inwardly. It put him in a mighty strong position. Just the way he liked things. About time something went right with this mission.
He hobbled over to the truck, threw his cane and his pack into the back, yanked open the driver door. Honey bounded in.
A jolt shot through Skye as the cab door opened. She peered out from under the blanket just in time to reach out and stop Honey from sticking a paw in her eye. The dog scrambled over her, confused, looking for a place to put her hairy butt. Skye realized she’d taken Honey’s spot in the cab. She fought off the blanket and struggled up into a sitting position, making room for the dog.
Scott’s heavy hand shoved her right back down to the seat as he fired the ignition. “Keep down, dammit.”
She cowered back down under the blanket, felt the truck jounce down the driveway and onto the road.
She was in one tight spot. The static of the blanket made her hair cling to her face, she had dog fur in her mouth, dog claws in her back. But that was the least of it. She was being forced to trust this man. This enigmatic man around whom she couldn’t even trust herself.
“Okay, you can sit up now, coast is clear. Which way to the lab?”
Skye shoved the blanket aside and sat up. Honey maneuvered quickly into the space between her and Scott. “Take a right on the Coast Road,” she said, trying to smooth her hair down, straining for some form of composure.
Other than giving directions to the Kepplar labs she said nothing. Neither did he.
She stole a glance at his profile. His granite features told her nothing, either. But she saw the way his eyes kept flicking up to the rearview mirror, watching for a tail. He seemed adept at this kind of game. Way too adept.
She had to get away from him as soon as they were far enough north.
Scott drove through the gates of the Kepplar compound and pulled into the lab parking lots. They were deserted apart from the vehicles used by night security staff.
“Not here,” she said. “Go around back. There’s an entrance I can use there.”
He followed her instructions, drove around a shed and a hangar to the back of the building and parked the truck near the rear door.
“Wait here.”
“How long?”
“I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“You got a cell phone?”
“Yes, why?”
“Might need you in a hurry. Make sure it’s on. What’s the number?”
She gave it to him. He was making her real nervous. She opened the passenger door, glanced back at him.
His eyes tunneled into hers. “Be quick.”
Two simple words. Yet they tripped her up. It was the way he looked at her when he said them. Something in the deep emerald of his eyes spoke of compassion. It caught in her throat. “Thank you, Scott.”
He nodded.
She shut the door, ducked into the Kepplar building as the sun broke, feeding gold light over the horizon.
Fred Ryan was on security detail. Good. He seldom wanted to chat. Skye nodded, smiled at him, slotted her ID card into the system, strode briskly down the corridor to her lab. The sound of her boot heels clacked hollow, echoed off walls.
She was taking a risk coming here. It was costing precious time. But she’d invested too much in this predator beetle project to let Malik get the better of this, too. She would see at least this thing through.
And if she was going to have to disappear again, she needed to know the project would go ahead safely.
Skye snapped on her gloves and checked the boxes containing the control samples. The larvae looked healthy. But her practiced eye sensed something different. She peered closer. The heads of the little grubs were light brown, but the bodies seemed a little lighter than usual. More creamy-white than grayish. Or was it just the effect of the gold morning sun streaming in through the lab window?
She moved on to the pupae. They looked fine, already turning reddish brown, a sign the adults were about to emerge.
Skye moved on to the next control sample. She hesitated. Was
He hobbled over to the truck, threw his cane and his pack into the back, yanked open the driver door. Honey bounded in.
A jolt shot through Skye as the cab door opened. She peered out from under the blanket just in time to reach out and stop Honey from sticking a paw in her eye. The dog scrambled over her, confused, looking for a place to put her hairy butt. Skye realized she’d taken Honey’s spot in the cab. She fought off the blanket and struggled up into a sitting position, making room for the dog.
Scott’s heavy hand shoved her right back down to the seat as he fired the ignition. “Keep down, dammit.”
She cowered back down under the blanket, felt the truck jounce down the driveway and onto the road.
She was in one tight spot. The static of the blanket made her hair cling to her face, she had dog fur in her mouth, dog claws in her back. But that was the least of it. She was being forced to trust this man. This enigmatic man around whom she couldn’t even trust herself.
“Okay, you can sit up now, coast is clear. Which way to the lab?”
Skye shoved the blanket aside and sat up. Honey maneuvered quickly into the space between her and Scott. “Take a right on the Coast Road,” she said, trying to smooth her hair down, straining for some form of composure.
Other than giving directions to the Kepplar labs she said nothing. Neither did he.
She stole a glance at his profile. His granite features told her nothing, either. But she saw the way his eyes kept flicking up to the rearview mirror, watching for a tail. He seemed adept at this kind of game. Way too adept.
She had to get away from him as soon as they were far enough north.
Scott drove through the gates of the Kepplar compound and pulled into the lab parking lots. They were deserted apart from the vehicles used by night security staff.
“Not here,” she said. “Go around back. There’s an entrance I can use there.”
He followed her instructions, drove around a shed and a hangar to the back of the building and parked the truck near the rear door.
“Wait here.”
“How long?”
“I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“You got a cell phone?”
“Yes, why?”
“Might need you in a hurry. Make sure it’s on. What’s the number?”
She gave it to him. He was making her real nervous. She opened the passenger door, glanced back at him.
His eyes tunneled into hers. “Be quick.”
Two simple words. Yet they tripped her up. It was the way he looked at her when he said them. Something in the deep emerald of his eyes spoke of compassion. It caught in her throat. “Thank you, Scott.”
He nodded.
She shut the door, ducked into the Kepplar building as the sun broke, feeding gold light over the horizon.
Fred Ryan was on security detail. Good. He seldom wanted to chat. Skye nodded, smiled at him, slotted her ID card into the system, strode briskly down the corridor to her lab. The sound of her boot heels clacked hollow, echoed off walls.
She was taking a risk coming here. It was costing precious time. But she’d invested too much in this predator beetle project to let Malik get the better of this, too. She would see at least this thing through.
And if she was going to have to disappear again, she needed to know the project would go ahead safely.
Skye snapped on her gloves and checked the boxes containing the control samples. The larvae looked healthy. But her practiced eye sensed something different. She peered closer. The heads of the little grubs were light brown, but the bodies seemed a little lighter than usual. More creamy-white than grayish. Or was it just the effect of the gold morning sun streaming in through the lab window?
She moved on to the pupae. They looked fine, already turning reddish brown, a sign the adults were about to emerge.
Skye moved on to the next control sample. She hesitated. Was
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