I had been thinking of possible options from the moment I first knew mom was taken. “So, we go to the authorities and say what? A woman who claimed to be our mother for the last twelve years was really our rescuer from a neurobiological facility that was using us as human guinea pigs for their formulas? And, oh yeah, she stole us away from this facility in the dead of night, acquired an assumed name to help us hide and maternity tests would prove she is not our biological mother, nor are we siblings.
“She would claim that she rescued us. They would claim that they had no idea what she was talking about because The Institute does not now, nor ever has, used human beings as test subjects. How ridiculous!
“Dr. Williams would admit Margo worked for his company but, as evidence to her poor character, she didn’t show up for work one day and they never heard from her again. If Margo has these children, she must have acquired them through illicit means and the police need to charge her with kidnapping.
“It would be our mom’s word against this huge multimillion-dollar conglomerate. If you were the cops, who would you believe?” Though my logic was dead on, I felt sick saying it.
My brothers sat quietly on either side of me, both of them staring out of the window closest to them. I wondered if they wished none of this ever happened and that we were back on our ranch living in ignorant bliss again. I know that’s what I was wishing. My eyes drifted to the window, too. The scenery passed so quickly, it blurred into one stream of color.
And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
The injustice of it all! They took me away from my biological parents, they tortured me for nearly four years while keeping me caged like an animal. They forced Margo into becoming a fugitive to save us. And when they kidnapped her, they took away the one person who ever loved me even though she knew that love would jeopardize her life!
I felt a rage build inside me so intense, heat poured from my skin. And from this fury, I drew strength. My mind was racing with possible solutions and probable outcomes: if this, then this. If this happened, then I would respond with this. When Dr. Williams said this, I would say that.
Then, my mind raced smack into a wall of clarity.
I was so enraged at the evil that hurt me and my family; I finally saw what I needed to do. Oh, yeah. Dr. Williams was not calling the shots anymore. From now on, he would have to react to my aggression. I’m going to take that evil monster down, and he won’t know what hit him. This is my game now. This is my world, and he’s about to feel my wrath.
“What are you thinking, Meg?” Alik asked with a worried tone. Apparently, he’d been watching the emotions on my face change from what probably looked like despair to triumph.
I looked back from Alik to Evan with a smile curling the corners of my lips.
Chapter 33 Reporting to the Institute
Four rather large men sat slouched in their seats as the rented minivan coasted along.
They were hurting.
The driver, Freddie, was the lead in this assignment. This failed assignment. It was supposed to be so easy.
They follow this SUV, they wait till dark, they break in and get the kids and hightail it back to The Institute. That’s it. He’d done similar things dozens of times before.
But this time, damn.
This time he and his idiot team got their butts kicked by kids. Kids! And what the heck was that dog-thing? It looked more like a wolf. It ripped the heck out of Mick’s shoulder.
That little girl, she was so strong! That’s just not right! And the younger boys, they dealt blows like—well, they just weren’t normal! He shook his head in disbelief remembering the scene in the motel.
Freddie glanced over at Mick sitting shotgun. He didn’t look so good at all. Face was whiter than a new T-shirt. He was still bleeding a lot. Bright red seeped through the make-shift bandage they put on him. It wasn’t big enough for the wound, but that’s the biggest bandage the gas station had. They couldn’t take him to a doctor, or anything. A wound like that would definitely get them noticed.
Joey and Leo weren’t doing much better. Freddie glanced in the rearview mirror to check his other two guys. Crap! Joey’s left eye was swollen shut and he was missing teeth. Leo couldn’t breathe really well, or walk or sit. We’re thinking he has some broken ribs.
Anger, pain and humiliation grabbed him by the collar. He slammed his palm down on the steering wheel. No one even moved to look at him. Everyone was in too much pain.
He could feel his heart beating in his face. Freddie was worried about his guys, but in truth, he looked more mangled than any of them. His nose looked like it’d been through a meat grinder. Both eyes were exploding with huge bruises and his lips looked shredded. Both front teeth were knocked out.
But none of these injuries worried them as much as the phone call that was going to have to happen now. Freddie, as the lead, had to call their boss and tell him what happened. He knew he’d messed up badly and was already trying to find some way to make up for it. He needed another chance to make things right. But he heard this guy gave no mercy for mistakes.
He felt a wave of nausea as he reached into the center console to retrieve the cell phone. Not allowing himself to procrastinate anymore, he pressed and held down button number two. Speed dial registered the command, and the phone began to ring.