“I had him killed.” The monster shrugged. “I needed a way to bring you out into the open again.”
Dizziness struck, making Kat feel as though she were going to be sick. Through the ringing in her ear, she heard Bukhari’s command as he walked past Walker on his way out of the lab.
“Make sure she understands the choice is not hers to make and then put her ass to work.”
Kat was still on the floor when Walker crouched down beside her.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he stated quietly.
Tears covered her cheeks. “I won’t help you,” she choked out. Pushing herself to her feet, she wiped her face, wincing when her fingers brushed against the already-bruising skin. “I won’t.”
Rising with her, Walker started to raise his hand to her face but stopped when Kat flinched out of the way. He looked back at her with disappointment. “He will kill you if you don’t.”
“The second I put that formula together and create the serum for him, I’m dead anyway.”
Walker nodded. “At least that death will be swift. Painless. But if you continue to fight him, he will do things to cause a level of pain you can’t even imagine. Trust me. I’ve seen it happen.”
“I don’t care.”
He studied her more closely. “I believe you. However, youdocare about Turner, yes?”
Your father won’t be the only man you care about to die.
“Oh, god.” Kat held a hand against her mouth, forcing her throat to work the rising bile back down into her stomach. “Was it you? Did you kill my father?” His silence was his answer. “You son of a bitch!”
Her hand swung at his face, but Walker avoided the blow easily by grabbing hold of her wrist. When she tried beating him with her other fist, he held onto that arm as well.
“Why?” She sobbed while trying to pull herself free. “He had nothing to do with this!”
Keeping his grasp firm, he answered her honestly. “You have your orders from Bukhari. So, do I. And if you don’t make that serum, I’ll have no choice but to kill your boyfriend.”
He released her wrists and took a step back. Kat wanted to go after him again, but knew it was pointless. Physically, she was no match to this man.
“Why are you doing this?” she demanded to know through her tears. “For money?” Kat spit the word out as if it were a curse.
Walker shrugged. “Why else?”
“But you’re an American!” She shook her head in disbelief.
Something flashed behind his eyes. “Iusedto be an American. Now, I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”
Kat stared back at him, dazed from both the pain in her head and the unbelievable situation. The man started for the door.
“For the record,” he spoke while keeping his back to her, “I don’t want to kill Matt. But I will, if I have to.” Walker stopped at the room’s entrance to face her again. “Figure out the formula, Doc. Make the serum and give it to Bukhari. Sooner you do, the sooner this is all over for you.”
With those parting words of devastating wisdom, the man who’d taken everything from her walked out, locking the door behind him.
He hasn’t taken everything. Not yet.
But he would. If she didn’t do as Bukhari ordered, Kat had no doubt the man would make good on his threats. Walker would kill Matt without so much as blinking an eye. She believed that wholeheartedly.
“Oh, god.”
Kat raced to the nearest trashcan, barely reaching it in time to empty the contents of the meal she’d consumed earlier. When the painful retching ended, she stumbled over to one of the metal stools brought in as part of Bukhari’s sick twisted recreation.
What was she going to do? If she refused to help, she and Matt would both die, and the psycho would find another scientist who would eventually recreate the serum, anyway.
If she did go along with his plan and made the serum, he’d kill her the second she handed it over.
