Perfect Ruin (Unyielding #2)

by Nashoda Rose

  I hesitated. “Umm, yeah.” Bad news? What was he talking about?

  “How is he feeling? He’s looked pretty tired over the last few months, but then your father doesn’t know when to go home.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Workaholic, that man. I’m thinking his daughter will follow in his footsteps. Is he meeting you in the lab? I just saw him go upstairs. I thought he was leaving.”

  “Well, I think—”

  Kai stepped forward. “We have a red eye to catch in an hour, Miss Westbrook. Do you mind?” His fingers curled around my arm and I glanced at him with confusion. “Dr. Westbrook,” Kai said abruptly.

  I nodded. “Right. Yes. Daniel, say hi to Marcy for me. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Will do.” He shifted to the side to let us pass and we walked to the sliding glass door to my father’s lab and I punched in the code. I prayed he hadn’t changed it as I waited for the red blinking light to turn green.

  If it didn’t, then Deck and Kai were taking another approach and Daniel was going to get hurt. The three seconds felt like twenty when the doors finally slid open. I waved to Daniel and stood to the side to let Kai, Deck and Georgie inside. Just before the doors closed, I saw Daniel take out his cell phone.

  Shit. I didn’t say anything to Kai because I knew he’d go deal with the potential issue and it wasn’t an issue—yet. Maybe he was calling Marcy to let her know he saw me? I didn’t want him getting killed because I saw him with his cell.

  I quickly showed Georgie the main computer and she went to work on it while Deck and I scanned all of the shelves and fridge for the drug Connor was on. If my dad was continuing to supply them, there had to be a batch he was currently working on.

  Kai kept watch, but I saw him walk over to the storage closet and open the door. Our eyes met and the corners of his lips curved up. So much had happened since he saw me hiding in that closet. I’d been scared and confused, yet his scent had sparked something familiar and comforting about him. Now I knew why.

  I found two bottles of pills in the fridge with a label that had no batch code. All drugs had batch codes and they coordinated with files. But the bottles had simple orange labels with the name CONNOR.

  I yanked the pill bottles out and took them to Deck who nodded then put them in his bag. Then I walked over to Kai and put my hand on his chest. “Do you know anything about my father? Why Daniel would say that?”

  “Yes.” He kept his eyes on me as a wave of dread hit me.

  My knees weakened and I became lightheaded. It wasn’t good. Oh, God, there was something wrong with my dad. “Kai—”

  “London, it’s not my place to tell you. It’s your father’s. If I need to, I will, but right now”—he cupped the back of my neck and squeezed—“I need you here, with me. Okay?”

  He was right. If the news was bad, now wasn’t the time to—

  My eye caught the red flashing light on the code box beside the door. “Kai! The door.” He turned to where I was looking.

  “Deck,” Kai said as he grabbed my hand and headed for the door.

  That was all he had to say and Deck went for Georgie. “Babe. Need to go.”

  I punched in the code on the door, but it buzzed and wouldn’t open. “It’s locked. Security can lock the doors if there is a breach.” Oh, God, we had to find my dad and get out of here.

  I heard Deck arguing with Georgie as she typed furiously on the computer while Kai took out his knife and jammed it into the top of the black code box, cracking it open.

  The cover fell to the floor and he yanked a bunch of wires out and then sifted through them.

  “Georgie. Now,” Deck ordered.

  “I got it. Shit, I need to delete…. Done.” Deck yanked her away from the computer as Kai cut two wires and the doors slid open. But it wasn’t because Kai cut the right wires; it was because my father overrode security and opened it.

  “Dad?”

  “London.” He stepped forward to hug me when Kai blocked him by moving in front, his hand on my wrist so I couldn’t go near him. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “Kai?” I tried to move past him, but he tilted his head to look at me, eyes glaring in warning, a warning I couldn’t ignore.

  I peered past him to my father and knew something was wrong, not just the concern etched on his pale face, but how sick he looked. Black lines were heavy under his eyes and he appeared ten years older than the last time I’d seen him.

