Chapter 8 - MARGARET’S CONFESSION
Margaret hit the floor.
Noah screamed.
Ethan lunged at Victor.
They crashed into a metal tray.
Tools scattered.
Victor fired again.
The shot missed Ethan by inches.
I grabbed Daniel and pulled him behind the wall.
Mason shouted for a breach team.
“Glass is reinforced!”
“Then use the damn door!”
Inside, Ethan slammed Victor against the control panel.
Victor drove his elbow into Ethan’s throat.
These weren’t men fighting for pride.
They were brothers trying to erase each other.
Margaret crawled toward Noah.
Blood soaked her dress.
She reached the restraints.
Started unlocking them.
Victor saw her.
“You stupid woman.”
She looked up.
“I kept him alive.”
Victor kicked Ethan away and aimed at Margaret.
I didn’t think.
I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and smashed it into the emergency glass release.
An alarm screamed.
The glass door unlocked.
Mason rushed in.
Gunfire exploded.
Victor ducked behind the control station.
I ran to Noah.
“Claire!”
I tore off the last strap.
He threw his arms around me.
“I knew you’d come.”
My eyes burned.
“I promised.”
Margaret collapsed beside us.
“Take him.”
I stared at her.
“You did this to him.”
“Yes.”
“You made him sick.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because Victor had Daniel.”
Ethan heard.
He stopped.
Margaret looked at him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
His voice was deadly.
“You poisoned my child for years.”
“I kept both of them alive.”
“You call this alive?”
Victor fired from behind the desk.
Mason returned fire.
A bullet shattered a monitor.
Margaret grabbed my hand.
“Claire.”
I almost pulled away.
“Please.”
Her voice was weak.
“There’s an antidote.”
I froze.
“What?”
“For Noah. The permanent damage can be stopped.”
“Where?”
“Cold storage. Locker twelve.”
“Code?”
“Rebecca.”
Ethan stared.
Margaret coughed blood.
“She found out first.”
His face changed.
“My wife?”
Margaret nodded.
“Rebecca discovered what Victor was doing.”
Ethan crouched.
“Did you kill her?”
Margaret started crying.
“No.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“I gave her the drug.”
Ethan raised his gun.
I stepped between them.
“She’s dying.”
“So did Rebecca.”
Margaret looked at him.
“Victor ordered me to poison her. I did it because he had Daniel.”
Daniel stared at her.
“You said you saved me.”
“I tried.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“About my dad?”
Margaret’s face broke.
“Yes.”
Daniel began sobbing.
Ethan looked destroyed.
Margaret continued.
“Rebecca knew she was dying. She made me promise to protect the boys.”
“And you poisoned Noah?”
“I reduced the dose whenever I could.”
“That’s your defense?”
“No.”
She looked at Noah.
“It’s my shame.”
Another shot cracked.
Victor ran through a side door.
Mason chased him.
Ethan stood.
“Stay with them.”
“No,” I said. “We need the antidote.”
He looked toward the cold storage room.
“I’ll get it.”
Margaret grabbed his pant leg.
“Ethan.”
He looked down.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“Victor didn’t start this.”
Ethan went still.
Margaret swallowed.
“Your father did.”
The lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the lab.
Then the emergency system announced:
“Containment breach. Chemical sterilization in sixty seconds.”
May you like
Margaret whispered one word.
“Run.”
