by Pamela Fryer
“Not quite.”
His confirmation almost eased her terror. At least it removed the uncertainty. He wanted something.
Lily took a deep breath. “What do want from me?” It would be better to know, to get the mystery out of the way so she could deal with the facts.
“Give me a child and I will let you raise it, and Annie, here at IGS.”
She almost laughed. Strangely, there was no surprise. The only thing truly amazing her was the calm with which she heard and processed his words.
“You’re insane. I’ll never become one of your experiments.”
“You already have.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. Lily tore the cotton ball from the crook of her elbow. “What have you done to me?”
“You’ve been injected with a chemical compound to help isolate certain genes and exclude others. You’re already being prepared to produce a genetically superior child.”
Her mind whirled with a sudden tornado of information. He’d had samples of her blood and tissues since the kidney transplant seven years ago. He’d had plenty of time to do whatever experiments were needed to prepare her as one of his subjects. God, she’d been so stupid.
“You’re unbelievable. You think you can do whatever you want to people?”
This was a no-win situation. She’d been a fool to think one measly woman could stand up against a billion-dollar corporation.
“No, you’re unbelievable.” He unbuttoned the cuffs of his sleeves. “I cannot believe that not once, in seven years, have you visited a doctor who told you that you still have both your kidneys.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Moments passed as her confusion grew deeper. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even move.
“Cassandra’s tale about her infection was true, only it didn’t destroy her kidneys,” Colton went on. He explained it casually, as if talking about a movie he’d seen. “It left her infertile. After four years, we decided to bring you here to harvest an egg.”
Lily swallowed a hot lump in her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Was he saying…?
“Research into your family tree revealed the psychic traits Cassandra believed she developed when she was struck by lightning was actually passed down from your grandmother. Life-altering trauma, like near-death experiences, rarely creates such abilities, but do quite often bring them to the surface in people who have them. It’s in your lineage, Lily. I took a gamble your egg would produce the desired result, and I was right.”
She choked over the breath she struggled to draw into her lungs. Her heart thundered.
“Cassandra was Annie’s surrogate mother.” He took a step closer. The maniacal gleam in his eye brightened. “You are her biological mother.”
“No!” Lily’s knees gave out. God, no, no, no!
Colton caught her and hefted her onto the table. She kicked and clawed, fueled as though under someone else’s control. “How could you do that to me? How could you steal my child? You’re a monster!”
He wrenched one arm above her head with inhuman strength. Sharp pain ricocheted down her arm as her wrist hit the metal buckle on the restraint. She grabbed his ear with her free hand and tried to tear it off.
“Ah, bitch!” He backhanded her. Bright lights crossed her vision and for a split second, Lily thought she was awaking from a horrible, horrible nightmare.
Six years of Annie’s beautiful life she would never know. Gone, impossible to reclaim.
“I’m sorry, but I recant my offer to leave. You’re much too valuable to me.”
Holding Annie as a baby, nursing her, seeing her eyes open for the first time, all stolen.
“I’m moving my primary studies to Canada.” He wrenched her other hand down hard. Cold leather encircled her wrist. “You’ll be my Eve, Lily. I’ve built a top-notch facility there. With its socialized health-care system, the Canadian government is much more tolerant in what it allows and, for the right price, is much more willing to turn a blind eye to what it doesn’t.”
The life she should have felt growing inside her, given to someone else as if it mattered no more than borrowing a pair of gloves.
The fight went out of her. She had no more will left in her heart. She’d already been robbed of all that mattered. Lily felt like an empty shell, used and discarded as though meaningless.
But the hopelessness passed quickly. The past was a tragic wreck, but the future could be salvaged. She wouldn’t give up.
“People will be looking for me. We told the police. Miles will come for me.”
“No, he won’t.” Colton stepped back and shrugged out of his shirt. “Your police officer had a visit from a burglar last night.”
Lily’s heart froze. “What have you done?”
“What I needed to do. Let that be a lesson to you, Lily. No one will help you. You have no choice but to stay with me if you want to see Annie again. If you try to go to anyone, I’ll have them killed just like I had that social worker killed, just like I had your police officer killed.”
A deep welling of agony tore from the very center of her and ripped through her soul. “No! Miles…it can’t be. I don’t believe you. You’re a liar and a thief. A thief of lives. I loved him and you killed him just to get what you want!”
Colton squeezed her jaw and forced her to look at him. “Stop it. You didn’t even know him. His death was a small price to pay for the greatness you and I will achieve.”
***
Miles pushed up beside the FBI leader. The undercover security guard had locked in on the camera aimed at Lily and Colton as they emerged from the main lab. Colton jerked her around like she was a rag doll.
“Did our boy just admit to murder?” the agent asked, incredulous.
“And attempted murder, it would seem,” Brower said.
“Take a guess who the attempted was,” Miles said dryly.
“That would make you Miles, then. What’s your connection to our target?” Brower asked as they watched Colton dragging Lily down the hall. “Keep the cameras on him,” he added to his agent.
