Lucidity

by CJ Lyons

  "What do you want?" he asked, the words burning in his throat, making his stomach churn with loathing and disgust.

  "Simple. I'm going to wake Lukas, allow him to say good-bye to Grace. You play the role of the pathologist, explain to him how she died of her injuries in the car accident." She gave him a mock frown of concern. "Be sure to tell him that she didn't suffer, that she went fast. Show him the body. Then Renee and I will take it from there. I'll put him back under, he'll wake up in his room, thinking that all this," she gestured to Grace and the room, "is a distant memory, happened four years ago."

  "At least give Grace a sedative," he pleaded, his vision watching Grace's heart beat racing along the monitor. "There's no reason to torture her. A little midazolam, something to let her forget."

  "You idiot. You really do care for her. Even after she nearly ruined everything." She pursed her lips in consideration. "You behave yourself, do exactly what I say and I'll erase her memories. She'll never remember today, never remember Lukas or what happened."

  "You can do that?"

  She laughed once more. "Honey, with Lucidine, I can do anything. Give you ideas you never dreamed of and make you think they were yours, convince you how to vote, what kind of car to buy, help you forget any little bad thing that's been nagging at your conscience."

  Vincent watched in silence as she gleefully removed the ice packs. Grace's face was even paler than before, her skin almost transparent. He touched her cheek. Ice cold.

  "It will be all right," he whispered to her as Eve disconnected the monitors and the sound of her heartbeat vanished. Eve pushed more drugs into the IV, then disconnected it, folding Grace's hands over the sheet that covered her body. Vincent felt for the pulse in Grace's neck, it was almost non-existent.

  Eve backed away, gazed on her still-life arrangement and nodded in approval. "Time to wake up our boy," she told Renee.

  CHAPTER 35

  Faith in Nothing

  Grace was helpless, more helpless than she'd ever been in her life. Unable to fight, unable to talk, unable even to blink.

  And she was mad as hell. Mad at Eve, mad at Vincent, but most of all furious with herself for not finding another way before it came to this. She'd given up, believed that since she soon would be dead, nothing that happened to her mattered anymore.

  She was wrong. Dead wrong.

  At least Jimmy wasn't here to witness her surrender. Never before in her life had she given up, not even when Lukas--

  Then he was there, his flat brown eyes staring into her unblinking ones. Her chest was tight, the muscles paralyzed so that she could barely draw in any air, but his presence made her feel like she was drowning. She fought her panic almost as much as she fought the drug that kept her helpless.

  "Grace," Lukas cried out, tears streaming down his face, splashing warm against her chilled skin. His fingers stroked her hair, pulled it back. "Oh my God, Grace."

  She almost felt compassion for the man hovering above her body. He truly was grief-stricken, brainwashed into believing that her death was an accident, that she had loved him. Lies woven so seamlessly into his own delusions, she doubted if Lukas had any earthly idea what was reality and what was illusion.

  Another thing Eve Warden had to answer for. Lukas was a monster and curing him of his obsession with Grace would only free him to fixate on another innocent woman. How could Eve have ever believed that this was a good use of her research, her talent?

  "She didn't suffer, Mr. Redding," Vincent's voice came from beyond her vision.

  Lukas took no comfort in the words. He fell sobbing to the floor, his head resting on Grace's chest. His tears soaked through the sheet that covered her, his weight adding to the pressure against her chest. Her vision darkened as she struggled for air.

  What if Lukas heard her breathe? Felt her heart beat? Grace froze, trying to still her vital processes as much as the Lucidine had stilled her muscles.

  Vincent must have had the same thought because she saw his hands reach out to pull Lukas away. Two pairs of high heels clattered on the floor and Eve appeared on Lukas' other side, accompanied by another, older woman. Lukas' mother, Grace recognized from the preliminary hearing four years ago. Back then the woman had stared across the courtroom at Grace with the venomous glare of a death adder.

  "Come now, Lukas," she said in a tone of fake condolence. "Come home with me and everything will be all right."

  "First," Eve added, maneuvering a syringe from her pocket, "let me give you something to ease the pain."

