren’t taking any chances. She lifted her head and glanced in the direction of the camera overhead. The red light below the lens winked at her.
She dropped her head back down and closed her eyes against the relentless glare of the overhead lights. They never turned the lights off and they were usually accompanied by a droning voice. A voice loud enough to keep her awake but incoherent enough so that she wasn’t sure what was being said. It was all done to keep her off balance, teetering on the edge.
But today the loudspeaker was unusually silent. Nothing, not even the smallest, most inconsequential sound penetrated the heavy steel walls of her padded cell.
Tess shifted her position on the cot and wiggled her toes, trying to get the circulation going. Her captors also kept her off balance by varying the room temperature. They were currently on a cold kick. Not cold enough to make her shiver, but cool enough so that she was uncomfortable.
As she contemplated her predicament, the steel door buzzed and someone stepped inside. The doctor, the one Ryan had called Bloom, walked over to stand next to her. Following close on his heels was the woman who admini
stered most of the medication they’d been shooting into her system.
Tess’s stomach clenched at their appearance, but she kept it from showing on her face. She refused to give either of them the satisfaction of knowing the dread that washed over her at the sight of them.
“And how are we feeling today, Tess?” Bloom asked, his smooth, melodious voice immediately tying her stomach in a knot.
“I don’t know how you’re feeling, Doc, but I feel pretty lousy. But then you knew that, didn’t you?” Tess’s voice cracked and her throat felt drier than dust.
Bloom smiled benignly. “You’ll feel right as rain soon.”
“Of course I will. You’ll just shoot me full of more of your bug juice and I won’t care how I feel, right?”
“Medication, my dear, medication,” Bloom corrected. “You’re sick. We’re simply helping you recover.”
“I’m not sick.” Tess frowned. “I just have trouble remembering things.”
Bloom smiled indulgently. “Exactly, and that’s why I’m here. To help you regain your memory.”
“I’m not an idiot, Bloom,” Tess said. “You and your drones are more interested in pulling the wings off butterflies than you are in helping me.”
Bloom’s smile turned amused. His assistant’s face, a Nurse Ratchet wannabe, remained impassive.
“Are you feeling like a butterfly today, Tess?”
“I’ll tell you how I feel. I feel like getting up off this table and squeezing your scrawny pencil neck.” Tess knew what she was saying was nothing more than reckless bravado, but it was all she had left in her arsenal right now. And somehow she knew that she needed to keep herself pumped up. Angry. She couldn’t lie back and surrender. Anger gave her an edge and seemed to keep her mind sharper.
Bloom seemed amused. “My little soldier. You make me proud.” He reached down and tugged on the strap on her right wrist. Pain shot up her arm.
Tess struggled to wrap her mind around what he said. Soldier? He’d called her a soldier. Why?
“Just let me up and I’ll show you proud,” Tess said, forcing the words out from between stiff lips.
Bloom reached out and patted her cheek, his fingers cold and impersonal. “Such harsh threats. You really should work on that temper of yours.” He laughed. “But first you have a job to do.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the nurse behind him and held out a hand. “The syringe please.”
Tess tried another tack. “Is Dr. Donovan okay?”
“You took a liking to my young assistant, didn’t you?” Bloom paused and regarded her for a moment. “I’m not surprised. Women have always been drawn to Ryan. His looks, his quick intellect. You wouldn’t be immune to it, either. I knew that.”
Her muscles tensed. He knew that? What did that mean?
“I liked his honesty. The fact that he stood up to you and Flynn. I like that he saw through your lies.”
Bloom’s amusement was obvious. “Honesty? Now that’s rich. Ryan does exactly what I tell him to do. No more. No less.”
Dread squeezed Tess’s heart. What was Bloom saying? Had Ryan been sent to string her along? Had it all been an act? She squeezed her eyes shut, battling the thick wave of despair that threatened to engulf her. She should have known.
She opened her eyes and dully watched Bloom swipe an alcohol swab across the rubber stopper on her IV and then slide the needle through. The ice-blue liquid slid through the barrel into the plastic tubing, and a familiar light-headedness flooded Tess’s brain.
She fought the sensation, concentrating hard to keep her head above the dark waters lurking below consciousness. But she lost the battle even faster than last time. The drug was grabbing hold of her with the strength and viciousness of a wild beast. Either they had upped her dose or her body was metabolizing it at a faster pace, lapping it up like a favored treat. Her grip slipped and she was again sucked beneath the cold surface of unconsciousness.
Her last thought as she slid under the dark, oily barrier was of Ryan Donovan. The chiseled angles of his face and the sharp intelligence of his eyes. His damned expression of compassion. But now she knew it was a lie. A total put-on.
The vision pulled at her, and for a moment, Tess felt as though he were trying to speak to her. Trying to placate her with a whispered promise of watching out for her and seeing that she came to no harm.