“Lily’s sister was an employee here,” Miles supplied. “The details of her death are sketchy, but Lily and I both believe he’s responsible. Lily was granted custody of her sister’s daughter, but two days ago Colton had his henchman take the child from us at gunpoint. Last night a hired killer broke into my house.”
Brower slid a glance to Miles. “Lucky for you he wasn’t a very good one.” He touched the thin microphone wire extending from his earpiece. “Team one, team two, hold position.”
He leaned over his agent. “Keep recording. This is the evidence we need to put this rat in a cage forever.”
They switched cameras, watching Lily struggle behind Colton as he dragged her down the hall. Her efforts were useless against his strength. The only sounds were her pitiful sobs and ignored pleas for release.
“Stay with him,” Brower said.
“He’s gone into Medical Twelve.” The agent at the control panel hit a switch and the examination room appeared on the monitor.
Miles glanced at the men beside him. He didn’t care if federal outranked state. He’d had enough.
“Get her out of there, now.”
“She isn’t in any danger, and this is what we need to make this party rock.”
“You’ve got enough. He confessed to murder.”
Colton’s tinny voice rolled through the room. He was talking about Cassandra’s psychic abilities.
Miles thought he’d heard the worst, but what Colton said next shattered reality.
I took a gamble your egg would produce the desired result, and I was right. Cassandra is Annie’s surrogate mother. You are her biological mother.
Miles gaped at the screen, certain he had heard wrong. In his peripheral vision two heads swiveled toward him. No one said a word.
Lily’s tormented scream echoed in his ears.
Her own sister had brought her here to steal a child from her womb. Was such darkness possible? Her ow
n family?
Miles sagged back into the metal chair beside Dr. Lusardi. “Jesus.”
The doctor remained suspiciously silent while Brower continued to stare at him as if expecting him to grow horns. Even the FBI sentinel who had been silent uttered a curse.
“Did you know about this?” Miles demanded of Lusardi.
He shook his head. “No, but it makes sense. I told you Helen and Cassandra were best friends. I knew she couldn’t conceive. Lily was brought here in a cloud of secrecy, and then, all of a sudden, Cassie was pregnant with Annie.”
“Christ.” The idea was so incredible his mind kept trying to reject it.
On the screen, Lily and Colton were arguing. Colton had strapped her down to the examination table. To Miles' horror, Colton was removing his clothes.
Miles shoved out of the chair. “Enough. Send your men in.”
“Easy, Miles. This is better than we’ve dreamed possible. He’s giving us the evidence we need to put him away forever.”
“He’s going to rape her!” Lily was not going to be their pawn. He wouldn’t stand for it.
The two FBI cronies stepped forward. Brower held up a hand, urging Miles back into his chair. Before he’d thought it through, Miles shoved him backward.
He turned and grabbed for the door, picking up the small broom propped against the cabinet as he went. He slipped through, slammed it shut and slotted the broom through the door handles just as the door was impacted from the other side.
The broom wouldn’t hold long. Miles turned and ran, praying he was headed in the right direction.
Lily twisted her head out of his grip and squeezed her eyes shut. Miles, dear God. It was her fault. She would never forgive herself. At that instant, she decided she was better off dead too.
But Annie, poor Annie. Annie needed her.
“I hate you.” She forced the words between the sobs tearing from her throat. “I’ll never agree to what you want. I’ll fight you every step!”
He slapped her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “Stop crying. This is a monumental day. Annie isn’t nearly as powerful as a natural child from your womb will be. Cheer up, Lily. You and I are going to make a baby the old-fashioned way.”
The words were slow to register. It was Colton’s crazed tone she was most aware of. All she could think of was Miles, the laugh lines around his eyes, the touch of his hands, the softness of his hair. The gentle brush of his lips over hers.
What Colton said finally reached her brain.
He was going to rape her.
Never! She would never let him touch her.
Colton laughed, obviously pleased with her misery. He stepped around to the end of the examination table while releasing the buckle on his belt.
Lily kicked out with her foot, narrowly missing him. He seemed surprised, but laughed again. Her efforts amused him. He thrived on the power he wielded over people. Her only saving grace was not to let him have any.
Lily used the shackles at her wrists as an anchor and pulled her feet over her head. She rolled backward in a simple yoga movement. She flipped off the end of the table and landed on her feet. The leather binds at her wrists tightened as they twisted.
“Impressive,” Colton said in a sarcastic tone. “What other tricks can you do?”
She shoved with all her might. The table didn’t move.
“It’s bolted to the floor,” he said. The humor had left his eyes. In them now was a cold anger that made her shiver. “I don’t mind taking you from behind, standing up. There are a hundred ways I’ll take you. If you’re a good girl, I’ll even let you choose a few.”
He pulled his belt from the loops and opened the button on his trousers as he strode forward. “We have all the time in the world, Lily.”
The phone at his hip rang in an odd tone. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He pried it loose. “What?”
Lily bent forward and took the leather strap in her teeth. She worked her wrist, trying to push the length back through the buckle. It was useless. The leather was stiff, but it wouldn’t be forced backward.
Colton plugged his other ear. “Are you sure? Goddammit to hell. I’ll be there. Don’t leave without us.”
