Page 51 of Consume Me

“If you follow the northern corridor, there’s an exit to the surface.” He stopped on the buckle. “Even if you get there, there’s nowhere for you to go for miles.”

“I’ll hide,” I said. It wasn’t much of a plan, but I had to take small steps. Getting out was the first bit. Once I did that I’d be able to think—once we were safe. “Which is the northern corridor?”

“Out and to the left.” He exhaled sharply and then finished unfastening the cuff. I didn’t wait for him to start on the second. Instead I fumbled for it. David pushed my hand away and did it himself.

Sitting up, tight pain seized my midsection and I doubled over, gasping.

“Clara,” David said in alarm.

“Contraction,” I panted. Why? This couldn’t be happening. It was probably stress.

“They’re inducing you,” David confessed, moving to remove the IV from my arm.

“Inducing?” I stared at him. “Why?”

David ripped it free and shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”

“Why, David?” I repeated. I’d had a c-section with Elizabeth. We were waiting for the doctor now. It didn’t make sense to induce me when they could easily…

“Part of the cover story,” he said softly. “They planned to take you to a hospital a few hours from here, make it look like you left Alexander, and then died in childbirth.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth as another contraction hit, this one stronger than the first. I wouldn’t allow this to happen.

“Help me,” I commanded, ignoring the tightness as I got to unsteady feet.

“Clara, you aren’t going to make it,” he said.

I looked him in the eyes as pain burst to fury. “I won’t die like that. You don’t have to help me.”

Shaking off his hands, I made my way to the door. I put my hand on it as another contraction hit. My knees buckled as my mind instinctively did the math. They were coming close together—too close. Holding the door for support, I searched for some untapped strength.

But all I found was fear. I was in labor. How was I supposed to sneak out of here? My breath came quickly now, responding to the waves of contractions as well as the panic.

I wasn’t going to go to sleep and never wake up. I was going to help them. I was going to bring this child into the world and see him taken from me.

David came up beside me, an oxygen mask in hand. “You should lie back down,” he said soothingly, like a parent who’d just let their child fail as a lesson. “Come on.”

I tried to fight him as he slipped the mask over my head and forced me back toward the bed. But the fast-coming contractions had sapped my strength. Still, I wouldn’t allow it to end like this. Gathering every ounce of courage I had left, I shoved him away and stumbled one step toward the door.

As it opened, I sank to my knees only to look up and see two familiar blue eyes watching me over the barrel of a gun. Before I could process it—process him—a shot rang out.

Chapter 20

ALEXANDER

Brex insisted on piloting, citing my lack of sleep and general distraction as reasons why he was more qualified. I didn’t bother to argue that we’d been tired and distracted on the war front, too, and that had never gotten me out of duty. It gave me time to think, even with the others talking over headsets.

“When we land, we’ll head to the southwest quadrant of the estate. That’s where the shelter was being built, according to the plans,” Smith said. “No deviations. We need to minimise the risk of anyone spotting us.”

I wanted to wish him luck trying to keep us all in line. It would be like herding cats. Then again, now we had a purpose, and even if chances were slim we would find something, there was too much riding on it not to try.

I stared out the window, watching as the sprawl of London gave way to countryside. Windsor was a short trip from Buckingham and the helicopter I’d kept on standby since taking residence at the palace had been prepped and waiting. It had still taken us nearly half an hour to depart, mostly because the others insisted on going prepared.

Something heavy landed in my lap and I glanced down to find a gun. Looking up, my eyes sought Smith’s. We’d discussed this. I knew it would come to this. But now that we were here—on the verge of finding her—I knew I wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who came between me and her.

I’d once thought my father sent me to war as punishment. Now I wondered if he’d known a war was coming my way all along.

I was prepared. I’d seen death. I’d killed.