Not to be found

Chapter 38 - The test

The room is dark when I feel my fingertips beginning to tingle, the sensation travelling throughout my body as I become more aware of my surroundings. The sensation reaches my brain and ignites the throbbing headache that only one with a hangover can get.

I ball my hands into fists and scrunch my face up, I can feel a warmth next to me but as I go to reach out I can feel the bile rising in my throat making me have to stumble as fast as I can to the toilet.

I barely just make it, emptying my guts into the toilet bowl I groan. Why did I do this to myself again?
I feel my hair being pulled back and out of my face as well as my back being rubbed as I continue to gag.
"Shhhhhh," he comforts me, "it's okay get it all out."

I'm totally embarrassed as I continue to spill my stomach contents, each time I lean forward my head aches a little more. But as I take a breather Noah goes into the cabinet and pulls out a packet along with a cup and fills it with some water.
"Let's go back to bed now," he says carrying the packet and glass of water in one hand, the other attempts to pick me up and shuffle me forward, "you'll only feel worse if you hover over the toilet."

I swallow the lump in my throat and walk forward, the floor looks like it's falling from beneath me but I try to focus on looking straight ahead. When I reach the bed he places the water and packet on the table, and helps lower me down onto the mattress.

Once I'm as comfortable as I can be he passes me two pills and the glass, nodding at me to take them. I place a pill in my mouth one at a time and then tilt my head back and swallow them with the water, he then takes the water from me and goes around to the other side of the bed getting in next to me.

"Sophia got me drunk again didn't she?" I ask regretting what I did.

He drags the palm of his hand across his face as if he's tired and maybe a little hungover herself, "yes, yes she did but you are also part to blame also."

I try to cast my mind back to last night, I remember seeing the wine being placed in front of me. Soph poured the wine but that doesn't mean that I had to drink it, I just remember the soothing burn travelling down my throat and into the pit of my stomach.
"I suppose so," I agree, "but hey, you seem hungover yourself."

He moves his body closer to mine and sinks down ending up with his head resting in my lap, "I'd be lying to you if I said that I wasn't, Ed got me drinking shots in the end."

"Well then you're half to blame also," I say playing with the messy blonde strands of his hair.

"Don't start on me," he says his tone turning into a low growl.

"Or what?" I ask groggily, hiccuping at the end.

He wraps one of his hands around my inner thigh and squeezes gently before gliding his fingernails up my bare skin, I push them together and whimper slightly trapping his hand in the centre. He chuckles to himself at my reaction, "nothing too hasty we're both fragile today."

I pout pushing my lower lip out putting my best puppy dog eyes on, causing him to raise his eyebrows at me, "maybe later?"

Before I have a chance to answer a knock sounds on the door, it can't be Soph or Ed because they should be just as hungover as we are. Mike maybe?

"Come in," Noah calls as I release his hand from between my thighs.

As suspected Mike strolls in wearing the usual uniform for guys around this place, the only difference is that his has a golden crest the right side of his chest.
"Seriously?" He questions giving us a disapproving look, "you're both still in bed?"

Noah rolls his eyes straightening his posture to match mine, "yeah, what's the hurry?"

Mike takes a seat on the sofa by the door and crosses his legs over, "Lacey I know yesterday probably came as a shock, I mean it would to anybody," he says sounding sympathetic, "but I want to test something and I need you two."

Test something? What is he testing? What could it be to do with Noah? This is my dad we're talking about here. Well, my so called 'dad'.

Noah narrows his eyes at his father and shuffles slightly closer to me, "what are you up to?"

Mike stands up from the sofa and moves towards the door, "meet me in an hour and we'll discuss it."

After he's left me and Noah exchange a look that would read to any outsider as saying 'what the hell?'.
Seriously Mike what the hell?!

*************************************
Me and Noah arrive in the operations room both dressed in cargo trousers, t-shirts, jackets and leather boots. All black. I literally feel like I'm in a spy movie, I must say it feels good.

Mike is sitting at the back of the room surrounded by several computers that monitor everything that is happening both outside and inside the building. I get weird looks from the people that are in the room, like I'm some alien creature. I'm just a human, I'm no big deal.

"Good," he says rubbing his hands together, "you're both here."

It took several minutes of persuasion from Noah to get me here, in that time my anxiety flared up and my head was pounding. But he managed to get me to come along just to hear what his father had to say, I didn't have to go along with any of his plans unless I wanted to.

"Lacey you heard everything that your father said, right?" Mike asks me standing up from his desk and guiding us to the projector screen.

"Yeah, how could I not? Those words are etched into my brain now," I say the stabbing pain returning to my heart, the pressure building in my chest.

"Sorry," he says grabbing a remote for the screen from one of his assistants, "right this is the plan."

He presses a button revealing the next slide, "I need you two to go out on a little trip."

I can practically feel the anger radiating from Noah's body, "you are joking with us right?"

Mike looks back at us from the screen, "no Ark, no I'm not," he looks right into his son's eyes, "Thomas Grey said that he would send out others, I want to see those others."

"So you'd put us both at risk?" He argues raising his arms up in the air.

"You wouldn't be at risk, I'd send guards out to follow you," he tries to soothe, "you'd just go out into the city for a little while, I just want to see if he means what he says or he's just bluffing."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Noah says covering his face with his hand.

"You'd both be totally safe," he encourages, "it just helps me to determine my next steps."

Next steps? Where am I being moved to this time?

"I don't think you realise how much I worry about putting her through this again," Noah says pointing at me.

Mike takes a step closer to us, "you'll both be fine I swear, you're my son and I see you as my daughter," he confesses, "do you really think I'd put you in immediate danger?"

"I say lets do it," I finally blurt out my opinion, "I could go alone if you don't want to come?"

"No way!" Noah says marching towards me, "I'm not letting you out of my sight when we're on those streets!"

Mike goes back to his computer, "excellent, I'll set it up for this afternoon," he clicks a couple of buttons on his keyboard, "someone will stop by to let you know when and where."

What have I just agreed to? My possible death? I'm being used as bait to decide the next move that we make. Please dad, please do not show up.