Page 75 of Glitter Rose
My hand drops to my sidearm. “What the fuck is this?”
“Calm down, Jones.” Ramirez doesn’t move, but his eyes track my hand. “Or should I call you Sullivan now?”
My blood freezes in my veins. He knows. How long has he known?
Min-ji steps forward. “He’s with us.”
“Bullshit.” I keep my hand on my weapon, gaze locked on Ramirez. “Gabriel’s lapdog suddenly grew a conscience?”
“Lapdog?” Ramirez’s mouth twists. “That’s rich coming from the man who’s been licking Gabriel’s boots for threemonths.”
“To save Paris. What’s your excuse?”
“Boys.” Min-ji’s voice cuts between us, sharper than I’ve ever heard it. “We don’t have time for this. The patrol changes soon.”
Miller nods, his eyes darting to the door. “She’s right. We need to move quickly.”
I don’t take my eyes off Ramirez. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in you right now.”
“Because you need me.” Ramirez straightens, hands open at his sides. “I’ve got the vehicle you’ll need, and the clearance to do whatever I want without anyone questioning. Kill me, and Paris dies here.”
“Knox.” Min-ji steps closer, her hand touching my arm. “Please. Listen to what we have to say.”
I remove my hand from my weapon but keep it ready. “Talk fast.”
She glances at Miller, who nods once. “Gabriel is escalating. The blood draws aren’t giving him what he wants.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
“The missing link.” She moves to a microscope, adjusting it with practiced hands. “Paris’ immunity is unique. It’s not just that the infected can’t detect her. Her cells actively bind the virus on contact.”
“We knew that already.”
“What you don’t know is that Gabriel’s patience is running out.” Min-ji’s fingers tremble slightly. “He’s ordered bone marrow extraction. Spinal fluid collection. Invasive procedures.”
My stomach turns to ice. “When?”
“Next week,” Miller speaks up, his voice low. “After the regular blood draw. He’s having the equipment brought in from a military hospital fifty miles south.”
“He’ll killher.”
“Not intentionally.” Min-ji looks down at her hands. “But yes, the risk is significant. Especially given her state.”
“You mean how he’s been fucking starving her?” The rage I’ve been bottling up for months threatens to boil over. “While you stood by and did nothing?”
She flinches. “I’ve been doing what I can. Falsifying results. Manipulating data to buy time.”
“Not enough.”
“He’s growing suspicious,” she continues. “The inconsistencies in my reports, the lack of progress… he’s bringing in another researcher to verify my work.”
“Which means your usefulness just ran out,” Ramirez says. “Along with Paris’s protection.”
I turn to face him fully. “And you suddenly care because?”
“Does it matter?” He shrugs one shoulder. “Maybe I’m tired of watching little girls get cut open for a madman’s fantasy. Maybe I’ve got my own reasons.”
“Not good enough.”