She fought the pull as her emotions betrayed her and tears prickled at the back of her lids. Several tears slipped from the corner of her eyes and the feel of betrayal was hot on her cheeks. Damn him! He’d lied to her. He’d been with them all along.
SEVERAL FLOORS UP, Ryan paced his office. He had no idea where they had stashed Tess, but he knew, without really knowing how, that she was somewhere inside the center. It wasn’t just the fact that the limo was parked outside Bloom’s private entrance. It was as if his body knew she was here and it was screaming the information to him, every nerve ending jumping and surging with energy.
Studying the results of Tess’s lab results hadn’t gotten him very far. The new drug eluded him. Its properties were so similar to Thorazine that it could be its twin. But there were still some structural differences that told him the effects on Tess would be different. Along with the concoction of other drugs, the effects would be devastating.
He reached up and rubbed his eyes, a flash of annoyance ripping through him. What made him think any of this would be of any help to Tess now? He dropped into his desk chair. How could he get into the bottom portion of the lab without being seen?
He had stood up to pace again when the door to his office opened and his secretary, Alice, stuck her head in.
“Morning, boss,” she greeted him. “Sorry, I wasn’t here when you arrived, but I had some errands to run.”
“Not a problem.” He wanted to pump her for information, but he wasn’t sure how much he could trust her.
She tilted her head and gave him an inquiring look. “You look perplexed. Something I can get you?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
She raised an eyebrow and then started to close the door again. “Okay, I’ll be out here if—”
“Alice?”
She opened the door again, her expression expectant.
“Do you know what kind of research they’re conducting in the lower labs—the ones that are off-limits to everyone else on the first two floors?”
“No, and I don’t want to, either.” Alice glanced over her shoulder as if worried that someone might overhear. “Tammi—she works over in data processing—told me she thought they were fooling around with anthrax and the Ebola virus.” She frowned and her voice dropped to a hush. “You don’t think that’s true, do you? I mean, if anything happened, we’d all be killed.”
Ryan leaned against his desk. “It seems unlikely. But then again, everything is pretty hush-hush around here. Have you ever talked to any of the staff that works in those labs?”
Alice shook her head. “They seem to be on a different shift from us. I’m not sure if they even enter the research center the same way we do. From what I’ve heard, they have their own elevator—they enter through the doors at the back of the center. By the loading dock.”
Ryan figured that her information made a lot of sense. From what he’d been able to tell, the elevator in the main portion of the center didn’t even go to the sublevels. And the stairs he used to get to the second floor didn’t go down below the first floor.
“Guess there isn’t much I can do about it even if that’s what they’re doing. Jobs aren’t easy to come by here in Half Moon,” Alice grumbled. “And none of them pay as well as this one.”
Ryan nodded. He knew Alice had a son, a three-year-old, who she was raising alone. From what he’d been able to gather, she’d had him when she was seventeen, which he instinctively knew made life harder for her.
“If you want, I could ask Brian if he knows what’s going on down there.”
Ryan knew she was referring to her boyfriend,
a computer geek who worked in the computer-data complex. “You think he knows anything?”
“Brian’s not the type to take things at face value.” She laughed nervously. “He has an insatiable curiosity. He’s been snooping—trying to figure out a way to find out what’s going on down there. I don’t know how he did it, but a few days ago he figured out a way to code his security badge so he can go down there—to the sublevels. He wants to look around.”
Ryan felt a stir of excitement. “Do you think he’d recode my badge if you asked?”
Alice looked surprised that he’d make such a request. “I guess he could. You want me to ask him tonight?”
“Any chance he’s in his office right now?”
Alice looked slightly flustered. “Now? This minute?”
Ryan nodded.
“I—I guess so. You want me to give him a call?”
He stood up. “Let’s walk down and talk to him face-to-face.”
If the guy knew how to reprogram the security badges, Ryan didn’t intend to waste any more time. He needed to convince Brian that he had to get down into the lower labs today. Tess was waiting for him, and he was determined not to forget his promise not to abandon her. He refused to leave her in the hands of the person she feared most in the world—her father.
He only hoped he’d reach her in time.
Chapter Nine
Less than an hour later, with one newly programmed security badge in his hand and another in the pocket of his lab coat, Ryan slid his card into the security slot next to the bank of elevators leading to the subbasement labs. The extra card in his pocket would hopefully serve as Tess’s ticket to freedom—if he was able to locate her in the labyrinth of labs occupying the lower levels.
Alice’s boyfriend had given Ryan a quick rundown of what he knew about the subbasement setup. They had studied a series of computer blueprints, agreeing that Tess was probably being held on Sub Level 5. The diagrams seemed to indicate that Level 5 was made up of several secure cubicles—sufficient security to house prisoners. There was no doubt in Ryan’s mind that Tess was Flynn’s prisoner.
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