Blood Ransom (12 page)

‘That’s a retinal scanner.’ I raced over. Elijah had used these back in his Washington compound. ‘Who’d put a door that secure into an old barn unless they wanted
to hide what was on the other side?’

‘How do we get through it?’ Lewis held up the hairgrip. ‘I don’t see this working.’

I pocketed the hairgrip. ‘If it’s Elijah’s door, then we’re okay.’ I strode over to the screen and positioned myself so that the red light could ‘read’
the imprint of my eye. As a clone of Elijah, I was a genetic match for his retina.

The metal door gave a soft click as the lock sprang back.

‘Typical Elijah.’ I could hear the bitter satisfaction in Lewis’s whisper. ‘Let’s hope there isn’t anyone waiting for us on the other side.’

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The room beyond was dimly lit, bathed in a warm pinky glow. I crept inside. I could just make out the rounded shapes of a short row of plastic
cases. A low, mechanical humming noise was coming from somewhere, but there was no other sound. No people.

I took a closer look at the cases.

My mouth fell open.

‘Oh my God.’ Lewis stood beside me. ‘What the hell
is
this place?’

35

He was here. He was here.

A tornado of feelings swept through me, paralysing me for a second. Elijah appeared similarly shocked. He stood, rigid, in front of the screen for a moment, then picked up the radio mic
again.

He was so intent on the image before him, he still hadn’t realised I was standing by the door.

‘Breach!’ Elijah shouted into the mic. ‘There’s been a breach at the lab. John is down. Paul . . .
Paul
, do you read me?’

‘Yes, sir!’ Paul sounded breathless.

His distant footsteps pounded along the path. He was going to reach the barn in less than a minute.

I stared at the screen. John was still in a heap on the ground. I wondered for a second who the person with Theo was, then focused all my thoughts into a single aim . . . I had to warn Theo that
Paul was coming. Even if I couldn’t reach him before Paul did, surely he’d hear me yell if I could just get outside the house?

I turned and tore off down the corridor.

36

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what I was seeing: row after row of clear oval pods. Each one contained some sort of tiny, semi-transparent blob, suspended in liquid
and attached to long tubes that led out of the pods to a large central tank. A low hum emanated from the tank. I stared at the blob inside the nearest pod.

Man, was it
moving
?

The skin on the back of my neck prickled.

What on earth was Elijah up to?

Outside the room a radio crackled. The muffled voice giving orders was just audible. ‘Do not shoot inside the laboratory. Repeat. Do
not
shoot.’ It was Elijah.

His voice sent a bolt of fear shooting through me.

‘Hide,’ Lewis hissed, ducking behind the large tank.

I darted behind the row of pods just as a man charged into the room.

37

I reached the front door of the farmhouse, running hard, just as Milo wheeled himself round the corner. He was coming in my direction – fast. The small black gun Elijah
had sent him to fetch rested on his lap.

‘Rachel, stop!’

No.
I raced out of the front door. Down the path. The stones were hard and cold on my feet and the air freezing against my skin, but I barely noticed.

I
had
to warn Theo.

38

I crouched behind the row of pods. The man by the door was tall and bulky – another of Elijah’s security guards, I guessed. The low lighting in the room glinted off
his blond hair as he looked around, his gun at the ready in front of him.

The guard’s eyes widened as he took in the sinister-looking pods. Had he not seen them before?

I crouched lower, but it was impossible to hide.

‘Stand up,’ the guard ordered. ‘Hands in the air.’

I stood, my stomach constricting into a tight knot. The guard turned towards me. I kept my gaze averted from the large tank behind him, not wanting to give away Lewis’s hiding place.

The man’s dark blue eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock.

‘
Milo?
’ he said. He stared at my legs, lowering his gun.

Who the hell was Milo?

‘No, you’re not him.’ The guard raised his gun again.

Lewis flew out from behind the tank. His hand chopped at the guard’s neck and he fell to the ground. Lewis stood over him, panting.

I watched him, breathless. I would
never
get used to how fast Lewis could move.

Lewis grabbed the man’s gun and glanced up at me, his eyes fierce.

‘Go!’ he yelled.

We pelted out of the door, past the unconscious guard outside and down the path.

