Chapter 6 - My Father’s LieRichard was still breathing.
Barely.
I dragged him behind the furnace as another bullet hit the concrete wall.
Whoever was upstairs wasn't trying to scare us.
They were cleaning the house.
I grabbed the evidence box.
Richard pointed toward a narrow passage behind the shelves.
“There's another exit.”
“You first.”
He gave me a humorless smile.
“Still a soldier.”
I pulled him through.
We crawled into a tunnel barely wide enough for a person.
It ended behind the old garage.
We emerged into the rain.
A black SUV tore away from the property.
I memorized the plate.
Richard collapsed.
I called an ambulance anonymously.
Then I called my father.
He answered on the third ring.
“Ethan.”
“You're involved.”
Silence.
“With what?”
“Project Helix.”
Another silence.
Then:
“You should come home.”
“To what?”
“I can explain.”
“Did you know Sophie was exposed?”
“Yes.”
My vision blurred.
“How long?”
“From the beginning.”
“Did you know about the miscarriages?”
“Yes.”
My hand tightened.
“You watched us lose two children and said nothing.”
“Because I was trying to protect you.”
“You don't get to use that word.”
“I do if I'm the reason you're still alive.”
“Who is trying to kill me?”
My father didn't answer.
“Dad.”
“Come home, Ethan.”
“Why?”
“Because Sophie is not telling you everything.”
I froze.
“What does that mean?”
“The woman you found at the hospital isn't the same woman you divorced.”
“What?”
“She learned something.”
“What?”
“She stopped trusting everyone.”
“So did I.”
“Ethan, listen carefully.”
His voice changed.
“Do not let Sophie take you to the archive.”
“What archive?”
Silence.
I realized immediately.
“There is one.”
“Forget I said anything.”
“Where?”
“Ethan.”
“Where is it?”
He hung up.
I stared at my phone.
Then another call appeared.
Sophie.
For several seconds, I simply stared.
Then I answered.
“Hello?”
Her breathing was uneven.
“Where are you?”
“Why?”
“Ethan, you need to leave the city.”
“Who are you running from?”
Silence.
“The people who killed Dr. Reed?”
She stopped breathing for a second.
“How do you know?”
“I know about Helix.”
She whispered:
“Who told you?”
“Your sister.”
Silence.
“She's alive.”
“I know.”
“Where are you?”
“Hospital.”
“Don't stay there.”
“Why?”
“Because they know you found me.”
I stared into the darkness.
“Did you know my father?”
Sophie didn't answer.
“Sophie.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A long time.”
“Did you work with him?”
“I had to.”
“For what?”
“I was trying to stop him.”
My chest tightened.
“You were investigating him.”
“Yes.”
“And the babies?”
Her voice cracked.
“Ethan, there is something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“You were never supposed to know about Helix.”
“Why?”
“Because you are part of it.”
The words landed like a punch.
“What does that mean?”
“You have a genetic marker.”
“What marker?”
“A rare sequence your grandfather discovered.”
“And?”
“And it can neutralize the treatment.”
I stared at the phone.
“What treatment?”
“The one that caused our babies to die.”
My hands shook.
“The compound was designed to activate in people with your marker.”
I couldn't breathe.
“Why?”
“So your descendants could survive it.”
My mind raced.
“What?”
Sophie was crying now.
“Your grandfather wasn't trying to cure infertility.”
“What was he doing?”
“Creating a bloodline that could survive the disease he created.”
Everything stopped.
My father.
My grandfather.
My mother.
Me.
Sophie.
Our babies.
All connected.
I whispered:
“Then why did you get sick?”
Silence.
Then Sophie said the words that shattered whatever remained of my certainty.
“Because the cancer wasn't caused by the treatment.”
“What was it?”
“It was caused by me.”
My heart stopped.
“What do you mean?”
“I found out the truth.”
“What truth?”
Her voice became barely audible.
“The babies weren't dying because your genes were failing.”
“Then why?”
“They were dying because…”
She stopped.
“Sophie?”
Someone entered her room.
I heard a man's voice.
“Mrs. Parker?”
Sophie gasped.
“Ethan, don't trust anyone.”
The call ended.
I tried calling back.
Nothing.
I drove toward the hospital.
Halfway there, my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown sender.
One photo.
Sophie lying unconscious on a hospital bed.
And beside her stood my father.
May you like
The message beneath it contained six words.
COME ALONE, OR SHE DIES.
