Duplicate Minds

Seventeen

The flight back to Chicago was a solemn one. Rajeev pondered Gregory's threat. How serious was he? Surely it was an empty threat meant to nudge him toward accepting the offer on the table. But what if the threat was real? Fresh Meat was a large company, with enough resources to get away with all kinds of shady business . . . perhaps even assassination.

The jet landed and a car sat on the tarmac waiting to take him home. He thought twice about using the provided transportation, but the fact was, Gregory Maltek already knew where Mira lived. Maybe Rajeev could get Mira and Sarah to lay low for awhile, to move into a hotel. But what's to say Maltek wouldn't track them to their new location?

When the driver dropped him off outside Mira's house, it was dark. Rajeev trudged up the front steps onto the porch and tried to open the door as slowly as possible. He moved slowly, to reduce any noise that might signal his arrival, but it was for nothing: Mira was sitting in an armchair facing the front door, arms folded like a disappointed mother catching her teenage child breaking curfew.

"Back in time for dinner, huh?"

Rajeev shrugged. "I'm sorry. That's what they told me. I didn't think to question it."

"So what did they say?"

He paused. How much should he tell her? On the one hand, Mira didn't like Dev's company any more than he did. On the other hand, she hated Fresh Meat with equal fervor.

"They wanted to see one of NLT's robotic bodies up close," he said. "They offered to put me in one of their organic bodies and pay me for the robotic one so they could study it."

"You refused?"

"Of course."

Mira let out a long sigh. "All right. Well I'm just glad it's over and that you're done with them."

"Me too."

"We'll have to film the videos tomorrow. I'm going to get some sleep. You should too."

"Okay, sweetie. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

She left for her room. Rajeev didn't move at first. He was preoccupied by the questions and quandaries swimming through his mind. But after several minutes he didn't have a clear answer to any of them and decided a night's sleep might help him think more clearly.

He plodded up the stairs and made his way to the spare bedroom. He took off the hoodie and jeans, folded them and left them on top of the dresser. He took a seat on the bed, not quite ready to lie down and drift off. Light from a streetlight streamed into the room; although complete darkness wasn't strictly necessary for him to sleep anymore, he still found it distracting. He stood and walked to the window to lower the blinds.

He lowered it halfway, then stopped. His eyes had drifted across the street and settled on a nondescript white van with tinted windows parked across the street. He hadn't noticed the van there before. On its surface, it wasn't that unusual. People had vans. They parked them on the street.

But Rajeev couldn't get Gregory Maltek's threats out of his mind. Someone you love may need one of my products very soon. Gregory knew Mira was staying here with Rosa. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the van across the street contained one of his hired goons, his presence designed to intimidate Rajeev into compliance.

No. He was paranoid. He had no reason to think—

Suddenly, the van's headlights lit up and the engine roared to life. It idled for a minute, then pulled into the street and slowly drove away.

It was beginning to seem less and less like a coincidence. Gregory Maltek's threat was seeming less and less benign. Rajeev had come to a conclusion. He didn't like it, but he didn't think he had a choice if he wanted to keep his family safe.

He was going to give Gregory what he wanted.