The Gene Rift (Destiny by Design Book 2)

by J. Andersen

  “What?” Saul answers me like he has no idea what I’m talking about. I curl my fingers into his shirt and crash him against the cement blocks again. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, you manipulative crap-heap. That little show in there? What’re you trying to pull?”

  “I’m not trying to pull anything. I told her the truth. She had surgery. I’m the father of her baby. It’s not my fault she can’t remember the minutiae.”

  There’s that smug look again.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “It’s not what I’m not telling you. It’s what your doctors here were too impatient to discover for themselves.”

  I smash him against the wall again, making sure his skull cracks against the bricks.

  Saul shakes his head. “Easy now, I’d hate to rip you apart only to have these kind folks put you back together. When I destroy someone, I like it to last.”

  I let go of his shirt and step back. “What didn’t they find out, Saul?” He rubs the wrinkles out of his shirt and says, “It’s easy enough to discover if you know where to look. Kate’s father would have known.”

  “Known what, you bastard?”

  “That if you try to destroy the MIH, it’ll destroy you. Like a factory reset. It’s programmed to erase all memories if tampered with other than Institute approved upgrades. Don’t you see what you’ve done to your precious Kate? It’s entirely fitting, I think. You’ve erased every trace of you from her memory. Given her a clean slate. You’re entirely gone, and it’s your own fault. And I’m going to see to it that any new memories she makes are with me.”

  Without hesitation, I throw a punch into the side of his nose. He reacts quickly, but I still manage to land it. Blood spurts from his face and onto the sparkling, freshly-mopped hospital floor. He swings back, and before I know it, I’ve tackled him onto the floor. At first, I have the upper hand, sending several blows to his ribs; but my vision blurs for a moment, and he uses the distraction to throw his weight, landing a punch in my side that steals the wind from my lungs. Dr. Rosenberg and an orderly jump in, pulling us from each other’s talons.

  “You’re lying!” I shake off the fuzziness in my head.

  “You know I’m not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have attacked me.” It’s true. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel it in my bones. For once he’s telling the truth. But what choice did we have? She would’ve died when that thing in her neck went haywire. This is better. It has to be better. To have her alive instead of … Maybe there’s a chance she still remembers. Remembers why she left The Institute. Remembers me.

  “Aww, feeling sorry for yourself? Or guilty maybe?”

  “You need to leave, Saul.”

  I’m using every ounce of strength I have to keep calm with this scheming piece of trash still standing in front of me.

  “I’ll make sure Jaxon gets you back safe and sound.”

  “No need. I can’t leave yet. Not until Kate is healed up a bit. After all, she and Brody are with me.”

  FORTY

  SWEET REVENGE

  (SAUL)

  The look on Micah’s face is worth everything I’ve risked to come here and the punishment I’ll surely receive for skipping my duties this afternoon.

  “Like hell she is!” he screams. “I’ll never let it happen. You aren’t taking her anywhere.”

  “You won’t be able to stop it.” I stoop over to pick up my son, who’s been huddling at the feet of an observant nurse. “And once I get her there, you’ll have lost her forever since showing your face at The Institute is suicide. Wanted criminal and all.”

  “And you think you’ll get away scot-free after your part in my escape? You’re just as culpable as I am. More so since I was unconscious.” Micah is grasping at straws, but he doesn’t know what I know.

  “It’s already covered. Fishgold knows everything I’ve done. As a matter of fact, he approved most of it.”

  Micah’s eye is twitching as he bores a look of death into me. I’m sure his brain is trying to reason out all I’ve just said, trying to catch up with what I’ve known all along.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take my son to see his mother again.” As I approach the door, Micah’s face is reflected in the windowpane. His eyes are shadowed, his lips are tight, and he looks like he wants to rip me apart, but he won’t. Not here, not now. He’s tried that already. No. He’ll wait until he has a better strategy. When will the boy ever learn? I’m always one step ahead of him.

  Back in the Operating Room, Kate is resting on the bed, eyes closed. She lifts her head when I enter and cringes at the strain on her incision. But she beams at me when she sees who I have in my arms. When she holds her arms out, I gently place Brody in them. She pulls him into a hug and buries her face in his hair, rubbing her cheek over his head.

  “Do you remember him?”

  “Kind of. I don’t remember details, what he looks like or how he was born, but something in me tells me he’s mine. A connection I can’t explain. Having him here calms me. It’s like my whole world is this blank screen, but he’s programmed into me. Does that make sense?”

  “Sure it does.”

  My hand rests close to her skin, not quite touching, but close enough to feel the heat that rolls off her. Her long chocolate-colored hair rests in waves on her shoulders. Must’ve taken it down while I was in the hallway. The way it frames her face softens her. She’s not a hardened rebel ready to take on the world. She’s feminine, beautiful, and vulnerable. It’s hard to stand out in a society like ours where everyone is bred to look alike, but there’s something about the smoothness of her skin and her gentle smile that sets her apart. It’s too bad my orders are to destroy these rebels. A trophy like Kate would be a nice parting gift. At least I’ll get to play the part for a while. That’ll be fun. Then when the time comes, she’ll be destroyed with the rest of them.

