Forget Me Never

.’
    Kyle murmured something I didn’t catch. Patrick continued, ‘Funny how it was Cherie’s idea to involve Danielle, considering how it backfired on her. Aiden wasn’t meant to end up actually liking Danielle.’
    I sat up sharply. Kyle said, ‘And then she died. Funny, that.’
    ‘Hey!’ Patrick sounded annoyed. ‘I don’t know what happened and I don’t much care. She did her bit.’
    Hearing them talking about Dani like this stung. But at least it confirmed what I already suspected – Cherie had to be responsible. I might never know the details but at least I had someone to blame. And Danielle had tried to contact Patrick to tell him that the drug had harmful side effects. It meant a lot to me to have that confirmed.
    ‘Did you ring São Paulo?’ Kyle was asking.
    ‘I’m waiting for a call back. Need advice on what to do with those kids.’
    ‘You’ve not got too many options, the way I see it.’
    ‘What’s all this “you” stuff? You’re in this too, Kyle.’
    ‘It’s gone too far. Out of control.’
    There was a pause, then Patrick said, ‘If you’re talking about Cherie, she shouldn’t have asked for more money. As for Aiden, he’s lucky he got away – I’m not convinced he’s covered his tracks properly at V-B. If he’s found out, he’s not going to stay quiet.’
    ‘So what about the two inside?’ Kyle asked. ‘They’re kids , for God’s sake. They probably didn’t realize what they were getting into.’
    ‘They know too much. You see the choice I have here? At the end of the day you can give me this bleeding-heart trash, but I’ve gotta protect myself. It’s too late to backtrack – and we’ve got the formula, for God’s sake. We’re almost there. We’re going to make millions!’
    Kyle’s response was inaudible; it sounded like the men had moved away. I let out my breath, realizing I’d been holding it. I could feel that I’d started to shake again – was it only a few minutes ago Reece and I had been talking about Paloma’s party, almost as though everything was normal? I wondered when they would make a decision about what to do with us – surely it had to be soon . . .
    At 11 p.m. Kyle reappeared with another bottle of water, some cushions and a lantern. He asked if we needed another bathroom trip. When we were both back in the pantry, he told us to sleep.
    ‘Sleep?’ Reece sounded incredulous. ‘You’re kidding.’
    Patrick appeared in the doorway, unsmiling. ‘Do as he says.’
    ‘Why? You’re holding us here against our will.’ Reece took a step forward. ‘It might surprise you, but I’m not feeling very cooperative! I want you to tell me what you’re going to do with us.’ He paused. ‘Right now.’
    He sounded way more assertive than I knew he felt.
    Impressed but afraid for him, I opened my mouth, but Patrick spoke first.
    ‘No.’
    ‘Why not?’ Reece demanded. ‘Haven’t decided? Or d’you just enjoy being cruel? If it’s the first, then that’s just pathetic—’
    Patrick’s hand shot out. I flinched even before I heard the smacking noise; when I looked up again Reece was staggering back, blood trickling from his nose. I rushed over and put my arm around him. ‘Is any drug worth killing us for?’ I cried. ‘It’s not even the real deal! Did Aiden tell you about the side effects? It failed the trial! It’s gone back for redevelopment.’
    Kyle and Patrick froze. Then Patrick grabbed my collar, pulling me forward.
    ‘What?’ he demanded. ‘You mean to say they’ve given us a phoney formula? They’ve double-crossed us?’
    Taken aback by the impact my words had had, I stared into his eyes. ‘I don’t know the details, but I know it’s not ready. You’re not going to be able to sell it as it is.’
    Unless you don’t care about the side effects, I thought. If Cherie and Aiden had been ruthless enough to sell a bad formula, then maybe Patrick and his associates would produce the drug anyway. The thought of people taking the drug, full of hope and unaware of what it might do to them, made me feel sick.
    Patrick made a growling noise and let go of me. Kyle followed him out, and I heard what sounded like the beginnings of an argument as the door slammed shut.
    I looked at Reece. He was mopping up his nose with the end of his sleeve. ‘You all right?’
    ‘Yeah. It’s not broken or anything. Crikey. What a psycho! You really got to him!’
    Whether mentioning the failed trial had been a smart move or not was