by Jessica Kapp
She bristles. “Kenny asked me to stop by. See if anyone was home. He hasn’t heard from Gavin lately. Who’s in the basement?”
“No one you need to worry about right now. Just get us to the lab.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
I don’t trust her like Gavin does, but I need an ally right now and Cherry’s the one who can get me where I need to go. “Fine. I’ll tell you on the drive.” She shifts the car into gear.
Her face stays taut as I explain everything—from Kenny’s involvement, to the message on the machine. Her mouth finally relaxes when I finish. It seems that my selflessness has earned her respect. I am, after all, trying to save the man we both love. If I die, it’ll be a bonus for her.
“I knew Kenny was lying,” Cherry says under her breath.
“Then why are you helping him?”
“I’m not,” she snaps. “I hate Kenny. He thinks he’s better than everyone because his dad makes all the pills.”
“But you went to Gavin’s house.” I gesture behind us.
“I was worried about Gavin. Kenny knew I’d come out here if he asked.” Her voice is small, defeated. “I had to. It’s Gavin.”
I’m not sure what to say, but I nod to let her know I understand.
“Besides, I wasn’t helping Kenny, I was helping Gavin. At least I thought I was,” she continues. “Kenny started calling me a few months ago. He kept asking if I knew anything about this group that was going around stealing patients from the hospital. I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about, even when he told me he heard Ry was buying bodies in the junkie district.” She glances over and waits for me to meet her eyes. “Gavin told me not to say a word. He wanted to make sure I stayed safe.”
“Why’d you open your mouth then?”
Her lips form a tight red line, just like her mom’s. “Kenny tricked me into telling him. He made me think he had changed, that he really cared about people.” She shakes her head in disgust. “Meanwhile Gavin was actually saving people—or at least trying too.” She shoots me a sideways glare. “You weren’t the one consoling him when he failed. It was destroying him inside…” Her wheel grip tightens. “I just wanted to help him…I should’ve known better than to trust Kenny.” We’re both silent for several seconds, then she wipes an eye and sits up. “So what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to offer Kenny a trade. Me for both of them.”
“You’re going to give yourself up?” There’s genuine concern in her voice.
“I think I know how I can get Kenny to let me go.” I pull out the red pill.
She does a double take. “Where did you get that?”
“I found it.” In your mom’s purse, I want to add. “All I need to do is get him to take it.”
“And how do you suppose you’ll do that?”
I tuck the pill away. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.” The truth is I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull this off. But I have to try.
My body tenses as we pull into PharmPerfect’s parking lot. It’s packed with cars, each trying to outshine the next. Cherry drives down the front row, and we eye the entry gate that leads to a garden area.
“That’s where employees enter,” she says as if it wasn’t obvious.
My heart kicks into high speed when she parks. This is it. There’s no going back now.
“He’ll let you inside, right?” I ask.
“Absolutely.” Cherry dabs on some lipstick. “Kenny still thinks we’re friends.” She smiles to herself.
“Tell Kenny he can have me if he lets Gavin and his dad go.” She reaches for the handle and I grab her shoulder before she gets out. “I’ll be in the bushes by the entrance.”
“Bushes. Got it.” She cracks the door.
“Wait.” I struggle to keep my voice even. “Tell Gavin I’m at the house, locked in the lab. The key is under the gnome.” She opens her mouth as if she wants to say something. Silence fills the air instead. “Whatever you do Cherry, don’t let Gavin know I came with you. He has to believe I’m at the house or he won’t leave.”
She nods and gets out. I swear her hands are shaking as she walks toward the entrance, but maybe it’s my vision because my heart is pounding so hard it’s rattling my core.
When she’s safely inside, I get out. I make a mad dash toward a shrub that isn’t in view of the cameras and dive behind it. I take a calming breath and wipe my hands on my shirt.
Now all I can do is wait.
