The Forbidden Trilogy(103)

Brad closed the cell phone and stared at us, his pale face lined with tears. "I can't stand the thought of leaving him, but I have to agree with Drake. Sam, I knew him best. He would want you to be somewhere safe. We need to leave, now."

I glared at Drake. "Are you going to use mind control on me if I don't?"

He dropped his head. "No. I'll stay with you, and we'll both get taken in. We won't be able to go after the Seeker. We won't be able to free your friends or the other kids. But I'll stay with you if you want."

My heart cracked into a million tiny pieces. How could I choose between them and our dear professor, the man who'd spent countless hours discussing philosophy and morality with me? I felt his pulse. His heart still beat, rapid but strong. The knife appeared to be closer to his shoulder than chest, nowhere near his heart.

My mind flashed to Ana, to her still, dead form.

Too many people had died for this. I had to stop Rent-A-Kid, once and for all.

"Let's go. I don't like it, but you're right. We have to stop the Seeker, and I know where he is."





Chapter 44 – Lucy



Mr. Black threw Lucy against the white brick wall in an interrogation room. Before she could clear her ears of the buzzing, his fist crashed into her cheek and sent an explosion of pain through her head.

She raised her leg to kick him, but fell back, too dizzy and disoriented to stay on her feet.

He yelled, but it took a moment for Lucy to make sense of the words. "You little piece of shit. You put this whole operation at risk by disobeying orders!"

Another fist. A kick. Every part of her body swelled under the torment.

"You also put my job at risk, and that is not tolerable. They have let you little shits run around doing what you want for too long. Well, not under my watch."

Blood filled her mouth. Tears streaked her face. Her lungs expanded and collapsed only with an effort that took all her strength.

There had to be a way to fight him.

She willed him to lie, to get on his walkie-talkie and say he needed backup. Anything to distract him.

Nothing happened.

Just more punches, more slaps, more kicks.

She fell to the floor.

She pushed again.

Mr. Black didn't stop.

She tried to sit up, but couldn't. She wrapped her arms around her head and let him beat her.

"Get up. Get up and fight me, you bitch."

He kicked her ribs, and sharp bites of pain spread through her. She screamed out, but still couldn't move.

She spat on his shoe—the only way she could fight back. "Kill me if you think that'll make you a real man." She coughed. So hard to get air. "Such a hero, beating up kids. Your family must be proud."

He leaned over and spat in her face. Rather than enrage him further, her taunts seemed to calm him.

"I'm not going to kill you, bitch. It wouldn't make a difference. You're not going to be here long anyways."

He smiled like the oily bastard he was, and left Lucy lying on the ground, broken and bloody.

No one helped her. No one cared.

Time held no meaning. She slipped in and out of consciousness. Darkness had fallen by the time she finally managed to stand and walk—Mr. Black had taken her to the interrogation room early in the day.

Lucy wished real life came with a soundtrack as she stumbled to her dorm. For this scene, she would've played something by Clint Mansell, one of his beautiful instrumental compositions suited a miserable walk home.

Imaginary music filled the air around her. She tried to hum with it, but couldn't spare the extra breath.

She entered her suite and collapsed onto the couch.

***

"Luce? Lucy? Oh my God, what happened to you? Who did this?"

Luke stood over her, but he was blurry. No, wait, her eyes didn't work. Why wouldn't they open all the way?

"Lucy, don't move. You're hurt, bad. Just... stay still. I'm going to get the nurse."

Darkness came again. Fists—so many fists—slamming into me again and again. Her dream cry turned real when hands pressed into her bruises, jolting her awake.

A calm voice soothed her. "Shh. It's okay. I'm giving you something to help. It's experimental, but it should have you right as rain in no time."

Images flickered in and out of her mind until cohesive thought returned to her. When she opened her eyes again, and fully, she saw Luke asleep on the floor next to the couch.

"Luke, wake up."

He sat up and hugged her as he might hug a butterfly. "You look a lot better. That drug could make them a fortune in the professional boxing circuit."

Lucy laughed, and it didn't hurt as much as she had expected. Like being kicked in the ribs rather than stabbed with a knife—now that's improvement!

Luke brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. "Who did this to you?"

"Mr. Black. It was payback for botching the operation."