‘Into the trees,’ Lewis ordered. ‘We’ll follow the path up the island – but keep under cover. There must be another building further on.’

‘Right.’ It wasn’t good news. For all we knew there could be loads of buildings – with Rachel hidden in any one of them.

We reached the trees. I darted into the pitch black and turned to look back the way we’d come. A distant shout echoed towards us.

Lewis put his finger to his lips. I listened hard.

‘THEO!’ The yell came closer. ‘THEO!’

It was her . . . I was
sure
it was her. I stared into the darkness.

And then she ran into view, past the hill in the moonlight, flying over the rough stones.

Rachel.

39

‘Theo!’ I yelled again.

He walked out from the trees beyond the lab. It was too dark to see him properly, but I knew it was him. Then he stepped into the moonlight. My breath burned in my throat as I made out his face
. . . the slope of his nose . . . the silky brown of his hair . . .

I raced on. A second later I was there, right in front of him. I stood, panting, my eyes soaking up Theo’s face. Even in the moonlight I could see how different he was from Milo. Something
stronger and sweeter in his eyes.
So
beautiful. And taller than I remembered too.

‘Rachel.’A second figure emerged from the trees.

‘Lewis,’ I breathed.

He grabbed my arm, unsmiling. ‘Come on. Our boat’s by the jetty.’

He was different somehow, but my head was too full of Theo to think about the how or why of anything to do with Lewis. I could feel his eyes on me as we stumbled in the darkness. Distracted, I
tripped over the thick root of a tree, landing heavily on the ground.

‘Quiet!’ Lewis hissed.

We were nearly at the jetty. Elijah’s roar rang out.

‘Theo! You won’t get away with this!
’

Lewis froze. Then he turned to me. ‘How many guards are there?’

‘Just two,’ I said. ‘Two men and Elijah. That’s all.’

‘What about the guy in the wheelchair?’ Theo said.

‘Yes, but he’s not like the others.’ I hesitated. ‘I don’t even think he has a gun of his own.’

‘Both the guards are unconscious,’ Lewis said. There was a hard look in his eyes I didn’t remember seeing before. A terrible bitterness. He stood a step away from us.
‘I’m going after Elijah,’ he said. ‘This ends tonight.’

‘
What?
’ I said.

Theo stared at him. ‘That wasn’t the plan . . . you said “get in, get Rachel, get out”, not—’

‘I know what I said, but I have to do this. It’s the only way we’ll all be safe.’ Lewis took another step away. ‘Get back to the beach. Wait in the trees near the
boat until you hear me. I’ll be there in ten minutes . . . max.’

‘But—’ Before I could say any more, Lewis sped off.

Theo and I looked at each other.

‘Is Lewis going to kill Elijah?’ I whispered, shocked.

Theo nodded. ‘It’s because of Mel. Lewis is obsessed with getting revenge on Elijah for killing her. It’s all he talks about.’

I nodded, letting this latest bit of information settle as Theo took my hand and led me on, through the trees towards the jetty. My feet were numb with cold now, but my hand was warm under
Theo’s touch. After a minute we reached the edge of the wooded area. An expanse of beach lay ahead. Above the beach, the jetty stretched into the sea. I could make out the vague outline of
Elijah’s boat bobbing in the water at the end.

‘Our boat is hidden behind that one,’ Theo explained.

I glanced up at the camera, which was still scanning the beach.

‘Should we make a run for it?’ I said.

Theo shook his head. ‘Lewis said to wait by the trees. There’s more cover.’

‘Okay.’ I shivered.

Theo tugged off his jacket. ‘Put this on.’

I took the jacket gratefully. It was too big, but I wrapped it round me, instantly feeling the protection it gave against the wind.

There was no sight or sound of either Elijah or Lewis.

Theo looked at me. He took my hand again. ‘Are you okay?’

I nodded.

‘Did Elijah hurt you?’ Theo’s eyes were dark and intense.

‘No.’ The word came out as a whisper. Immediately I thought of Daniel. How did I tell Theo about him?

We stared at each other.

You risked everything to find me.
The thought was overwhelming. Impossible to put into words.

‘You’re here,’ I stammered.

‘For you,’ Theo said.

