CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

MY EYES SHOT open, clutching at the darkness, struggling for orientation. Oleg. Finally the scent of pine-freshener invoked the sifting of dream from reality. Marisol lay still on the bed beside me, at the center of a tangled wad of sheets. Apparently neither one of us was accustomed to sharing a bed for actual sleep. Then again, I never really slept. So it made sense to let her have it.

The lure of her bare skin, polished ocher and radiant, tugged at me. But more so, the weight of the world. I sat up. Using moonlight filtered through drawn curtains, I scanned the room for my clothing. My trousers hung from the dresser. Snatching them, I tiptoed from the room, leaving the door cracked behind me.

I stood there a moment longer, listening to her breathe. Feelings of peace and panic lodged in my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had sex with someone I actually cared about, resulting in emotions so much more powerful than the act itself. But those were the emotions I felt at the moment. Evie could learn from a woman as strong as Marisol. We both could. I breathed deep. First things first.

Turning, I strode into the living room ready to dedicate my restored energies into getting Evie back. I assigned my background mind to processing every event from the last twelve hours involving the twitchers and Adel. So far the false assumption the two parties were operating together had misdirected my every move.

As I slid a leg into my trousers, something dropped to the floor. After buttoning them, I knelt down to find Marisol’s ARGs at the base of the couch. I’d forgotten mine somewhere on the floor of Marisol’s bedroom. I started to set them on the coffee table, but stopped. I needed to check the time. Maybe the fire department had called, or the police had decided to clear me of all suspicion.

I held the lens view up to my eye. Rather than the fire or police, the last number to have called was my own. That didn’t make any sense. I slipped the glasses in place, using my eyes to select the call and play it back.

“Jim, where are you?” It was the voice of the Southern belle. “For God’s sake, this has gone beyond madness. I don’t know how else to convince you of the deadliness of this game you’re playing. If not for your daughter’s sake, then for the world’s. I’ve already taken more risks than is prudent. Bottom line, your life is becoming increasingly more tempting to terminate than preserve. Call me if you still deem survival an option.”