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“Alrighty then.” He gave a nervous chuckle as he rose to his feet then winked at me. “See ya, Ninja Girl.”
I crouched beside Sorsha and waited until I heard the outer door open and close. “Where’s Kyle’s body?”
“In histology,” she said. “Billy took care of him.”
Tears stung my eyes, and I blinked them back. “How did Kristi get past you?”
“While we were all distracted by the first explosions, she used her smart watch to begin a countdown for the rest of the computers, including the one by me in the microscope room. After it blew, I lost consciousness, but came to in time to see Fritz—still zip-tied—cutting Charish’s ties with a knife he must have had very well concealed. As soon as Charish was free, she took the knife. But instead of cutting Fritz’s zip-ties, she slit his throat and shoved him toward the alligators. The thrashing and blood distracted the gators, and she went right past them.”
Poor Fritz. He’d been willing to sacrifice his life for his employer, only to have it taken in a totally fucked-up way. I shoved away the mental image of Kristi murdering him in cold blood and instead reveled in the fact that I’d taken her off the playing field for good. “I’m honestly shocked she didn’t kill you,” I said.
“I played dead, since I was in no condition to fight.” Sorsha touched the bandage on her head. “There was plenty of blood from the scalp wound for the ruse to be convincing. Charish tried to get my gun, but I use a retention holster, and she gave up.”
“Glad she couldn’t get it,” I said fervently. “She’d have shot you for sure.” I pushed to my feet. “I’d best take care of the gators before they make too much of a mess.”
“Too late for that,” she said with a humorless chuckle.
We both looked up as the sound of a helicopter rattled the walls.
“Let’s hope that’s the good guys,” I muttered.
I pulled the door open and stepped inside. The gators snapped and growled over an unrecognizable lump of gore—Fritz. Blood splattered the walls and equipment, and pooled on the white tile floor beneath the gators. The stench of shit and blood and sweat hit me in a putrid wave.
Hairy Tech clung to the top of the electron microscope, while Beardzilla lay atop the built-in cabinets. Both were flushed and wild-eyed. Understandably so.
“Angel! Watch out!” Hairy Tech shouted. “The blood . . . th-they went wild with the blood.”
“It’s going to be okay. Just stay where you are.” I had to give him props for being worried about my own safety. It was possible none of the techs were aware of precisely how evil Kristi’s schemes were. But I’d let Sorsha’s special task force deal with that mess.
One by one the gators abandoned their meal and turned toward me. If gators could look guilty, they certainly did now.
“It’s all right,” I said to them as I approached. “I could hardly expect you to ignore a meal dropped at your feet, right? But now it’s time to go back to the pen. Y’all did great.” I crouched, and the gators swarmed me, pushing snouts forward for rubs and scritches.
“Jesus . . .” Beardzilla breathed.
“I’d stay up there if I were you,” I told the techs. “Trust me, there’s no place to run.” Not that I really needed to say so. I had a feeling those two would have to be pried off their perches.
I gathered the gators and headed down the corridor toward their pen room, but stopped at the entrance to the main lab. Within, Portia lay cushioned on a pile of lab coats. Dr. Nikas sat beside her, holding her hand, head turned toward the script-filled whiteboard.
“You’re alive,” I shrieked and rushed into the room, belatedly telling the gators to stay put.
Portia smiled sleepily. “I am, aren’t I. Amazing.”
“It is. It is!” I dropped to my knees and tenderly seized her in a hug.
“I’m so glad you chose my pond to free your frogs,” she said, words a little thick.
“You and me both!” I released her, only now realizing that Dr. Nikas was rattling off technical terms to Reg, who scribbled on a notepad. Not far away, Brian and Rachel sorted through salvaged computer drives.
Curses erupted in the corridor. Pierce.
“Why the fuck is the hallway filled with alligators?!” he shouted.
“Oops. I’d better put the kids away.” I scrambled to my feet and ran out to the hall.
Pierce glared at the gators from a dozen feet away. “What the fuck, Angel!”
“Hi, Pierce! Boy, do I have a lot to tell you after I take these guys home.” I rounded up the gators and started down the corridor. “Be right back!”