I gazed into his deep brown eyes. He moved closer. The silence between us grew as we looked at each other. In the background the trees rustled and the wind whistled and the sea lapped against
the shore. And then those sounds faded away and all I could hear was Theo’s breathing, as rapid and shallow as my own.

‘They made out you were dead,’Theo said. ‘But I knew it wasn’t true.’

I looked into his eyes, my heart racing again.

‘Elijah wants me for some tests he’s doing . . .’ I stammered.

‘Are they anything to do with those weird pods in that lab of his?’

I frowned. ‘Was that what you saw?’ I said, wondering what he meant
.
‘
Pods?
’

Theo nodded.

‘I don’t know anything about Elijah’s research,’ I admitted. ‘He doesn’t let anyone into his lab, but I think his tests on me have got something to do with
the Hermes Project . . .’

‘I remember that from Elijah’s compound in America.’ Theo’s eyes rounded. ‘It’s connected to Daniel . . . Wait . . . is
he
here?’

I stared at him, a hundred thoughts fizzing round my head. Theo had felt terrible last year in Washington that he hadn’t saved Daniel. How was he going to feel now, knowing that the little
boy had paid for that with his life?

‘No, Daniel’s not here.’ I took a breath, unsure how to tell him that Daniel was dead.

Theo didn’t wait for me to say any more. He dropped my hand and cupped my face in his palms. ‘It’s good to see you,’ he said softly. ‘I missed you.’

‘Me too,’ I whispered.

Theo stroked his thumb down my face. My cheek burned where he’d touched it. He drew closer still, until our lips were almost touching.

‘Rachel,’ he whispered.

I closed my eyes as his kiss ricocheted through my body.

And then a series of shouts ripped through the air.

We broke away from each other, turning towards the shore.

More shouts. Elijah. Getting nearer.

‘Theo!’ That was Lewis. A warning yell.

‘Come on, we should get to the boat now.’ Theo grabbed my hand and we raced off across the beach. In a few strides we were at the jetty. It was just above our heads. Theo reached up,
gripped hold of the edge and hauled himself up. More yells. They were definitely getting closer. I turned to see if I could catch sight of either Lewis or Elijah and stepped on a jagged stone. It
sliced into my foot.

‘
Ow!
’

Theo was half on the jetty, scrabbling to get a purchase with his legs. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing.’ I lifted my foot off the ground. I could feel blood seeping out of it.

Theo was on the jetty now. He reached down for me.

Wham.
A shape lunged at me out of nowhere. Strong arms pushed me. Caught off balance, I toppled over. The sand rushed up to meet me.
Thud.
Sharp grains flew into my eyes and nose
and mouth.

‘Stay down.’ Elijah was pressing hard on the back of my neck.

I gasped for breath, spluttering mouthfuls of sand, the panic rising . . . choking me . . .

Above me, Theo was yelling, ‘Let her go!’

And then a shot fired.

40

The bullet whistled past my head. It only missed me by a few centimetres or so, but at that range Elijah could easily have killed me.

I froze, staring down at him. It was all flooding back – the events of the year before . . . Elijah and the way he had manipulated me, imprisoned me, been prepared to murder me . . .

My hands started shaking. Elijah gave me an icy smile.

‘Hello, Theo,’ he said.

‘What have you done with Lewis?’

‘Get down from the jetty,’ Elijah said, ignoring my question. ‘No sudden moves, please, or I shoot you for real.’

‘I thought you needed me?’ I glanced at Rachel. She was lying quite still in the sand, her head turned sideways. Elijah’s foot was still on her neck, but her eyes showed no
pain. Only fear. ‘Don’t you need my heart, Elijah?’

‘I have a perfectly healthy heart now, Theo,’ Elijah said briskly. ‘My experiments have moved on. It’s Rachel I need. Not you.’

I stared at him. Was that true?

‘Now, get down onto the beach,’ Elijah went on. ‘
Slowly.
Sit before you jump, please.’

I looked round, trying to work out what to do. Our boat was only a metre away, just past Elijah’s. From up here on the jetty I could make out the outline of the hull.

With a jolt I realised Lewis was inside, carefully unwinding the rope that bound our boat to Elijah’s. He must have swum there from the beach and got on board without me or Elijah hearing
him.

As I stared at him he looked up. Our eyes met. Seawater was dripping silently down his face. He put his finger to his lips.
Sssh.