Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Blake, the quarterback on the university’s football team, was on the drug when he tried to drown me in that MJP pool. He would have killed River, too, if I hadn’t popped back to life all new and improved. Later, Blake felt so bad about what he’d done, he stopped taking the juice and let his heart explode.
“Okay,” I say, “so Morris wants me. For what?”
“We don’t know.”
Oh. That sounds comforting. “This doesn’t make sense. Morris knows I’m stronger than him. He can’t be stupid enough to think I won’t snap his neck.” I blink. Did I just say that? “I meant—that I’d handcuff him and hand him over to the police. Or policia? Politzi? Not sure how to say it in French.”
“He wants you sedated,” Kyle explains. “He’s provided instructions on where he’ll administer it.”
Are they nuts? “I’m not letting Morris shoot me up.”
Kyle knocks twice on the conference table to get my attention. “Huff, we need you to listen—”
I knock twice back. “No, Kyle. Just tell him I’m dead. Tell him you can’t give him what he wants.”
“We already tried that,” Combover explains. “It’s why he lit the Eiffel Tower on fire.”
“I’m not letting myself get handed over to that crazy asshole.” And after everything Kyle’s done to keep my existence a secret, I’m a little surprised he’s willing to hand me over so easily.
“We’ve got a plan,” Kyle explains. “We’ll send you armed with a syringe. We’ll create a diversion—a loud noise—and you’ll swap out his syringe with yours. You’ll only be sedated ten minutes tops—just long enough to convince him you’re out. Then we’ll track you and him back to his lab.”
“Why do you need to find his lab? Just catch the guy. Arrest him.”
“Morris will never tell us what we need to know. Does he have bombs planted around the city already? What sort of bombs? How do we put out that fire? We need access to his lab, notes, chemical inventory…”
They have a point, but how am I going to swap syringes without Morris noticing? This is the worst plan in the world.
“You’re not hearing me,” I say. “I’m not putting myself in that psycho’s hands for one second. Do you know how many lives he’s ruined? How many people have died because of him? And don’t get me started on this.” I wave my hand over my chest.
Kyle’s face turns to his disapproving-father look with the scrunched brows and crinkled lips. “It’s either that or we evacuate Paris, in which case, he’ll probably light it up anyway. Two million people will die. Maybe more.”
Why are they asking me to do this? I’m no hero.
“We’ll have eyes on you the entire time, Huff,” says Combover. “And the US government is prepared to grant you full protection if you do this. No one will come after you and try to study you like a lab rat. You’ll be free to move around, be in public, live a normal life.”
Why is the US government even involved? I know France is an ally, but something feels off about this—like there’s more to the story they’re not telling me.
Either way, I don’t know how they’ll keep me safe from the rest of the world. Sure, I could probably manage to protect myself on my own by staying on the run indefinitely, but what sort of life would that be?
I want to go back to college and study to become a lawyer. I want a home. I want to grow old with River. I want to lead a normal, boring life where no one cares who I am. How can the US government possibly deliver that? On the other hand, just having their guarantee that they won’t nab me for experimental purposes is a nice start. I guess the question now is how legit is this offer?
“Who in the government is making this offer? Who knows I’m alive?” I ask Kyle.
“The president was informed, along with a handful of top officials.” Kyle looks guilty all of a sudden. And he should.
“Why would you tell them?” I’m supposed to be a secret. Kyle has pounded it into my head. “Stay hidden, you stay alive.”
“I had to, Huff. They came to me yesterday about the threat and asked me point-blank if you were really dead. Once I heard how many lives were on the line, what choice did I have? But I did negotiate for your freedom up front.”
I don’t like it. He made a choice with my life and didn’t bother consulting me. That’s Kyle for ya.
“So what do you say, Huff?” Kyle prods. “Because we all know you can leave if you want, and none of us will ever find you if you don’t want to be found.”
Yeah, but now a lot of people with power know I’m not dead. I’d be on the run the rest of my life. On the other hand, this is a chance to get some of my life back. I could be with River again.