by K. M. Hodge
“Are you saying that you did this with my mother?” Zane asked. “How is that even possible? We’re years away from that sort of thing.”
Dr. Jacobs smiled. “We would be if it wasn’t for Mr. MacAvoy. I would still be writing speculative articles instead of trying out the real deal.”
Zane shook his head at the incredulous story. “You’re fucking around with me, right?”
“No,” he said. “I couldn’t be more serious.”
Of course, his mother hadn’t told him about it being an experimental kidney. He ran his fingers through his hair and started to pace. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t have allowed her to go through with such nonsense. “Who’s monitoring my mother for complications? What are the possible side effects?”
Dr. Jacobs jammed his hands into his pockets. “Your mom is patient zero.”
“What?”
“No different than what you yourself have done with your Nanobioresponder project. And let’s face it, outside of the black market, I was her best option.”
Zane crossed his arms over his chest to keep himself from punching Dr. Jacobs in the face, though it wasn’t the man’s fault. No, it was his mother’s for agreeing to be a part of this madness. And she had twisted the truth once again to come out on top.
“No, that’s not true at all,” Zane said. “My mother stole my project. It wasn’t ready for human test subjects. I would never use her or anyone else, for that matter, before trying animal trials.”
“I understand your concerns, but she was running out of time and options. She went into this with full knowledge of the risk, and chose to do it anyway.”
“Is she okay?”
Jacobs’s exuberance faded. He dropped his gaze to the floor and his dirty tennis shoes. “The surgery went well.”
“But?” Zane swallowed hard.
“She had a hard time waking up. Her kidneys were worse off than we’d thought, but she seems stable now.”
Zane’s heart thundered in his chest. He hadn’t said goodbye. “The anesthesia. Her kidneys aren’t strong enough to process it out?”
“It’s always a risk. I’m hopeful that the new kidney will kick in and do its job.” Jacobs pulled his hands out of his pockets and rested them on his hips, once again meeting Zane’s stare. “She didn’t tell you any of this?”
Zane laughed. “No, she doesn’t tell me a lot of things.”
Dr. Jacobs sighed as his watch beeped.
“My mom has a watch like that.”
“It’s MDNA standard issue.”
Zane frowned, frustrated by how little he seemed to know about his mother and her organization.
“You don’t know?”
He shook his head. “No. Apparently you can fill this whole facility with what I don’t know.”
“Your mother, True Blue, is one of the founders of the group. She and Jude and a few others started the group after 9/11 out of an abandoned warehouse in Maryland. I’ve been fanboying her work since I was a teenager. She’s one of the most well-known hacktivists in the U.S. She and the members would leak medical research, criminal enterprises, terrorist efforts—you name it, they had their hand in it. This last year, Charles threw a ton of money at the group and sort of bought Jude out. Now Jude just works on his pet projects while Charles manages the day-to-day workings of the organization. He expanded it and bought this new building.” The doctor stopped and looked around the cell.
“My mother has been involved with this since I was a baby?”
“Yes.” The doctor nodded. “Two years ago, your mom brought MacAvoy on to put an end to The Syndicate and keep you safe.”
“So what all does everyone do here?”
“You name it and someone’s working on it. The innovations happening under this roof are going to change the world.”
“Can I see your lab and notes?” Zane asked.
“Absolutely! Come right this way.” Jacobs practically bounced with glee out of the cell, motioning for him to follow.
Zane spent the rest of the day reading through some of the notes on the phenomenal research Dr. Jacobs and his team of scientists were working on. He saw prototypes and spoke to some members of the team.
By 9:00 PM, they decided to break for pizza and beers up on the roof.
Dr. Jacobs sat with his feet propped up on an old milk carton, nursing his second beer of the night. “So tell me, why did you choose Berkley? From everything I’ve read, you could’ve gone anywhere.”
“I needed to get as far away from my mom as I could get.” Zane took a long sip of his beer and stretched out his stiff legs. “And I liked the idea of being close to the ocean so I could surf.”
“I guess having a spy for a mom isn’t as cool as it sounds, huh?”
“Yeah, no. She’s crazy and not in the fun way.” A rare breeze blew over him, sending a chill down his sweat-covered body.
A tinge of guilt bubbled up about the anger with her that still raged on within him. He knew from the hospital records he’d read that afternoon that she was stable and would most likely pull through, but anything could happen. The unspoken words between them weighed him down. No matter what, he still loved her.
“Still,” Dr. Jacobs said, “this is all yours, your inheritance. You’re fucking born into this dynasty.”
Zane choked and sputtered on his beer. “Yeah, bud, it wasn’t like that at all. My dad was a drunk mechanic who beat me and my mom. And your supreme leader was a shitty mother. She was never around and fucking slept with everyone in town except my dad.”
The old wounds had never really healed, and she’d kept disappointing him. Each new hurt just exasperated the last, until he’d become a walking ball of resentment. “She’s a hurricane, destroying everything in her path. Be careful who you put your faith in.”