  He was sick. And it was serious. My throat tightened as tears welled and a crushing pain latched onto my chest, making my stomach lurch. “Oh, God, Dad,” I choked.

  “Kai, please,” my dad begged. “I’d never hurt her.”

  “You understand why I’ll not take your word on that,” Kai replied. “Considering.”

  My dad peered down the corridor, his feet shifting, uneasy and anxious. “Daniel called me. I was in the car leaving, but… when he said she was here… I had to see her again.” He looked at me. “Honey, oh, God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  His eyes filled with tears and anguish pulled at his weary face. “I know, Dad.” I did. This wasn’t his fault. He’d have done anything to try to protect me.

  “I refused to continue making the drug for them, but after the fire….” His head dropped forward.

  I turned to Kai, my hand on his arm. He nodded and let me go. I ran into my father’s arms and held him tight. “I don’t blame you, Dad.”

  I’d never seen my father cry, even after my mother died. I suspected he did, but he never let me see him break down like he did now and it broke my heart. Why him? He was a good, brilliant man. Why did they have to pick him? But if not him, then it may have been some other scientist with a family.

  I heard Deck and Kai quietly talking, but I didn’t pay attention to what was being said. I squeezed my dad to me, wanting to take away all the guilt he carried with him.

  “We need to go, London.” Kai gently put his hand on my shoulder then pulled me back so I was up against his chest then his palm slid over my hip to lay flat on my lower back. “And you need to come with us,” he said to my dad.

  “They’ll send someone after you if I do,” he argued. “It’s better I stay.”

  “Dad. No.”

  Kai shook his head. “You’re coming.” He grabbed my dad’s arm and we started down the hall.

  I heard Deck on the headset to Vic, and Kai was asking my dad questions about the drug as he hurried to the door that led to the tunnels.

  “I gave them a batch of pills three months ago, but that’s all I had. One component is difficult to come by—”

  “To who?” Kai asked.

  “I don’t know. Just some guy.” Then he asked, “The guy they’re giving the drug to… have you seen him? Do you know what it does?”

  “We have him,” Kai said.

  “He’s my brother,” Georgie said.

  My dad’s eyes widened. “He’s dangerous. The drug, it clouds his memories and he won’t even know what he’s done. He more than likely won’t know who you are and will do whatever they want. And it also has steroids in it to enhance—”

  “Invincibility. Yeah, we figured that out,” Deck stated.

  My dad continued, “How long since his last pill? He’ll have withdrawals and it could be worse. Some of the mice… well, they died when I stopped the drug.”

  I glanced at Georgie who paled and reached for Deck’s hand.

  My dad looked at me, the tight expression fading as the wrinkles sagged. “London, you know how this works. He can’t go off the drug. Not without severe side effects and maybe even death.”

  Deck’s voice was gravelly and abrupt. “How long?”

  “I don’t know. The mice, they went into a frenzy, a rage, then after a few days, they began to cramp up then had seizures until… well, until they passed.”

  “Fuckin’ Christ.” Deck slammed his fist into the wall.

  My dad quickly continued, “But weaning him off it would work.
A slow withdrawal and you—”

  “Quiet,” Kai interrupted as he threw open the door into the tunnel. “Wait here.”

  I watched as he disappeared into the darkness, the tinge of blue light flickering for a brief second before it disappeared, too. Deck was on edge, but calm, Georgie sheltered by his body, gun in hand. It was only seconds before Kai jogged back up the stairs and snagged my hand and pulled me away.

  “No go. Don’t know how many, but they’re headed this way.”

  Deck was already moving down the corridor toward the north stairwell. A cell rang and the only one to have a ringing cell would be my dad. All of ours were on silent.

  He quickly looked at the screen then stopped, his face paling.

  “Dad?”

  Deck and Kai looked at one another, then Deck jogged down the corridor a little further and peeked around the corner.

  “It’s my contact for the drug,” my dad said.

  “Answer it,” Kai ordered.

  I put my hand on my dad’s arm and squeezed. He looked scared with wide eyes and trembling hands as he tapped on his phone then held it to his ear.

  “Hello?” He listened for ten seconds then hung up and turned to Kai. “They know you’re here.”

