My stomach clenched. I was going to be sick. Everyone … everyone was right. I never should have pursued this. I should have left. Gone to Nepal. Gone anywhere but here. What had I been thinking? He wins. He always wins!
Tears swam in my eyes.
‘Give it to me, Bremy.’ I turned to Jenny. I couldn’t see her through my tears, but I felt her hand grasp my arm. ‘I’ll do it.’
I gripped the thin metal in my hand. ‘No!’
‘I’m tired of living this way,’ she said, hand on her chest. ‘That day when I took you to the lab … when you said you would help me? I knew what he had done. It wasn’t hard to find the report. I don’t want to live with him always being in control of me. I can go back to the way I was.’ Her face crumpled. ‘We can go back.’
‘He said it might hurt you even more. That … that there might be damage.’
‘I’ll take the chance,’ she said. ‘Give it to me.’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ my father said. ‘I would like Bremy to do it. That is the deal.’
Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t watch Ryder die, but I couldn’t risk Jenny’s life either.
‘It will be okay,’ she said. ‘Seriously.’
‘He’s lying,’ I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks. ‘He won’t let Ryder go.’
‘Maybe, but what choice to we have? He won’t let me go either. There must be other devices, other ways to shut me down. You’re not the only disloyal daughter.’
I shook my head frantically from side to side. ‘I can’t do it. I won’t. And I won’t let you do it either.’
‘Three.’
My eyes snapped to my father. What was he doing? Jenny moved towards me, but I stepped back.
‘Do it, Bremy,’ Jenny ordered. ‘He’ll let Ryder go. He’ll let you go. It fits his twisted logic.’
‘Two.’
My eyes flashed back to him. God, no. He was counting down. ‘I can’t. Don’t do this.’ I turned back to Jenny. ‘Don’t give up.’
‘One.’