A few cars leave the lot and I hear chatter as people come and go. But no Cherry and no Gavin. Minutes tick by and I shiver, pulling my knees to my chest. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. What if Kenny doesn’t want to negotiate? What if Cherry tells Kenny what I plan to do? Did I make a mistake trusting her?
A door slams against a wall, yanking me from my thoughts.
Three people rush by and I peek through the bush just in time to catch the back of Gavin’s head.
“What’s going on?” Gavin asks, grabbing Cherry’s arm. They stop less than twenty feet away. “Why is he letting us go?
“I blackmailed him,” Cherry says. “I told him I recorded some of our conversations.”
“Where’s Tabitha? Is she safe?”
“She’s at your house in the basement. I swear. She’s the one who told me you were here.” Gavin lets go of her arm and I fight back tears as they drive away.
Cherry fulfilled her mission. Now it’s my turn.
The door opens and I hear someone walk a few feet, then stop. “You can come out now,” Kenny says. He’s sitting on a bench near the entrance. “You forgot about the window.” Kenny points to the second story above me. “But at least I knew you weren’t lying. That you were here.”
“This is what you wanted, right?” I have to fight to keep my fists from clenching. Kenny needs to think I’m cooperating. I tuck my fear away and step out from behind the bush.
• • •
I follow him inside, wondering if this is the last time my feet will be in motion. The pharmaceutical company will have their test subject and my family is safe. A collection of people I care about. That’s all a family is really. People you’d die for.
My knees shake as we reach a metal door. It has a vertical window that’s covered in black film, making it impossible to see out. Kenny pushes me inside.
“Don’t waste your time trying to get out. This glass is shatterproof.” He taps it with his knuckles. “I’ll be back shortly.”
The door clicks shut and my heart starts to tick off the seconds I have to attempt my own rescue. If I can pin Kenny down, maybe I can force him to take the pill. But how am I going to keep him from spitting it out? Think, Tabitha.
There has to be another way.
I survey the room. There’s a medical bed and a counter lined with tongue depressors and cotton swabs. I rummage through the drawers. Then my eyes flash to the red hazard bin. I rip off the top, and my fingers tremble with excitement as I pull out a used syringe. I put the Fireball on the counter and jab the needle into it. Once the gel’s extracted, I tuck the syringe carefully under my waistband.
A second later, the door handle turns.
Kenny has a man with him. He’s older. The kind of man who would pose as the father in a young family on a magazine cover. He has Kenny’s nose, his sense of confidence, and the same smelly cologne that screams I’m rich and fancy.
“Here she is.” Kenny waves his hand like I’m a new car. “Don’t let the brown hair fool you. She’s the redhead you want.”
“Wonderful,” the man says. “I don’t know how you pulled it off.” His hand floats over Kenny’s shoulder but doesn’t drop. Kenny stands straighter, inching closer, as if the touch is confirmation of success.
“Should I alert the doctor?”
“Always thinking ahead, aren’t you, son?”
As his father scans me over, my muscles tighten, like they’re being shrink-wrapped around my bones. I cross my arms; afraid I mig
ht not be able to control myself. I want to rip this man to pieces for what he did to my mom, my friends, me.
“Sit.” Mr. Murphy points at the hospital bed. When I don’t obey, Kenny grabs my arm, jerking me toward it. “We’ve waited a long time for this.” He adjusts his tie and gives me the same awful grin his son did earlier. “Think of it as doing a service for your country.”
For a moment, I see scarlet in my vision. I hate them both.
“How could you do this to me? To everyone at the Center?”
“We all have to make sacrifices in life.” He nods at Kenny as if it’s their family motto. They probably have it embroidered on their couch pillows.
A loud ring makes me flinch. Mr. Murphy slides his phone out of the holder attached to his belt, and his brow furrows as he answers. “Yes…I see. Very well. We’ll just have to speed things up then.” When he hangs up, he snaps his fingers at Kenny. “Put her under so we can transport her to the hospital. I’m not going to delay this project any longer.”
Kenny’s body straightens and he turns to me. “Get up on the bed.”
