A Chosen Destiny (The Samantha Project Series #3)

by Karpinske, Stephanie

  “We already tried that,” I said. “Erik and I tried listening to the thoughts of people here in the building right before Owens’ dinner with Drew. We were just practicing, but we couldn’t hear anything. Owens must have installed one of those brain wave scrambling devices in here.”

  “Well, that just proves there’s something going on with him. We need to—” Dave stopped when we heard someone coming in from the parking garage. We went out to the common area and saw Owens talking on his phone.

  “I don’t care what you do to him!” he yelled. “Try it on him for all I care!” He put his phone down on the table next to him.

  The room got quiet. Owens noticed us, but before he could say anything his phone rang. “Yes,” he answered. “Tomorrow morning? Excellent. What time?” He listened. “That’s early. But good. It will still be dark. And the plane is ready?” He nodded. “Fine. Yes. Very good.”

  Owens put his phone away, then took his coat off and set it on a chair. “That was about Brittany.”

  I immediately feared the worst. “What about her? Is she hurt?”

  “My team is getting her tomorrow. Well, they’re attempting to. She’s being moved at 5 in the morning. We’re going to ambush the transport vehicle. It’s very risky. And, well, I’m sorry, Samantha, but this will be our only attempt. We can’t try this again. If we don’t get her now, then—”

  “You’ll get her,” I insisted. “You have to.” Part of me wondered why Owens was even trying to rescue Brittany. If he was a bad person, wouldn’t he just forget about her? Maybe Owens wasn’t so bad after all. He had saved Erik and me. And now he was trying to save Brittany.

  “Where is GlobalLife planning to take her?” Jack asked.

  “To their storage facility,” Owens replied. “It’s out in the middle of nowhere. It’s where they keep some of their test animals and supplies.”

  “They’re storing her with animals?” I felt tears forming, but fought them back. “Why are they even keeping her? Why don’t they just let her go? They don’t need her.”

  “They need her to get to you, Samantha,” Owens said. “They know you’ll give yourself up if it means freeing your sister.”

  “Did I hear mention of a plane?” Dave asked.

  “Yes. We’re all leaving tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to New York. I have my plane ready to go. GlobalLife is stepping up their search efforts. They’ve been checking all commercial flights for Samantha and Erik. I told them I have business in the States and that I’ll be flying out tomorrow. They think it’s just me going. But you’ll all be on the flight.”

  “Including Brittany?” I asked.

  “If we have her then, yes,” Owens said. “Jack, I got your message about agreeing to help me open those files. I was very happy to hear that. I’ve got the house all set up for you. My security team is already in place. We can talk more on the plane tomorrow.”

  Owens’ phone rang again. He answered it and disappeared down the hall.

  “This is good,” Jack said quietly. “We’ll finally get out of Iceland and back in the U.S. I’m going to go pack up my things.”

  Erik went with him. After they left, I turned to Dave. “What if they can’t get Brittany? We can’t leave without her.”

  “We might have to, Sam. We can’t stay here. We just have to hope they’re able to get her tomorrow.” He got up to leave. “Do you want me to update Colin?”

  “No. I’ll do it. We’re not fighting anymore. He’s playing the friend role now.”

  “Okay, honey. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

  I went to Colin’s room and knocked on his door. This time he opened it right away.

  “Hi, Colin. I just wanted to let you know that we’re leaving tomorrow. Owens just told us.”

  “That’s good. Do you want to come in?”

  He sat on the bed with me rather than across the room. I took it as a sign that he was slightly less angry.

  “We’re flying out in the afternoon. I don’t know exactly what time, but you should be ready in the morning in case things change.”

  “What about Brittany?”

  “Owens has a plan to get her tomorrow morning when she’s being taken to a new location.”

  “What if they don’t get her?”

  “The plan is that we’ll still leave. But I can’t do that, Colin. I can’t just leave her behind.”

