Page 49 of Glass
19
POPPY
Some places wear their evil like a badge of honor—dingy warehouses, dimly lit basements, haunted houses surrounded by black birds to name a few.
And then there’s Henrik Arnoult’s lab.
No one ever pictures a villain in Manhattan working out of a building made of glass and natural stone, sunlight pouring in to reveal smiling faces in the lobby. Anger twists dangerously in my stomach, spurring me on.
Abandoning Felix in bed for the second day in a row nearly killed me. I’m not sure we’ll come back from my choice a second time, but I made a promise I would do anything to keep my siblings safe, even if that means sacrificing my brief peek at what real happiness could look like. He’s going to be angry with me when he realizes that I’ve left, especially when he realizes why, andthatwill be the moment it’s really over.
I don’t know the logistics behind abandoning a mate after you’ve both been marked. Maybe once everyone is safe I’ll take a trip to see Luna Quinn of Cupid’s Pack and ask her if there’s anything to be done. Felix deserves to have a second chance at finding a mate who deserves him. One that will stay with him.
My chest feels ragged. If I can’t get my emotions under control, I’ll never make it past security inside.
“Do it for the kids, Poppy,” I whisper to myself. “And do it before Felix wakes up and notices you’re gone.” He’s a deep sleeper, I’ve learned that quickly, but he can’t stay asleep forever.
I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and pull the glass doors open. The air is cleaner inside than on the city streets, but I stubbornly refuse to let myself breathe it in deeply to appreciate it properly. There’s no telling what the mad scientist in charge of this place does for such clean air if he’s willing to sacrifice people’s lives to feed a curiosity.
Because that’s all I can figure out. Why else try to isolate the shifter gene? There isn’t a reason to turn humans into shifters–it’s not like we’re superheroes gatekeeping some special abilities. My hearing is good and I can run at wolf speed.
It’s really not all it’s cracked up to be at the end of the day. Especially not when we’re being hunted by humans or other packs.
I hate Henrik Arnoult before I ever lay eyes on him.
The security guard breaks off a conversation with a redheaded woman in a suit when I approach the sparkling gold front desk. “Hello, may I help you, miss?”
“I’m here to see Dr. Arnoult.” I’m not surprised by the patronizing smile that spreads over the guard’s face; I blatantly ignore his amusement. “Call up to him, please. Tell him I’m filling in for Frank, and I have a shipment to deliver that can’t wait.”
The man’s face scrunches with confusion. “Right. Okay.” The same odd expression lingers on his face as he presumably dials Arnoult’s office.
The man can think I’m crazy all he wants so long as he helps me get the access I need.
I ignore his brief phone conversation, focusing instead on leaning forward just enough to see the security feed on the guard’s monitor from the corner of my eye. It rotates at random through the cameras in the building, which means there’s no logical way I can time out my movements. I need to get in and do what I came here for and then hope like hell I have time to get out and far away before anyone gets hold of the security feed.
“Yes, sir. I’ll send her up.” The security guard finishes his call, his face restrained and polite as he turns back to me. He hands me an ID badge markedGuestand points me toward an elevator behind the desk. “You’ll take that elevator up to the top floor, number six, and someone will meet you as you get off.”
“Thanks for your help,” I tell him.
My heart races as I get on the elevator. I feel like I could get sick, but I’m also relieved that containing my nervousness takes up all my excess energy. I’m trying not to think too much about anything outside the walls of this building at the moment, otherwise I might not make it through this.
I ascend too quickly to prepare myself, and all too soon the elevator doors open to reveal a harried looking middle-aged man staring back at me. He smooths a hand over his graying comb-over and greets me.
“Hello, I’m Henrik Arnoult. The guard says you’ve come in Frank’s place, but I wasn’t aware of a change.” He smiles at me in a way that I’m sure he thinks is charming.
I pretend to be affected by it, letting a fake smile build subtly on my lips so it seems genuine and shy. I’m not normally in the business of taking advantage of my petite frame and kind face, but I’m willing to use everything I have to get into Arnoult’s lab.
“I’m sorry for the last minute change of plans. Unfortunately, Frank wasn’t able to get the job done, and I was. I have a pipeline of affordable test subjects which he tells me he had too much difficulty procuring.” I shake my head in faux disappointment. “I might be a relatively new partner in Frank’s ventures, but I can’t stand incompetence.”
“I know what you mean.” He leans conspiratorially toward me. “Half the interns in this building have no idea what they’re doing. They think because they’re only getting paid in experience and school credits that they can half-ass the work.”
“Unbelievable.” I widen my eyes slightly.
“Unbelievable,” he repeats, leaning in even closer.
I take the opportunity to step past him since he’s still crowding me at the entryway of the elevator. He clears his throat as he seems to realize it but quickly attaches himself to my side again. I remember what Frank said about how the man likes to talk and decide to use that to my advantage.
“This building is amazing. Have you worked here long?” I have to sink my teeth into my lip to keep from giving myself away when Arnoult puffs his chest with pride and rushes to defend himself to keep me from thinking he’s a lowly employee.