The Takeover Read Online Free PDF Page B

strong even among his jailers.
    “I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly,” Hartley said. “I assume that means you approve the overtime?”
    Callus frowned but nodded his assent. “Looks like we have no choice. I’ll have to request additional funding. They can’t expect us to accommodate these visitors without some recompense.”
    “I agree.” Hartley noticed that Callas seemed to be waiting for her to leave, and again her eyes went past him down the hall. She wondered why Dr. Callas was here with the guards when he normally only supervised the experiments from his office. But she’d gone there and been redirected to this wing. Maybe his presence here explained the odd data that kept popping up in tests on the Czech prisoner. No, they’re patients, she reminded herself.
    But Hartley knew the truth.
    Ritter and I were just as curious as to Callas’s purpose, so I decided to peek into his mind, but it turned out he wasn’t thinking anything about the Czech or about Eden’s pending amputation. He was musing about his wife, Lilian, and about celebrating their twentieth anniversary. He wanted it to be amazing for her. He knew she would make it so for him—she’d wear that sheer pink nighty and drive him crazy with wanting before she finally let him take it off. Hearing his male colleagues talk, he knew he was a lucky man. His wife might not be as beautiful as his secretary, who had the best legs he’d ever glimpsed on a woman, but Lilian was a far sight better than Hartley, and he and Lilian were matched in the bedroom, which eliminated a world of possible frustration. He planned to work hard to make her comfortable and give her everything she could ever want. Whatever it took.
    Callas nodded pointedly at Hartley. “Better get going then.” He turned his back as she reached for the door.
    The door where we waited on the other side.

WE HAD ONLY SECONDS TO react. Our minds already melded, Ritter and I instantly reached the only possible conclusion. Hartley couldn’t be allowed to find that Eden wasn’t there, but at the same time, we had to make sure she didn’t alert Dr. Callas and his guards to our presence before the door completely closed.
    We ran, retreating down the hall, with me channeling Ritter’s combat ability, so I could be fast enough. Before Hartley got the door open, we reached another door, where I swiped the key card before we hurled ourselves inside.
    Slightly too late. I could see in Hartley’s mind that she’d spotted Ritter’s backside and leg. “Who’s there?” she called. “Seth? Is that you?” Dr. Seth Boulder, she meant, one of the doctors here and her main competition for future promotions.
    Her heels clicked toward us in the hallway. Ritter, still linked to me, nodded when he was sure the door behind her had closed and the glow of Callas’s life force was farther away. We stepped out to greet her.
    “Oh, there you are,” I said.
    Hartley blinked in surprise, but anger replaced the surprise almost immediately. “How did you get—what are you doing here? This is a restricted area.”
    “Yeah, well . . .” Ritter moved fast, his arm a blur, jabbing the pen dart from his pocket into her neck. He caught her as she fell.
    Seconds later, I was wearing her white jacket as we went through the double doors into the wing holding the Czech prisoner. Dr. Callas was no longer in the hallway and neither were the guards, which I’d expected would be waiting outside the captive’s door.
    He’s doing something to the Czech, I told Ritter through our link. His agreement was more a feeling than words.
    We sprinted over the tiled floor, Ritter reaching for the gun he’d taken from the guard. Three mortals weren’t much of a challenge for him, but the Emporium agent was an unknown. We couldn’t predict how he’d react, especially without Shadrach here to make nice for us.
    We’ll surprise them. Ritter’s thoughts were easy to make out through our link, but I had to take them