Page 109 of Reckless: Corruption

As we prepare to split up, I catch Mona checking her watch. “Where’s your lab equipment?” I ask, suddenly suspicious.

“Guest house. Very organized. Color-coded.” But she doesn’t meet my eyes—the first genuine tell I’ve ever caught from her.

“Finn needs that booster,” Theo reminds her, supporting Finn who’s looking worse by the minute, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggles to draw a full breath.

“I’ll get it,” Jinx volunteers.

“No,” I interrupt. “Jinx, get Finn to the extraction point. I’ll help Mona get whatever she needs for the booster.”

“That’s not the plan,” Ryker argues.

“Plans change,” I counter, remembering our earlier conversation. “I know Mona’s lab layout, and I’ve just finishedthe data transfer. Let me do this.” I don’t add what we’re all thinking—Finn is deteriorating fast, and Mona’s chaotic genius will work faster with someone she trusts. Someone with Sterling blood.

Reluctance crosses his face, but efficiency wins out. “Five minutes. Then we leave. With or without you.”

“Understood.”

As they prepare to leave, I catch Jinx’s eye. “Take care of them.”

“Always do, Glitch.” His expression softens for just a moment. “Don’t make me come looking for you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Unless he is chasing me for something very different than this moment.

The minute they’re gone, I turn to Mona. “You’re not going to the guest house, are you?”

She tilts her head, a smile playing at her lips. “Fascinating deduction. Very perceptive. Much unexpected.”

“Cut the act. Where are you really going?”

Her mask drops completely, her eyes suddenly clear and focused. “Wine cellar. Secured additional supplies. Hidden compartment. Daddy’s people won’t find.”

“The real booster?”

“And more. Much more. Emergency contingency. Very elaborate plan.” She’s already moving, tugging me along with surprising strength. “Come. Limited timeframe. Much danger.”

We move through the mansion like shadows, taking service corridors while Alexander’s team begins breaching the outer doors. Mona navigates Theo’s tunnels with unnerving precision, ducking into the wine cellar through a hidden entrance I’d never have noticed.

Inside, she hurries to a rack of vintage bottles, spinning it to reveal a false back filled with equipment, vials, and a small refrigeration unit.

“How long have you been planning this?” I ask as she gathers supplies with practiced efficiency.

“Since first day here. Always prepare. Very consistent. Much paranoia.” She pauses, something genuine flickering in her eyes. “Fourteen years and seventy-three days of sabotage. Sometimes it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Sabotaging your father?”

“Creating order from his chaos,” she corrects, the usual manic energy momentarily giving way to something hard and focused. “He thinks he’s correcting the world. I’m correcting him.”

She pulls out a reinforced case, opening it to reveal dozens of carefully labeled vials. “Finn’s booster. Very specialized. Much viral neutralization.”

“What else are you taking?”

Her smile turns predatory. “Insurance. Also apocalypse prevention.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning daddy’s research fails without these components. Very critical sequence. Much vaccine sabotage.”

Understanding dawns. “You’re still sabotaging his research.”

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