The office, though vaguely familiar feeling, didn’t bring the onslaught of memories I’d hoped for. Fifteen minutes later, I rifled through Otto’s desk drawers, frustrated and hoping to find something helpful. I was glad Tomas had the decency to leave us alone. We didn’t waste time, each of us finding some corner to inspect.
The office wasn’t overly decorative. No family pictures hung on the walls. A large desk, several filing cabinets, and a few chairs to sit on were about it. Not even a computer or laptop to pry through. I knew we weren’t necessarily looking for clues to who took him. We all guessed it was Kory still, but I still hoped to glean why Sammy had been here.
Sighing, I tugged another drawer open. The contents shifted haphazardly within. Papers, pens, unopened mail. Nothing looked familiar. Nothing looked helpful. I growled and shoved it shut.
Blake, who’d been going through one of the filing cabinet drawers, glanced over at me. “Everything okay over there?” he lightly asked.
Mack, who’d been pouring over another filing cabinet, didn’t even glance up as Blake made his way over to me.
“Just wish there was something here to help me remember,” I grumbled. “I mean, was Sammy here to warn Otto? Or was she here to stage the abduction?”
“Maybe not finding anything means she was here to help,” Blake offered. I knew he was just trying to reassure me. He, of all people, tended to think the worst of Sammy. I wished I could accept his statement at face value and leave it alone. Deep down, I sensed my quest for knowing was going to end badly.
Mack called out to us, “You both should see this.” He turned around, holding out the manila folder he’d been studying moments ago.
We rushed over. My fingers turned to ice at Mack’s tense expression. Oh boy. Here comes the bad news.
Blake grabbed the folder and held it so we both could see. The detailed sketch on the paper glared back at me. I gasped, instinctively backing up.
I would never forget those black eyes, the small, pinched nose, the oversized mouth, the scar-ridden barrel chest, or the thick-corded wings. Even the patches of brown hair smattering the out-of-proportioned head. Blake cursed under his breath. We both recognized who it was. Jaxon. The bug version of him, anyway. Blake cursed under his breath.
“Why does Otto have a picture of Jaxon?” I asked. My heart was pounding hard enough in my chest that my ears had begun ringing. Figuring it was just adrenaline making me feel jittery, I tried to ignore it. “I thought the ancients didn’t know about him. Galina acted shocked Kory had brought bugs back.”
Blake’s eyes raked the page. “Either she’s a really good actress, or some ancients knew about Jaxon.”
As Blake began flipping through the sheets of papers, Mack said, “There’s more about him than just that sketch. His DNA sequencings, the exact formulas it took to modify the bugs DNA and form it into a serum to be injected, the test trials.” Mack hesitated. “Maybe we’ve been looking at this all backward.”
“No kidding,” Blake agreed. “I’m beginning to think the four taken weren’t taken at all, but willingly left to join Kory’s quest.”
“But if he left on his own, why on earth would he leave all this behind to be found?” I asked.
“Because no one would be looking for it or because he didn’t care if everyone knew,” Mack offered, “I don’t know.”
My mind was spinning with every new scenario placed in it. I grabbed on to the back of one of the chairs, the dizziness threatening my balance. The incessant ringing in my ears had gotten worse. I inhaled deeply, trying to fight off the disorientation. My fingers gripped the leather, my knuckles turning white in my effort to stay upright.
Blake was at my side in one of those crazy-fast movements I’d seen him do once before. If I hadn’t been feeling so woozy, I probably would’ve yelped in surprise again. Instead, I fell limp into his arms.
He pulled me to his body. “Are you okay? You just turned chalk white. What’s going on?”
“I’m just a… bit dizzy,” I said, my head falling against his chest. The thrumming of his heartbeat soothed me, and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t really tell if I was standing on my own, or if Blake was holding me up. My legs felt wobbly beneath me. Either way, I just wanted to fall asleep. Part of my mind screamed for me to stop giving in, but the other half of me felt too exhausted to care anymore.
“Sam,” Blake said, and then he gently shook me. “Sam, can you hear me?”
I could hear the panic in his voice, feel his arms shaking as he held me, but I couldn’t seem to form the words to reassure him. I couldn’t even open my eyes. I felt myself being pulled away, like I was stuck in a river’s current.
Mack’s voice was right next to me. “Samantha, you can’t give in to Sammy. She wants to come out, but you have to fight her!”