  “You have to, Sam. They’re looking for you and they won’t stop until they find you.”

  “They’ll look for me wherever I go. It doesn’t matter where I am.”

  “Yes. But this is a small country. And it’s isolated. You’re easy to find here. I’m sure Owens already has a safe place lined up for you to stay.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  I told Colin what we’d learned about Owens and how we thought we could no longer trust him.

  “So none of you trust him, but you’re all still going where he tells you to go?” Colin asked.

  “We’re playing along for now. We’re only staying at his house until we have another place lined up.”

  “So where are you guys going?”

  “To New York. Why do you keep talking like just some of us are going? We’re all going.”

  “No, I’m not going with you guys. I’m going home.”

  I stood up to face him. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll get on the plane with everyone tomorrow, but then I’m going back to Minnesota to be with my family and finish school.”

  “Are you crazy? You can’t go back there! GlobalLife is looking for you. You’re not safe.”

  “GlobalLife doesn’t need me, Sam.”

  “Yes, they do! They’ll use you to get to me again, just like they did in Texas.”

  “Then don’t let them. If it happens again, don’t bargain with them. Just let me go.”

  “I’d never do that! Now stop talking like this, Colin. You can’t go back to Minnesota.”

  “I don’t belong with you guys. I’m not involved in whatever your plan is to take down GlobalLife. Jack, Dave, Erik, you? All of you have a role to play. But I’m stuck sitting around, waiting for it to be over. Like you said back in California, I need to move on with my life. Finish high school. Go to college.”

  “And I want you to do those things, Colin, but not now. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ve made my decision, Sam,” He got up and opened the door, signaling me to leave. “I should start packing my stuff. I’ll see you later.”

  I went straight to Dave’s room to tell him about Colin’s decision. Dave didn’t seem at all alarmed by the news. “Well, maybe he should go back home, Sam.”

  “Are you kidding me? Why would you say that? You know GlobalLife will come after him.”

  “GlobalLife only cares about you and Erik. I doubt that Colin is even on their radar anymore.”

  “But GlobalLife knows I wouldn’t want any harm to come to him. And they’ll use that to get to me. You know they will!”

  “That might be true, but Colin is an adult. And if he chooses to go back and live his life, then there isn’t much we can do to stop him.”

  “I can’t believe you’re acting this way! I thought you’d be racing to his room to talk him out of it.”

  “The only person who could convince him to stick around is you, Sam.”

  “But he won’t listen to me.”

  “Then you’re not convincing enough.” He walked out the door. “I need to get some paperwork I left in the lab. I’ll see you later.”

  “That’s it? Aren’t you even going to talk to him about it?” I called after Dave, but he continued down the hall.

  Later that night, I went to the kitchen and found Colin there.

  “I was just going back to my room. I’ll see you in the morning, Sam. What time are they getting Brittany?”

  “Around 5 or a little after.”

  “Well, I hope everything goes well.” He started to leave.

  �
�Wait. Can I ask you something?”

  He turned back. “Yeah. What?”

  “When they go to get Brittany tomorrow, Owens said we could sit in with the security guys and listen for updates. Would you mind being there with me? Jack and Dave will be there, but I’d really like to have you there, too. I know it’s early so—”

  “Sure. I’ll be there. Goodnight.”

  I was hoping that Colin would see that I was trying to reach out to him, but he didn’t seem to take it that way. He acted like he wasn’t interested in any attempts at making up. It was like he’d already moved on.

  When I went to bed I couldn’t sleep. Owens didn’t go over any details about how they were getting Brittany, which left my mind thinking of a million scenarios for how this could go wrong. If Owens’ team didn’t get her, what would that mean for Brittany? How long would GlobalLife keep her in that storage place? What would happen to her there?

  “Sam? You up?” It was Erik, mind-talking from his room.

  “Yes. I’m worried about Brittany.”

  “Yeah. Me, too. We all are. My dad didn’t want to act worried around you, but he can’t sleep either.”