I wait for Mr. Murphy to leave before I lift myself onto the gurney, careful not to pierce my skin with the hidden syringe. The last thing I want to do is fall in love with Kenny before they dig through my intestines.
Kenny puts on some latex gloves, humming a cheery tune that makes me want to stab him in the neck. I pull the syringe from my waistband, deciding that’s exactly how I’m going to do it.
I hop down from the bed and Kenny looks up, face aghast as I jab the needle into his jugular, pushing the plunger down. I step back and he pulls it out, looking from the syringe to me and back again.
His eyes flash with fury. He steps toward me, but stumbles sideways, hitting the door.
“What…what…was in that?” His hand uncurls. The syringe drops to the floor and rolls under the gurney.
I grab his arm and lead him toward the bed. He swings at me like he’s blind, his arms as limp as wet noodles. Finally, he sits down and grabs his head. I imagine the serotonin is flooding his brain right about now, the pleasure receptors kicking into high gear. According to Ry and what I read in Gavin’s medical books, Fireball is strictly a pleasure drug, stripping people down to their primal instincts so that desire overrides rational thinking. I step away and blow out a breath of relief. Kenny looks around as if he has no idea where we are or what just happened. If this drug does what it’s supposed to, maybe I’ll walk out of here alive. He groans and brushes the hair out of his eyes, and when ours meet, he doesn’t look dangerous anymore. His gaze drops to my chest and a smile spreads across his face.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, tentatively.
He hops off the gurney and staggers toward me. “I feel…” he unbuttons the top of his shirt, “good.” Another button.
“No, no, no.” I try to button his shirt, but he tickles me and I wiggle away. Bile creeps up into my throat when he licks his lips.
“Did you notice we’re alone?” There’s hunger in his eyes, like I’m a mouse he’s hunting. He eyes the bed. “Shall we?”
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
I back up until my butt hits the gurney. In a heartbeat, Kenny grabs my face with both his hands. My insides twist at his touch. His breathing is heavy and he pulls me toward him. “You’re so beautiful,” he says, his voice sultry.
I jerk my head away before he can kiss me. “No. Not here.” I press my hands against his chest. “Not like this.”
He leans forward with a laugh and I nearly fall back onto the bed. My elbow catches the gurney in time. I prop myself up as he mashes his lips against my ear, his breath hot and moist. “We can do it right here.”
My skin crawls. I shove more forcefully. “No.”
He stumbles back and a flash of concern crosses his face.
“I-I mean, can’t we go someplace quiet?” I say, sauntering closer. “We can take your car and climb into the back seat…” I can’t believe I’m saying these things. It’s hard to get the words out with a smile. I stare at my fingers as I run them along his arms, pretending it’s Gavin, but my brain doesn’t want to cooperate. My eyes meet his. “You’d do that for me? Right, Kenny?”
I lean in, kissing his jawline. My lips will never forgive me.
But it works.
“Of course,” Kenny says, trying to force our lips together.
I grab his hand and lead him out. “Come on, let’s hurry.”
A woman at the front desk asks us where we’re going, but we ignore her as we run out the door. Kenny’s parked in the second to last row, but the drugs have clearly hindered his ability to focus and he struggles to find the right key.
“Come on, come on,” I say. Two men come out the front door and look in our direction. I try to duck down, but they see us before I’m out of view. One of them shouts. Kenny starts the car and hoots in glee.
I hop in. “Go!”
He drives forward and hits the curb.
“Oops.” He laughs as he backs up. This time he hits the car directly behind him, cracking the headlights.
The workers are running toward us when Kenny punches the accelerator, forcing one of the men to dive out of the way.
“Where to, my luscious vixen?” Kenny keeps his eyes fixed on me, waiting for an answer.
“The road!” He looks back in time to avoid hitting an oncoming car. I press a hand against my chest and blow out a breath.
“Getting anxious?” Kenny squeezes my side. When I push his hand away, he laughs like it’s a game. He reaches his hand behind my head and leans over, pulling my mouth into his. His lips are slick and he tastes like scented oil.
