Chapter 11 - Thomas HargroveThomas Hargrove entered the laboratory slowly.
He looked nothing like the men Marcus expected from a family empire built on secrecy.
He was elegant.
Gray suit.
Silver hair.
Quiet smile.
A man who could attend a charity luncheon and shake hands with senators without anyone wondering what blood was under his fingernails.
Victoria stared at him.
“Thomas.”
He looked at her.
“Hello, sister.”
Marcus stepped between them.
“You're not taking Lily.”
Thomas smiled.
“I don't need to.”
He nodded toward the monitors.
“She already belongs to the program.”
Rosa held Lily tighter.
“She is my daughter.”
Thomas shrugged.
“Legally.”
Marcus took a step forward.
“You touched my family.”
Thomas smiled.
“Your family touched mine first.”
David moved toward him.
Thomas looked at him.
“You should have stayed dead.”
David answered:
“You should have stayed away from my son.”
Thomas laughed.
“Your son?”
He looked at Marcus.
“You still haven't told him what you did.”
Marcus turned toward David.
“What is he talking about?”
David didn't answer.
Thomas smiled.
“There it is.”
Marcus looked at his father.
“What did I do?”
David whispered:
“Nothing.”
Thomas shook his head.
“You were young.”
Marcus's breathing quickened.
“What happened?”
Thomas stepped closer.
“When Clara disappeared, you were there.”
Marcus froze.
A memory flashed.
Red walls.
A girl's hand.
A toy truck.
A door shutting.
Marcus grabbed his head.
“No.”
Thomas smiled.
“You remember.”
Marcus stumbled.
Lily touched his hand.
“Don't be scared.”
Marcus looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Because Grandma told me.”
Rosa looked confused.
“Your grandmother is dead, Lily.”
Lily nodded.
“She lives in the walls.”
Marcus looked around.
Thomas stopped smiling.
“That child remembers too much.”
Thomas pulled a small device from his pocket.
Every monitor in the lab went black.
Then one appeared.
A live video.
Clara.
Older.
Maybe thirty-five.
Sitting in a room somewhere underground.
Marcus stared.
His sister.
Alive.
Clara looked directly into the camera.
“Marcus.”
He could not speak.
She smiled sadly.
“You came back.”
Marcus stepped toward the screen.
“Where are you?”
Clara glanced off-camera.
“They'll kill you if you find me.”
Thomas raised his weapon.
“Enough.”
Victoria lunged.
Thomas fired.
The bullet struck the machine beside her.
Sparks erupted.
Daniel shot back.
Thomas ducked behind a steel cabinet.
Marcus grabbed Rosa.
“Get Lily out!”
They ran.
But the laboratory began shaking.
A warning siren screamed.
David shouted:
“The facility is collapsing!”
Marcus looked back.
Thomas was gone.
The screen showing Clara flickered.
She spoke one final sentence.
“Marcus, don't rescue me.”
He stopped.
“Why?”
Clara's face filled the screen.
May you like
“Because I'm the one who betrayed the family.”
The screen went black.