  “He doesn’t think they’ll get her, does he? On second thought, don’t tell me. Talk about something else.”

  “Okay. So I guess this house Owens is making us stay at is in a small town in New York, about an hour from New York City. My dad said the GlobalLife Genetics building is in White Plains, which isn’t too far from the town where we’ll be living.”

  “Did he say anything about that group we’re working with?”

  “Rachel’s going to introduce us to them when we get to New York. Some of the members have been working undercover at that GlobalLife Genetics building for months and still have no idea where the genes are being stored. So they’re hoping Dave and my dad can help. Some other people from the group are being brought in to help as well. They’ll be temporarily living in the same area where we’ll be staying. Funny, huh? Owens has no clue.”

  “You know, I should probably try to sleep a little, Erik.”

  “Hey, I heard Colin is flying back to Minnesota once we get to New York.”

  “He just said that. He can’t really go back. It’s not like he can get a plane ticket. He doesn’t even have any ID. All his stuff is back in Minnesota.”

  “No. He’s definitely going. My dad said that Owens set everything up. He’s going on Owens’ private plane. That’s good, right? Colin can go back to school and be with his family.”

  “No! It’s not good, Erik! He won’t be safe.”

  “Well, not that we can believe Owens, but he claims GlobalLife isn’t interested in Colin anymore. I guess at that gala, we really convinced everyone that we were a couple. GlobalLife thinks you’ve moved on from Colin. Hey, my dad’s asking me something. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Now I really wouldn’t get any sleep. I had to figure out a way to get Colin to stay. He wouldn’t be safe in Minnesota. And being there would put his family in danger. Why didn’t anyone else get this?

  At 4:30 the next morning, Colin was knocking on my door. “Hi, Sam. I figured you’d want to get there early and I was up anyway.”

  I hugged him, not caring if he didn’t want me to. I needed it. I was so nervous that this wouldn’t go well. Luckily, he hugged me back.

  “Early is good, Colin. Let’s head down there.”

  We went to the security station, which was a room full of monitors, computers, and all kinds of other equipment. The monitors showed nothing but an open field. It was an image of what was right above us. The underground building we were staying in was well hidden. You could walk right on top of it and not know anything was below.

  Two men from Owens’ security team were sitting watching the monitors. Vince and some man I didn’t know sat behind them at a table. Vince was holding some type of oversized cell phone. Colin and I took a seat at the table across from him. Erik, Jack, and Dave arrived a few minutes later. Jack started to talk, but Vince motioned him to be quiet as he responded to someone on the phone.

  Something was happening. Vince listened intently while the rest of us sat there wondering what was going on. It was only 4:50. GlobalLife wasn’t supposed to take Brittany to the new location until at least 5, if not later.

  “When did they find out?” Vince had a strange look on his face. “So what does that mean for us?” He listened. “And if they don’t, it’s over.” He nodded. “Yes. Okay.” He put the phone down on the table.

  “What is it? What happened?” I asked.

  Vince looked confused, like he was trying to figure out for himself what had happened. “When the GlobalLife transport team arrived to take your sister to the new facility, she wasn’t there.”

  “What are you talking about? Where else would she be?”

  “They said she got out. She somehow managed to escape from GlobalLife.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Final Thoughts

  “How do your people know this?” Dave asked.

  “One of our guys was able to intercept the call that came from GlobalLife security. They just reported that Brittany was gone. It doesn’t make sense. She was in a locked room. There were a couple guards right outside. I don’t even know how this is possible.”

  “Maybe someone else took her.” My mind raced trying to figure out who else might want Brittany. Maybe Drew Chamberlin? But he had no reason to take her.

  “Very few people have access to that floor,” Vince said.

  “What if she really did escape?” Erik asked. “I mean, Brittany is tougher than you think. She can take care of herself. Hell, she took care of all of us, taking out those guys at the trailer. Maybe she really did get out of there on her own.”