  “Can I ask you something?” she asks, breaking my concentration. “Anything.”

  Her hand inches toward mine, and she twines our fingers together. “Why am I here? I know I had surgery, but why? This place looks so unfamiliar. I keep searching my head for any clue. A memory, something, but there’s nothing. But you know. I trust you know what happened. Tell me, please.”

  Brody sits on her stomach and plays with the ends of her hair, which is just the right length for him to grab a fistful and yank. She unwinds his fingers from the knot he’s made of her locks.

  “You needed an upgrade to your MIH. It’s a regular procedure, but something went wrong. The doctors don’t know exactly what. You’ve been having problems with it. Seizures, actually. When they went in to do the upgrades, they discovered the chip had been compromised. It’s the reason you can’t remember. Seems like everything has been erased.”

  “It’s so strange. I can’t recall details or what happened yesterday, but I get feelings, impressions of things. Like I understand about the MIH, but I can’t remember my own family.” Her lip quivers, and she wipes away an invisible tear. Brody slaps his tiny hand on her cheek, and she smiles. “It’s frustrating. And scary.”

  “It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

  Her eyes are filled with tears that she tries to hold in, but one look at her son, and they tumble over.

  “Hey, hey, now.” I sit down on the edge of her bed and pull her head into my chest. “Listen, you’re going to be fine. I’m taking you back home to The Institute, and we’ll get everything worked out.”

  “But what if I can’t ever remember, Saul? What if it never comes back?”

  I hold her body close, a wriggling Brody between us. “Then we start all over, and I’ll have another chance to make you fall in love with me.”

  Suddenly, she laughs and shakes her head.

  “What’s so funny?” I ask.

  Her misty eyes meet mine, and she says, “I don’t even know if we’re married. Can you believe that? I know that I know you, but in a way, you’re erased too.” She runs a finger around
where a wedding band would sit.

  I snicker. If only she knew. “Engaged, actually. Fishgold approved it before your surgery. As soon as we get back, we can make it official. Then we’ll be a real family. Like it should be.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For not remembering you.”

  “Kate, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. Look at it this way … at least you don’t remember the bad things about me.”

  Her lips pull back in amusement. “At least there’s that.”

  I don’t know what possesses me, but the way she’s looking at me makes me want to— Gently, I take her face in my hands. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be just fine.” Then before I can stop myself, my mouth is on hers, wanting her, possessing her. Call it staking my claim. And as our lips move in sync with each other, all I can taste is sweet revenge.

  FORTY ONE

  WINNERS AND LOSERS

  (MICAH)

  Under no circumstances will I ever let Kate leave. For days, I’ve put up with that SOB, Saul, listening to his convoluted plan to steal the love of my life from me. “She doesn’t even remember you,” he said the other day. “It’s time to give up your pathetic fight to keep her and realize the only way for her to survive is to be back at The Institute.”

  But that’s not the best place for her despite the good the structure might do her. Her place is here, with me, with the people she loves. I just have to make her remember.

  Which is why I’m planning a memory walk with the help of a few distractions.

  I wait till I know Saul is away from her room to enter. She’s lying comfortably in bed. “How’s the neck wound?” I ask, peeking my head in the door.

  Her head jerks and her eyes widen. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to. I have a proposal for you.”

  This piques her interest, but her furrowed eyes and wrinkled nose tell me she’s still guarded. My actions the day of her surgery freaked her out, and now she’s wary of trusting me. But I’m not worried. Our love is stronger than that. She’ll know. She’ll realize what we had—have.

  “Will you do something for me?”

  She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “What?”

  “Take a walk.”

  “I haven’t been discharged.”

  “It’s okay, I got permission. You can call the doctor and ask if you want. He says moving will do you good.”

  “Is Saul going?”

  “Wasn’t planning on it. He’s busy having lunch.” No need to tell her he never knew to begin with.

  “I’d be more comfortable if he came along.”

  Sigh. Saul. How on earth did I lose her trust to the most untrustworthy guy in Sector Four? It’s ludicrous. At least it won’t be for long. “How about this … I promise I won’t touch you. You can walk beside me. Just hear me out, please.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Give me a chance, Kate. Let me help you remember. I’ll talk. Just talk. Nothing more. Please.”

  She agrees with a tentative nod. “Fine.”

  “I’ll grab your jacket.”

  ****

  After she dresses in street clothes, I usher Kate out the door and down the hall, glancing over my shoulder to see Jessica in action. Dressed in a hospital gown, she eases open the door to Kate’s room. She’s beaming, obviously loving the idea I’ve explained to her, and she gives me a thumbs up before slipping quietly into the room.

  Time is of the essence. I’ve got to get Kate out of here before Saul discovers she’s missing. Instead of heading for the front door, we turn down a few corridors until we reach the old section, lined with patches of wood and whatever other materials were handy. She squints at the change in the walls and twists her head.

  “When you run out of materials, you have to use whatever is available,” I say, answering her unasked question.

  She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything.

