Bad Nerd Falling (43 page)

Vlad’s friends arrived then. Their
eyes were identical to Vlad and Beau’s as they stopped to greet
her. Derek messed up her hair, Ben hugged her, and Rex smiled at
her.

“
It’s a good thing Tia
isn’t here, or you’d be thoroughly hen-pecked,” Ben said
cheerfully.

“
I miss Tia, but I’m
really happy to be returning to the palace lab tomorrow.” She
glanced at Maria. “I’m hoping certain individuals will hurry up and
join me.”

“
I’m planning to.” Maria
smiled as the host approached. “I’m as eager as you.”

Beside her, Vlad stiffened
very subtly. She caught the impression that like Aleksi, he wasn’t
thrilled that she was returning to the palace lab.
Why?

She turned to ask Vlad just as the
host offered to lead their party to a private dining room that was
cozy and would allow them to talk. The space met with approval from
the men in their party.

After the host left them with menus,
Graham said, “I’m looking into the lab personnel. Too many of you
are having uncomfortable experiences. That shouldn’t
be.”

She exchanged looks with Maria. “Those
stuck there will appreciate that.”

Maria nodded vigorously.

Everyone ordered and then the SEALs
leaned back in their chairs and questioned Vlad, Graham, and her
about the incident.

From the way they interacted, she
figured they knew more than they revealed, but her insides were
only just settling. Perhaps it was possible to swallow some food.
Maybe. It helped to be surrounded by these people.

Vlad sat close and she leaned a little
into him. He nudged his chair as near to hers as was possible.
Their thighs pressed together and she rested her hand on his thigh,
where his hand curled around hers. They sat quietly together as the
others joked and laughed and appeared to enjoy themselves. It was
typical of friends gathering together for a meal.

Yet all of it felt surreal.

Someone had tried to kill
her.
Twice
.

Her parents were going to panic when
they arrived home.

She sincerely hoped all of this was
well behind them by then.

***

Vlad arrived the next morning just as
she was locking her door. There was a bit of tension about
him.

“
You didn’t come for
breakfast.”

“
No, I ate at the palace.
Are you going to be alone in the lab this morning?”

“
Yes, as far as I know.
Jorge will probably be at the hospital all week, training his
replacement.” She turned and followed him down the stairs. “Your
mom should be with me this afternoon.”

He nodded, and held the outer door for
her before they crossed to where he had parked the car. After he
helped her inside, he didn’t waste time climbing in and starting
the motor.

“
Why do you
ask?”

“
I’m gathering facts.” He
didn’t take his eyes off the fairly heavy traffic.

She doubted that was true.
“Why do you ask?” This time there was an edge of hardness in
her
voice.

He slanted her a quick, sardonic look.
His lips even turned up in a momentary smile. “I really am
gathering facts. I will continue to do so while you work this
morning.”

Suspicion crept into her mind. “You’ll
be gathering these facts from the cozy comfort of my
lab.”

His smile was quicksilver but it set
her pulse racing. There should be laws pertaining to his smile.
“That is correct.”

With no fanfare, but great ease, he
turned into the palace parking area. Any trace of a smile
disappeared as he scanned the space. The hair on the back of her
neck stirred and she swallowed.

There was an air of expectancy, and
not the good kind, about the place as he coasted to a stop in a
parking spot close to the door. He was there, like a human shield
as she exited the car and bustled her inside. Without any sign of
hesitation. Here was a man on a mission. It was strange to think of
herself as his mission.

Especially in light of the fact that
she wanted quite a lot more from him than his current businesslike
manner. Where was her good morning kiss? What about a little
hug?

She stopped to scowl at
him.

Vlad didn’t stop. Instead, he hauled
her forward as though she weighed no more than her niece, Nadia.
This was untrue so surprise spurred her forward.

Once they were inside the palace, she
relaxed a bit, but Vlad did not. He continued to scan their
surroundings as though he expected the boogey man to pop out of the
wainscoting. The palace magnificence was a bit lost on her though,
because she was too busy enjoying the feeling of homecoming. This
was where she belonged.

They ambled down the hall to the room
where palace staff stored their belongings. She left her purse and
lunch before she led the way to the lab. She unlocked the door and
snapped on the lights. The black benchtops gleamed in the light and
as the familiar smells of the space greeted her, she
smiled.

“
It’s good to be back,”
she declared as she moved quickly toward the incubator. The well
water plates looked good, and she planned to record the data
later.

She booted up a computer, checked
supplies, opened Tia’s office door to start a pot of coffee, and in
general peeked into each space to make certain all was well with
the lab.

Vlad seated himself at the bench where
his mother typically worked. He carried a small computer and within
moments was tapping away at the keys. It didn’t take him long to
immerse himself in whatever he was doing.

She left him to his business to
concentrate on her own. Tia had sent her an email with new projects
so she printed that out now. There was one especially that she was
eager to start and now she highlighted it. Then, after reading
through Tia’s specific instructions, with a cup of coffee in Tia’s
office, where Vlad joined her, she started her
preparations.

It would take her most of the morning
to prepare for the first leg of this experiment and that was
exciting. This entire project should keep her busy for a week,
perhaps longer.

The storage room looked exactly as it
had when they left. At first. But after staring at the shelf where
the five millimeter pipettes should be, she decided that wasn’t
quite true.