  Jack shook his head. “That’s impossible, Erik. I agree that she can take care of herself, but getting out of GlobalLife without any type of weapon? That’s just not realistic.”

  I pictured the exterior of GlobalLife in my head, remembering how it looked and wondering where she would go if she did escape. And then an image popped in my head. I raced over to the monitors. “Let me see outside!”

  The two security guards watching the monitors looked at me like I was crazy. “Hurry!” I yelled at them. They moved back so I could see the monitors. “These are all too dark. Are there any cameras near a street light or any kind of light?”

  The one guard tapped on the digital tablet sitting in front of him. A new image came up on one of the monitors. It showed just what I wanted to see. Fog. Fog and darkness.

  “I know where she is!” I turned to Vince. “Get your people on the phone.”

  He, too, looked at me like I was nuts, but he picked up the phone.

  “Sam, what is it?” Dave asked.

  “That dream I had during the procedure. It wasn’t a dream. It was a premonition. Brittany was calling for me. It was dark and foggy, just like it is now.”

  I listened for Brittany’s thoughts, wondering why I wasn’t hearing her like I had in the dream.

  Vince put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. “Samantha thinks she knows where the girl is.”

  I leaned down closer to the phone. “She’s near a lighthouse. There’s an open field all around it. And the field is covered in snow. Lots of snow. Like two feet of snow.”

  “Sounds like most of Iceland,” the man on the other end of the phone said. “You’ve gotta give me more than that.”

  I pictured the image in my head again. “The lighthouse. It’s umm—it’s white. There’s a large red stripe at the top. A really thick stripe. And the ocean is right there. It sounded like the water was hitting rocks. But I couldn’t see the ocean. I could only hear it. Like I was high above it. I think the lighthouse was on a cliff.”

  “How do you know this? Were you at this place before?”

  “It doesn’t matter how I know. Do you have any idea where this is?”

  The man’s voice faded for a moment as he talked to someone in the car. The
n we heard him again. “Okay. We did a search of the lighthouses in the area. There’s one that matches that description.”

  “Then go! What are you waiting for? Go find her!”

  “We’ll see what we can do. But I don’t know how she’d end up out there.”

  Vince picked the phone back up, taking it off speaker. He mumbled a few more things to the guy on the phone, then hung up.

  I could feel my heart beating through my chest. “She’s gotta be there. She has to be. It’s just like my dream.”

  “Honey, if she’s not there, we’ll find her,” Dave assured me. “Just calm down.”

  “I can’t calm down!” I turned to Vince. “How far away are they from the lighthouse? Did they say?”

  “Not far. Maybe 10 minutes away.”

  “What if GlobalLife finds her first? Call them back! Tell them to hurry!”

  He ignored me. Dave put his arm around me. “Sam. We just have to wait.”

  We sat there for what seemed like an eternity but was really about 15 minutes.

  Erik caught my eye. “They got her,” he thought to me.

  “What are you talking about?” I thought back. “Who got her?”

  The phone rang before he could answer. I reached for the phone but Vince got to it first. He stood up and turned away. “Yes.” He listened. “Okay.”

  I stood behind him, waiting for the news. “What is it? Put it on speaker!”

  He motioned for me to be quiet. “At what time? All right. I’ll tell them.” He hung up the phone.

  “Tell us what? What is it?”

  He smiled. “We got her. We have your sister.”

  “Yes!” Tears of joy ran down my face. I grabbed Colin and hugged him. Then I hugged Dave. I looked over at Erik, who was smiling at me. Somehow he knew about Brittany before the phone call, but how? I was too distracted to ask.

  “Brittany was near that lighthouse,” Vince confirmed, “just like you described, Samantha.”

  “So what now?” Jack asked him. “Are they bringing her here?”

  “No. She’s headed to the airport. Mr. Owens’ plane is ready to leave. All of you need to be there shortly. Grab your things. There’s a limo waiting to take you.”