  Lukas ignored the women, shoulders bowed as he wept. Eve reached for his arm and he shrugged her away. "No. I don't want any drugs."

  "Lukas, it's for your own good. Now, be a good boy and do as the doctor says."

  Grace held her breath, prayed that he would obey his mother and leave. End this nightmare. He nodded slowly, his head moving as if it were too heavy for his body. Then he reached for her hand once more.

  His fingers tightened on hers. At first a gentle pressure, then with a force that sent waves of pain down her arm. He wrenched at her ring finger, twisting the two gold bands there, tugging them free, revealing the thin ribbon of scar tissue they hid.

  "Not gold," he shouted, examining her wedding band in the bright treatment light that glared down on her. "It's supposed to be a diamond." Her emerald engagement ring flashed as he waved it in Eve's face. "I gave her a diamond."

  Lukas' voice grew louder, his face flushed scarlet with fury. Eve took a step toward him, touched his arm.

  "Calm down, Lukas." Grace saw Eve's hand, the syringe ready to go, reach out toward him.

  Lukas spotted the movement as well, shoving Eve so hard that she skidded up against the door. He scowled down at the two rings in his hand and then hurled them across the room into the utility sink. They hit the porcelain with the clash of bullets.

  "Lukas, please," his mother reached for his hand. "Don't do this. Let me help you."

  "You lied to me," he spat out the words. "You all lied to me!"

  He raised his hand to strike his mother, but Vincent rushed him, pulling him away from Grace's field of vision. She heard the clatter of an instrument stand toppling, the crash of metal on the tile floor. The Lukas re-appeared, holding the metal tray over his head like a club.

  Grace had no choice but to stare helplessly into the face of her killer.

  Mrs. Redding intervened, tugging at her son's arm. "Lukas, they'll put you in jail again."

  "Why did you lie to me?" he asked, his gaze never leaving Grace's face. He lowered the tray. "Why did you tell me she was dead?"

  Mrs. Redding drew close enough that Grace could see the lines of her lipstick feathering past her lips as she sneered. "She's as good as dead anyway. Forget about her, Lukas. You don't need her. All you need is me."

  "You'll be there for me? Just like you always are?" His voice emerged shrill, a child begging for attention.

  "Of course, Lukas. I'll always be here for you. You know that."

  "Yes, mother. Yes I do." He drew in a deep, shuddering breath.

  Grace fought against the drug, felt as if she could almost move her fingers. But then he raised the metal tray over his head once more and she knew that wouldn't be enough.

  "Put that down and listen to me, Lukas!" Renee shouted. "Do as I say or I won't let you come home with me. I'll leave you here forever!"

  Lukas blinked hard, his eyes still locked onto Grace's. Then in one quick motion he whirled and slammed the edge of the tray into his mother's throat. Blood spurted out in an arc as she dropped to the floor.

  "Stop your lying, Mother. I can't take any more lies!"

  Blood splattered her face and body, the smell of death filled the air as the gurgled sounds coming from Lukas' mother faded into silence. Grace managed to blink away the blood burning her eyes. She tried to move her lips, to speak but only a small squeak emerged.

  Lukas dropped the tray with a clatter. "I would never hurt you, Grace," he cried, tugging the blood-soaked
sheet away from her and gathering her into his arms. "I love you. I'm here to save you."

  He gathered her into his arms and fled.

  Vincent saw Eve sidle out the door and hoped she was getting security. Then Lukas threw him against the wall and everything went blurry for a few seconds. He lay there, his head throbbing, watching and listening as Lukas attacked his mother and took Grace.

  He staggered back to his feet. He could run after them, should run after them. But the look in Lukas' eyes...

  The corpse at his feet made up his mind. He cared for Grace, but he wasn't about to die for her. He tried to avoid the blood puddling around Mrs. Redding's body as he moved to the phone on the wall. Before he could dial, Eve pushed through the door, brandishing a large gun.

  "Where'd he go?" she demanded. Her face was flushed with streaks of angry red and the force of her glare made him lose his voice for a moment.

  "He took Grace," he finally stuttered. "I don't know where." He pointed to the gun. "You don't need that. We'll be safe here until the police come."

