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“You are going to stay in that bed—alone,” he added when she made a swipe for him. “You’re going to take your medicine, and I’ll check in later tonight.”
“Anton, I really am feeling-”
He crossed his arms and glared at her. “If the next word out of your mouth is ‘better,’ I’ll lock you out of the labs for another 24 hours.”
She gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn't I?” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Now that you’re down for the count, it’s up to me to keep the science horde in line. Mindy is the auxiliary on this, and I have to go talk Lou down from shooting herself up into the cosmos. Now, get some rest.”
“Make sure that you give her orange slices once she’s back to normal. Going all science overlord makes her dehydrated,” Grace called after him.
Anton waved his hand in acknowledgment but kept his feet moving toward the door. Once he locked up and got on his way back to the labs, he dug out his phone and fired off a quick text to Mindy.
On my way back. What’s the situation?
Almost immediately a text pinged through his phone.
Lou wore herself out. We got lucky.
“Thank god,” Anton breathed, shoulders sinking in relief. He’d anticipated having to bribe the woman down with the promise of unlimited funding and no supervision, but this made things easy. He was just about to climb into his car when he paused. When he had left it hadn’t seemed like Lou was in danger of slowing down—but now she had worn herself out? He bit his lip and wondered how that happened.
“Best not to ask,” Anton murmured, shifting the car into drive. If Mindy had managed it, then Mindy had managed it, and the less he knew the less culpable he would be when Grace and apparently Lou regained their faculties. And if Anton were honest, he’d much rather be on the nice list than the revenge list when Grace recovered, because there was the matter of the slumber party.
The entire drive back to the lab, Anton’s mind strayed close to the idea of a healthy and beguiling Grace, so much so that he had to give himself a firm pep talk about the importance of driving safety. Thankfully, he arrived back at the labs without incident, and was able to witness the tail end of Lou’s science bender.
Mindy stood, tablet in hand and a glare on her face. “Move it. All of you,” she snapped at the group of scientists shuffling forward, their heads hanging and shoulders drooping.
Anton blinked, taking in the defeated-looking group. “What the hell happened here? When I said clean up I didn’t mean break their souls.”
“In this day and age that’s practically the same thing, so be more specific next time.” Mindy sighed and put her tablet down on the table. “Besides, that wasn’t me. That was Lou.”
“Lou? What the hell?” Anton ran a hand through his hair. During his friendship with the woman he’d never thought she had it in her, but shehadthreatened to maim him, so he supposed it was in there somewhere.
“I found them working away like a bunch of serfs. I got Lou to pass out not too long after.”
“About that.” Anton tilted his head to the side. “How’d you pull off that feat of strength?”
Mindy shrugged and looked away. “Do you really want to know all the sordid details?” she asked, running a hand over her hair. She turned and looked at Anton when he didn’t immediately answer. “Be careful, though. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat. It’ll make you an accessory.”
“Christ Almighty.” Anton shook his head and stepped back. “All I asked was how you got her to turn down the supervillain act, not if you waterboarded her. What’s with all the women around here going rogue? Haven’t you all heard of the Geneva Convention?”
Mindy rolled her eyes and snatched up her tablet. “Must you be so dramatic all the time?”
Anton pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. “Sometimes I swear you just want to drive me to an early grave to get your hands on my will.”
Mindy perked up. “Oh. Am I in it? I want the fine china your mother gave you.”
“Not anymore you’re not. I’m leaving everything to a cat that I have yet to adopt, but it will have one eye and a stench that makes your eyes water. You’ll be indebted to him forever. In fact, you’re going to have to call him sir.”
“You don’t even like cats,” Mindy said, voice deadpan, but her lips turned up in a smile.
He nodded. “That’s why it’s perfect.
“Perfect? And you’re really in a tizzy because I said you were dramatic?”
“An unfounded claim.”
“Drama king.”
