There was a murmur of agreement before the front door opened and she heard the agents disappear. Sienna held her breath and then peeked her head to look around the wall again.
As requested, it was just Quinton and the officer now. The officer sat slumped on the sofa, looking like he’d had a few too many to drink or maybe had just fallen asleep for a nap.
Sure enough, he began to stir a few minutes later.
Quinton approached the man, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right, Officer?”
The officer’s eyes blinked opened and he glanced around in confusion. “What…?”
“I went to grab you that glass of water you asked for and when I came back you were dozing.” Quinton grinned and handed the man a glass. “Few too many late nights, maybe?”
“I…right.” The officer grabbed the water, unease and confusion on his face as he took an unsteady sip.
Sienna watched as Quinton set down the piece of paper that had her picture on it next to the officer.
“I glanced it over, but I can’t say that I’ve seen her or anyone who looks like her.” Quinton scratched his head. “Just came out here with some of my buddies to do some fishing and relaxing for the week.”
“Right.” The officer nodded, relief flickering across his face as he grabbed the paper and folded it back into a square. He slipped it back into his pocket a moment later. “Thank you for your time. I’m sorry I dozed off. I never do that. You’re right about those late nights.”
Having seen enough, Sienna jerked her head back and tiptoed rapidly back to the bedroom. She shut the door silently and headed straight for the bathroom.
Jesus. That had been real. Quinton had wiped the man’s memory in an instant. The officer hadn’t had a clue about what had happened. Had woken up, and though he seemed a little rattled that he’d dozed off, had easily accepted that he’d been talking alone to Quinton.
Her hands trembled as she turned on the sink faucet. She slid her hands underneath the water, letting the chilly stream ease some of the shock from her.
It was real. Memory wiping was real. Not that she’d ever doubted it after that initial conversation with Warrick, but to see it happen. To watch a man forget that he’d found his suspect.
And to know that it was possible the same damn thing might happen to her at some point.
The realization sent nausea rushing through her and she ran to the toilet and stood over it, certain she was going to be sick. Hot and cold rushed through her and she shook her head. She had to become invaluable to them. To the agents. She had to make sure they had a reason not to wipe her.
The door to the bedroom opened and then shut, signaling someone’s arrival, and she moved away from the toilet. Before she reached the doorway, Warrick filled the frame.
“I told you to stay in the room.”
Chapter Thirteen
“As if I could,” Sienna said vehemently, not even trying to deny what she’d seen. “I heard you guys. Heard him yelling. My God. I thought you were actually killing him.”
Warrick’s frown deepened. “Of course we wouldn’t kill him. We’d be stupid to do that. Then we’d really have people asking questions.”
That was their biggest worry? More questions? Disgust swept through her. “No, you didn’t kill him. You just wiped away his memory.”
“Only the last fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes. Five minutes. Did it really matter? It meant the potential was there to wipe out so much more. That realization had her stomach cramping.
“How much can it erase?”
Warrick leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest. “What do you mean?”
“How much of someone’s memory can that crime-against-nature, little machine erase?” she bit out.
He stared at her for a moment, as if weighing whether to be honest or not. “Everything. We just plug in the date or time we want the memory wiped back to. If the process is done wrong, someone could technically be left in the state of a newborn.”
“You guys make me sick.” She closed her eyes as a tremble racked her body. “It’s not right. How does the P.I.A. get off playing God like that?”
“Out of necessity. The alternative is to kill them.”
Her eyes snapped open again and she turned off the sink with shaking fingers. “You can’t be serious. Both are absolutely unacceptable. Why don’t you just stop hiding what you are?”
Warrick’s derisive, harsh laugh made her flush with realization.
“Right. Tell the entire human population that the boogeyman is real. That’ll go over well.” His mock amusement faded. “Before you could blink we’d be locked up and experimented on like the freaking rats your employer uses, Sienna. You know it as well as I do.”