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“I’m going down,” I said. “Stay up here and make sure no one sneaks up behind me.”
“Shout if you need help.”
I started down the stairs. The first one bent under my step, the next one doing the same. They protested with loud creaks. The lightbulb swung gently above my head from the cool draft.
I stepped off the last step, shocked by what I saw.
Wall to wall, sitting on plastic picnic tables, were huge tanks holding what appeared to be clown fish, swimming under the neon blue and purple tank lights. In the tanks were also anemones, which appeared to be glowing an almost nuclear green because of the lights. There was one table that looked much sturdier, set in the center of the room, sinister-looking arm and leg straps hanging off the edges. One appeared to have been torn off, sitting on the dirt-covered floor. The sound of the water filtration systems bubbled and gurgled, but no sounds of a hostage.
And no sight of Tristan, either.
Next to the table, there was a standing tray that held a variety of different syringes and surgical tools. I ran a hand over my mouth, the shock of this moment filtering in.
We’d found the Midnight Chemist’s lab, but we didn’t find Tristan. That meant he was still out there, at the hands of this twisted fuck, and I had no more leads. This lead should have been a case closer.
Instead, it felt like I’d run face-first into another dead end. My heart plummeted. Dropped from the height of a skyscraper, smashing onto the pavement.
“You should come down,” I said to Eric as I leaned against a wooden post.
The loud creaks of the stairs sounded before Eric said, “Holy fucking shit.”
He looked around, the same shock I felt flashing across his face. He let his gun drop to his side as he walked up to the tanks. There had to have been at least fifteen of them, creating a wall of bubbling blue. The sound was oddly serene compared to the morbid row of full syringes.
“This had to be where the killings took place,” Eric said. “But where the hell is Tristan?”
I rubbed my forehead. Took a breath. Tried to steady my rabid heartbeat. “I don’t know. He should have been here, unless the Midnight Chemist somehow figured out we were on our way and ran before we got here.”
“How would they know we were on our way, though? It all happened so fast.”
“Let’s look around,” I said, a solidifying determination taking hold. I had to keep the dark thoughts at bay. Keep my mind clear. I wasn’t going to give up on Tristan. There was still a chance of saving him, and discovering the Midnight Chemist’s lair could possibly push the timeline. He’d have to look for a new place to hide, and that would take time, giving us more in return.
Eric started in one corner of the room, and I went to the other.
I didn’t even get started with my search before my phone started to buzz. I was close to ignoring it, but a tug in my gut told me to at least check who was calling.
It was a random number. Again, I was close to denying it, but I tapped the green button instead.
“Hello?”
“Gabriel, oh Gabe, I’m so fucking happy to hear your voice.”
I nearly dropped the phone. “Tristan?”
17
TRISTAN HALL
The tasteof copper woke me up. What was that? Had I fallen asleep with some kind of face mask on? I couldn’t remember what I was doing before I went to bed.
I tried opening my eyes, but everything was still dark. Why weren’t my eyelids working? And why did that metallic taste seem to get more intense? And why did my head hurt so bad?
Realization hit me like a lightning bolt crashing down from a clear blue sky. Shock and fear flooded through me.
The Midnight Chemist had me. I’d been knocked out, and now I was blindfolded and tied down to a stiff bed, the binds around my ankles and wrists cutting into my skin. My nose must have been bleeding at some point, directing a flow of blood straight into my mouth.
No, no, no. How did this happen? It had to be a dream. A nightmare. A break in reality. It had to be—
A trailing touch against the inner part of my leg made me jerk upward. I tried to shout, but the gag in my mouth stopped me from getting any noise out. It tasted like dirt and blood. I struggled harder against my binds, making the bed teeter back and forth.
