Page 55 of Resolve
I narrow my eyes at her. At least, where I think she is. “Have you done this before?”
“I’ve made objects invisible. Same thing, right?”
“We don’t have time for this,” I growl, pulling her with me to the curtained door. “Keep trying and don’t let go. I need to find that scientist before he realizes I’m gone and tells everyone. Which way?”
“Three curtains and then a door on the left.”
I nod, covering her hand on my arm to make sure I don’t lose her while running. The door’s cracked open, so I slip us inside and close it. A guy with buzzed black hair and a lab coat jumps around in his office chair to look at me, his hand hovering over the phone.
There’s a heartbeat of silence as we both stare at each other, and then we move, him grabbing the phone and opening his mouth to yell, and me wrapping my arm around his throat and dragging him out of his chair. I use my other arm against my wrist to help add more pressure, cutting off his air. His hands scratch and beat at my arm, but I refuse to let him go and miss this chance.
I kick the backs of his knees to make him drop and give me a better angle, squeezing with all my strength.
Finally, he falls limp. I drop him to the floor and search his lab coat and pockets for anything that might be useful. There’s not much other than some gum, a paperclip, and a pen, but I’ll bet his ID will come in handy.
Slipping off his lab coat, I pull it on. He and I look nothing alike, but at first glance, all anyone will see is another scientist in their coat with a clipped-on badge.
I plop into the office chair and spin to the computer. “See if you can find any weapons nearby.”
“A gun?”
“If that’s an option, then yeah. If not, then maybe a kitchen knife or something sharp will do.”
“Got it. I’ll be right back.”
“Oh, and Alice?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
It’s quiet. Then, “You thought of me for Harvey’s funeral evenafter I attacked you.” Another pause. “I want to be a part of the family he made. I want people to share stories about me like they did for him.” She sniffs. “I also need you guys to kill Dad. I really don’t wanna die.”
I nod, offering her a soft smile. “We’ll kill him,” I promise. “And I won’t let you die. Just stay close to me or stay hidden.”
The door opens slightly and closes again.
I get to work clearing the monitors from my chart. The scientist was already logged in, giving me access, but it won’t be a high enough clearance to get me all the information I’m looking for. But I can start with checking other active patient charts.
When those only show subject code names and their vitals, I flip to their cameras.
It doesn’t take long for me to find them.
Or, some of them, at least.
There’s no sign of Raegan or my brothers, but I do find a room filled with some of the Guild members who’d been on this mission with us. They’re in narrow hospital beds and hooked up to their own machines, like I’d been. I notice Fabian first, considering his football player size, and then Zedd and Gabriel are a few beds away, followed by over half of the others from our mission.
But where are the rest?
I don’t see Raegan’s friend Portia and her group or Reid and his team.
This time, I hack into the network to get full access, sweeping through every security camera angle I can find. I start mapping out the island—which I confirmed from outside camera feeds—and where I am in relation to the others while searching.
The door creaks, and I snatch a pen from the desk, my bodytensing for a fight. It closes without a soul in sight, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“A warning next time would be nice,” I mutter to Alice, who appears and rolls her eyes.
“Here.” A scalpel and a pair of scissors drop to the desk by my hand. “It was the best I could find.”