Sammy? This couldn’t be Sammy? Could it? It felt too relaxing. Too peaceful. Too inviting…I gasped inwardly, hearing a low moan escape my lips. Crap! Of course this is Sammy! She’s trying to take over, making me feel like it’s the easiest thing to do. There was a small sliver inside me that reasoned her taking over right now might not be a bad thing. She’d be surrounded by Blake and Mack. They wouldn’t let her go anywhere, and they could get the truth from her. If she’s in on this whole thing with Kory, maybe they could even find out the secret headquarters for his bug operation. Would it be so bad to let her have a minute? With that thought, a whole new layer of relaxation settled over me. My eyelids became even heavier. A peace settled over me. I knew I was about to pass out, but it felt like the right thing to do. This is it. Sammy will be here. Everything will be okay now. I’ll just be gone…
Gone? Gone for how long? Gone for good? I panicked. No, no, no. I struggled to open my eyes, and with the effort, my peace shattered. Panic seized me. I thrashed out, knowing somewhere in my mind, Blake was still holding on to me, pleading with me to come back.
Blake! I wanted to shout. I’m still here.
I fought against the weight holding me down, a crushing sensation spreading over my chest. I have to get out of this black place! Mentally, it felt like sprinting uphill with only humid, thick air to breathe. My lungs burned and I wondered if I was even breathing anymore.
“Sam,” Blake begged. Somewhere in my mind, I felt his body’s warmth. “Please come back to me.” His words shattered the darkness surrounding me. The weight began lifting, and I hungrily sucked in air. My eyes flew open to discover Blake cradled me in his arms, sitting in one of the chairs.
His wet eyes met my gaze. The hand that had been stroking my cheek stopped mid-motion. “Is it you?” he asked, his eyes darting between mine.
“Yes, it’s me.” My voice sounded so weak. He pulled me to him, squeezing out the air I’d worked so hard to get in.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he said, his voice thick. I could feel the tension in his entire body melt in my arms as a shudder made its way through his shoulders and back. When he sniffed, I realized how terrified he’d been that Sammy might have won.
He leaned back and searched my face, not seeming to care he had a few tears streaming down his own. “Are you okay now?” He held me tight, keeping me from falling off his lap.
I nodded. “I think so. Sorry I scared you. I didn’t know what was happening until Mack told me.” I glanced over my shoulder at Mack. “I think you were right, but it just felt so different this time.”
“Different how?” Mack asked.
“I don’t know. It felt so peaceful, like it was the right thing to do. At least, until I decided I didn’t want to give in. Then it turned ugly.” I couldn’t help the shiver that shot through me.
Blake pulled me closer, giving my arms a brisk rub. It wasn’t the cold giving me the chills; it was realizing that this place meant something to Sammy. I took comfort in his touch. It’d been his voice that broke through Sammy’s hold on me. I inhaled deeply, chasing away the memories of how tight my chest had felt. One thing I couldn’t shake though was how right it had felt to let her have control. That didn’t make any sense, unless…
“Coming here triggered a lot more than just déjà vu,” I said. “I think she was trying to tell me something.”
Both guys stared at me, Blake’s brow knitting together. “Why do you say that?”
I shrugged, suddenly not so sure why I’d thought that. “I just got this feeling her appearing was really important to her,” I offered.
“Of course it was.” Blake grimaced. “Sam, she wants to make you disappear for good.”
I felt the terror behind his words. I knew then that his greatest fear matched mine. Maybe he’d been in denial before—maybe we both had been. Ironic, the moment he seemed to accept the reality that Sammy still existed, I suddenly felt the urge to defend her somehow.
I glanced at Mack, wondering what he thought. His frown matched Blake’s. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence she tried to take over right when we learned the ancients might be in cahoots with Kory,” Mack confirmed. “Maybe we were poking around too much for her liking.”
I knew they were probably both right. Honestly, I had no idea why I was trying to give Sammy the benefit of the doubt. Her track record screamed otherwise. From what I knew of her choices, they were always self-serving, even if she claimed she was doing what was best for me.
So why did this time feel different? I tried to shrug it off and glanced back at Blake. The look of resolution in his eyes surprised me. He gently released his grip on me and helped me to my feet, keeping an arm tucked around me.
“I think we’ve learned enough here today,” he announced. “Let’s get back to Tonbo. I may not like the idea of it, Sam, but I think you’ve been right all along. Sammy’s not gone, like I’d hoped. She’s still fighting to take over. And from what we’ve seen today, she’s involved with this mess somehow.” His tone turned harder. “I want to know what she’s up to, before we’re too late to stop it.”