He snapped the phone into the clip and snatched up his shirt. Colton shoved his arms through the sleeves but didn’t button it up. He strode to the side of the table and grabbed the leather strap with jerky movements. Something had upset him.
Miles? Could it be he was alive and had come for her? Hope sped through her veins.
“It seems our government has finally decided they want control of my facility.” He unbuckled the other wrist and dragged her around the table. “I knew this was inevitable. Greatness inspires envy.”
The pain of dashed hopes nearly killed her. “Let me go, please.”
“Lily, darling, you’re the one thing I won’t let go.” He dragged her from the room into the empty hallway.
She tried to kick and hit him, but he was too strong. Each step was spent trying to keep from falling.
Lily suddenly realized that was her best means to fight; he couldn’t carry her dead weight. She dropped to her knees and tried to fall flat. He grabbed her by her hair and yanked her upright. She tried again. She would gladly endure the pain if it meant getting away from him, but this time he grabbed her by the back of the neck and dug his fingers into the soft underside of her arm with the other hand. He maneuvered her perfectly like this, controlling her by inflicting unbearable agony to her the sensitive cords of her neck.
They stopped at more doors. He started to punch his code into the keypad and Lily hit a button, breaking the combination. He shoved her head into the wall.
Lily’s vision cleared as he jerked her off the floor. She screamed in pain as he grabbed her neck again. “You’re hurting me! Let go.”
Voices shouted behind them. Running footsteps were sealed off as the doors swung shut.
“Where are you taking me?” Lily jerked against his grip, gladly risking his anger again. Rescue was close. If she could only delay him a few moments longer…
“To the roof. We’re leaving.”
“What about Annie? You said—”
“Forget Annie.” He tossed a glare over his shoulder as he dragged her at a run down a long hallway. “You get your wish. The FBI is raiding the lab.”
“Let me go! She needs me!”
He stopped at the end of the hall and punched the code to access the roof stairs. “Too bad, Lily. I need you more.”
The police officer was back on duty with a vengeance. All those years on the force he had always believed he could make a difference. Today he was sure.
The hall ended twenty feet ahead. Annie appeared at the junction. She still wore the black bodysuit and her hair was wet. Her eyes were wide with fear and she turned and darted his way.
“Come back here, you little brat!”
Annie took two steps toward Miles before vanishing. Vince Luggo rounded the corner. Miles was already running and had momentum behind him.
The big man hesitated, clearly confused.
“You.” His face snapped to a grimace of rage. He let out a guttural cry and lunged forward.
Miles impacted him in a football tackle, but Vince outweighed him by fifty pounds. They hit the wall of the joining hall. Vince brought both fists down hard on Miles’ back and sent him to his knees. The man was a giant, but he was clumsy and stumbled sideways.
“I should’a taken care of you myself.”
Miles darted sideways and got to his feet. He ducked as Vince threw a right and a left, missing him with both. Miles drove a single punch to the gut and danced around him. Vince was big, but he was slow. What Miles lacked in strength he made up for with speed and training. He’d seen a lot of fighters like Vince and knew their weaknesses. They believed brute strength was all they needed and didn’t refine their skills. Miles kicked him in the jaw with an ushiro geri then knocked Vince’s feet out from under him.
Vince hit the fl
oor like a felled pine. He lumbered over, pushed to his feet and charged. Miles dodged out of the way enough miss the brunt of it, but they both tumbled into the stairway.
They rolled down the first flight, one over the other. There was a sickening crunch as they hit the first landing. Sharp pain raced up his arm. He pushed off the floor and readied himself for another attack.
There wouldn’t be one. Vince Luggo lay sprawled in the corner, his head twisted at an odd angle. His eyes were open but unseeing.
Cradling his arm, Miles raced up the stairs and down the hall. He slid to a stop when he saw a black leather belt on the floor of an open examination room.
Lily and Colton were gone. Frantic, he looked each way. Where had they gone? He chose left and raced down the hall, gambling if they had gone the other way, he would have seen them.
Annie appeared at a branching hallway like a flash of lightning. She pointed. “Hurry!” Just as quickly, she disappeared.
His blood pumped as he tore down the hall. It passed offices on the left and right and ended with what looked like an emergency exit straight ahead.
Roof access.
Miles punched Dr. Lusardi’s code and leapt onto the stairs. He heard the door two flights up slam closed, shutting out the sound of a helicopter. Colton was making a run for it. Miles didn’t have his gun, but he didn’t expect Colton would be nearly as strong as Vince.
And whatever Colton’s goals, he didn’t have Miles’ motivation. Nothing would keep him from Lily.
His lungs burned as he took the steps two at a time. There was another key pad at the top. He punched the code and ripped the door open.
The same black helicopter they’d taken Annie in, a Sikorski Ambulance, was taking off. The landing pad was all the way across the roof. He would never make it in time.
A woman lay sprawled near the pad. Her long hair blew in the wind stirred by the chopper’s blades. Miles’ heart leapt and then sank as he realized it wasn’t Lily.
She pushed herself up and struggled awkwardly to her feet. For a moment, he thought she was hurt, then she stood upright and Miles saw she was very pregnant.
