Read Eve Vaughn for Free Online Page B

it, but please trust me on this.” Sydney gave her a long hard look before relenting with a sigh. “Do you truly believe in your heart that something is the matter?”
    “Yes!”
    “Okay. You win. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if we checked her condo. I have a spare set of keys. The truth is, I planned on going there tomorrow to check on things.”
    “Then what are we standing around waiting for? Let’s go.”
    “And then when we see that she’s okay, will you let this anti-Cyrellian crusade you’re on go? You can be banished from the city if the wrong person hears you spouting that rhetoric.”
    “Why? I’m only speaking my mind. There was a time when free speech was allowed.”
    “We do have a free speech, with restrictions maybe, but the rules are for our own protection.”
    “I can’t believe you buy that bullshit. As outspoken as you normally are, why do you support a system that denies us the right to say what we want, when we want to?
    These new laws they’ve enacted lately make no sense, and you weren’t too happy about some of them either, unless something has changed between then and now.” Sydney lifted her chin defiantly. “I’ve landed a job with Cryo Cor.”
     
    - 37 -
    “You what!” Holly squawked with disbelief. “You know how I feel about that place. There’s something unnatural about their products.”
    “I think you’ve said enough. Are we going to Bella’s condo or what? Standing here and arguing isn’t going to help her.”
    Holly was furious. How could Sydney go behind her back and apply to Cryo Cor knowing how she felt about that particular company? “I haven’t said half of what’s on my mind. Why did you do this? Something isn’t right about that place and before you say I’m talking about crazy conspiracy theories again, I felt this way about them before I began to question Cyrellian rule. It has a bad vibe about it and, furthermore, why are their labels written only in Cyrellian, a language they never taught us.” Sydney’s nostrils flared. “You accused me of being self-centered earlier, but the only person I see with that particular trait is you. I don’t know what happened a few months ago to cause you to act like this, especially after the Cyrellians have done so much and continue to do more for this planet. They may not have created a perfect society, but it’s damn near close to it. And as I’ve already said, I’m finished talking about this with you. A word of friendly advice though, you had better be careful because people will start talking and think you’re unbalanced.”
    “Do you?”
    Sydney didn’t answer but she didn’t need to, and that hurt far more than any words could.
    “I see,” Holly said quietly. “I appreciate your support, friend --”
    “And I’d appreciate yours, but I guess that’s not going to happen,” Sydney shot back.
    Holly sighed. “Haven’t I supported you in all of your ventures?”
    “Then what makes this so different?”
    “You know,” Holly muttered stubbornly.
    “I don’t.”
     
     
     
    - 38 -
    “Then I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.” Holly raked her fingers through her hair. “Maybe I am crazy, but I hope you’re right about Bella being okay because God help us all if you’re not.”
     

Chapter Five
    Bella had never been more confused about anything in her life. What was going on? And why was Dar now treating her like she had some kind of communicable disease? For the past several days, he seemed distant and standoffish toward her, not even making eye contact. That was what hurt the most, especially after what occurred between them.
    Before that instant, she’d fallen into the abyss of depression allowing it to nearly crush her spirit. Isolation and loneliness did that to a person and her treatment at the hands of her other captors certainly didn’t help. She’d thought Dar was different, that they’d made a connection, but now he was acting as if nothing had happened. Is this how he