man you know and love will disappear, and all that will be left is evil. That is what happens to Hydes, Eden. If they live long enough.”
Her mind refused to believe it. The image of Hyde momentarily superimposing on the image of Mitch that was constantly there. Mitch was strong. He’d been regulating Hyde’s visits for fifteen years. But that wasn’t exactly true, was it? Jolie had been doping him with a drug, the serum from The Clinic, the whole time. How long would he be able to fight without it?
“What about the drugs?” Her voice caught. “What if you give him the serum?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, looking somewhat pleased about Eden’s discomfort. “He’s already been without it for a few weeks. We’ve tried to observe him, but aren’t able to get too close. Not if it threatens the whole operation. He and Landon are on a warpath against us.”
“Wow. Are you actually surprised by that? You don’t get to secretly drug someone for fifteen years and expect them to just let it go.”
Alex sighed, glancing at the door. When she started speaking again, it was almost a whisper. “That’s why you need to convince him. But unless he agrees to come in peacefully, and without causing any damage, we can’t take the chance.”
These people spoke in riddles without ever getting to the punch line. “I can’t exactly convince him by shouting, ‘Hey, Mitch! Let’s go over to The Clinic for drugs!’ out of a car window.”
“We’ll figure something out soon. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry—the most useless phrase ever spoken…by anyone…anywhere. Especially by Alex.
Eden had everything to worry about. The last time she’d seen Mitch, he’d told her to go away. Not a great place to begin a discussion. Would anything have changed in two weeks? She wanted to believe part of the reason he was on a ‘warpath’ was to get her back. God, how she wanted to believe that. But she also knew there was a chance that she had nothing to do with what he wanted.
“And what happens if I fail?” she asked.
Alex sighed. “We may be forced to put him down. Before he hurts anyone. It’s too dangerous to have him anywhere near the public.”
“So The Clinic does kill people.”
“No, Eden, we don’t. But he won’t be a person for long.”
CHAPTER X
Mitch was supposed to be at his office right now, checking out the two-week-old damage from a breakin that the building’s security had only discovered this morning. Because they’d called the police. And the-devil-knows that any police file with Mitch’s name on it would stick around for at least thirty-whole-minutes before it somehow got ‘lost’. But he still had to pretend like he cared, pacify the building’s manager, and act shocked at the invasion of his space.
Instead he was lying on the floor of her empty apartment. Very productive.
“This is getting more and more pathetic, E. Shit. I’m even talking to you now.” Mitch opened his eyes and noticed a new water spot on the ceiling tile. He’d have to talk to the building superintendent. Mitch didn’t want her to come home and get rained on. He’d paid her rent for the next few months, praying she’d find her way home if he never found her himself.
He wondered if she’d be mad if he bought her a house. Nothing huge or ostentatious, just a little house. With bars and a steel door, of course.
He lifted his arms, wiping his elbows where the cheap carpeting left grooves in his skin. How long had he been here this time?
You need another hobby, asshole . But he couldn’t relax anywhere else. His favorite place while they’d been together was now the most painful reminder. His bedroom. Even if he didn’t spend every night in the cage, anticipating Hyde’s unwelcome appearance, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep in the bed he’d shared with her. So, when he was feeling particularly morbid, he’d come here to her apartment, imagining it wasn’t stripped bare. That her stuff was
Her mind refused to believe it. The image of Hyde momentarily superimposing on the image of Mitch that was constantly there. Mitch was strong. He’d been regulating Hyde’s visits for fifteen years. But that wasn’t exactly true, was it? Jolie had been doping him with a drug, the serum from The Clinic, the whole time. How long would he be able to fight without it?
“What about the drugs?” Her voice caught. “What if you give him the serum?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, looking somewhat pleased about Eden’s discomfort. “He’s already been without it for a few weeks. We’ve tried to observe him, but aren’t able to get too close. Not if it threatens the whole operation. He and Landon are on a warpath against us.”
“Wow. Are you actually surprised by that? You don’t get to secretly drug someone for fifteen years and expect them to just let it go.”
Alex sighed, glancing at the door. When she started speaking again, it was almost a whisper. “That’s why you need to convince him. But unless he agrees to come in peacefully, and without causing any damage, we can’t take the chance.”
These people spoke in riddles without ever getting to the punch line. “I can’t exactly convince him by shouting, ‘Hey, Mitch! Let’s go over to The Clinic for drugs!’ out of a car window.”
“We’ll figure something out soon. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry—the most useless phrase ever spoken…by anyone…anywhere. Especially by Alex.
Eden had everything to worry about. The last time she’d seen Mitch, he’d told her to go away. Not a great place to begin a discussion. Would anything have changed in two weeks? She wanted to believe part of the reason he was on a ‘warpath’ was to get her back. God, how she wanted to believe that. But she also knew there was a chance that she had nothing to do with what he wanted.
“And what happens if I fail?” she asked.
Alex sighed. “We may be forced to put him down. Before he hurts anyone. It’s too dangerous to have him anywhere near the public.”
“So The Clinic does kill people.”
“No, Eden, we don’t. But he won’t be a person for long.”
CHAPTER X
Mitch was supposed to be at his office right now, checking out the two-week-old damage from a breakin that the building’s security had only discovered this morning. Because they’d called the police. And the-devil-knows that any police file with Mitch’s name on it would stick around for at least thirty-whole-minutes before it somehow got ‘lost’. But he still had to pretend like he cared, pacify the building’s manager, and act shocked at the invasion of his space.
Instead he was lying on the floor of her empty apartment. Very productive.
“This is getting more and more pathetic, E. Shit. I’m even talking to you now.” Mitch opened his eyes and noticed a new water spot on the ceiling tile. He’d have to talk to the building superintendent. Mitch didn’t want her to come home and get rained on. He’d paid her rent for the next few months, praying she’d find her way home if he never found her himself.
He wondered if she’d be mad if he bought her a house. Nothing huge or ostentatious, just a little house. With bars and a steel door, of course.
He lifted his arms, wiping his elbows where the cheap carpeting left grooves in his skin. How long had he been here this time?
You need another hobby, asshole . But he couldn’t relax anywhere else. His favorite place while they’d been together was now the most painful reminder. His bedroom. Even if he didn’t spend every night in the cage, anticipating Hyde’s unwelcome appearance, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep in the bed he’d shared with her. So, when he was feeling particularly morbid, he’d come here to her apartment, imagining it wasn’t stripped bare. That her stuff was
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