Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
“You know my father wasn’t even there, asshole,” Kala managed.
“No, but he’s the reason everything happened. He gave those criminals the resources they needed to escape Interpol,” he explained, his tone going dark and stubborn. “If your father hadn’t helped those men he called The Lost Boys, they would have been in jail or dead, and then the man who shot my father wouldn’t have been in Canada. My father would be here today. I wouldn’t have been left with…” He seemed to shake something off. “The point is, your father interfered with the natural order of things, and now you will pay the price. The sins of your father will be visited upon you, the daughter he can’t claim on paper.”
“I assure you a piece of paper won’t mean anything to my uncle,” Carys promised. “And it won’t merely be him after you. My whole family will go to war for this. You have no idea what my father and uncles will do to you.”
“Don’t be a misogynist,” Kala quipped. “You know it’ll be my mom and Aunt Erin who take this dude’s balls.”
Huisman ignored them. “I wonder what your sister will do after you cease to be. Will she take over the role and Ms. Magenta will go on? A sad existence when you think about it. They won’t be able to bring you back. You consigned all those years to the void, and for what? So you could try to prop up a dying society.”
“Why would you trick us into coming here?” Carys asked. The last thing she wanted to do was lie here and listen to the rantings of a mad man. “I don’t understand why you would come after me and Aidan.”
She needed to figure out what the man knew, though it seemed like he knew everything.
“Because it’s time.” Huisman sat down on the tall, wheeled stool in between the exam beds. “Because Benjamin is closing in on me. He’ll have what he needs soon enough, so it’s time to play offense. I’m not about to allow him to smear my good name. I’d rather do it myself.”
“Why Tasha?” Kala said, the words sounding croaky.
“Oh, I like to keep a few things to myself. I wondered if you knew, but it seems there are secrets even in the team. But I can tell you she serves a different purpose than you will,” Huisman replied.
Kala still didn’t move. Carys’s brain was starting to work again. It wasn’t natural how still her cousin was. “What did you give her?”
“It’s an experimental paralytic. She’s got an IV, so don’t think it will wear off. I’m not foolish. I know my enemies well, and she would kill me in a heartbeat. It probably won’t stop her lungs from functioning. Most of the rats I’ve tried it on survived,” he said as though they were talking about the weather and not her cousin being experimented on. “She came out of the sedative very quickly. Likely she’s built up a resistance to all kinds of things. Interesting girl. I can see why she’s attractive to Benjamin. I wonder if he knows there are two of her? I think not. Don’t worry. I won’t tell him. Although after I’m done, there will be only one of you, so I’m saving you a difficult conversation.”
Carys felt her stomach turn. How were they here? She’d been happy and safe with her men and she’d left because she hadn’t been willing to tell them she was still worried. She hadn’t wanted to fight. “You can’t kill her.”
She hadn’t fought at all. She’d gotten her feelings hurt and locked herself in a corner rather than doing what she should have done and going after her man. Tris had been worried she would put herself in danger to try to “save” him. How had he felt when she’d stopped talking to him?
Huisman’s face was back to looming over Carys’s. “I assure you I can. It’s easy. Do you see this room? It’s my old room. This is the house I grew up in.”
“We’re in Toronto?” Kala asked, avoiding the whole I’m-going-to-kill-you portion of Huisman’s villain act.
“Yes, this is where it all began, so I think it’s a good place to start the next portion of my life. After today I’ll have what I need to make my statement.” Huisman crossed one leg over the other, looking casual. “I knew this time was coming when I realized who knows where the bombmaker is. Or at least how to find the bombmaker. I need that brilliance if I’m going to start to set the world right.”
“Right?” Kala asked, sounding a bit stronger. “Come on, man. If you’re going to murder me, you have to monologue better. It’s easy to see you’re going to have some great ‘burn the world down for the sake of humanity’ kind of bullshit to share.”