Chapter 576
Chapter 576:
Dr. Aris, Julian Vance’s chief chemist, pulled the needle from Skye’s arm. He looked grim.
“It’s an evolved strain,” Dr. Aris said, turning to Alistair. “The previous antidote I created relied on the Black Nightshade extract we harvested from the greenhouse. This… this is synthetic. The molecular structure has been altered to bypass the antibodies she developed p>
Alistair stood by the window, watching the rain lash against the glass. He hadn’t moved in an hour.
“Can you fix it?” Alistair asked.
“I can treat the symptoms,” Dr. Aris said, checking his watch with trembling fingers. “But this is aggressive, Alistair. It’s not a slow burn like the original. It’s an accelerant. Based on the rate of her metabolic decay… she doesn’t have weeks. She has twenty-four hours. Maybe less p>
“Twenty-four hours?” Alistair turned slowly, his face a mask of controlled fury. “You’re telling me she dies tomorrow p>
“The pain will drive her into shock long before that,” Dr. Aris admitted softly. “Without the base formula, the ‘mother’ sample of this specific synthetic chain, I can’t synthesize an antidote in time p>
Alistair walked to the bedside. He brushed Skye’s damp hair off her forehead. She leaned into his touch unconsciously, whimpering.
“Lucian,” Alistair whispered. It wasn’t a name. It was a sentence.
Harper Quinn burst into the room, tablet in hand. “We got a ping. Liam’s phone. He turned it on for three seconds p>
“Where p>
“The Graves family crypts,” Harper said, confused. “Why would he be at a cemetery p>
“He’s not,” Alistair realized. “The crypts have underground tunnels that connect to the old smuggling routes. That’s Lucian’s bolthole p>
“It’s a trap,” Harper warned. “Turning the phone on? He wanted us to find him p>
“I don’t care,” Alistair said.
He walked to the gun cabinet on the wall and punched in the code. The door hissed open, revealing rows of assault rifles and tactical gear.
𝗩𝘦𝗿𝘪𝘧𝘪e𝗱 cоn𝘁е𝗇𝘵 𝗼ո 𝘣е𝗹𝘯𝗼𝗏e𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝗈𝘮
“If it’s a trap, we spring it,” Alistair said, checking the magazine of a Sig Sauer. “Call the Shadow Guard. Everyone. If they can hold a gun, they’re coming p>
In the damp tunnels beneath the cemetery, Liam was earning his keep.
He was loading magazines for Lucian’s mercenaries. His hands were steady, mechanical.
“You handle a weapon well for a CEO,” one of the mercenaries grunted.
“I hunt,” Liam lied, without looking up.
Lucian walked in, holding a vial of blue liquid. It glowed faintly in the dim light.
“The antidote?” Liam asked.
“The only one in existence,” Lucian bragged, placing it inside a heavy titanium briefcase. He locked it and spun the tumblers. “I’m expecting company tonight. Alistair is predictable. He’ll come for this p>
“And when he does p>
“We kill him,” Lucian said.
He tossed an assault rifle to Liam. “You’re on point, Kensington. Top of the stairs. Prove your loyalty. When you see Alistair Thorne, put a bullet in his head p>
Liam caught the rifle. The weight of it was familiar.
“With pleasure,” Liam said.
He checked the safety. It was off.