Michael looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe.<\/p>\n
Anna remained near the door with her hands visible while Ortiz searched her.<\/p>\n
No weapon.<\/p>\n
No phone.<\/p>\n
Only a small leather wallet and a folded photograph.<\/p>\n
Ortiz took both.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Samuel\u2019s other son?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name is David.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name meant nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s eyes moved to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you my brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Daniel Samuel had two sons.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who am I?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at him with so much grief that I suddenly understood before she spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael took a step back.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were my child.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Harlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the DNA\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe database relationship was manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna glanced toward the computers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk whoever controls these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy paternity test matched Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see the raw data?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw the interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded sadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan taught you to trust reports more than people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked like she had struck him.<\/p>\n
I stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is David?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna faced me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now I was the one who stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Anna continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had David five years before Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my father had two children with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said Michael\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan was Michael\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
Anna closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the word I would use.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She accepted that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel and I were together first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile he was married to my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked toward the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cCloser than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cFull name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDate of birth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna gave it.<\/p>\n
Grace pulled out her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every head turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe works here.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepartment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace was already searching the staff directory.<\/p>\n
She found it.<\/p>\n
Her face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cPharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cOncology pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a clinical pharmacist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The credential access.<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s medication.<\/p>\n
The RV-13 drug.<\/p>\n
Everything aligned at once.<\/p>\n
Ortiz grabbed her radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock down oncology pharmacy. Locate David Mercer. Do not alert him directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knows I\u2019m alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine had said only she and Harlan were in the traffic image.<\/p>\n
But someone could have arrived separately.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid he write Phase II in the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel\u2019s voice came weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he believes Harlan ruined his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he decided to continue Harlan\u2019s experiment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to prove the research works.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo take it from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stared at Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid is a researcher?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrained as a pharmacist. Studied molecular genetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe consults on trial medication protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace whispered, \u201cYou work with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow closely?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWeekly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou worked beside your brother and didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael laughed once, hollowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently that\u2019s another family tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to keep David away from Harlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s face broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan took you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told everyone you died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe raised me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you come back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwice before you were five.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan threatened David.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you chose him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna recoiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone in this story protects children by abandoning one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna began crying.<\/p>\n
Michael turned away.<\/p>\n
Grace watched him.<\/p>\n
For the first time since Anna arrived, some of the suspicion in her face softened.<\/p>\n
Not trust.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Ortiz asked Anna, \u201cTell us exactly what David has done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah groaned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStart there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna sat in one of the metal chairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid grew up knowing Samuel was his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father knew him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOccasional visits. Money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my mother know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid David know Michael existed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until he was seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid found old correspondence between Samuel and me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he contact Harlan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then Harlan had built his research around keeping certain subjects separate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace whispered, \u201cEven his own son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
Michael sat down.<\/p>\n
The cruelty of Harlan\u2019s system was becoming clearer.<\/p>\n
He did not merely observe separated families.<\/p>\n
He created separation because separation generated data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did David do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became obsessed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at Grace and Leah.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed Harlan had discovered something scientifically important and wasted it through greed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thinks the problem with trafficking babies was poor research management.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna said nothing.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
Grace folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he get access to us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never gave him access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot knowingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou trusted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shared trial systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave him database permissions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace whispered, \u201cHe used your credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe built an administrator layer under your accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how he created Grace\u2019s authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd signed M.V.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhy frame Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Phase II caused harm, the evidence would lead to Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael turned toward the terminal.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we prove this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz said, \u201cWe\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid has spent years preparing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least four.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cSince my recurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew I was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew before you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour labs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at Anna sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer recurrence was identified from imaging.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe imaging confirmed it. The markers appeared earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid had access to pathology.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe watched it begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd did nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needed the natural progression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace\u2019s disgust was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying he let her cancer grow because it was useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
