The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Violet is down there getting her brother right now.” I locked eyes with her, and leaned back slightly under the ferocity of it. “Violet will not let any harm come to her brother. If you want the egg returned, you get her out to a safe place. She’ll barter with you, and I know that you’ll keep your word, given what you’ve told me.”

I felt guilty about leaving Violet in the hands of Ms. Dale, but I could buy Violet time. I hated that I wasn’t going to be there for her. It felt like I was abandoning her. I needed to fulfill my vow to her. But I needed to keep her safe.

I pulled the handheld out of the tower and held it out to her. “Give this to her. Take your stupid egg, and get her safe.”

Ms. Dale reached out for the handheld slowly, hesitation breaking through the tight mask on her face.

She was taking too long. I tossed it at her, and she caught it with her good hand.

“Go,” I ordered, slapping the first adrenaline patch on.

Turning on her heel, she strode from the room. I followed behind her, the other two patches ready to be placed. It was a lot of adrenaline, and it would make my heart explode, but if I could slow Marina and Selina down long enough, it would be worth it.

Just then, the door gave a harsh groan and broke open. I ducked, but I heard Ms. Dale’s cry of pain as the door clipped her shoulder.

The twins stepped in through the gaping hole, sinister smiles on their face.

“Hello ladies,” I said, applying the two patches to the back of my hands under the guise of cracking my knuckles. “I've been waiting for you.”

36

Violet

I helped Tim up the stairs slowly, coaxing him upward one step at a time. His arms were wrapped around his waist, and he kept fidgeting at every sound, his eyes wide and scared. I kept a steady hand on his back, and whispered soothingly to him.

He hadn’t said a word since uttering my name back in the cell, but he looked at me like he understood what I was saying. Occasionally, he would reach out with a shaking hand and touch me, like he still didn’t believe I was real.

I hid my hurt from him. It wasn’t a pain he had caused and I didn’t want him thinking it was. I had claimed ownership over his abuse, guilt eating me up. I should’ve found a way to get to him sooner, to free him before he was even subjected to this place. Later, when we got out of here and found somewhere to sleep, I would cry my eyes out, but for now, I needed to be strong for him.

I told him about my adventure while we walked. I wanted to distract him from the levels leading up to the laboratory. I left out a lot of details, but I told him about Viggo, Samuel, Lee, and the egg. I probably talked about Viggo the most.

I was nervous about the two of them meeting. I had no idea how Tim would react to Viggo, or vice versa. They were both important to me, and I wanted it to go well.

I told Tim that. He looked over at me from out of the corner of his eye in such a way, that a laugh escaped me.

“I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”

There was a hint of movement from his shoulders, and I felt a slim ray of hope enter me. He had shrugged. He could understand me, and he was listening. Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

It was different, now that he was older. He had definitely grown up from the small eight-year old boy I had lost. He was taller than me, and he had lost the baby fat that had clung to him when he was younger. Still, it felt good having him in my arms.

I was very aware that he didn’t hug me back. It hurt, but it wasn’t his fault. I doubted that in the eight years he’d been imprisoned anyone had offered him a hug. I squeezed him tighter, as if afraid he’d disappear on me.

He twitched under my arms, and I reluctantly released him from my hold. It was his way of telling me he was done with the hugs—something I had learned on the climb up after I had kept hugging him. When it got to be too much for him, he found a way to tell me.

I reached out and took his hand in mine. “C’mon,” I said, guiding him up. “Let’s go meet Viggo.”

We were near the top landing leading to the laboratory and I relinquished his hand for a moment as I spun the hand wheel and opened the door. I propelled myself and Tim through it, but a sudden crashing noise made me freeze.

There were sounds of a fight coming from the area around Mr. Jenks’ office. My heart in my throat, I grabbed Tim’s hand and dragged him down to the floor, crawling on my hands and knees to take cover behind a counter.

Tim followed me, his expression tense. He looked at me quizzically, but I shook my head and put a finger to my lips. His gray eyes studied me while mine surveyed the area, my mind cycling through what I should do. It took three seconds for me to decide to hide Tim, and then go help Viggo.

I scanned the area, looking for a place for Tim to hide. To the right, across the aisle, there was a cabinet under a sink.

I crawled over to it, keeping low behind the counter. There were several similar counters filled with lab equipment blocking the view to us, but there were clear paths on either side where he and I could easily be exposed.

I peered around the edge of the counter, checking to see if anyone was down there. I