Destination: Titan
By
Liza O’Connor
Blurb
Excerpt
“This is not
how I wanted to tell you, but I’ve four minutes left, and I need you to hear
the truth from me before you hear partial truths from Dr. Tong.”
“Dr. Tong?”
She was now completely confused about their topic of conversation.
“I
dated—actually lived with—Dr. Tong when she attended Berkeley for her undergrad
degree. We were not in the same field, so I saw no issues. Still, we kept it
very quiet. And honestly, I wouldn’t be telling you now, except I’m almost
certain she will.”
“When?”
“The first
chance she gets.”
“No, I meant
when did you live with her?”
“I met her
during her freshman year and she moved in with me the following summer. She didn’t move out until her senior year.
That would have been your second year at Berkeley.”
Tam blinked
in confusion. “But you were always with me at the lab.”
He laughed
softly. “That was her opinion as well. It’s why we broke up. It’s why she
changed schools for her doctorate.”
“She thought
you and I…”
“Yes, and
that’s why she was so rude to you and will likely continue to give you a hard
time.” His face hardened. “I know your temper, but I need you to continue to
show the restraint you did today. If it comes down to you and her, I fear it
will be you who is left behind.”
“Why? She’s
a linguist. What do we even need her for?”
“It’s not
her knowledge; it’s her DNA. Janise is genetically flawless. The future of the
human race needs her. In a crunch, I could cover your skill requirements, but
there’s no one close to her genetic purity.”
Just then,
Lancaster entered and declared he needed Tamara.
Max sighed.
“This is not where I wanted to leave this conversation. We’ll talk about this
later tonight.” He gently pulled her from her chair and handed her over to
Lancaster.
She felt
Lancaster’s eyes on her; no doubt Mr. Busy-body wanted to know what Max had
told her. As he rushed her down the hall, her mind kept repeating Max’s declaration
that Dr. Tong was genetically perfect. His lover for two years was genetically
perfect. His genetically perfect lover who’d left him, but now clearly wanted
him back.
“Are you
crying?” Lancaster demanded.
She shook
her head no and suddenly wished she had long hair like Tong’s so she could hide
her face.
Lancaster
pulled her into a room and closed the door.
“What
happened?” he demanded.
“Nothing.”
She tried to move away from him, but his arms pinned her to the wall.
“I need to
get you to the medic, so I don’t have time for twenty questions. I am ordering
you to tell me what upset you.”
“Nothing of
importance.”
“Bullshit!
You’ve been a trooper all day. You’re the only one who hasn’t caused me
trouble and I want to know what Max said to change that.”
“Max wasn’t
trying to make me cry. In fact, he was trying to prepare me so I wouldn’t be
hurt. Unfortunately, Max’s attempt inadvertently hurt my feelings. It’s no big
deal. I’ll get over it.”
“What did he
tell you? And answer my question this time,” he added with a growl.
“He told me
he and Dr. Tong used to be lovers, that she blames me for their break-up, and
she is genetically perfect and more important to this project than I am,” Tam
replied.
“And was it
the latter part that made you cry?”
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