Page 67 of Dying to Meet You

Think. I have to think. We’re not alone?

“I can’t leave you,” I whimper. “I can’t leave you behind.” From the stairwell, I hear noise drawing closer. The panic starts taking over, the pain from my hand excruciating. I can’t think…let me think.

“Where…Where were you shot? Can you stand?”

Hutton grabs my hand, and I try not to wince from the pain. “I love you. Remember how to get to that place I showed you? You need to go before the rest of them come looking for him. Go. Please.”

“Then you’ll meet us there?” I nod to myself. “Then you’ll come?” Grabbing the screwdriver once more, I work to undo where he’s attached to the cabinet with my good hand, breaking the handle more than Hutton had and letting the cuff fall loose.

“Run. Go, Eden. Now.”

I kiss his cheek while placing the screwdriver in his hand.

Gasping for breath, I run down the hall, looking in each lab room until I see our girls inside the last one. I pull the door open, sprinting to them.

Run.

A mantra pounds in my head as I clutch both the girls’ hands, whispering, “We need to be fast, okay? Can you both run?” Looking over them quickly, registering their tear-stained faces, scratches, and bruises, I fight off the urge I have to meltdown even further. My babies…They hurt my babies.

“M-Mommy, you’re bleeding.” Waverly’s voice is choked as her small hand touches my leg.

No. No. I’m not going backwards.Run, Eden run. Get them out of here.“Waves.” I kneel in front of her, kissing her cheek. “I’m okay. We’re getting out of here. As fast as we can.” Nodding to her, I try reassuring both of us. I pull Zinnea close, hugging her to me. “Do you both understand?”

It takes me minutes to orient myself in the building. We take the staircase close by. At the bottom, a rusty, unmarked leads to the tunnels. I’ve been in the tunnels on the property twice: once when Hutton wanted to show me an emergency hatch that releases close to the lake, and once when I came on my own looking for a missing patient. Neither one was at night, terrified of being located.

Run. Go. I need to get them out of here.

Chapter Forty-Five

Tainted

Matt

I’vecountedsixpeoplesurrounding the laboratory building. This is more organized than I’d given The Realists credit for. My heart sinks, admitting to myself the cleanup within the FBI wasn’t as effective as we’d been led to believe.

The grounds, the buildings, the tunnels…Harrison had all the maps. There is nowhere to go he wouldn’t know about.

Steven Harrison, one of the few people from the failed raid at Camp Carroll I’d trusted. He fooled me completely. It hurts to know I gave him all he needed to take us down. Hell, he set me up for Dr. Wallen’s murder.

While we walked to the laboratory, Keir, Blaine, and I did a rundown, and it was enlightening. He’s been working on destroying our family from several angles.

He preyed on all our weaknesses.

He made me feel paranoid about whom I could trust within the FBI. I stopped the flow of information, keeping things between Keir, Harrison, and myself, edging Bristow out of the loop in the process. Using examples from Camp Carroll …keeping my failure fresh in my mind.

He made Keir question my motives and played on our perceived power imbalance, bringing up his past in XIX to torment him.

He dropped a baggy of pills outside Blaine’s office after taking Wes from us, which Blaine discovered when the school asked him about a man seen hanging around the hallway outside his office. He knew the likelihood an addict would reach a breaking point was high.

One of his accomplices infiltrated Caleb’s life through church, making him question his relationship with Eden and distracting him from watching over Wes so she could grab him.

Another accomplice moved in next door to stress us out with his hateful antics, drawing our attention.

He played games with Hutton’s head over the security cameras and copycat code. Knowing he’d evoke the brainwashing Hutton endured by poking at him, he suggested night vision goggles be mentioned by Bristow to him, walking in the woods at night, finding a security device planted…

Then there’s our wife. By killing people connected to the Bradford and Lassiter families, leaving threatening notes, making her aware she was being followed, and taking Weston from us, he reopened a chapter from her past and made her relive the trauma she’d endured. Knowing he’d break her down, cause her to make unwise decisions…

He’d get her alone…

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