Perfect Ruin (Unyielding #2)(85)

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.”