Vortex by Julie Cross Read Free Book Online Page B

focus.
    “Like you said, she’s the best under pressure and the smallest and lightest. And she’s
     also … also…”
    “What?” Freeman prompted.
    I sat up straighter and made sure my voice would sound firm and direct. “She’s the
     least likely to form an emotional attachment.” Because we don’t like each other very much.
    “Interesting,” Freeman said, but didn’t elaborate further. “Agent Kendrick, your partner
     is ranked second on his ability to work under pressure and has the fourth-smallest
     body mass of the group … Sterling is just a notch below him. Why not choose Agent
     Meyer? In fact, why didn’t any of you choose Agent Meyer?”
    Silence. Dead silence. Several pulses sped up, but mine held steady.
    I didn’t care that no one had picked me. I liked it better that way, and honestly,
     if I had to choose, I’d have picked to be trapped alone.
    Freeman’s eyes swept over the group, and when no one spoke up, he eventually ended
     the silence. “Fine … I’d like for all of you to put your answer in writing by the
     end of the day. We’re done for now, but each of you will return to these lovely chairs
     and it will be much more threatening next time. Tomorrow, be ready for multiple foreign
     language exams.”
    The cuffs loosened and released all of our arms at once. There was a nervous chatter
     that sprang up among the group as everyone filed out the door. Chief Marshall returned
     and held me and Kendrick back from the others. “Stay,” he commanded.
    Kendrick threw me a weary glance, but all I could do was shrug.
    “I was listening in on your test,” he said. Of course he was . “And I’d like to hear your response to Agent Freeman’s final question.”
    He was looking right at Kendrick, who had begun biting her lip nervously. She really
     needed to work on concealing her feelings.
    “Honestly,” she said, “I’m not sure exactly why I didn’t pick Agent Meyer … it might
     be an issue of trust.”
    “You don’t trust him?”
    “I don’t think he trusts me,” Kendrick said with a sigh.
    No surprise there. I didn’t trust any of them, but wasn’t that the point?
    Marshall rocked back on his heels and kept us waiting for a full ten seconds. “Both
     of you will complete an assignment for me as soon as possible. You are to give each
     other a task to perform that the other person cannot question or ignore.”
    “What kind of task?” I asked.
    “Something that will challenge the other … something that hits on a personal weakness.”
    “But … isn’t that a method of dissolving trust? Preying on a teammate’s weakness and
     using it against them?” Kendrick asked.
    “Not if the intent is to make them stronger,” Marshall answered, and with that, he
     waved us out of the room.
    And somehow I knew I’d be leaping off tall buildings or something just as horrible.
     The only weakness Kendrick had on me was the height thing, and it was very fresh in
     her mind.
    Both Kendrick and I were shocked to discover that the room we had just spent over
     an hour in was in headquarters behind a hidden door right outside the dining room.
    “Can you believe those torture chambers have been sitting right next to where we eat
     and sleep and we never knew?” she said.
    “And it’s only going to get worse.” I hesitated for a second and then decided not
     to bring up the obvious tension-inducing issue of me not trusting her and Marshall’s
     most recent assignment. “Hey, what happened in there? You were so—”
    “Out of control?” Kendrick said bitterly. “Totally freaked out?”
    “Well, yeah, but then you just … recovered … like it was nothing … If my arms were
     getting some serious heat, I can’t imagine—” I stopped in the hallway and lifted her
     wrists, flipping them over to examine the insides. “Why … how…?”
    I dropped her arms. “There’s no burns on you. Not a single mark.”
    “I know.” Something danced in her eyes …