  Before long, we’re nearing the maternity wing. It’s where Ally had Benjamin last year, where Kate ran away from me thinking I had another family here. It’ll be a shock, but if that’s what it takes for her to remember, I’ll take her anywhere. Even the lab at The Institute where she almost killed Brody. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.

  Just as we near the room where Ally gave birth, Kate looks up at me. “Aren’t you going to say anything? You said all you’d do is talk, but you aren’t saying anything.”

  Her eyes are wide with fear and confusion, but my smile eases her back to normal. “Good point. I’m trying to take you to a few significant places, hoping maybe the place will jog your memory. The doctor said not to tell you too many things that happened in the past because that’ll create false memories. When your memory does come back—and it will—I want you to remember the truth as you see it, not as I tell you.”

  Her hand clasps mine and gives it a squeeze before dropping it all too soon. Her touch is something I crave, and that brief encounter makes me want to take her in my arms and kiss her with all that’s within me. But I can’t. It has to be in her time.

  I lean on the door. “So? Anything?”

  “Here?” she asks.

  “Yeah. This very room.”

  Kate swishes me to the side and opens the door to the empty room, popping her head in for a look. She shakes her head. “Nothing. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll try again.” Without thinking, I grab her hand in mine and try to pull her down the hall, but she struggles and whips her hand back. Oh no. Her face cringes, and she twists away from me. “Oh, Kate, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—I didn’t think. I just—” She looks torn, standing stiff with her arms crossed. Then she bites her bottom lip, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “No, I’m sorry.

  I shouldn’t be afraid. I’m not afraid, I don’t think. I just … this is a lot for me.”

  “I know.” I hang my head. “I’m so sorry. I won’t touch you again, but please. Please come with me. I have one more place to show you.”

  Silent, her eyes search my face for what seems like forever, and I wonder what she’s looking for or what she’s found. Suddenly, she takes my hand.

  “Lead the way.”

  It’s one of the best moments of my life.

  It takes a few minutes of walking before we reach the shop. Secretly, I’m hoping the old-fashioned bell on the door will help ring in some memories, but when we cross the threshold, nothing seems to register. At least not on her face.

  “Afternoon, Kate.” Silas leans on the counter by the door. “Good to see you out and about.”

  She looks him over and smiles politely.

  “Follow me.” I lead her through the shelves of old books and stop mid-aisle. She slows behind me and reaches out to touch the spines. “They’re real.”

  “Yes.”

  Her fingers trail along the books. Then, finding one she likes, she flicks it back and catches it in the palm of her hand. With her other hand, she runs her thumb over the pages, feathering them back.

  “Smell.”

  She gives me a look.

  “Smell the book.”

  Lips pulling back in a half smile, she brings the book to her nose and inhales. Forehead wrinkled in thought, she cracks it open, buries her nose in the inner spine and inhales again. Suddenly, her eyes pop open.

  “What? What do you remember? Anything? Do you remember something? The first time we came in here? Silas? The books? The sound of the bell? Anything?”

  “I—I—”

  “What is it, Kate? Tell me. What do you remember?”

  The bell above the door rings out in a harsh clatter. “Pennington!

  I’m going to kill you!” Harsh footsteps clomp against the wooden floor.

  Kate slinks behind me, and I put out a protective arm in front of her.

  “Saul.” There’s an unidentifiable emotion hiding in her whisper.

  He reaches around me and grabs her wrist. “Come on, Kate. We’re l
eaving this place. If you’re able to walk around town, you’re able to go back home.” Then he speaks through clenched teeth at me. “That favor exchange we have going … Consider yours upped. I’m cashing in soon, so be prepared.” It’s a threat, one I’m sure he’ll carry through.

  It’s another ten seconds before the doorbell clashes again, and with a slam, they’re gone.

  As I round the bookshelf, Jessica stands breathless in a hospital gown and jacket, bare feet covered with the thick mud of the streets. “I’m sorry, Micah. I’m so sorry. He figured it out. I don’t know how, but he knew I wasn’t her. I thought he was going to kill me right then.”

  I shake my head. “He wouldn’t do that. He likes to draw out and torture his victims first, make it nice and painful. Saul’s not an easy death kind of guy.”

  “He saw you leave the hospital and followed you here.”

  I push past her in a fog. I have to gather myself together again.

  Something’s going down. Something big. And I have to be ready for it.

  FORTY TWO

  THE FAVOR

  (MICAH)

  I leave Silas’s bookshop dismayed and worried about Kate’s safety. Saul was irate when he found I switched Jessica and Kate, but it bought me some much-needed time.

  The way Kate’s eyes lit up and the way her face questioned me, she had to have remembered something. I want to ask her about it, but I can’t. Now that Saul caught onto my ruse, there’s no way he’ll leave her side. Something inside me knows there’s not much time. He’s going to do something and soon.

  I don’t even go home; I head straight to Kate’s house if that’s what you can call it. It’s a room off from Hunter and Ally’s place, but it’s hers. It was something that made her happy. Something of her own.

  Just as I suspected, they’re there. I have to stop myself from walking into the house; instead, I knock and wait to be invited in, but it never happens.

  Saul saunters up and greets me. At least he looks calmer than he did back at the bookshop. Maybe that’s part of his game.