Chapter Nine

An hour later Basil led us down the staircase back to the foyer and then turned left down another long hallway. The steps leading down to the basement were polished wood and they squeaked as we stepped on them. The first part of the basement were well lit and I could hear the whirr of an extraction fan and it smelled like bleach.

Inside another room, the man sat handcuffed to a chair, the hood still over his head. I could smell fear and it rolled from his pores like an overpowering cologne. The lighting was dim and Gideon stood to one side, dressed in another suit and I felt slightly underdressed in my jeans.

“Wake up prisoner,” the man to his left said as he pulled the hood from Kurt Greer's head.

“Ryder?” Kurt asked questioningly as his eyes found me.

“Morning Kurt, how are you feeling?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked angrily.

“I asked you for a name,” I told him.

“And I gave it to you!”

“Do you recognize this man?” I asked him and pointed to Gideon.

“No, I’ve never seen him