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But it wouldn’t be enough. There was no way even all the clout behind Zodiac Tactical would help them now.
Joaquin turned to her from the door. “Now that we have an understanding, I’ll bring in my team to assist you.”
“No.”
Joaquin looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “No? Shall I go to work on Mr. Outlawson’s other leg? Maybe cut off a finger?”
“I’m not saying I won’t do it. I’m saying no to your team. I work best alone. Do you want me to complete the task, or do you want me to spend time explaining myself to people who you’ve already told me aren’t smart enough to do it?”
Internally, she winced. The people who were working for Joaquin might not have any more choice than she did. But regardless of whether or not they’d chosen this, she wasn’t about to give this work to anyone else.
And she didn’t want them to figure out she was workingagainstJoaquin.
Because no matter what, she wasn’t creating a universal subjectification compound for him. She would die first.
And as much as the thought shattered her heart, she would let Mark die first too.
Joaquin raised his hands and smirked. “Fair point. But only as long as I see you making progress.”
She kept the rest of her thoughts to herself—that he likely wouldn’t know progress if it hit him in the face. But she looked at Mark, and he was watching her carefully.
She wished she could reassure him. This time, she wasn’t going to be anyone’s pawn, and she wasn’t going to be anyone’s victim.
But she was also planning to keep both herself and Mark alive.
“Well, settle in if you want to,” she said as she turned to familiarize herself with the lab around her. “This isn’t exactly action-packed stuff. I’ll be using the computer most of the time.”
Joaquin laughed like this was one big joke, and she went to sit at the computer, ignoring the fact that he was following her to the seat.
She sat, and he braced himself on the table across from her, the bloodied knife still under his fingers. “Look at me.”
She didn’t want to, but if she was going to play along, she needed to give this man an appearance of what he wanted.
In the corner of her eye, she saw Mark struggling against the restraints, trying whatever he could to loosen them even a fraction. One of Joaquin’s men stepped forward and raised his gun like he was about to hit Mark with it, and she yelled. “Hey!”
Joaquin turned, and the guard stepped back. When he looked at her again, his eyes were narrowed and cold. “That computer is a closed system, and the whole system is being monitored. Trying anything through it will come at a price to your friend.”
“Fine.” She rose from the chair. “But if we’re going to have an agreement, we’re going to have an agreement. Your goons can’t hit him simply because they fucking feel like it.”
Joaquin huffed a laugh. “If it makes you feel better. I’ll enjoy hurting him more myself anyway. My men won’t touch him.”
“But, sir, he was trying—”
Joaquin cut the guard off. “Did I speak to you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then both of you get out and go do something useful.”
Neither of his subordinates looked happy to be verbally smacked, but they obeyed and left without further argument.
Jenna focused on the computer. She could do this… She could fool Joaquin. She just had to figure out how.
Closing her eyes, she took a long breath and thought through the variables. Joaquin said he wanted to be able to test the product, so there was no way for her to simply give him a dummy formula and expect it to fool him. She had no doubt Mark would die if she did that.
But what if…
She had to show Joaquin something, but it didn’t have to bepermanent. Something that would last just long enough to convince him it was real.
