Mark scanned the room again, assessing it differently now that he was alert. There was only one interior entrance that he could see, unless there was a door behind him. But based on the countertops and equipment he saw when he turned his head, he didn’t think it was likely. A big, rolling bay door was beside them. He couldn’t hear anything that indicated if it led outside or to some kind of warehouse.
“They came out of nowhere,” she said. “I couldn’t get you into the bus. I’m sorry.”
He wished he could touch her. “You should’ve pushed me out and closed the doors.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Jenna—”
“No!” she yelled. “I wasn’t going to let you die. Please don’t tell me I should have. If the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t have considered it for a second. Neither did I.”
That was true, but he’d give damned near anything—even his own life—if she could be safe right now. Not captured and at the hands of a madman. Again.
“Have you seen anyone?”
She shook her head with a shaky breath. “Not yet. Just you.”
Mark locked eyes with her. “We’re going to be okay. You hear me? We’re going to get out of this.”
“Mark, I figured out what’s going on right before we were taken. The countdown isn’t for a terrorist attack, it’s for—”
“Good to see you’re awake.” The door swung open, and a large man entered, cutting off Jenna’s words. Tall and broad, dark hair perfectly styled. He was wearing a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up and some buttons open, like he was about to go out on a yacht. Or to a party.
Joaquin Martinez, in the flesh.
Mark had seen his picture and committed it to memory. In the corner of his eye, he saw Jenna flex her arms, trying to get them loose, but the straps had barely any give to them.
The terrorist walked toward her, and Mark struggled against the restraints, his nerves tingling everywhere. But just like Jenna’s, his had no give to them either.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Franklin,” Joaquin said. “It is doctor, right? You have a PhD in bioengineering and a master’s in computer science. Quite impressive.”
Jenna didn’t respond.
“I stole most of the data from Adil Garrison’s lab just before he went to prison, but unfortunately, you were never mentioned by name. So much brilliance and you weren’t given any credit—such a crime. I looked for you, you know. Searched through so many scientists that would’ve been willing to work for Garrison for the right price.”
“I wasn’t willing to work for him,” she spat out.
Joaquin nodded. “Took me embarrassingly long to figure that out. That Garrison would resort to kidnapping to get what he wanted.”
“Yeah, imagine that. Some asshole resorting to kidnapping to get what he wants.” Mark tugged at his bound hands to reiterate his point.
Joaquin gave a grim smile. “Touché. I know you’re brilliant, Jenna. World-alteringly brilliant. You have my respect for that.”
“If you had any respect for me, you wouldn’t have me strapped to a damned chair,” she snapped.
Mark could no longer see the man’s face, but he heard him chuckle. “In my life, everyone is treated like an enemy until they prove themselves otherwise. I’m hoping you will prove yourself not my enemy, Jenna.”
Again, silence filled the room.
“I’ve had some of the best bioengineers in the field working on what I now know is your research, trying to find the key for what I need,” Joaquin continued. “If you’re as smart as I think you are, I don’t need to tell you what I’ve been up to—you already know.”
Jenna’s face steeled. “Nope, sorry. I don’t know. I must not be as smart as you think. You should probably just let us go.”
He clucked his tongue. “Now, that’s not very sportsmanlike. I think you know exactly what I’m looking for, don’t you?”
Mark watched her glare at the man, but he also watched her weigh the options in front of them. Playing along until they could find out where they were and how to get out was by far their best bet.
“Universal subjectification,” she gritted out.