Thea
Pierce collapses to the floor beside me, and I scream.
“No!” That one word feels empty and insufficient for the man who means so much to me.
One of Gavin’s men holds the literal smoking gun. “That guy was getting on my nerves,” he mutters.
My body is still weak, but I fight for strength to look at Pierce. He has to be fine. I need more time with him. I need more of his grumpy looks and tempting smirks. Blood pools sickeningly around him, and the sight of it nearly does me in.
He groans and I gasp with relief as he rolls onto his back. I see the horrifying hole in the side of his pants, as blood rushes from that spot, but he’s alive. That’s all that matters.
Pierce reaches for his gun, but another gun clicks.
“Don’t even think about it,” the henchman named Landon says, stopping him. “Or I shoot her next.”
“Really, Landon?” I cast him a disapproving scowl. “I thought we had a moment in the elevator earlier. Matching tattoos, remember?” Maybe he forgot.
“My tattoo means I’ve killed people.”
So he wouldn’t be at all fazed by adding two more to that list. “Huh, I could have sworn it was the dying of laughter emoji. There’s still time to change it.”
Someone snorts. Cooper. I’ll have some choice words for him as soon as I can say them.
“I’m not playing a game, girl. The second I get the go ahead, I kill you. And it will cost me nothing.”
“It won’t keep you up at night? Wrack you with guilt for as long as you live?” I muse. “Has anyone ever said you might be a sociopath?”
“Thea…” Pierce’s warning tone reaches me, and in his eyes, I see something I’ve never seen before: fear and… love. He will do anything to protect me, but he’s out of options. This is serious. I can’t talk our way out of this by diagnosing people. And honestly, when has that ever worked?
Pierce’s expression is absolutely heartbreaking. I want to fix it. Fix it all for him. He’s tried so hard to keep me safe, to protect me, and now I wish I could throw my body over his.
“Enough of this. Give me the drive,” Gavin demands, holding Pierce’s gun with one hand while his other hand drips blood on the floor.
Each drip times perfectly with the ticks of the bomb, bringing us one second closer to the end.
We aren’t making it out of here. Megan and my dad will learn about this soon.
My dad will be devastated. Will he blame Pierce for my death? I hope he doesn’t.
If I weren’t here, Pierce would never let his gun go. He’d fight until the end. Even now, he’s protecting me.
“Let us go, and I’ll give it to you,” Pierce says.
“Unfortunately, that is no longer an option,” Gavin spits.
The backs of my eyes burn, and I fight my blurring vision. It can’t end this way. I needed more time. To finally read my aunt’s book. To sit with my dad for one more documentary. Who will take him to the cemetery when he wants to visit Mom? Who will take him to his appointments?
The two guards are up, towering over us. It’s over.
“Search him,” Gavin says and one of his men drops down, ransacking Pierce’s broken body.
“It’s here,” Pierce says, shoving the man off and holding up a small drive. “You better leave before my backup gets here.”
Gavin chuckles as he slips the drive from Pierce. “I did my research on you, and I learned one important thing. You always work alone.”
“Not anymore,” Pierce snarls.
“I’m calling your bluff.” Gavin takes something out of his coat pocket. A syringe. “Get the girl.”
My body tenses, and I scream, kicking against the ground and whoever tries to grab me. But Landon snatches me from behind. He hauls me up, pinning me to his chest as I kick for all I’m worth.
Gavin approaches slowly, dangerously, syringe outstretched. “Let’s see what takes you first—your father’s creation or the bomb.”
“You don’t have the correct formula,” I spit.
“No, but see, I have something I’ve been using for years on your father that has worked quite well.”
What is he talking about? Years? He hasn’t visited once. But someone else has…
“Good old, eager to please Andi over there has been regularly dosing your dad with this watered down version of the basic drug, you know, just to make sure his memories don’t make a reappearance. I hear he forgets things daily though.” He smacks his lips. “Tough business.”
She’s been drugging him? I look at her, and for the first time all day, she doesn’t meet my eyes.
Of all the things she did, how could she continually make my dad forget?
She saw first hand how much he was suffering.
Was she doing it at Sunday dinner right under my nose?
I never noticed, never thought it was suspicious that she insisted on setting the table.
“No.” I choke on the word.
“Let her go,” Pierce warns, getting to his feet though it obviously pains him.
“Should I get rid of him now, boss?” the other henchman asks.
Gavin grins. “Let him live long enough to see his girlfriend forget all about him. I added my own special touch to this formula, who knows what might happen.” He’s giddy at the prospect.
“No,” I say again, fighting against Landon’s hold as the full syringe draws nearer. I don’t want to forget Pierce, or any moment we’ve spent together, even if we only have a few more moments left. I won’t let Gavin get away with what he did to my dad. This is not the end.
I grab the arm around my neck and duck my chin like Pierce taught me, but Landon isn’t pulling me back.
“Touch her and die,” Pierce snarls.
Gavin chuckles. “I prefer my odds to yours.” He grabs the neck of my shirt, and I scream again. I stomp on Landon’s foot. It’s not much, but it’s enough to make him fall back a step. I send another elbow into his stomach then yank on his arm, ducking and spinning out of his grasp.
I did it!
Glass explodes on the table, and smoke fills the room.
My experiment worked! I’m so elated I don’t move fast enough. Something sharp punctures my arm.
No.
A beaker slams down on Gavin’s head, and he cries out in pain as he slumps to the floor in front of… Cooper?
I rip the syringe from my arm, holding it up with shaky fingers.
It’s not empty… but it’s no longer full.
My arm burns and the sensation infiltrates my body.
No no no.
There’s another shatter of glass.
The world clouds over, the people, the images around me fading to shadows. Somewhere around me, Pierce is swinging his mighty fists around.
It makes me smile, but I’m not happy. I’m sad. Very sad. Because I’m going to forget something. Something important.
“Thea?” A face appears through the smoke like the sun appearing through clouds. A beautiful face. A face I love.
That’s what I almost forgot.
“I love you.” I whisper.
His lips move but I can’t hear the words he speaks.
There’s noise, so much noise I can sense it all around me, but I can’t hear it. There’s light and darkness, fear and peace. And then… nothing.