  Kai half-grinned. “Then they should be worried.” He chin-lifted to Deck. “Evac?”

  “North stairs to basement. Vic will cover us out the emergency door.”

  We were moving fast as Deck took lead, Georgie behind, then my dad and me with Kai taking up the rear. Deck stopped, holding out his hand as the elevators fifty feet away dinged.

  “Shit. Back,” he ordered. “Vic. We need an exit. North exit and tunnels compromised.”

  My dad ran up ahead. “West. There is a—”

  Gunshots echoed down the sterile corridor and Kai grabbed me, shoving me in front of him then pushed me into an alcove.

  “Dad?”

  “Right here, sweetie,” he said.

  Deck and Georgie were in an alcove across the hall.

  “Can you get us in this lab?” Kai asked my dad.

  “Yeah, but there is no way out.”

  “Do it.”

  My dad typed in a code and the door beeped but it didn’t open. “I can’t override the lockdown.” He typed in the code again and it beeped, but the door remained locked.

  I reached in my pocket and pulled out my gun. Kai saw me do it and nodded once. I heard footsteps and then gunshots, but they were from Deck.

  As Deck shot off a few rounds, Kai peered around the corner and the drywall splintered right beside his head. I gasped. Oh, God, they were shooting to kill. They were going to kill us.

  Kai stepped back from the door and kicked it. It didn’t budge. “Fuck.” He grabbed my wrist and pushed me back against it. “Shoot anyone who comes near you. Understand?” I nodded, but I was silently freaking out. I’d seen people shot, murdered, beaten, but it was when I didn’t care about anything. Now I had my father and Kai and Deck and Georgie.

  Kai looked at my dad. “They’re coming from both sides. We can sit here and be sitting ducks or take them out. I don’t do the sitting duck thing or surrender, so that means you stay with her.”

  “What? Kai?” What was he thinking of doing? I reached for him, but he shoved me back with his palm on my chest.

  “You need to stay right there.”

  I jerked at more gunshots. Deck was shooting as was Georgie, but not for long as Deck grabbed her and pushed her back out of harm’s way. Deck glanced across the hallway at Kai and raised his hand, indicating five to the right and three to the left.

  Kai nodded and Deck pointed to himself and then right. Kai nodded. Oh, my God, they were going to take them out.

  “No. Kai.” My heart was pumping wildly and I shook so bad, I was afraid the gun was going to accidentally go off.

  “No choice here, baby.” Before I could say anything else, Kai nodded once to Deck and they both rolled into the corridor.

  I stepped forward, my breath locked in my chest as I heard gunshots from both directions. Deck and Kai were out of my line of sight.

  I heard groans and bodies hitting the floor, but I couldn’t see anything. Georgie was peeking around the corner and shooting. I moved forward, but my dad blocked me with his body.

  “No.”

  “Dad, I can shoot.” I couldn’t, but I had to do something.

  “No,” he repeated, his voice firm. “You need to do what Kai—”

  A man staggered into the alcove, blood covering the front of his shirt from a knife plunged into his chest.

  “London!” I heard Kai shout.

  There were a few more gunshots, but everything was in slow motion as the man raised his gun and pointed it at me.

  “Deck!” Kai yelled.

  I raised my gun, too.

  It happened within milliseconds. My dad dove for the guy at the same time as both guns went off. The man fell backward, my dad on top of him.

  Neither moved.

  “Dad!”

  I scrambled for him, dropping the gun and falling to my knees beside him.

  “Dad. Dad.” I tried to roll him over from lying on top of the other guy. “Dad,” I sobbed.

  Suddenly, I was being pulled to my feet and arms wrapped around me. “Baby, give Deck a second to help him.”

  It was then I noticed Deck on his knees beside my father, Georgie standing against the wall her hand to her mouth.

  Deck had my dad on his back and there was blood all over his chest. “Kai, let me see him. Let me go.” I shoved at his arms and he finally released me.

  I fell to my knees beside Deck who was putting pressure on my dad’s chest, but there was so much blood. I didn’t know if it was just my dad’s or the other guy’s, but when I saw my dad’s face, I knew.

