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He ended the call and studied the photo he’d snapped of Zoey. Her eyes looked too big in her thin, pale face. She couldn’t be older than thirty. What was she hiding behind her calm façade?
He sent Brian the photo, then stared out the window without really seeing anything. Townsend Security was the best in the business. He’d be surprised if Brian didn’t have everything he wanted to know in a report to him tomorrow morning. And then he and Zoey were going to have a little heart-to-heart about the importance of trust and honesty between them.
Lillian looked around the spare bedroom, which in her opinion seemed more like the primary, and stole a breath. A large queen bed, covered in a cranberry-and-white quilt and an assortment of pillows, was flanked by two large windows on either side and a striking oil painting of a gold vase with multi-colored flowers that hung in between. The shiny wood floor was covered in a lovely faded gray-and-pink Oriental rug, and Lillian’s suitcase had been placed on an antique luggage rack in front of the bed.
She turned and locked the bedroom door, testing the knob to make sure it was secure, and then strode forward to study the painting. It looked like it had last been displayed in an art museum. A matching gold vase sat in the center of the nightstand with an assortment of pale pink and white flowers, which coordinated with the bedspread and the painting.Perfection.
The room had a soft, feminine air and smelled like lavender. It was the kind of room that made Lillian want to curl up and take a nap. But of course, there was no time for napping.
She removed her wig and undressed, putting on a plush white bathrobe she found in the room’s massive closet. Then she took the hottest and fastest shower she’d taken in some time. Her pulse thrummed, and she couldn’t stop from peeking behind the shower curtain, fearing Kinetica’s soldiers had raided the premises and would catch her while she was naked and vulnerable and unable to fight.
Thankfully, her fears were unfounded, and within a short time, she had dried her hair, put on the wig, changed into clean clothes and was heading down the winding staircase to find Tristan and let him know it was time to return to the hospital. As soon as Hannah was recovered, Lillian would be on an airplane home. The attempted break-in was a clear warning she’d be foolish to ignore.
She made her way into the kitchen, where Tristan was seated at the table with his computer, looking cool and elegant in a navy-blue polo almost the exact shade of his eyes. By the look of his slightly damp hair, he’d changed his shirt and taken a shower. She sniffed the air around him, which smelled like a cool, refreshing waterfall.
“Working?”
He gave a slight shrug and closed the laptop. “Playing online chess. Keeps the brain sharp. Feeling better?”
“Yes.” She did feel better now that she was clean, and he had stopped asking pointed questions. “I need to get back to Hannah. I can drive myself if you’re busy.”
“No, I can take you, but first I want to mention I’ve heard from Mel, the doctor I was telling you about. She’s talked to Hannah’s doctors. She’s amazed at the turnaround. Called it a miracle.”
Ding-dong.
The chime of the doorbell interrupted their conversation and sent adrenaline spiking through Lillian’s veins. “Are you expecting someone?”
He stood, shooting her an apologetic look. “Yes. A business acquaintance whom I couldn’t put off. I’ll be quick.”
Her heartbeat settled, and he disappeared, presumably to greet his visitor. She was in the act of pulling out a chair at the table when he came back into the kitchen followed by his guest.
Dominic Raines, holy crap!
All the blood froze in her veins, and she lost her balance, lurching to the side like a drunk crab. The chair she held toppled to the ground with a loud bang.
“I’ll get it,” Tristan said, reaching out a strong arm to steady her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded because she couldn’t trust herself to speak.
“Sit,” Tristan said, righting the chair and ushering her into it, his brow creased.
Lillian sat, when all she wanted to do was run screaming from the room. Although he hadn’t been the doctor who had experimented on her mother, the man standing across from her, this horrible, evil man, was ultimately responsible for her mother’s murder.
“Zoey, this is Dominic Raines,” Tristan said. “Dominic’s company conducts research on emergency cell and gene therapy.”
Oh, she knew all about how Kinetica conducted cell and gene therapy. That’s why her mother had been so valuable to them. She’d had a rare mutation in her DNA that made her extra special. They planned to use her cells to create their own super healers. But her mother had escaped, and they murdered her before she could go to the police. With her mother gone, they now needed to find someone else with the gene. Someone like Lillian.
“Zoey is a friend of mine.” Tristan’s deep voice cut into her horrified thoughts.
“You look familiar.” Dominic held out a hand with a flash of white teeth and glassy, gray eyes that showed no emotion. “Have we met?”
Acid reflux burned her throat, fear tightened her muscles. Zoey could not bring herself to shake the asshole’s hand, but for her own safety, she needed to put on a convincing act. She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She cupped a hand over her mouth to keep from losing her lunch in front of him.
Tristan touched her shoulder. “You okay?”
She forced her lips in an upward tilt. “I’ve been better.”
“Zoey’s friend is sick,” Tristan said to Dominic. “She’s had a hard time of it. Why don’t you and I go into my office and leave her some quiet time.” To Lillian he said, “We’ll be quick.”
