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“That’s not the only thing.” Sloane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A few weeks ago, his wife had a seizure.”
Dex slowly sank into his chair. “She was marked, and she had a seizure?”
“Yeah.”
Dex swallowed hard. “Do we know what caused the seizure?”
“I had Hudson request her test results from the hospital. If they don’t have the results back yet, he’ll make sure it gets prioritized at the lab.” Their eyes met, and neither had to say a word. Sloane knew they were thinking the same thing. There was no way this was a coincidence. Whatever had been happening to Alicia Reynolds was happening to Dex, and it was connected to them being marked. How, Sloane had no idea. Then there were the circumstances surrounding Alicia’s
death that were frightening, especially if Dylan was telling the truth, which Sloane was having a hard time not believing.
“Good. I—” Dex held up a finger and tapped his earpiece. “Daley. Okay. We’ll be right down.”
“What is it?”
Dex stood. “That was Sparks. It’s time.”
Chapter 7
“ARE YOU sure you want to do this?” Sloane asked softly.
Dex squeezed Sloane’s hand, taking comfort in his quiet strength and the warmth of his body as he stood beside Dex. Meeting with Shultzon might be a huge mistake, but it was one Dex was willing to make if it meant getting answers. Dex had to know why. He was tired of feeling tired. Tired of feeling scared, of worrying, of bouncing back and forth between wanting to know and not wanting to know. He wasn’t going to hide anymore. One way or another, he was going to get some answers from Shultzon.
How could the man look him in the eye, smile, and act like everything was peachy? Like he’d never killed two innocent people? What kind of monster offered Dex coffee in his living room, behaving as if he were a friend, knowing what he’d done?
“Dex?”
Dex snapped himself out of it and wrapped his arms around Sloane’s waist. He gazed up at him, silently asking for a kiss. Sloane obliged, drawing Dex in close to brush his lips over Dex’s before deepening the kiss. It was crazy, kissing Sloane here. They had no idea where they were, other than it was a TIN facility. The room they were in was windowless, with nothing but a steel table and two chairs. Sloane said it resembled the one he’d been forced to wait in when Dex had been brought in for medical treatment. Yet Dex didn’t care. He had no idea what was in store for him when he saw Shultzon. If a kiss from Sloane helped ground him, then he’d take it.
Sparks opened the door and gave Dex a nod. It was time. He took a step toward the door, then paused. He looked up at Sloane, his heart hammering in his chest.
“Will you come with me?” Asking for help didn’t make him weak. He couldn’t do this alone, and as long as he had Sloane with him, loving him, supporting him, he didn’t have to face anything alone. Same applied to Sloane. Dex would be there for him no matter what.
Sloane didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”
Dex followed Sparks from the room, Sloane close behind. They walked down a long corridor that was surprisingly bright. The walls were white, so was the floor. The mirrored windows didn’t allow them to see inside any of the rooms they passed. It was very clinical. Dex glanced up and noticed a slight discoloration on several sections of the ceiling. An almost plastic film. It was strange.
“What is it?” Sloane whispered.
“Something on the ceiling.”
Sparks stopped and turned. “Is there a problem, Dex?”
Dex cleared his throat and caught up. “No.” There was definitely something. Putting that aside for the time being, they turned down another long corridor until Sparks stopped in front of a white door.
“Ready?”
No. “Yes,” Dex replied.
He took a deep breath as Sparks placed her hand to the door. It slid open, disappearing into grooves in the wall. As soon as they’d stepped inside, the door whooshed back out and locked into place. Dex didn’t so much as look at Shultzon. Instead he turned to Sloane, who took position to one side of the door. Sloane bent his head forward, murmuring quietly in Dex’s ear.
“I’ll be right here.”
Dex nodded. He rounded his shoulders and turned, his jaw clenched at the sight of Shultzon sitting serenely behind a white steel table, his hands lay flat on its surface, displaying the iron cuffs around his wrists. He looked healthy, exactly as he had the last time Dex had seen the guy. He was dressed in a white long-sleeved tunic and white pants. Why was there so much white around here? What had TIN been doing with Shultzon since they’d captured him? The man had dark circles under his eyes, but other than that, he didn’t look the least bit troubled. With a smile, Shultzon motioned to the white chair across the table from him.
“Dexter, how lovely to see you again. Please, sit.”
“No, thanks,” Dex replied, doing his best not to let his emotions get the better of him. He had to remain calm. Losing his shit wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he couldn’t blow this chance. It was too important. “Do you know why I’m here?”
