Page 108 of Burn Like An Angel

Two others follow with flashlights while the third carries a small weapon. None of us dare breathe, let alone take off. That red dot hovers just above Lennox’s heart, his gaze fixed on the man threatening to end him.

Xander steps forward, his hands spread. “Let’s talk about this.”

“Silence!” the assailant snaps. “We’re here for the girl.”

“You’ve got me!” I throw my hands up. “Lower the weapon.”

“And let you take off again? I don’t think so.”

Breaking through the maize forest, a face I never thought I’d see again emerges. Harrison is sweaty, an ugly flush reaching his buzz cut. His once-bulky frame has slimmed down since he delivered me to Professor Craven.

He still wears an unhinged grin that promises all manner of ungodly sins. If he didn’t have a screw loose before, it’s safe to say his entire brain is untethered now. He’s looking at me like I’m a fucking Christmas present.

“As much as I enjoy a chase, I promise to shoot the next person who moves a muscle.” He smiles maniacally. “It’s over.”

“How are you alive?” I blurt.

Harrison lifts his arms, showing off welts and healing abrasions that circle his wrists. “Courtesy of our mutual friend.”

Looks like Rick was telling the truth about shackling him in the same barbaric tub he’d been imprisoned in. The sick fucksurvived the riot, handcuffed in the darkness. I don’t want to imagine how.

“I’m afraid to say Rick’s dead now,” Harrison chortles without remorse. “A little apology present from the boss for all that I endured.”

“You didn’t suffer enough for my liking if you’re still alive and breathing.”

“Charming.” He hooks up an eyebrow. “It felt like Christmas had come early when I heard you’d been spotted in a pharmacy. It wasn’t hard to track you from there.”

Harrison flicks his eyes to Lennox, lip curling in a sneer. I take the chance to make eye contact with Xander who shakes his head infinitesimally.Don’t move.We’re outnumbered.

“I’m surprised this tool survived Craven’s lair.” Harrison chuckles derisively. “Perhaps I underestimated your plaything, Ripley.”

“Fuck you,” Lennox seethes.

“I have no qualms about shattering your skull, Mr Nash. Your life is forfeit now. Watch your mou?—”

“What’s the play here?” I cut across him. “A quiet little execution?”

“Originally, yes.” Harrison sniffs in mock disgust. “A waste if you ask me. However, my orders have changed. You should be glad.”

“Changed?” Xander parrots.

“Our management structure is rather complicated right now. I’d hate to bore you with the details. Suffice to say, for the trouble she’s caused, the price for Ripley’s safe capture has tripled.”

In my periphery, I can see Xander clenching the pocketknife in his palm. He keeps his hand angled so it’s tucked out of sight, allowing him to finger the blade. Rage radiates off him in waves.

“Where is Rae?”

“The redhead?” Harrison smirks. “I’ll take you to see her body if you’d like. She may still be alive.”

Nausea flushes over me, setting off light-headed prickles. Harrison’s lying. He has to be. Surely, they haven’t stooped so low as to shoot innocent people in plain sight. Not in public, at least.

“Surrender, and we’ll kill your other friends quickly.”

“She’s going nowhere with you!” Raine shouts back.

Harrison casts a withering eye over Raine, Lennox and Xander. “You’re protecting a monster, boys. Think about it. The Z wing program wouldn’t run if each institute didn’t have a willing stooge.”

“Because you’re so much better than me?” I snarl at him.

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