Into the Badlands. Caron Todd

has asked me to do an inventory—”

      That set Charlie off again. “Why didn’t they ask me? It’s my system. I don’t want people in the lab when it’s not open. That’s asking for trouble.” He tilted his head toward the door. “Ready to go?”

      Bruce had warned Alex that Charlie tended to be territorial. He’d been running the lab for so long he seemed to forget it wasn’t his personal property. For now, Alex was willing to keep the peace. “I’ll have to continue the inventory, though, so prepare yourself for regular company.”

      As he stepped out of the storage room, Alex nearly bumped into a woman just outside the door. His hands reached out to steady her. He took in, at a glance, blond hair twisted into a chignon, smooth, tanned skin and curves apparent even under a lab coat.

      “My fault,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I was eavesdropping. What a horrible job they’ve given you. Can I help?”

      “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to take you from your work.” Alex realized he was still steadying the woman, even though it was no longer necessary. He dropped his hands and took a step back. “I saw you at the staff meeting yesterday. I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”

      She held out a slender hand. “Carol Hughes. I’m a technician here in the lab.”

      “Would you have time for coffee this afternoon?”

      She smiled. “I’ve got lots of time. For coffee, for a sandwich, for a few days in Bermuda.”

      SUSANNAH’S EYES JERKED OPEN. Bright hot midmorning sunlight filled the house. She wasn’t in the loft—she was on the living room sofa bed. She lay still and sifted through jumbled impressions, trying to sort out what had happened.

      Blake. Alexander Blake had happened. He’d pulled her out of the sinkhole, he’d brought her home, and he’d tucked her in. She groaned softly at the memory. Never let the competition tuck you in.

      While she’d slept, Susannah’s bruised shoulder had set like cement. Painfully she pulled herself up in the bed. Sand sprinkled from her hair onto the sheet when she moved. Under the bandages, scabs had formed on her palms, stiffening her hands. She edged her legs over the side of the bed and flicked off the metal clips fastening the tensor. Her ankle was vividly colored. Shades of purple, blue and red spread out like a sunrise.

      “I made a mess of yesterday,” she muttered to her toes. “Why did I let him get to me?” She knew how to get along with colleagues and employers, even if they were difficult. She never acted on impulse. Maybe never was pushing it. She rarely acted on impulse, precisely because she messed things up when she did.

      Her clock radio sat on the end table, calmly beaming the time—ten-fifteen. The alarm hadn’t gone off. She was more than two hours late for work, she could hardly move, and she had enough sand in her hair to bury a brontosaurus.

      She saw the note first, then the water and the open bottle of pills. Thankfully, she shook two tablets into her hand and transferred them to her mouth, lips against gauze. She needed both hands to manage the glass. Even then, she nearly dropped it.

      The note was next. Large sprawling letters covered the page.

      Dr. Robb,

      You were sound asleep before I put away your dinner tray. I took the liberty of leaving the alarm off in the belief that sleep is in your best interests. Please take some time off—let those injuries heal. I’ll tell James you won’t be at the quarry for a while.

      Alex Blake

      Susannah let the paper drop onto the bed. She would have to disappoint him. Taking time off was out of the question. She wanted to check on Matt, and she had a quarry to run. More importantly, she had to behave noticeably like a grown-up in Blake’s presence.

      It was nearly noon by the time she was able to get to the museum. When she stepped off the elevator on the second floor, she heard animated voices coming from Diane’s office. Grasping her crutch, she made her way toward the sound.

      “How about Coprolites Incorporated?” she heard Diane suggest. “It has an almost poetic ring.”

      “Nah, nobody’ll know what we’re about. We need something catchy and to the point, like We Do Dinosaur Doo-Doo.”

      “That’s awful, James. I want something with a little dignity.”

      “Who needs dignity? We’re going to make our fortunes here.” James broke off, looking toward the door. “Sue!” He reached her side in one giant step. “What are you doing out of bed? Look at you!”

      “I’d rather you didn’t. Not today.”

      “You look better wearing bruises and bandages than most women look wearing silk,” James assured her. He kicked a basket of toys out of the way and guided her to a chair. “How’d you get here without your car? Don’t tell me you hopped.”

      “Taxi. The driver acted like it was an international trip—all the way from town to my place, then here. I’ll have to make the payments in installments. A year should do it.”

      Diane scooped a pile of textbooks from an extra chair and eased Susannah’s foot onto it. “Shouldn’t your ankle be bandaged?”

      “Could you help me with it, Di? I couldn’t get the tensor back on after I showered, if you can call it showering. I stood there with my hands outside the curtain like a zombie, hoping the force of the water would be enough to get the grit out of my hair. What’s all this about coprolites?”

      Diane took the bandage and started a couple of turns around the instep of Susannah’s foot. “Sophisticated collectors are paying big bucks for the stuff.”

      “Really? What do people want them for? Bookends?”

      “Or paperweights, maybe. Organic decor is in.” The tensor, just wound, was already coming undone. Diane sighed and started over.

      “So we’ve decided the amateur bone hunters have the right idea,” James said earnestly. “Why spend all those years in university so we can make a living working with fossils when we can do better selling dung?”

      “Can I join? I’d love to get rid of the last of my student loans.”

      “You know I’d do anything for you, Sue, but this is my pet project and my loans come first.” James looked at his watch and jumped up. “Gotta go. I have a meeting with Alex.”

      “Is it about Matt? Wait, I’ll come with you.”

      “Thanks, Sue, but he asked for me. If I’m not back in half an hour, come looking for me.” James hurried out the door.

      Susannah looked after him worriedly. “Poor James. It’s not the way you hope to start out with a new boss…in the middle of your biggest screwup.”

      “Sounds like the voice of experience.” Finally Diane fastened the end of the tensor. “There!” She sat back to admire her handiwork. “Don’t ever take it off, Sue. I worked too hard to see it thrown away, as if it were nothing but a disgusting bandage.”

      “Agreed. It feels great.” Susannah looked at Diane more closely. “You still look tired. What’s up?”

      “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night. There’s too much going on around here.”

      “I guess I didn’t help, dragging you out to the quarry.”

      “You didn’t drag me.”

      Cradling her arm, Susannah said, “I can’t believe I stalked off like that. Blake must think I’m a complete idiot.”

      Diane shook her head. “He wasn’t even annoyed when he found out you’d gone to the quarry instead of the meeting. He just accepted that you were busy. Maybe you don’t have anything to worry about with him, after all.” She hesitated, then added, “Actually, I thought he was a sweetheart yesterday.”