“Basically,” Marius elaborates, “your damaged gene increases your chances of developing the spinal degenerative disease your mother had.”
Amy’s face goes white.
I hold myself completely motionless. Taking the blow. I want desperately to believe it isn’t true, that Marius is simply toying with us, but from the lines of despair bracketing Graham’s mouth, I realize Marius is telling the truth.
Amy turns to face her father. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, chest heaving, her eyes huge and stark. “Don’t you think I deserved to know?”
Graham looks at her pleadingly. “I was hoping to find a cure before I told you. I didn’t want you to live with the burden of that knowledge.”
So this is the insidious hold Graham’s research has on him. The man’s motivations become suddenly, horribly clear.
Despite my shock, I wish I could do something to wipe away Amy’s shattered expression. I want to tell her she won’t have to bear this alone, but now is the worst possible time. I force myself to ignore the knot twisting my stomach, the lump obstructing my throat. Instead, I watch Marius closely, waiting for my chance.
And then I have it.
In Graham’s fury at Marius’s revelation, he manages to throw himself and the chair he’s tied to onto the floor, the desk acting as a shield as he lies rocking like an upended turtle, howling in outrage.
With Marius’s attention briefly diverted, I push Amy away from me and lunge at him. But Marius is not wholly unprepared. I feel a burning, fiery agony in my shoulder. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I let my momentum carry me forward to collide with Marius, the impact sending us both crashing to the floor. Marius’s Berettaflies out of his hand. Then we’re rolling on the carpet, pummeling one another.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse Amy pick up Nolene’s weapon and point it our way. The safety is on. Before I can shout out instructions, pain radiates along my jaw as Marius’s fist connects solidly with it. Black dots dance in front of my eyes. He quickly seizes the advantage by driving his knee into my injured shoulder. I roar in rage and pain. A second later, the palm of Marius’s hand is pressing on my throat, cutting off my breath. Another second of pressure will snap my windpipe.
Abruptly, the suffocating weight on my throat is lifted and I can breathe. Drawing in a harsh, choking breath, I shove a limp Marius away and roll to my feet.
Amy is kneeling on the carpet, her face drained of color. Her grip on the gun slackens and the weapon slides out of her hand. I realize immediately she used the gun as a hammer to knock Marius unconscious.
I pull her to her feet and wrap her in a tight hug. “I almost got you killed,” I rasp out, remorse flooding me. “I’m so unbelievably sorry. Sorry for kidnapping you and dragging you into this.”
Her eyes lift to meet mine. “I’m not sorry. Not one bit.”
I swallow hard. The blue of her eyes burns my conscience.
“Amy!” Graham barks. “Get away from him, sweetheart! Untie me!”
We both ignore him.
I glimpse the instant Amy’s eyes darken with the shadow of Marius’s shock disclosure. “You were right,” she whispers, pulling away from me. “There is no rosy future for us.”
“You stop looking like that, Amy Hutchinson,” I grit out, my voice thick with emotion. “We all have a death sentence over us. It’s just a matter of when, that’s all.”
She shakes her head.
My jaw tightens. “It’s not a certainty you’ll get the disease. The chances might be higher, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.”
Tears run down her cheeks. “I have to help my father.”
I wait out a surge of pain before saying, “Your genetic risk factor doesn’t scare me.”
I draw her close and kiss her tenderly. I don’t care about the presence of her father. I don’t care about anything except the feel of her in my arms.
Tearing my mouth from hers, I whisper, “I love you, Amy Hutchinson. No matter what happens after this, I want you to remember that.”
I hold her tightly, breathing her in, committing this moment to memory.
Then I do the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I ignore her cries and I walk away. Not once do I look back.
EPILOGUE
HEATHER