  “No. God, no. Dad. No. Please.” Oh, God, I was so close to getting him back. After all this time, we had a chance, but it was being ripped away.

  “London,” he managed and then spurted blood, coughing.

  Tears blurred my vision as I watched my dad struggle to breathe. He looked past me and I sensed Kai behind me then his hand was on my shoulder.

  “I owe you. For… finding… her. Hiding her from… them.” He coughed again and I used my sleeve to wipe his mouth. “For protecting… her when I didn’t.”

  And then Kai did something I never thought he’d do. He crouched, put his hand on my dad’s shoulder and squeezed. Then my dad was looking back at me and I took his hand and held it in mine.

  “Dad. We can get you out. Just hold on.” But I knew that wasn’t true.

  He half-smiled. “No. Don’t… need to hold on… anymore. Just waiting to see you…again. Love….” His eyes glazed over and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

  “No, Dad. No,” I choked out. “Oh, God, Dad.” I collapsed onto his neck. “Dad.”

  I had no idea how long I cried, but it was probably only seconds before I heard Deck.

  “We need out. Now,” Deck ordered.

  Hands peeled me away from my dad and I knew it was Kai.

  “Dad—”

  “Baby, we have to go.”

  I knew that logically, but everything inside me wanted to stay with my dad. “I… Kai… we didn’t get time.”

  He wiped the tears with his thumb. “Baby, your dad was dying of cancer. He had months left. Maybe not even. He knew that. He was holding on to see you again.”

  I swallowed. “Cancer?”

  He nodded.

  Kai gently urged me further away from my dad, the pain crushing and debilitating.

  “He was a good man.” Kai kissed the top of my head. “I liked him.”

  Georgie threw her arms around me. “Sugar, I’m so sor—”

  Deck settled his hands on her shoulders then drew her back. “Not now, rainbow. Let’s go.”

  Then we were running for the stairwell. Deck cleared it first and then we took one flight of stairs up before Deck held up his hand and we stopped.

&nbs
p; “Vic, we’re in position.”

  Kai handed me my gun. “Baby, here and now. Okay?”

  Tears kept sliding down my cheeks, but I nodded. As my shaking hand curled around the hard metal, I heard the gunshots down the hall.

  “Vic. He’s coming to help us,” Kai said.

  I was still thinking about my dad, his face, the way his empty eyes stared up at me. God, he’d been dying. And now he was gone and….Kai’s hands cupped my head so I was forced to look at him. “I know you’re not good. But I need you to focus.”

  I nodded.

  His thumbs stroked gently over my temples, his hard body against mine, tense and ready to react in a moment. “Answer me, baby.”

  “Okay.” I inhaled a quivering breath. “Okay.”

  I looked up at Deck and nodded. Then the stairwell door opened and we ran down the hall. We didn’t make it far before two men ran around the corner and started shooting. Kai grabbed me, yanked me around the corner and shoved me against the wall, his body protecting me as Deck did the same with Georgie.

  The gunshots stopped and Deck gestured to Kai before they both stepped out, Deck shooting while Kai ran and rolled across the hall into another corridor. I couldn’t see them anymore, just heard the gunshots.

  My grip on the gun was so hard the metal indented my hand. Georgie had a gun, too, but when I looked at her she appeared pretty steady. She half-smiled at me with reassurance. She had total faith in her man that we’d get out of here.

  I couldn’t smile back, my fear escalating as I heard footsteps getting closer.

  Oh, God, please be careful, Kai.

  But this was what Kai did. He’d broken me out of Vault’s prison after killing his own mother.

  He knew what he was doing.

  I heard two loud thumps and a half-shout before the sound gurgled to nothing. “Clear.”

  It was Kai.

  We came out from around the corner and I saw two bodies face first on the floor, blood pooling around their heads from the slices across their throats. Kai had his knives in his hand, blood dripping from the blades.

  An alarm blared through the building and Deck said, “Vic.” And then Vic was running toward us with one badass gun slung over his shoulder and another in his hands.