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“Don’t be a fool and make the same mistake your parents made,” he snaps.
I stare at him, blinking in confusion. “My parents?” I ask slowly, not understanding how they have anything to do with this.
He just laughs. “Yes. You didn’t know they worked for me? Poor little Talia, always left in the dark.”
I feel my nostrils flare in anger. “You leave them out of this. They never would have worked for you!”
“Oh, but they did,” he purrs as he leans in. “In fact, they were the best at what they did…until they grew a conscience and we had to get rid of them. We can’t have any of this getting out, now can we?”
My heart slams as I stare at him. “Get rid of them?” My voice is small, panicked.
“You didn’t really think the great Doctor Ledge and his wife died in an accident, did you?” He looks me over. “We had them killed. They knew too much, and they were going to tell. They even stole research to take it to the press. We couldn’t have that, and then imagine our surprise when their daughter applied for a job here. Well, we couldn’t let that go to waste, could we? Keep your enemies close and all that jazz.”
My ears ring, and the pain in my head triples as I struggle to breathe.
No, no.
“They died in an accident.”
“That’s how I made it look.” He grins. “Now get to work before you end up the same way.” He leaves me alone, and I crumple onto the desk.
Horror wars with disbelief.
He killed them.
He killed my parents.
And now he’s going to kill me unless he gets what he wants.
THIRTY-NINE
TALIA
They leave me there, obviously expecting me to work, and in all honesty, my fingers itch to explore the research they have here to see if it fills in the missing pieces like I think, but I refuse.
If they want to kill me, then let them.
I won’t break my promise to Cato and his people, not even if it means my death. The only thing I regret is not getting to say goodbye to Cato and telling him how I feel.
I wish I had held on tight and took the chance when I had it. I wish I hadn’t spent my last few days so terrified and working. I should have savoured every moment with him, and now my memories are all I have to get me through this. I’m alone, so completely alone. They can’t come over the wall, and Aria can’t risk it.
If I don’t work, I’ll die. I’ve accepted that now.
It gives me a freeing sort of peace, as does knowing my parents were fighting against this so strongly, they were willing to risk it all and died for it. It only makes me more determined. I will not let them down, and I will never help the man who killed them.
Instead, I rest my head on the desk and fall asleep, escaping into my memories, where my parents are still alive and Cato is there, holding me tight.
I wake with a jerk when something slams near my head. “If you won’t take this seriously, then the boss wants you to see something.”
The guard’s smirk is downright evil, and I don’t fight as he undoes my shackles, because where would I go? I’m at the very top of their heavily guarded skyscraper, and I’m not a fighter. Instead, I just let him lead me away.
I don’t even look where we are going. What’s the point? I’m a dead woman walking.
When we go to a suspicious corridor, I perk up and drag my feet. “Is this where you kill me?” I ask.
“You wish,” he scoffs as he keeps dragging me, and I start to fight, my instincts kicking in when I see a cell door. When he opens it, though, I stop fighting altogether.
I gape, not believing my eyes.
