Chapter 42

42

The room fell silent, a vacuum of sound pierced only by Paige's thundering pulse. Acrid gun oil assaulted her nostrils, mingling with the tang of fear-sweat trickling down her spine.

"Let's play nice, Lassiter." Jason's voice sliced through the tension. "At least for now. We'll have our chance."

Cody's gaze darted, a trapped animal seeking escape. His shoulders unknotted as he lowered his weapon, each movement deliberate and controlled.

The old man's tone, once warm honey, now cut like tempered steel. "Hand over Penderson's instructions."

Paige's breath snagged in her throat, a sharp inhale of realization. The files from her father's cabin. Of course.

How could she have been so blind?

She glanced at Cody. Realization dawned in his eyes.

Her gaze travelled to Jason. He looked confused, clearly out of the loop.

In that moment, she understood how thoroughly they'd been played. The kidnapping, the deaths, the anonymous messages—it had all been an elaborate ruse to flush out her father's research. And her. The key to it all.

The old man's fingers twitched impatiently on his weapon. "I won't ask again."

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry as desert sand. Those instructions, hidden away in her father's cabin, held secrets that could change everything. And now, the man she'd thought a harmless retiree was ready to kill for them.

Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, leaving one huge question. Before she could voice it, Bill answered as if reading her thoughts.

"I might have been able to take the two of you back on the island, but I had to assume your backup was waiting in the wings."

His words sent a chill down her spine. She studied the familiar yet foreign face. The crow's feet, the weathered skin—it was all wrong now.

"You're not my dad's friend," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

The man's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Never actually met the man."

"You're Consortium." Her accusation hung in the air between them.

To her surprise, the man laughed. It was a genuine sound, filled with dark amusement that set her teeth on edge.

"Negative," he said, eyes glinting. "Think higher up."

Beside her, Cody let out a groan. "Atticus always figured there was another, smaller organization pulling the strings."

The man's expression sobered, a flicker of something—respect?—crossing his features. "Atticus was way too smart to live. If the heart attack hadn't taken him out. Someone like me would have." His gaze swept over them, cold and calculating. "Like the three of you. Well, you two, anyway. We need the girl a while longer."

The implication was clear—they were expendable.

All except her. For now.

She closed her eyes against a wave of dread. Why had her dad made her the key?

Weapons aimed at the intruders, Jason and Cody closed ranks in front of her.

The man didn't even flinch, just trained his weapon on Cody. "Weapons on the floor. Now."

Paige's heart leapt into her throat, but before she could react, Cody's voice cut through the tension. "Stand down," he ordered. "I'll take over from here."

She gasped, realizing he was talking to the intruders, not her and Jason. What was he thinking?"

Bill laughed, but uncertainty flickered in his eyes. "Sure, thing, kid. Right after we end you."

His weapon aimed at the ceiling, other hand out in clear communication that he wasn't a threat, Cody took a step toward the other man. "The name's Tanner."

Paige gasped. Either he'd fooled her again, or he planned to fool Bill.

Hands still raised, Cody took another measured step forward. "I work for Five-Seven."

The other man barked out a laugh, but it lacked conviction. "Nice try."

Undeterred, Cody advanced another step. He held out his index finger. "I know you brought a DNA sequencer. Check my ID."

A tense silence followed before the man nodded to one of his henchmen. The burly figure produced a device that looked like the unholy offspring of a glucose monitor and a smartphone. With clinical efficiency, he pricked Cody's outstretched finger.

Paige held her breath, the beep of the machine unnaturally loud in the quiet room. She watched the man's face, saw the moment disbelief morphed into shocked recognition.

"Sir," he said, his posture snapping to attention.

As Cody joined the group of men, Paige felt as if she were watching a magic trick. The Cody she knew melted away, replaced by someone entirely different. When he turned to face her and Jason, his eyes were cold, his expression mean and deadly. The man she thought she knew, the partner she'd trusted with her life, was gone. In his place stood a stranger.

"Drop your weapons," he ordered Paige and Jason.

Beside her, Jason growled with rage. "I'll tear your head off, Lassiter."

Cody—or was it Tanner now?—ignored the threat. His gaze locked onto Paige, pinning her in place with the intensity of his stare.

She had never felt more alone.

And she'd dragged Jason right into the middle of this disaster.

Cody's fingers danced along his handgun. He slid the magazine in and out, a rhythmic motion that filled the tense silence.

In. Out. In. Out.

It made Paige want to scream.

Probably the idea.

His expression nothing but cold, contained rage, Cody stared her down. "Drop it, or I'll shoot your big friend straight in the face."

There was no real choice. Her only option was to convince Cody and these goons to leave Jason alive when they took her. She bent her shaking knees, setting her sidearm on the stained carpet and raising her hands skyward. "No problem. I'll do whatever you say."

Cody cut a glance at Jason. "See? Not so hard. Now it's your turn. Follow the rules and you might live to fight another day."

Radiating fury, Jason obeyed. This close in, he could take out all four of these men with his bare hands. She couldn't let him die trying. The longer the standoff went, the more likely Jason would be to make a huge, heroic move.

She had to move things along. Fast.

But Cody clearly had the same idea. He leveled his gun at Jason. "Time to finish this. Him we don't need." Then he swung the barrel in her direction. "We do need her blood. But that doesn't mean we need her alive."