I twist my body to get out of his grip, wiping my mouth on my arm.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I want privacy, that’s all.” I force myself to smile as I pet his shoulder. “I don’t want to share you with anyone. We need to be hidden. We deserve to be alone.”
“I don’t know if I can wait.” He stares at my lips, my breasts. I feel naked under his gaze, and every last inch of my skin crawls with disgust. “I know where we can go.” He tears his eyes from me and presses the gas pedal harder.
“You need to slow down.” The car snakes through the forest road, and tires squeal with each turn. Kenny puts his arm around me, nibbling on my ear. “Cut it out.” I jab him with my elbow.
It only seems to fuel him though, and he runs a hand up my shirt. I deflect his arm and he tries again, but there’s a bend in the road. He grabs the steering wheel and I suck in a breath.
We’re not going to make it.
He hits the brakes and the car fishtails, gliding across the pavement like a puck on ice. The seatbelt digs into my chest as the car flies toward the ditch. A scream fills the air. Metal crunches. My head whips and there’s a punch to my temple. Quiet surrounds me as it all fades to black.
• • •
Sirens sound as I come to. I look over at Kenny; amazed we’re both alive. Blood drips from his nose onto the airbag, but he’s smiling.
An emergency worker helps Kenny out of the car. There’s glass everywhere. Shards glisten in the sun. Someone slides a brace behind me, strapping me down and securing my neck. They’re taking me away. My breath quickens.
One of the emergency workers places a mask over my face.
I hear Kenny laughing. Maybe the drug wore off. Maybe it never worked. Maybe they’ll say I died in a car accident. Again.
A worker secures my neck with foam blocks. I can’t see anything but the sky now, and it’s blurred with my tears. They load me into the back of a vehicle and shut the door. It’s dark. And I’m alone.
I feel a prick in my arm and all the pain slips away. My head swims like it did when I was holding my breath underwater with Paige. When all I knew was the Center and all I wanted was a family.
And I got one. People, who would risk their lives for me, like Gavin.
I wish I could have told him goodbye.
; Chapter 27
“She’s dead,” a man says.
“W-what?” The woman’s voice is panicked.
The man laughs. “I’m just kidding, Lizzie. Her pulse is normal.”
My eyes flutter open as he removes his fingers from my wrist. He’s facing a woman who sits near a computer against the wall. She bats his arm playfully and goes back to typing.
Where am I? Everything is hazy, like that halfway point between a dream and being awake. A machine next to my head beeps wildly, creating a series of jagged green mountains on the black screen. My brain is sluggish as I try to make sense of what’s going on. It feels like we’re moving, which means I must be in an ambulance. There’s a mask secured to my face, feeding me crisp air. I pull in a lungful as I start to sit up, but there’s a restraint holding down my arms, chest, and legs.
The man turns his attention back to me and smiles. “Looks who’s coming around.” He lifts my eyelids, shining a light that practically blinds me. I wince and jerk my head to the side. “What’s your name?”
“Tabitha Rhodes,” I say, my voice muffled by the oxygen mask.
I hear typing and the woman calls out, “There’s nothing in the system under that name.”
The accident plays back in slow motion: The convertible skidding off the road. Kenny laughing manically. Red and blue lights flashing as I tried to stay conscious. Someone lifting me into the back of an ambulance, transporting me away from my goal. Away from safety.
Reality hits me and the words bubble up in my chest. “They erased my history!”
“Just relax.” The man jots something on a clipboard. “You got lucky. Just a few minor lacerations, but they’ll want to check you for a concussion.”
My chest heaves, and suddenly I can’t seem to get enough air. My brain screams at me to get up.
“Whoa! Whoa!” The woman jumps from her seat, tapping on the heart monitor. “Calm down. We’re almost to the hospital. They’re just going to look you over.”
I shake my head. “No,” I holler through the plastic. “Don’t take me there!” My side burns, like it can already feel the scalpel.