  She tilted her head, staring at him with a half smile as if he were a strange creature from another planet that she'd stumbled upon. "I didn't call the police, Vincent. Lukas is our problem. We need to protect the Lucidine project." She nodded to the still recording camera. "Once I take care of him, we'll make sure there's no evidence that any of this happened." Her smile widened. "At least not this way."

  "Eve." He almost choked on her name, his throat was so tight. "A woman's dead. A patient kidnapped--maybe dead as well if we don't stop him."

  She hefted the gun. "Don't worry. We'll stop him. Too bad that Grace might accidentally get in the line of fire. But wouldn't that just solve all our problems, lover?"

  He stood frozen as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and spun back out of the room. She was going to kill Grace, the words repeated through his mind, barely penetrating the pounding of his pulse. He dropped the phone, held his breath against the thick scent of death threatening to choke him and pushed through the door.

  He took two steps toward the lobby, following Eve and Grace. Then stopped. Eve was right about one thing. What happened here never happened. Not if Vincent ever wanted to practice medicine again. To ever have the life he dreamed of.

  The faint sound of a shot pierced his awareness.

  Vincent turned and ran the other way.

  CHAPTER 36

  Leap of Faith

  Grace fought against the urge to blink. Slowly, control of her muscles had returned, but she remained limp in Lukas' arms, waiting until she was certain she was strong enough to escape.

  This time she would escape, she vowed as he ran across the Skyway and into the Annex. He pushed through the open door leading onto the helipad, knocking her head against the metal frame.

  "Sorry, sorry, sorry," he muttered, swinging around as he searched for an escape route.

  "Not as sorry as you're gonna be," Jimmy shouted, barreling from the shadows and plowing into Lukas.

  Lukas stumbled back, slamming into the wall. Jimmy locked his hands around his neck, Grace pinned between them.

  "Remember me, laddy?" Jimmy sneered as his fingers tightened.

  Lukas dropped Grace. He brought his hands up, squeezing Jimmy's throat.

  Grace rolled free. Clouds piled high around them, spewing torrents of sleet and rain on the two men locked in mortal combat. Wind whipped the clouds aside for a brief instant, a stream of pale sunlight lancing through the air, pinning the two men in a spear of light.

  "Jimmy!" she called as Lukas reared back, then with the roar of a cornered animal, butted his head against Jimmy's face.

  "Run, Grace!"

  Lukas forced Jimmy to take a step back, then rammed his knee into Jimmy's groin. Jimmy's grip on Lukas's neck faltered. Lukas brought his arms up and forced Jimmy's hands away.

  "She's mine. You'll never have her, you devil," Lukas shouted.

  Jimmy charged once more while Grace tried to find her footing. Finally her muscles were obeying her command. But there was nowhere to go. The two men blocked the only exit.

  She looked around for a weapon, anything she could use to help Jimmy. He tore his attention away from Lukas. "Forget about me, Grace. Get out of here. Damn it, don't let the bastard win again."

  Lukas charged him, sending them both to the ground. The two men grappled, rolling in the puddles and gravel coating the rooftop. The exit was still blocked. But there was another way.

  Grace flexed her fingers. The helipad sat about ten feet below the rest of the rooftop. If she could climb the brick wall up to the main roof, she could drop down to the Skyway's glass roof. There was a hatch halfway along. From there she could get back inside, find help for Jimmy.

  She ran to the parapet and clawed her way onto the bricks. The mortar joints were rain-slicked and she was out of practice, but momentum and sheer determination kept her moving from finger hold to finger hold until she was able to swing herself over the top. She stood, easing her cramped and iced fingers. Jimmy and Lukas were both bloodied now, but Jimmy appeared to be losing the fight. Lukas was on top, straddling Jimmy, his knee against Jimmy's windpipe.

  Jimmy turned his face away from his attacker to look up at Grace. Her eyes welled over with tears. She was going to lose him. Again.

  Then Lukas would come for her. The wasps swarmed as her stomach roiled with terror. She side-stepped until she was just above the midpoint of the Skyway's flat glass roof, then swung herself over the edge. She dangled for a moment, at the mercy of the wind and rain. Sleet, sharp as daggers, lanced into her from every direction.

