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That old pig. “Why did they all have to be soflawed? All of them. Destroyed everything. I do not understand. Perfect eggs, appropriate sperm. It had to be the surrogates I used. It had to be. None of them turned out as I wished. None of them. None of them. They were flawed. They were supposed to be perfect. You were supposed to beperfect. Yet I did somethingwrongwith you. Why? What was it? Tell me, Penelope! Why are all of you soflawed?”
He tried to kick Pen again.
“Leave me alone, you stupid pig!” Pen rolled. In the smoke, maybe he wouldn’t see her. She had to get outside. They all had to get outside.
“Eastman, leave her alone! She’s just a kid. Why don’t you come talk to me!” Zoey, of course. Always Zoey. Her mom, ready to protect, no matter what.
When Pen looked up, there were eyes staring at her from behind a stack of fallen boxes. Eyes in a pale face so like Keller's Pen almost stopped to stare. "Keller?"
The little girl shook her head. Pen could just see the movement in the dim light. Pen rubbed one hand over her eyes. And looked again.
No. Not Keller. She was far too small to be ten-year-old Keller.
She was so tiny. No more than five or six. Curled up between two fallen boxes, arms around her skinny knees.
Staring.
Pen just knew, looking at her. This…was one ofthem. One of the designerbabiesthat bastard had created. From Pen’s mother. Just like Pen was. That meant… "Come here. We'll get out of here together. Come on, sweetheart. I’m your big sister Penelope, and I will never, ever let him hurt you ever again. I promise. Come here.”
Her words were an echo of the promiseZoeyhad made to Pen so long ago.
Sydney was behind her. Yelling. At Eastman. Between Pen and the bad guy. Because that was something Sydney did. Just like Zoey.
Theyprotectedthe ones they cared about. Zoey had always protected Pen. Because her big sister loved her. Protected her from the monsters of the world.
The little girl crawled out from the boxes she'd been hiding behind. Pen ignored the pain in her arm. She used her other arm to lift the little girl closer. She was so small. So completely defenseless.
So small, four-year-old Dalton had to weigh more than she did. Even with the child-sized backpack on her little shoulders.
The door wasn’t that far away. Pen pulled her closer. Little arms went around Pen’s neck. Her baby sister held on. So small. So defenseless.
So infinitely precious.
NowPen understood how Zoey had loved Pen so much. Had fought for her so hard. She finally understood.
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Gregory had regrets.He definitely had regrets. So many.
He had loved Denita so much.
But maybe he had spent too much time on his work. Not enough time showing Denita his love. He shouldn't have married those other women. He should have justkeptDenita with him forever. Never let her go.
He had destroyed everything, with his quest for knowledge.
But if he could just get away now. Get another of Denita's daughters…
But that was foolishness. He could hear...
A helicopter or something. In the distance. Sirens coming, too.
Hector and Vaughn and their friends were around somewhere. If caught, one of them could, would talk. To save themselves.
Bonita.
Bonitawas still here somewhere.
Bonita. He still had his beautiful Bonita.