Ortiz stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo find him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is in this building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo are hundreds of patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
She lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf David has access to controlled substances and thinks we\u2019re closing in, you charging around helps nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands shook.<\/p>\n
Rachel said softly, \u201cDanny.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word was simple.<\/p>\n
I stayed.<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s radio crackled.<\/p>\n
An officer reported that David Mercer was not in oncology pharmacy.<\/p>\n
His badge had last been used seventeen minutes ago.<\/p>\n
Location: pediatric research wing.<\/p>\n
Anna stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used pediatric access as a route to pathology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a service corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does it lead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecimen storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy blood samples.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz ordered officers toward pathology.<\/p>\n
Then Leah asked, \u201cWhy would he go there now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo destroy evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr take it,\u201d Michael said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at the refrigerated cabinets.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamples.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned to Grace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf David dosed you and Leah, he needs post-exposure comparison material.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo measure the effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cHe needs their blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
I looked at Leah.<\/p>\n
She had gone very still.<\/p>\n
Then Grace\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
She read the notification.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy employee health portal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA new blood draw order.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael moved beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho ordered it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace opened the record.<\/p>\n
David Mercer.<\/p>\n
Location: pathology collection room three.<\/p>\n
Appointment time:<\/p>\n
Now.<\/p>\n
Leah laughed in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe invited you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s telling us where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s radio crackled again.<\/p>\n
An officer\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cPathology corridor clear. No Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then static.<\/p>\n
Another voice broke through.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetective, we found a staff member unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz lifted the radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cCondition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive. Sedated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFreight elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat elevator goes to the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all looked upward instinctively.<\/p>\n
The hospital had a helipad.<\/p>\n
Ortiz ran.<\/p>\n
Officers followed.<\/p>\n
I pushed Rachel\u2019s wheelchair behind them until Grace took over.<\/p>\n
At the service elevator, the indicator was moving.<\/p>\n
Level seven.<\/p>\n
Eight.<\/p>\n
Roof.<\/p>\n
Ortiz hit the call button.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Michael turned toward the stairwell.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
We climbed.<\/p>\n
Rachel stayed behind with Grace and a guard.<\/p>\n
Leah came with us despite Ortiz shouting at her to stop.<\/p>\n
By the time we reached the roof access door, my lungs burned.<\/p>\n
Ortiz opened it carefully.<\/p>\n
Wind hit us.<\/p>\n
The helipad lights were on.<\/p>\n
No helicopter.<\/p>\n
David Mercer stood near the edge in a white pharmacy coat.<\/p>\n
He was holding a black insulated specimen case.<\/p>\n
I recognized him immediately.<\/p>\n
Not because I had seen his photograph.<\/p>\n
Because he looked like my father.<\/p>\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
The same shoulders.<\/p>\n
Same narrow eyes.<\/p>\n
Same habit of standing with his weight slightly forward.<\/p>\n
David looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you finally know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re Samuel\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna came through the door behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
Not fear.<\/p>\n
Pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have stayed dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stopped beside her.<\/p>\n
David looked at him.<\/p>\n
Then laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou worked with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou used my credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Harlan trusted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, he didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
David glanced at Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got the son she abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna flinched.<\/p>\n
Michael stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t abandon me.\u201d<\/p>\n
David smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve known that for ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz raised her weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut the case down.\u201d<\/p>\n
David ignored her.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cProof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Harlan was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace appeared in the doorway behind us.<\/p>\n
She had left Rachel with the guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s eyes lit up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the mutation can be triggered predictably.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou dosed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Leah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have killed us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael snapped, \u201cYou had no idea what the dose would do.\u201d<\/p>\n
David smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a model.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA model is not a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan used to say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked sick.<\/p>\n
David lifted the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrace showed significant repair disruption. Leah didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re identical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnvironment.\u201d<\/p>\n
David nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent stress loads. Diet. exposure history. endocrine profile. It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace whispered, \u201cYou\u2019re insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked almost offended.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the first person who finished what everyone else was too afraid to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid, give me the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always choose badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou chose Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou protected him from Harlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to protect you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hid me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI raised you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou raised me afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s eyes hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t call it love.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence echoed Leah\u2019s words to Elaine.<\/p>\n
Different children.<\/p>\n
Same wound.<\/p>\n
Ortiz stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cCase down.\u201d<\/p>\n
David looked at the edge of the roof.<\/p>\n
Then at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I drop this, the last four years disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said, \u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at him.<\/p>\n
David frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDrop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what\u2019s in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou helped build the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
David laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Michael. You got scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got human.\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why Harlan never respected you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael took another step.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never respected either of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s hand tightened around the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Samuel?\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you help him?\u201d<\/p>\n
David smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then his expression darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe. Anna remained near the door with her hands visible while Ortiz searched her. No weapon. No phone. Only a small … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20006,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19928\/revisions\/20006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}