  She dropped onto the glass, the impact knocking her breath away. When she looked back, she saw Lukas following in her path, already to the top of the roof above her.

  Her breath came in panicked gasps as she rolled onto her belly and began crawling along the sleet-slicked glass. The thud of Lukas's landing rattled the glass beneath her body. She clawed for any purchase on the unyielding surface, finding only widely spaced thin-rimmed metal supports.

  "Grace!" Jimmy's voice ripped through her panic. She turned her head and saw that he'd made it to the rooftop above them. Lukas was close, too close. As Jimmy leapt onto the Skyway, Lukas snaked a hand out toward her.

  Jimmy slammed against the glass, the force of his landing almost rolling him off the edge. Grace kicked against Lukas' grip. The madman's mouth was open, the wind shredding his words as he grinned at her in delight, as if this nightmare was the answer to his prayers. He reached his other hand to grab her ankle and began to haul her toward him.

  Grace allowed herself to slip back close enough to aim a kick against his face. His grip loosened for a moment and she clawed her way forward. The hatch was only a foot or so away, if she could reach the handle...

  A shot tore through the air. The glass beside Grace's hand splintered into a small star. She raised her head and stared across the void at the helipad.

  Eve Warden stood there, a very large black gun resting in her hands. She looked confident as she raised it once more and took aim.

  "No!" Lukas cried, leaping forward to cover Grace's body with his own. The sound of another shot rang out. Lukas' right arm dripped blood. He looked down at the blood and then into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Grace. I should have loved you better."

  He turned and climbed to his feet, straightening to his full height, shielding her from Eve's deadly aim.

  "I'll come back," he shouted to Eve. "I'll do what you want, if you leave her alone."

  Jimmy got to his feet on the other side of Lukas, while Grace eased her way forward. She grabbed the handle to the hatch and twisted it with all her might. The frozen metal burnt the torn skin of her palms and refused to budge.

  "Sorry, Lukas," Eve said. "It's too late. For both of you." Another shot sliced through the night, ricocheting off the steel housing of the hatch, narrowly missing Grace's face. Grace pulled back, turned her head away. She wrenched her weight against the handle.

  It gr
oaned, began to turn, then stopped again. Grace yanked once more, felt it give. She pulled herself up to a crouch and hauled the small glass door open.

  "Grace, look out," Jimmy called as she felt Lukas's hands push against her back. A fourth shot sounded.

  Grace caught her balance before she could fall through the opening. She twisted to look around. Lukas stood, towering over her, his chest blossoming blood. "I was only trying--"

  His words were swallowed by the wind as Jimmy stampeded into him, launching both men to the edge. Lucas's arms wind-milled wildly, his expression one of surprise and terror as he plummeted into the void.

  Jimmy landed on his belly but his momentum toppled him over the edge of the icy surface. Grace watched, her throat tight with fear. At the last moment he grabbed hold of the edge, his fingers clawing into the metal framing.

  Grace ignored the crack of another gunshot. She hooked her feet on the hatchway's inside rim, using it as an anchor, and flattened herself out on the roof as if it were an icy pond and Jimmy had fallen through. Stretching out to her full length, she was able to grab onto Jimmy's right wrist with both of her hands.

  Blood dripped from his nose, one eye was already swelling, but still he looked up at her with a smile. "Isn't this where we started, love?"

  "Stop talking and start climbing," she said between clenched teeth. "Don't know how long I can hold on to you."

  "S'all right, Grace. Let me go."

  She stared at him in horror. "No, never. Jimmy, don't ask me--"

  Another shot interrupted her. He slipped further from her reach. Grace clamped her fingers tighter, her arms trembling from the effort.

  "My time is soon up," he crooned softly. "Let me go, love."

  "No," she sobbed. "Please, no. I can't lose you again, I can't go on."

  "Sure you can, Grace. You always could. And our love will never die." His smile widened to a grin. "We've proved that, haven't we? Outfoxed them all. Even that bastard, Leo."