He had to think like Bruce Travis. What would the man expect? He could use his gift here. Since Bruce was a thug, he would expect others to be governed by fear. Therefore, he wouldn’t expect to find Søren here early. He’d expect his target to comply with his instructions, because that was how normal people operated. They didn’t take risks with a loved one on the line.
In a flash, Søren knew what to do.
There were three motels within a one-mile radius of the meeting point. All of them appeared to be the no-tell type, where you could rent the room by the night or by the hour, depending on your need. Travis would be holed up in one of them, waiting for the meet. Since he’d doubtless seen the Toyota when he was up at the cabin, Søren had to ditch it.
The distance wasn’t far enough to bother him if he covered it on foot. He wrote down the addresses, copied the screen shot of Travis’s file to a flash drive, locked the vehicle, and took off at a jog for a copy shop where he could print the picture. Next, he headed for the first place on the list.
It was a rundown two-story structure with a guttering blue neon sign. Inside the place, the manager looked almost as seedy as the exterior: he was an unshaven middle-aged man wearing a sweat-stained wifebeater. The bristling dark hair on his back made him look particularly ursine.
“You want a room?”
“I’d rather have information.” He slid a fifty over the counter. “Can you tell me if this man checked in here?”
After giving it a good look, the man said, “Nope,” and palmed the money.
“Thanks.”
The second motel yielded similar results, but at least it only cost him twenty bucks. Over the years, Søren had gotten good at calculating someone’s price, down to the penny. At the third motel, it took forty, and then the old woman at the front desk nodded vigorously. “He’s a real piece of work. If I didn’t need the income, I’d have turned him out. His neighbors have already called down here twice to complain about his TV.”
To drown out a woman’s cries? Somehow he managed not to flinch. “Did he have a girl with him that you saw?”
“No, he said he was alone. If he’s brought a prostitute up in here, he needs to give me more money. I charge more by the hour than for the night.” She scowled at the idea someone might be having sex in her shitty motel without paying her for it.
“Will you tell me what room he’s in?”
“You gonna arrest him?”
“I’m not a cop, ma’am.”
She narrowed her eyes, nearly lost in a sea of liver-spotted, wrinkly flesh. “Are you gonna bust up the place?”
“If I do, I’ll pay for damages. Want me to leave a hundred bucks as a deposit?”
Satisfied, she extended a gnarled hand for the bill. “That will do fine. The lummox is in 214. Try not to break the lamps.”
CHAPTER 24
This was a nightmare.
It had to be.
The cut on her forearm ached, and so did her head. Mia remembered nothing after being dragged from the cabin; by the cottony taste in her mouth, she could tell she’d been drugged. Now she didn’t know where the hell she was, but it couldn’t be good.
The cell was white, pure white. She’d awakened on a cot. No sheets, just a thin blanket. There was a commode, but no sink, which meant she could pee, but not wash her hands afterward. Gross. Hygienic deficiencies aside, it was the observation glass in the far wall that truly alarmed her.
She got up and paced the length of the room, giving thanks that she wasn’t claustrophobic. That fear would’ve made her situation unbearable. Even so, she wasn’t enjoying the trapped sensation. Mia went to the door, but there was only a numerical keypad and a scanner-looking thing.
Inputting random numbers only rewarded her with a mild shock. Rubbing her fingertips, she backed away and sat down on the cot, becoming more worried by the second. This had to be the secret facility Søren had talked about.
Fucking great. I found the way in, but I don’t remember it. How the hell is he supposed to get to me?
The door slid open, interrupting her thoughts and revealing a thin man of average height. He wasn’t unattractive, but the coldness in his eyes seemed faintly reptilian. He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment.
“I see you’re awake, Ms. Sauter. I am Dr. Rowan, and you are now my guest.”
“You didn’t send an invitation,” she bit out. “You sent a gorilla to drag me here.”
“Yes, Smith has a regrettable tendency to solve problems with a hammer. But you won’t be inconvenienced with his brutish tactics again.”
His manner made her uneasy; he was casual, as if there were no hope she’d escape and report him. See him in jail for what he’d done. He had the air of someone confident in his ability to operate utterly outside the law.
“What will inconvenience me?” she asked warily.
“I am afraid your sojourn in the outside world is finished. So that may bother you before you grow accustomed to your surroundings.”
“Are you out of your mind?” she demanded. “You actually think I’m going to get used to being held prisoner?”
He smiled then, and horror slammed through her at his complete lack of humanity. “Everyone does in time, Ms. Sauter. I find I’m quite curious to see what result the serum produces in you. I understand from your test results that you’re impressively clever. Almost,” he added, “as much as me.”
Mia started to shake, and she clasped her hands to prevent him from seeing it. “You’re making me one of your test subjects.”
“I don’t ordinarily work with adults. The body systems are already fully developed, but since you’re here, it will be interesting to see what happens.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I didn’t start the work here,” he mused. “How I wish I had. I am merely carrying on Dr. Chapman’s legacy in the best way I can. He was such a visionary; he dreamt of a better world. I’m going to bring that to pass, Ms. Sauter, and when I do, nobody will care how it came about.”
“The end justifies the means, then.”
“Oh, you’re familiar with Machiavelli. How charming! I’m going to enjoy you.”
The horror of that-he didn’t mean it sexually. He was going to enjoy sparring with her, as if they were in truth having a pleasant conversation. Rowan had to be completely insane.
Mia thought fast. “Not if you break me.”
The doctor raised a brow. “I beg your pardon.”
“If you shoot me full of chemicals, it might destroy my mind. How will we share conversations like this if I’m gibbering like an angry ape?”
He frowned. “The serum does have a lamentable tendency to damage lesser subjects. Are you saying you believe yourself to come from inferior stock?”
Well, hell. There’s no telling what he does with “inferior stock.”
“No,” she muttered. “I’m chock full of hybrid vigor.”
“Pardon me?”
“My mother was American, my father Iranian.”
“Ah. The union produced excellent results.”
Is he hitting on me? Ew.
“My point is, do you want to risk ruining me so soon? If you get bored with me, you can always start the experiments later. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Yes, I am. Søren will be here soon. He’ll find a way. She had to believe that or she’d start screaming.
“That is undoubtedly true. Tell me, Ms. Sauter. Do you play chess?”
Mia was delighted to answer, “As it happens, I do. All-state champion, two years running. I also captained the debate team.”
Again, his mouth smiled but it didn’t touch his lizard eyes. “How delightful. I’ll return after my shift to give you a game.”
She gritted her teeth. “That would be wonderful.”
And now, please feed me razor blades and shave off all my hair. I do so love your demented ways. Mia knew her mind was her only weapon down here. This animal wasn’t as smart as he thought, and before they were through, he’d be sorry he ever met her.