Read Online The Syn-En Solution by Linda Andrews - Free Book Online Page B

thick neck. Good heavens! The silhouette reminded her of one of those Mr. World body-builders. Could it be a trick of the dim light?
    The man shape eased forward into the bobbing bits of debris. His boots glided silently across the ceiling.
    Nell shook her head. No. Floor. He walked on the floor. She must be upside down. But why could he touch the floor and she couldn’t? The hair on her neck and arms rose. The man’s action didn’t cause a sound, not even the tinkle of metal.
    He’s a predator .
    Fear ballooned inside Nell, souring her mouth and urging her heart into a galloping rhythm. Did that make her prey? Is that why the Grace Jones wannabe urged her to scream? Did she know that stuff injected into Nell’s breasts wouldn’t kill her, only leave her paralyzed. Still dangling like a Christmas ornament, Nell drifted on an air current. Please God, don’t let them kill me .
    The man crept forward. Yellow light flashed in the room, glinted off his face and the shotgun in his hands.
    Nell tried to swallow her scream. It came out as a yelp. Good Lord, what was wrong with his face? His features seemed scrunched and smeared. Could it be because I’m upside down or, please God, let it be a trick of the darkness ?
    The man’s attention lasered on her.
    Nell swallowed around the lump in her throat. This was it. Too late to play opossum or hide and seek. Blowing the hair out of her face, she stared into the dark pits she hoped were his eyes.
    “I need help,” she whispered. Her voice sounded rusty from disuse, the words formed awkwardly on her tongue. Was this another side effect of the breast injection? “That woman did something to me.”
    No response. Not even a cocked head.
    Irritation flared to life deep inside Nell. What was wrong with him? Could whatever had damaged his face have rendered him mute? “I don’t think it’s a good thing. She wanted me to yell so you’d come near.”
    The debris curtain parted as he stepped forward. Neat trick. She wished she could repel metal.
    “Where has she gone?” His deep baritone rumbled across the five feet separating them. The muzzle of his rifle aimed below her left shoulder.
    “That way.” Nell gestured with her chin to her right. With the slight change in position, she noticed movement. The man had not come alone. Why were they standing back? What danger could one naked woman pose? Nell focused on the man, the leader, she hoped. “She said something about delaying you.”
    “Is that your purpose?” The question was casual, like co-workers discussing another sunny day after a month of them.
    Yet, the hair on her neck rose and the air thickened with restrained violence.
    “No, I—” Nell flashed him her right palm. The motion startled her. Why could she move now and not before? Was the drug wearing off?
    “Admiral!” A man barked to her left. Striding forward, he pointed his index finger at her. “She’s rigged to explode.”
    “What!” Nell shook her head so vigorously her body started twisting back and forth like an agitator in a washing machine. “No.”
    The first man, the one addressed as Admiral stalked forward and tapped the barrel of his weapon against her forehead. “Straighten your arms and legs and hold them away from your body.”
    Nell’s eyes crossed as she focused on the barrel. Calm. She needed to stay calm. Why had she listened to that stupid inner voice? Now she would die, and it wouldn’t be from her smart mouth or her impulsive nature as her mother had predicted. Tearing her gaze from the shotgun, she looked up at the Admiral. His distorted features caused a moment of disquiet, but she kept her attention unwavering. “I can’t move. That crazy woman stuck me with something and paralyzed me.”
    The admiral nodded.
    She felt the debris field shift behind her, scrape across her back.
    Two more men stepped to her side and latched onto her arms. With a hand over hand motion, they spun her until her body was oriented in the same