CHAPTER 7: THE FIRST STEPS

Adrian lifted Eli into his arms.

His legs nearly failed beneath the child’s weight, but he refused to sit down.

Mason stared at him.

“You’re standing.”

“Get us out.”

They entered a hidden passage behind the medical room as attackers reached the hallway.

Mason sealed the steel door.

Adrian took one slow step.

Then another.

Pain tore through every muscle, but the pain felt like life.

He carried Eli down the narrow passage until his legs finally collapsed.

Mason caught both of them.

They reached an underground garage where an armored vehicle waited.

As they drove away, flames rose above Blackridge Estate.

Someone had come prepared to destroy evidence.

Eli remained unconscious during the entire journey.

Adrian took them to an abandoned Vale Industries research building known only to three people.

Mason placed Eli on a cot.

Adrian sat beside him and studied the boy’s face.

The resemblance was impossible to ignore now.

The shape of the jaw.

The gray eyes.

The scar.

Adrian pulled a strand of hair from Eli’s coat and placed it inside an evidence bag.

“I want a private DNA test.”

Mason nodded.

“No company laboratories.”

“No doctors connected to Hale.”

Adrian looked through the glass wall at the dark laboratory beyond.

“Find someone we can trust.”

Eli suddenly woke and grabbed Adrian’s hand.

“Don’t test me.”

“Why?”

“Because they track every test.”

“Who are they?”

Eli looked around the building.

“The Helix Foundation.”

Adrian knew the name.

It was a medical charity funded by several wealthy families.

One of its largest donors was Victoria Cross, Adrian’s fiancée and the acting chairwoman of Vale Industries.

Adrian had trusted Victoria with his company, his home and his life.

His phone rang.

Victoria’s name appeared on the screen.

He answered without speaking.

“Adrian,” she said breathlessly, “Blackridge is burning. Where are you?”

Adrian looked at Eli.

“How did you know about the fire?”

Victoria went silent.

The news had not been released.

Then a man’s voice whispered behind her.

“Keep him talking.”

Adrian ended the call.

Eli slowly sat up.

“You know her.”

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“Yes.”

“She visited the facility.”