Autumn Rising Read Online Free PDF Page B

a clasp of some kind, Autumn assumed. Within a few seconds, the pressure of the strap across her forehead released and she was able to move her head.
    “Oh, thank God,” she groaned, just thankful to be able to release the kinks in her neck. She was finally able to get a look around the room. The place was sparse, with a door that she assumed led to a bathroom, and another small sink in the corner. There was nothing in the room that wasn’t bolted to the floor. Not so much as a chair for her to pick up and use as a weapon. The door Vivian had entered through was made of glass, and she could see the shapes of two men standing outside of it. The wall opposite her was mirrored, but she figured people would be sitting behind the glass.
    “You try anything and you’ll find yourself strapped back down quicker than you can blink,” Vivian warned as she worked on the strap securing Autumn’s right hand. The strap fell open, and Autumn lifted her hand, twisting her wrist in circles to try to bring some feeling back to the limb.
    Vivian released the remaining straps, and with a groan, Autumn pushed herself to sitting. Her head swam momentarily, a side-effect of both the drugs and having been lying down for so long, but quickly cleared.
    “Thank you,” she said, though she spoke through gritted teeth. She hated thanking this woman for anything.
    She gave Autumn a cold smile. “Just don’t make me regret it.”
    “I’m not your enemy, Ms. Winte rs,” she said, swinging her legs around so she was sitting on the edge of the table. She rubbed at the red marks on her wrists that the straps had left. “Up until this point, no one has actually bothered asking me what I want. I’ve been hauled around by a bunch of meathead guys, most of whom were armed, and I’ve simply gone along with what they wanted to stop myself from getting killed.”
    “I hear you’ve been rather familiar with these meatheads , as you so profoundly describe them.”
    “I made them think I was on their side. What else was I supposed to do?” Autumn forced her gaze, direct at Vivian Winters. “Ms. Winters, you and I are both intelligent, driven women in a male dominated world. Don’t you think it would be better to have me on your side?
    “Are you suggesting we should become friends?” The mocking was clear in her tone.
    Autumn tried to say what she thought this sharp-edged woman would want to hear. “Not at all. Business is no place for friendship. What I am saying is that I could be more use to you as a consultant, than as a useless piece of meat trapped in this room. I will let you take my blood. I will even work with you to achieve the changes you wish to create. But unless you at least allow me the decency of some kind of freedom, I will fight you on all counts.”
    Vivian’s perfectly plucked eyebrows lifted, a snide smile tugging at her mouth. “You can’t actually think I’d allow you to wander around this facility unguarded?”
    “Of course not. I can stay in this room for the majority of the time, if that’s what you wish, but I would like to see your labs and get an idea of what it is I am so important to achieving.”
    “Sounds like you’re pushing your luck to me.”
    “You could put a guard on me at all times, even keep my hands tied, though that would limit the sort of practical help I could be in the lab.”
    She could see the possibilities working their way across Vivian Winters’ face. The hesitation. She was actually considering Autumn’s idea.
    “There’s a saying, Ms. Winters, about how you should keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. I’m not saying I am your enemy, but I do think having me involved in your project will only benefit you in the long term.”
    “I’ve heard enough of this nonsense.” The other woman spun on her heels, clacking across the floor as she walked away. She paused at the door and glanced back over her shoulder. “Now keep your mouth shut before I get someone to tape it