Dr. Jacobs leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. For once, he was quiet.
Zane was grateful for the small mercy. Hopefully, his words had planted the seed in this “fanboy” that his queen had no business on the pedestal he’d put her on. There were a million other more deserving heroes for him to worship.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Jacobs said. “My dad was a drunk, too.” He turned his head to look at Zane. “It’s too bad you didn’t know your real dad. He’s like superman or some kind of shit. I’ve heard some stories about him sleeping around a lot, too, though. And you looking like you do and only sleeping with what, three girls?” Dr. Jacobs looked away and started to peel off his beer’s label.
“Four.” He corrected the man’s math and suddenly realized this information was something the good doctor shouldn’t know. “Wait... how do you know how many women I’ve slept with?”
“The MDNA has had eyes and ears on you since the beginning, man. The file on you is a mile long. Like I said, your family fascinates me. You’re like the first family of the hacktivist world.” The label peeled clear off and Dr. Jacobs proudly held it up. “Wait... who was the fourth? Don’t tell me you banged that hot Dr. Richards?”
Zane blushed and looked down into his beer bottle. He didn’t like to kiss and tell.
“Say no more.” Dr. Jacobs howled. “Damn, she’s hot. I hate you even more now.” His new friend and colleague shook his head, while grabbing another beer out of the chest.
Zane tore off his label, scrunched it up and tossed it into the bucket a couple yards away from where they sat. It went straight in. “And with that, Dr. Jacobs, I’m going to call it a night.”
“Miles. Call me Miles. If I had friends, I imagine they would call me by my first name.”
Zane chuckled. “All right, Miles. Goodnight.”
After a few wrong turns, he found his way back to his room, stripped down to his boxers, and crawled into bed. He picked up the book and flipped back to the beginning, where Jason had written his dedication—which Zane hadn’t read earlier—and spoke the words out loud.
“To my True Blue Muse, you came into my life too late and left too soon. I’l
l always carry with me our impossible dream.”
Zane closed the book and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt lost, and not for the first time in his life. He wanted desperately to have someone in his life to help guide him on the right path, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for him. Instead of focusing on it any further, he flipped back to where he had left off and started again to read.
Maybe the answers I need will be inside.
***
Unknown Building
Unknown Location
June 29, 2026
11:00 PM
~~~
Scott took in a deep breath and plunged the needle once again into the bulging vein on his forearm. The drugs acted quickly, taking the edge off of the intense pain of his gunshot wound as he rested against the makeshift cot. No one would find him here. He could take his time and get his strength back. If he could get Charles alone, he could easily take him down. While Scott had been perfecting his body and his fighting skills, Charles had grown soft and weak.
Scott’s watch beeped with an incoming message from one of the men who wanted in on the bounty for Sally.
Boss, the dead girl is at St. Rita’s Hospital. The new one that MacAvoy built. A warrant is out for the arrest of her son, Zander Ride, for aiding in MacAvoy’s escape. Another warrant is sitting on some judge’s desk awaiting his signature. My man said it’s to search our dead girl for the house arrest chip. The place is swarming with security. No way to get to her. But the boy is missing. It looks like our boy Charles might have him. I’ll let you know if I know more.
Scott took a deep breath and stretched out, crossing his ankles. The men and resources of Ocean City may be lost to him now that they had usurped him from his throne, but there were enough people out there with a similar wish that Sally and everyone close to her should be six feet under.
All in due time. When you play the long game, you must adopt the art of patience.
He knew himself and he knew his opponent. He would win. Charles would find him—of that he was certain. The trick would be to make sure it happened on Scott’s terms. For now, he would sit back and wait, and be ready when the time came.
Now that Charles and the boy were together, he could take care of them both all at once. This brought him no small amount of comfort. He closed his eyes and began to work out a plan. He would need a secluded meeting place, somewhere he could dump bodies without being noticed.
No one will hear their screams.
Chapter 13
St. Rita’s Hospital
Danville, Virginia
June 29, 2026
11:00 PM
~~~
Jason wandered down to the Emergency Room’s front desk. “Excuse me, miss.”
The young woman smacked her lips as she chewed her gum. “What can I help you with, sir?”
“I’m looking for Dr. Zander Ride. It’s a family situation and I need to speak with him immediately. Can you tell me where he is, or have him come here?”
The woman blinked her thick lashes together like she hadn’t quite heard his question.
Jason gripped the edge of the counter, trying to keep his cool. “Please.”
“He’s not working today. Dr. Julie Richards is filling in for him.”
“Could I please speak with her for a moment?”
The woman rolled her eyes and got up from her chair. “Wait here.”
Jason closed his eyes and leaned against the wall while he waited.
“Jason?”
He opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, Jules, I need your help.”
“I don’t know where he is. We got into a fight last night and I haven’t seen him since.”
“You guys had a fight?”
“Yeah, he got pissed because I thought he should talk to his mother.”