Peeking out of the room she called to
Vlad.

He was beside her in the time it took
to blink. That’s exactly what she did when he conjured himself up
right there in front of her. Blinked at him.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
The five millimeter
pipettes aren’t where we previously stored them. Your mom and Jorge
have both been here since then. They probably moved these items.”
She bit her lip. “You told me to mention anything that didn’t seem
right.”

“
Even little things are
significant. Go through the rest of the space.”

When she did so, she found a few more
items that had been moved. All of this was minor, and probably
meant nothing, yet they disturbed her. The taut, grim lines of
Vlad’s body told her he also found her suspicions valid. He took
out his phone and appeared to send something. She didn’t know what
or to who, but she suspected he sent their findings to his
friends.

“
Is there anything else
that’s raising your alarms?”

She trailed through the lab again.
Then she crossed the room, slid the stainless steel work table to
one side, and entered the smaller storage closet. Vlad was right
behind her. A huge, menacing shape casting shadows into the room
before she flipped on the light.

She stepped inside and started
inventorying the contents. There didn’t appear to be anything amiss
here. When she finished she shook her head.

“
This is fine.”

He nodded before he followed her out.
Her timer dinged before she could question him further. She
completed the next task and soon lost herself in the work at hand.
Every time she stepped into the large storage closet though, the
hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

A disconcerting sensation at best. So
she wasn’t upset when lunchtime came and they left the
lab.

The sensation didn’t follow them.

Chapter 33

Vlad escorted her back to the lab.
When they arrived it was to find his mother there. She shrieked and
hugged her tight.

Maria laughed as she also hugged her
son. “I’m back.”

The lab suddenly seemed like a
friendlier place.

“
I have to go,” Vlad told
her. “Since my mother is here, you should be okay.” He glanced
around the lab. “Remember the tunnel if there’s a
problem.”

She nodded. She didn’t expect trouble,
so they should be able to relax. When he left, she noticed that
nape-hair-stirring-sensation disappeared with him.

Was Vlad the cause of her uneasy
feelings all morning?

That thought formed a tight knot of
denial in her throat. It couldn’t be him. He was working hard to
keep her safe. Of course it was ridiculous, but the sensation of
impending doom still disappeared.

She and Maria chatted happily for a
while and Helena showed her what she was working on then handed the
project sheet over. Maria read through it and selected her own
experiment, also highlighting it.

“
I’m only going to have
time to work on the preparations today. But I can take some water
samples when my prep work is finished.”

“
Once I’m finished with my
test today, I was thinking the same thing.” They shared a smile of
relief as they both reveled in the fact they were together in this
lab again.

“
All we’re missing is
Jorge.”

She measured out her final ingredient.
“And Tia.”

“
Of course Tia. I can’t
wait until she’s home.”

“
I’m sure she’s feeling
the
exact
same
way.” She laughed and shared a knowing look with Maria.

“
Yes, and reminding Aleksi
it was his idea whenever she talks to him.”

Smiling, because she could well hear
that conversation, she wondered when Tia could come home. Hopefully
this cousin of hers did decide to buy her condo.

She opened her email and sent off a
message to Tia, hoping that lady was flying through everything she
needed to do there so she could hurry home. It wouldn’t be long
now, thank goodness. Soon they would have all fulfilled their
obligations and could thus get on with their lives and
research.

A little giddy about her future, at
least professionally, she set the last tube in the reader and shut
the lid. She pressed the start button and watched as numbers
scurried across the paper, looking like a receipt from a cash
register. Indeed, it was the same type of paper and ink.

She tore the precious data sheet from
the side printer and opened the door to remove her tube. Now that
she had some data to play with, she should be able to figure out
the next phase of the experiment.

On the other side of the lab, Maria
was humming. She looked up and caught her eye. They both broke into
happy, relieved grins and met halfway to hug.

“
I’m so happy we’re back,”
they said at the same time.

She laughed, and Maria wasn’t far
behind her as they separated to resume their work. “I didn’t think
the days at the hospital would ever end.”

“
I know, love. The three
and a half days there dragged.”

“
This is where we belong.”
She took the tube to the sink.

“
Yes it is. So, is my son
planning to stay in Rurikstan?”

The question was so unexpected that
she dropped the tube. Fortunately it fell harmlessly
inside.

“
I don’t know.”

Maria stopped and turned full on to
stare at her. “You don’t know?” She sounded aghast, and like she
didn’t believe Helena was telling the truth.

She wished she knew. Little niggles of
doubt gnawed at her. Vlad had stopped kissing her as much. He was
still protective, still he-man like, but he didn’t kiss her nearly
like he used to.

That raised more questions. Why not?
Did he intend to leave soon? Was he weaning her off him?

Her heart wrenched at the very
thought.

She shook her head. “I don’t know,
Maria.”

Something in her voice must have
alerted Maria, because that lady dropped her pen before she made
quick tracks to stand in front of her. “Don’t you dare think that’s
bad. Vlad isn’t exactly the most communicative of men.”

“
I’ve mentioned that to
him,” she said after she swallowed the lump lodged in her throat.
It was painful, but not impossible.

“
He’s always been like
that. If he had a high fever, he never told me he didn’t feel
well.”

“
Never?” She stared
wide-eyed at Maria. “
Never?
”