The Black Sun Conspiracy

Chapter Thirty-Five

Purdue was no stranger to self-discipline. It had been the key to his success. His trials and experiments had taught him the value of forcing himself to practice patience. Yet despite his years of training, he struggled to watch calmly as Steven Lehmann provoked Nina on the screen before him.

He knew that Renata was watching him, enjoying his reactions, so he forced himself to hold his tongue. By sheer willpower he relaxed his hands and loosened his jaw. Breathing was the key to remaining calm, he knew, so he made himself regulate it carefully. He knew that he had already shown her too much of his anger, but he was determined that she would see no more.

As Steven cornered Nina and ridiculed her, Purdue’s face remained impassive. As she lashed out and ran, he did not react. It grew harder with every second, but he managed. The only concession he made to his emotional state was to allow himself a small, relieved exhale as Steven finally left the room.

“You did better than I was expecting.” Renata switched off the screen with a swipe of her finger. “Your self-control is much better than it used to be.”

“And your sense of humor leaves as much to be desired as ever, Mirela.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You have no right to call me that, you know. I expect you to address me by my title.”

“I apologize,” Purdue’s tone was flat, his manner disinterested. “A slip of the tongue. I still remember you as the same young girl who used to rely on me when she was learning her trade. It may take me some time to become fully accustomed to thinking of you as Renata.”

“Just see that you do,” she said. “I will tolerate no further insubordination from you, especially when I have just done you a favor. Did you like my surprise? I thought Lehmann would be the ideal person to deliver our offer.”

“So I saw.”

His lack of response was beginning to needle her. “It doesn’t upset you, then? The man she was with before you?”

Purdue raised his eyebrows in an expression of mild indifference. “If you knew Nina as I do, you would realize that there was little love lost between them by the time they parted.”

“And it doesn’t bother you that she now thinks that he’s the one who will save her? I thought you wanted to be the one responsible. Wasn’t that your plan? Secure her eternal gratitude?”

He shook his head. “I am afraid you do not know Nina Gould, Mirela — my apologies, Renata. The worst thing I could do is to let her feel that her life or her livelihood is in my gift. I am more than happy to let Steven Lehmann be the target of her indignation on that point. Now, assuming that they both agree to join the Order, as I am sure they will, what do you intend to ask of them?”

“They will complete the task that I set for you,” Renata said. “When Addison Fabian and I designed our little scavenger hunt I intended it to be a means of finding my successor, but it will serve just as well here. It’s nothing more than an indulgence, really. A slight abuse of my position for the sake of my own amusement. I could simply ask for the thing I want outright — or I could acquire it myself. But I would rather watch this little drama play out, so your girlfriend and her boyfriend will fetch it for me. Or, should they fail, they will die.”

Purdue nodded. Obtaining a chance of safety for Nina and Sam was as much as he had been able to do. Sparing them Renata’s malicious games was beyond even him. It was her enjoyment of elaborate bouts of cat and mouse that had made her an excellent thief, willing to run great risks. Her love of risk, of course, had been the basis for the bond between her and Purdue, when he had been operating in the same field, her career on the rise and his on the wane as he shifted his attention to his laboratory work. They had been fine friends in those days, until Purdue had made enough to finance the building of his first lab and quit the game altogether.

Her scorn when Purdue had decided to turn legitimate had been considerable. She despised his ambition to become like the clients they served, to establish an identity and settle down. She did not see his love for his work. She had never known the man who delighted in the minutiae of programming or the triumph of creating new forms of nanotechnology. All she had ever seen was Purdue selling out, accepting money from governments, corporations and private individuals where once he would have robbed and cheated them. Whatever sentiment had existed between them, she had considered it destroyed when Purdue made his decision. The things that had passed between them at the very last had cemented her enmity, and now he feared that it might be too late to appeal to any fondness she had once had. Too much had changed. She had changed too much.

“Am I correct in thinking that they must do this without my assistance?” Purdue asked.

“Of course.”

“I thought as much. In that case, might I be permitted a slightly longer leash? If you want me to resume my original duties it would be beneficial to be able to move between my quarters and the lab without being under constant supervision.”

Renata considered for a few moments, then gave Purdue a curt nod. “I’ll call off your guards. You may move around freely, provided you stay in the building. There will, of course, be cameras in the lab as usual.”

He had expected nothing else. With a carefully enhanced note of gratitude in his voice he thanked Renata — taking care to address her by her proper title. She announced that it was time for her to go and find out whether Sam had been persuaded to see sense. As she turned to leave, Purdue stopped her. “One more question, if I may. Why did you have Axelle killed?”

Renata drew herself up to her full, impressive height and stepped up so close to Purdue that they were almost nose to nose. Her eyes met his, intimidating and intense. “For you, of course,” she whispered. “No-one betrays you and gets away with it on my watch. No-one, that is…, except me.”