“They already know we’re here,” Raze reminds him.
“True.”
We all pile into an elevator, and I tighten my grip on my gun, closing my eyes and sucking in deep breaths of air.
“You okay?” Chance asks.
“She’s claustrophobic,” Mom answers. “Just imagine you’re running through an open field.”
She always told me to do that. My eyes pop open, and I stare at my mother.
It’s hard to think we were a happy family once.
“Get ready,” Raze says.
I brace myself for a group of enforcers waiting to apprehend us, but when the doors open, the hallway is empty.
“Maybe everyone went down to the second floor?” I ask as we rush to the door marked nineteen. Dad scans his keycard and opens the door, then he’s shoved out of the way by Chance.
There’s only a bed in the room. Honestly, it looks like the old prison cells I saw in my history books.
Ethan stands up from the bed, complete shock on his face as Chance grabs him, yanking him into a hug.
“Thank God,” Chance breathes. “I thought you were dead.”
There’s pure relief on both Chance and Ethan’s faces, the moment emotionally charged.
Watching the brothers reunite, especially knowing how much Chance loves Ethan, a lump forms in my throat, but I swallow it down.
“We have to move,” Mom snaps.
Just then, the elevator door pings open again, and eight enforcers step out.
Both Mom and I raise our arms and point our guns at the enforcers as if we’re moving as one. Honestly, it’s unnerving that even though we’ve been through so much, we’re still in sync.
It’s also a blow to my heart because I really want my loving mother back.
But I can’t think of that right now.
As the guards start to raise their own weapons, I pull the trigger of my gun.
Raze joins us, and Dad ducks into the room for safety. Soon Chance comes out and opens fire on the enemy. One after the other enforcer starts to fall.
A bullet flies by my head, and I’m shoved to the side by Mom.
“Jasper,” Dad cries.
It’s good to know he still cares about me.
Chance and Raze take out most of the enforcers, and when there’s only the buzzing of the aftermath in the air, I try to gather myself and slow my thundering heartbeat.
Mom bumps into me, then stumbles and braces herself against the wall.
It’s only then I see the blood seeping through her shirt by her lower abdomen.
No.
I tuck my gun in the back of my waistband, and darting forward, I press my hand to the wound. “We need a curer.”
“There’s no time,” Raze says.
Dad comes out of the room, and his features tighten at the sight of Mom’s blood. “This way,” he mutters, already moving toward the other door.
He leads us to another room, and I’m horrified to see bodies lining the one wall, all with some kind of defect. Missing arms. Missing legs. Some have no eyes.
Jesus. Failed experiments.
Then I turn my head, and the breath is knocked from my lungs. The room goes on for what seems forever, bags hanging from the ceiling with people in all stages of development in them.
Insensates. This is a breeding room.
“Get on the table,” Dad instructs Mom.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, not trusting the man responsible for this level of depravity, even if he is my father.
“I’m going to remove the bullet and close the wound,” Dad informs us with a neutral tone.
I guess it’s easy for him to cut into people.
When Mom lies down on the table, I take up position next to her and give Dad a look of warning. “Try anything weird, and I’ll kill you myself.”
His eyes lock with mine, and I see sadness flash in his irises, but then he nods and gets to work.
Mom’s hand finds mine, her fingers clinging to me. I look at her and only see pride on her face. “In case something goes wrong. I’m so fucking proud of you, Jasper.”
A lump shoots to my throat, but I force it down.
“You’re going to be fine,” I say, my voice tense with worry.
Chance stands with his arm wrapped around Ethan like he’s afraid his brother will vanish if he lets go of him.
Raze keeps watch, her alert gaze checking the two exits while Dad gets everything ready to remove the bullet from Mom’s side.
I squeeze Mom’s hand. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
I hope.
Chapter 21
Jai
Dad gives Mom something to manage the pain before he starts digging the bullet out of her.
Honestly, I’m squeamish and unable to watch, I turn my attention to Chance and Ethan. The brothers are whispering, and I’m guessing Chance is catching Ethan up on everything he’s missed since the trackers caught him.
I’m so glad he survived and Chance has his brother back. It’s a ray of light in all the darkness we’re facing.
Luckily, it only takes fifteen minutes, and even though Mom should rest and heal, we know there’s no time for that.