Haven by Laury Falter Read Free Book Online Page B

heads snapped back as Harrison let Old Boy loose and we flew down the back alley and out onto the main road.
    I glanced at Mei, who was gazing out the window in contemplation, her forehead creased with uncertainty. It was evident that she hadn’t found who she’d come for, and my heart softened for her. I put my hand on her shoulder and she pivoted to face me, offering a shaky smile before turning back to the window. She and Doc were in the same situation now, and sadly, my intuition told me that they weren’t alone.
    A few minutes and several hordes later, we were at Harrison’s. He lived in a high-rise down on the lakefront. The parking gate was up but there was no guard at the booth. What greeted us was a dark, deserted underground parking structure. Harrison pulled directly up to a door painted with blue letters designating “stairs” and turned off the engine.
    The quiet enveloped us as we sat there, listening for any sounds of impending doom.
    “I think it’s clear,” Harrison said, shifting to talk to us over his shoulder. “How many bullets do you have in that gun?”
    I released the magazine, pushed my finger down into it, and replied, “Not many. Three, maybe four.”
    He nodded stiffly and heaved a sigh filled with enough tension for all of us. “It’s probably better if you stay here.” He was still talking directly to me. “If you see trouble…just leave.”
    Before I let my jaw fall, displaying my opposition, I decided to show it in another way. There was no chance I was going to make him do this alone. Pushing open the door, I headed for the stairs, giving him my answer. I think he groaned in irritation at me as I left the car. Doc and Mei elected to stay in their seats, a wise choice, as Harrison trailed me up the stairs.
    “Which floor?” I asked, my voice echoing off the walls of the narrow stair shaft.
    “Twentieth.”
    The elevator would have been nice, I thought, if we could be assured it wouldn’t open on a floor full of danger or fail entirely and leave us stranded. No, better to use our feet.
    It wasn’t the easiest trek, but at least we didn’t run into anyone bloodied and snarling. Still, once we arrived on the twentieth floor, we cautiously opened the door leading into the hallway. Harrison made sure it was clear, we entered it and stopped three doors down on the right where he inserted a key. As he opened the door, a blast of frigid air hit me like a bulldozer, actually making me step back until I realized how refreshing it was after the long climb up.
    “Eve must have forgotten to turn the air off,” he said to himself, entering and tapping the air conditioner’s electronic panel.
    “Off?” I muttered. “You mean you keep it this cold intentionally?”
    “Eve, my aunt, works in the lab, which they maintain at a cool 54 degrees.”
    “You’re kidding. How does she work in that environment?”
    He chuckled under his breath at what seemed to be a private joke. “You’d be amazed at what your body can adapt to.”
    “Is that how you’ve survived living here?” I asked, only half-joking.
    Again he laughed, although it was more to himself. “I don’t get cold,” he muttered, moving cautiously down the hall while keeping his eyes alert and focused on the corners.
    “Ever?” I asked.
    “No.”
    We reached the heart of the apartment, a sparsely decorated living room and dining area with high-end, contemporary furniture in grey hues. Everything was in its place. There were no random coffee mugs left on the table, no magazines strewn across the couch, not even a remote control for the television was left out. It was as cold and unwelcoming as the air.
    Harrison tapped on a door down a short hallway and then opened it.
    “Eve?”
    Inside, the room resembled the rest of the apartment, distant, chilly, controlled. He stepped inside and checked the bathroom.
    He returned shaking his head. “She’s not…,” he said, letting his voice trail off. “Must still be at the