Page 83 of Lust
She jerked, using the action to hide another attempt at cutting her bindings. When the scientist was done, he retreated to stand next to Julius.
Lights in the front row of replicate tanks brightened, illuminating the contents. Inside, grown muscular men twitched as electronic jolts fed into them, working the muscles, preparing them for birth. Her eyes landed on the tanks closest, and to her revulsion, their eyes were open, watching her.
They’re alive.
“You see, Lust. We have our army. If we wanted, we could release them tomorrow.” He crouched down to her level and leaned forward. “You’re the icing on the cake. With your stem cells, we’ll turnourselvesinto gods.”
Her gaze darted to the tanks, then back to Julius. A silver chain holding a locket had fallen loose from his collar when he’d leaned forward. It now dangled heavily against his chest.
Liza shifted her gaze to Daisy. Her eyes were glued to that locket. Something she’d said came back to Liza.
He’ll throw away my hair follicle from his locket, and then that will be it.
He’d been lying to everyone. The Faithful had been promised to be reborn perfect in a world free from sin, but he wasn’t bringing them back. He was turning them into mindless replicates, disposable soldiers for his war. And if he lied about that, then surely he lied to the woman he’d just dubbed as being useless to him.
The only person he was going to turn into a perfect, powered, and immortal replicate was himself... and whoever was in that locket. He wanted to rule the world as a god. Daisy was a fool if she believed he’d bring her with him.
A plan started to form in Liza’s head. If she could get to that locket, open it and prove no silver hair was inside, then she could turn Daisy once and for all.
A renewed sense of purpose energized Liza. She pumped her muscles full of tension and wrenched her hands apart. Multiple cable ties snapped loose. She focused on Julius’s neck.
The snarl of a wildcat curdled in her throat as she launched, hit, and sent them both tumbling to the cold concrete floor. With lightning-quick reflexes, Liza pilfered the locket, hiding her action with her attack. Someone jerked her away so hard she got whiplash.
A hit to her face sent black spots into her vision. Daisy backhanded her, again. And again. It wasn’t like a hit from a normal person, Daisy was one of them. She was strong. Contact floored Liza.
She tried to tell her sister what she’d done, but the gag was still in her mouth. Daisy was furious. If not in her facial expression, in the way she attacked Liza. This man, this cretin of a being, had brainwashed her so thoroughly that she couldn’t see the truth.
He cared nothing for Daisy.
“Get her out of here,” Julius barked, wiping a small drop of blood from where he’d been caught on the mouth.
Daisy gripped Liza’s collar and dragged her single-handedly through the cooler door and back into the main packing room where she dumped her on a long, still conveyer.
Liza ripped her gag out and shoved the locket at Daisy.
“Just check it,” she whispered hoarsely. “Check inside.”
Daisy startled. She frowned down at the locket in her hand.
Liza urged, “If he’s telling the truth, you’ll find your hair in there, right?”
Daisy checked over her shoulder to the cooler door.
“Do it, Daisy. We’re the ones on your team. Not them.We’reyour family.”
To prove it, Liza held her palms up. She wasn’t going to fight.
It took all of two seconds for Liza’s world to end. Daisy unclipped the locket. Stared. Snapped it shut, and then her eyes turned a shade of violet so dark, they became black. Daisy had lost all hope.
She shut down.
Blacked out.
Because what happened next could only be described as something no sane person would do. Daisy shoved Liza to the ground, lifted her boot, and stomped on Liza’s hands, crushing them.
Liza screamed in eye-watering agony.
“Why?” she cried.