Jason sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. A stabbing pain was starting to develop between his eyes. He needed to get some rest, but he couldn’t let this thing between Zane and Sally go on much longer. The doctors were concerned with Sally’s condition—something about the surgery not going as planned. No one was giving him definitive answers, and of course, the ever secretive Sally wasn’t exactly forthcoming.
“So you don’t have any idea where he is?”
A look of concern flashed across Julie’s face. “No, but now you have me worried. I know I don’t know him very well, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would not show up for his job because he’s upset.”
“No, Zane seems like a kid dedicated to his job.” Jason nodded in agreement.
Over Julie’s shoulder he saw Mari walk through the automatic doors with a scowl on her face. “Okay... let me know if you hear anything, and I’ll do the same.” He turned and ran off to catch Mari, who stalked down the halls like she was going to bust some balls. “Mari... Marianna, wait up!”
When she turned to face him, the fiery look in her eyes sent a chill down his spine.
“What do you want, Jason? I’m not really in the mood.”
“Hey, what’s going on? What’s got you all wound up?”
“Charles. The prick broke out of house arrest.”
Jason’s breath hitched in his throat and he averted his gaze away from the damning eyes of his ex.
“Damn it, you too?”
Shit.
“Don’t ask me anything, Mari. Just let this one go.”
“Let it go? The man broke out of prison. I doubt he did it just so he could go to the mall.” She stood glaring at Jason with her hands on her hips. “Don’t make me have to drag you down to the station.”
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and clutched the AA chip, rubbing it like a worry stone. “What I know could fill a bucket, babe. It would be a waste of time.”
“A waste of time? No, a waste of time was the runaround that MacAvoy’s staff pulled on me when I tried to gain access to his security system. And, of course, the judge is taking his sweet time getting me a fucking warrant. Save me some time, J. What’s his plan?”
“What do you think?”
“Mitchel. He wants him gone.”
Jason shrugged. “See, you don’t need my help.”
“Does he have a location on him?”
Jason shook his head and bit his bottom lip. “I have no idea.”
Marianna turned on her heels and started to walk away.
“Hey, wait. Where you going?”
“Talk to your wife,” she called out over her shoulder.
Jason took off after her, trying to keep up with her manic pace. “You can’t. She’s not up for an interrogation.”
“She should have thought about that before tying her fate to a criminal. I’m guessing she might have an idea as to how Charles’ implant is still functioning and reading this hospital as its location when he isn’t here.”
Jason grabbed the detective and turned her towards him. “Don’t do this, Mari.”
“Do I need to arrest you, or are you going to let go?”
He released his hold and continued to follow her.
Mari flashed her badge at the nurses’ station. “I need to speak with a witness.”
No one stopped her. No one would dream of it when she got like this—a force to be reckoned with.
The nurse gave her permission and handed them the protective clothing, required for the transplant ward.
They pulled on the masks and overalls in silence.
Mari stalked into Sally’s room and charged at her like a bull. “Ms. Ride.”
Sally’s eyes turned an icy shade of blue. “Actually, it’s Mrs. Knettle.”
Jason crossed himself and leaned against the doorframe. Holy Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
“Excuse me. Mrs. Knettle.” Mari shot Jason a look. “I’d like to ask you a few questions about your son, Zander Ride.”
Sally’s body tensed, coiled up like a snake ready to strike. “What about him?”
“What is your son’s connection
with Charles MacAvoy?”
Sally glanced once at Jason before replying. “Mr. MacAcoy hired my son to work for this hospital. He was impressed with his research in Emergency Medicine and thought he would be an asset.”
Marianna’s heels clicked across the linoleum as she crossed to the other side of Sally’s bed and sat down in the chair. “There is video surveillance that puts your son in Mr. McAvoy’s home just before he called 911.” She paused as if allowing time for the information set in.
Sally stared back stone-faced.
Mari pressed her. “Your son is a medical doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Would he be able to induce cardiac arrest in a patient?”
Sally shrugged. “I would imagine so, but I can’t speak to what he knows to do. It’s all over my head. I’m just a dumb biker chick.”
Mari shifted in her seat and crossed her legs, her skirt sliding up her thigh. “Thank you. I won’t take up much more of your time. I understand you’re recovering from a kidney transplant.”
Sally twisted her bed sheet around her fist and the muscles in her jaw twitched.
A slow smile crept across Mari’s face. “Please forgive me, but aren’t you considered legally dead? How were you able to have such a complicated procedure?”
The machines that read her vitals began to sound warning signals, and Sally turned an angry shade of red.
A cadre of nurses rushed into the room. “I’m sorry, Detective, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” The lead nurse glared at Mari. Not everyone in the hospital knew about Sally’s relationship with Charles, but they all knew she was a very important patient. And no one wanted to piss off Charles. No one.
“I’ll be back later, Mrs. Knettle.” Mari rose from the chair and pushed past Jason towards for the hallway.
