Read Online Listen (Muted Trilogy Book 2) by Nikita Spoke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nikita Spoke
Ads: Link
sometimes.”
Jemma’s hand twitched as she resisted reaching for his. “I’ve lost my temper a few times, but I’ve saved it for yelling at the scientists. They can’t hear me, anyway.”
“I haven’t quite limited it that much, especially the first few days.” He rubbed at his neck. “They’ll use violence if pushed, but they don’t seem to want to. So, yes, I’m relieved that you want to keep doing what they tell you, or at least looking like you are. I’m old-fashioned enough that I don’t want to think about a woman getting hurt, especially one I care about.”
“You’d care anyway, woman or not,” Jemma sent, sure of her words, avoiding the rest of his sentence. “Did you…” She faltered. “Did they hurt you?”
“Not badly.” His mental tone was even. “Shut me in my room for a couple days, upped the number of guards on me. I stopped lashing out physically, and they brought me back down to one guard a few days ago. The scientists pretty much ignore me, though. I don’t even try to give them the results they want.”
“You keep blending into the background, then,” sent Jemma, forcing herself to take another bite. “I’ll keep being the teacher’s pet. You know where the guard station is, you said. Have you found anything else?”
“Some of the guards don’t like that we’re here.”
“How do you know that?” Jemma sent.
“Body language.” He looked up at her. “Same as I can tell you’re still upset even though we’re back to planning.”
“Of course I’m upset, Jack,” she snapped. “They’ve got us held here, and they’re armed and willing to use force, and they hurt you, and I…” She stopped at the wave of reassurance washing over her. She looked at the guards, who seemed uninterested, and then at her sandwich.
“I understand,” sent Jack. “Sorry. I’m not exactly at my best in here. I do computers, and they’re certainly not giving me any of those.”
“You’re better at reading people than I am.” Jemma gathered her thoughts. What else did they know? “There are cameras in the rooms, the labs, and in here.” Her eyes flickered to the black dome above where her guard stood. “I haven’t seen any in the hallways.”
“Right. And we know there are ‘volunteers’ here somewhere.” Jack continued eating, winking at her when she glanced at him.
“Which way do you go to your room, when you leave here?” Jemma asked.
“Right,” he answered. “You?”
“Same. So probably all the better rooms are that way, right?” She considered what she’d seen of Naomi. “Do you think any of them would help us? The volunteers?”
“I’ve only met one. He’s not gonna help. Reminds me a lot of what it sounds like your scientist acts like.” He paused. “I have one scientist take lead in the morning, one in the afternoon. The other takes notes.”
“Josh handles the mornings,” sent Jemma. “Dr. Harris takes the afternoons. They don’t spend a lot of time around each other.”
“If they don’t get along, we might be able to use that.”
Jemma remembered Naomi’s guard and how she’d acted around Dr. Harris. “There’s a guard for one of the volunteers, and she doesn’t like Dr. Harris. If we can find a way to communicate, maybe she could help.”
“That’s good,” sent Jack, encouragement in his voice. “What else? Anything in the newspapers?”
“Nothing that’ll help down here.”
“‘Down here.’” Jack frowned at the guards. “I think we’re underground, too. This long a building, with no windows, I think it would stand out otherwise.”
“Ken’s here,” Jemma remembered. “Ken, and us, and the volunteers, and who knows how many others. They definitely wouldn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, not with so many here. So yes, underground might make sense.” She thought over what they’d discussed. “Other than continuing what we’ve been doing, we don’t really have much of a plan yet, do
Jemma’s hand twitched as she resisted reaching for his. “I’ve lost my temper a few times, but I’ve saved it for yelling at the scientists. They can’t hear me, anyway.”
“I haven’t quite limited it that much, especially the first few days.” He rubbed at his neck. “They’ll use violence if pushed, but they don’t seem to want to. So, yes, I’m relieved that you want to keep doing what they tell you, or at least looking like you are. I’m old-fashioned enough that I don’t want to think about a woman getting hurt, especially one I care about.”
“You’d care anyway, woman or not,” Jemma sent, sure of her words, avoiding the rest of his sentence. “Did you…” She faltered. “Did they hurt you?”
“Not badly.” His mental tone was even. “Shut me in my room for a couple days, upped the number of guards on me. I stopped lashing out physically, and they brought me back down to one guard a few days ago. The scientists pretty much ignore me, though. I don’t even try to give them the results they want.”
“You keep blending into the background, then,” sent Jemma, forcing herself to take another bite. “I’ll keep being the teacher’s pet. You know where the guard station is, you said. Have you found anything else?”
“Some of the guards don’t like that we’re here.”
“How do you know that?” Jemma sent.
“Body language.” He looked up at her. “Same as I can tell you’re still upset even though we’re back to planning.”
“Of course I’m upset, Jack,” she snapped. “They’ve got us held here, and they’re armed and willing to use force, and they hurt you, and I…” She stopped at the wave of reassurance washing over her. She looked at the guards, who seemed uninterested, and then at her sandwich.
“I understand,” sent Jack. “Sorry. I’m not exactly at my best in here. I do computers, and they’re certainly not giving me any of those.”
“You’re better at reading people than I am.” Jemma gathered her thoughts. What else did they know? “There are cameras in the rooms, the labs, and in here.” Her eyes flickered to the black dome above where her guard stood. “I haven’t seen any in the hallways.”
“Right. And we know there are ‘volunteers’ here somewhere.” Jack continued eating, winking at her when she glanced at him.
“Which way do you go to your room, when you leave here?” Jemma asked.
“Right,” he answered. “You?”
“Same. So probably all the better rooms are that way, right?” She considered what she’d seen of Naomi. “Do you think any of them would help us? The volunteers?”
“I’ve only met one. He’s not gonna help. Reminds me a lot of what it sounds like your scientist acts like.” He paused. “I have one scientist take lead in the morning, one in the afternoon. The other takes notes.”
“Josh handles the mornings,” sent Jemma. “Dr. Harris takes the afternoons. They don’t spend a lot of time around each other.”
“If they don’t get along, we might be able to use that.”
Jemma remembered Naomi’s guard and how she’d acted around Dr. Harris. “There’s a guard for one of the volunteers, and she doesn’t like Dr. Harris. If we can find a way to communicate, maybe she could help.”
“That’s good,” sent Jack, encouragement in his voice. “What else? Anything in the newspapers?”
“Nothing that’ll help down here.”
“‘Down here.’” Jack frowned at the guards. “I think we’re underground, too. This long a building, with no windows, I think it would stand out otherwise.”
“Ken’s here,” Jemma remembered. “Ken, and us, and the volunteers, and who knows how many others. They definitely wouldn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, not with so many here. So yes, underground might make sense.” She thought over what they’d discussed. “Other than continuing what we’ve been doing, we don’t really have much of a plan yet, do
Similar Books
