Page 89 of Brutal Savior

Empty. It’s all empty.

Once I’ve made sure, I pull out my phone and call Jacob. He always answers when I call. Always.

Not this time.

The phone rings and rings before cutting to his curt answer message. “You’ve reached Jacob West. Leave a message.”

What the fuck is going on? I try it again with the same result. Whatever is happening where he is, it can’t be good. I bounce on the balls of my feet, indecision tearing at me. Where to go? What to do?

Jacob’s lab. Eve will be there. She’ll know what to do.

I set off at a sprint.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Jacob

That voice. It’s notfamiliar—she doesn’t sound like she’s from fucking Hackney, that’s for sure—but it sets my hairs on end. Something in me recognizes the speaker, and my blood pumps faster as I stare at the closed doors of the hospital.

It’s a battle to keep my voice level. “Kelly. I only just found out you exist. Why don’t you put an end to all this shit and just talk to me? Whatever you’ve done, we can fix it.”

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” Her cultured voice is rich and amused. It’s the polished voice of a radio host or an actress. She must have worked hard to cultivate it. “I go by Primrose now. My new mum and dad changed my name as soon as they brought me home."

“Why did they do that?” Talking is good. I haven’t done much in the way of hostage negotiation, as my skills lie in other areas, but I did the training. The more time I spend talking with Kelly, the better.

“They had to scrub off my rough edges. I was Daddy’s project, after all. Take a psychopathic child, and turn her into a responsible member of society. Of course, they never used that word. But we both know it’s true.”

“I don’t think so. You just had a rough start in life. Mum fucked you up good and proper.”

Beeps sound in my ear, and I glance at the screen. Quinn. Shit. I told her I’d always answer when she calls, no matter what. But given the circumstances, I’m sure she’ll understand.

“She did. That’s true. But it doesn’t really matter, does it? I am what I am.”

Her posh accent wavers. “What” comes out a harsh “wot.” She’s rattled, not as cool and collected as she’s pretending to be.

“You can be whatever you want. I’ve got the resources to help, and I’d love to. Tell me what you need. What can we do to stop all this nonsense?”

It’s a long shot, and her incredulous laugh tells me I’ve missed the mark. “I want you to suffer, golden boy! You and the bastard that gave me up. That’s what I want. Nothing else. Don’t think your little psychological tricks are going to work on me. I know them all.”

I don’t doubt it.

More beeps. My heart pounds, and I rub my hand over my forehead. It’s a gloomy, overcast day, but I’m starting to sweat. Quinn wouldn’t call me today unless it was important. Something is fucking happening.

“It’s always so funny to me how simple it is to get people to do what I want. It’s like playing a video game on easy mode.”

There’s a sharp edge to Kelly’s voice, and what she’s saying sounds rehearsed. This is why she called. “Oh yeah? In what way?”

“Like the orderly who cleans the kitchen at your precious little Brotherhood hospital.”

She knows about the Brotherhood. It’s not a surprise, but hearing her say the name gives me a jolt. For a secret society, there are a lot of people out there in the world who know of our existence. But very few know what we really are, and almost no one knows about our Wards. Does she?

“He owes more to a loan shark than he’ll make in a year, and just last week, they threatened his wife and son. He was happy to smuggle a little package in for me just this morning.”

A package. “Let me guess. The exploding kind?”

“So clever. You really must be a genius. And I’ve got the detonator right here.” She pauses, then puts on a fake American accent. “But wait…there’s more!”

It’s so cheesy it should be pathetic, but there’s an unhinged note in her voice that gives the bad joke a menacing edge.

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