Chapter 100 Chapter Ninety-nine
ARA
The world tilted sideways the instant the needle pierced my arm. A cold burn spread from the injection site, racing up my vein like ice water pumped straight into my bloodstream.
My fingers went numb first, then my hand, the sensation crawling higher with terrifying speed.
“Thayne…” I wheezed, the word slurring as my tongue thickened.
My body slumped against the seat, my head lolling. The last thing I saw clearly was Nadia’s face.
Though it was pale, there was a triumphant look on her face, her lips curled back in a sneer I had never seen on her before.
Thayne’s roar filled the SUV, he twisted in his seat, one massive hand clamping around Nadia’s wrist so hard her bones creaked.
The syringe clattered to the floor mat. With his other arm, he pinned her throat against the headrest, cutting off her air just enough to keep her from screaming.
“What the fuck was in that syringe?” he snarled, his face inches from hers. His eyes were wild with murder, and if looks alone could kill, then Nadia would have died many seconds ago.
Nadia choked out a laugh, even as her face reddened and purpled.
“Insurance,” she rasped. “Dad… always said… never…. trust a Slade.”
The driver, Munroe’s replacement for our mission and one of Nadia’s men, swerved hard, the tires screeching as he tried to get the wheel under control. He'd been distracted by the commotion coming from the backseat.
Thayne didn’t flinch. His grip tightened around Nadia's throat as he twisted to threaten the driver.
“Pull over,” he ordered the driver, his voice deadly calm now. “Now.”
The man hesitated, his eyes darting to Nadia in the mirror.
Thayne released her throat just long enough to draw his pistol and press the barrel under the driver’s jaw. His movements were flexible enough that he had both Nadia and the driver in complete lockdown mode.
“I said pull over.”
The SUV jerked to the curb, brakes locking.
Doors on both sides flew open as Thayne’s remaining loyal men, stationed in the chase vehicle, surrounded us, their weapons already drawn out.
Nadia’s guards were already down, taken out in the confusion the second the syringe appeared.
Thayne hauled Nadia out by her hair, slamming her against the side of the vehicle. She cried out, her hands scrabbling at his wrist.
He didn’t care that she was pregnant, but my senses were still sharp enough to mark how he was trying to be gentle with her.
He obviously didn’t care about anything except the barely conscious woman in the back seat. Me.
“Antidote,” he growled. “Now.”
Nadia spat blood, smiling through it.
“There isn’t one, unfortunately for you. It's paralytic. She’ll be awake soon enough… she just can’t move. Or fight. Perfect for delivery.”
It hurt that I could hear everything going on but I couldn't speak or even move.
Thayne’s finger tightened on the trigger.
One of his men stepped forward, speaking urgently.
“Boss, she’s breathing steady. Her pulse is strong. Whatever it is, it’s not lethal. But we need to move. Cleanup crew’s two minutes out, but cops will be faster.”
Thayne’s chest heaved.
He looked back at me, slumped against the seat, my eyes barely able to stay open. My chest was rising and falling in shallow, even breaths.
The rage that flooded his face was a mix of something ancient and terrible.
He turned back to Nadia.
“You just signed your death warrant,” he said quietly.
Then, to his men: “Bind her, gag her and throw her in the trunk.”
They moved instantly.
Nadia’s scream was cut short by a gloved hand over her mouth.
Thayne climbed back into the SUV, sliding across the seat to pull me into his arms. My body was dead weight, limbs limp, my head falling against his shoulder.
He pressed his lips to my temple, his voice breaking for the first time. “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
The vehicle sped off again, sirens wailing in the distance behind us.
Thayne held me close, one hand cradling my belly, the other tangled in my hair.
His voice was a vow against my skin. “They’re all going to die for this. Every last one.”
I couldn’t answer or even move to let him know I'd heard.
But inside the darkness, I heard him.
A few minutes later, everything went black completely. It wasn't the kind of sleep where you feel rested, no, this was heavy and wrong.
My body felt far away, like it belonged to someone else. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. I couldn’t even open my eyes or twitch a finger.
But I could hear everything.
Thayne’s voice came first, angry and scared at the same time.
“Get the doctor now. Tell him it’s a paralytic, unknown drug. Let him know it's a pregnant patient. I need answers in five minutes.”
The SUV sped up, the engine roaring loudly in my ears.
Nadia made muffled sounds from the trunk. Even though she was gagged and tied, she was still trying to fight.
One of Thayne’s men spoke up in a rush. “We’ll reach the safe house in eight minutes. The doctor is already on his way. He thinks it’s something like curare. It can be reversed, but we need the right medicine fast, or a machine to help her breathe if it gets worse.”
Thayne’s answer came immediately, like he'd been expecting him to say just that. “She’s breathing fine. Make sure it stays that way.”
I felt him pull me closer, settling me across his lap. One hand rested on my belly, rubbing small circles.
“I’m right here, baby,” he whispered into my hair. “You’re safe. Just hang on for me.”
His voice broke a little more, and I wanted to hold his hand. I wanted to tell him I heard him, that I wasn’t afraid because he was with me. But I couldn’t do anything.
Time felt strange, it was long and short at the same time.
The SUV stopped, and I heard doors opening.
Cold air hit my face as Thayne picked me up and carried me, holding me tight against his chest.
His heart beat fast and hard against my ear.
My weak senses picked up the fact that we were going inside somewhere because gravel crunched under his shoes, then smooth floor.
The lights were bright; I could tell even through my closed eyes. New voices filled the air.
“Put her here.”
“Her blood pressure is good. Oxygen level is good. The babies’ hearts are strong, too.”
Thayne sounded relieved but still mad. “Fix her.”
“We’re working on it. We’re taking blood to test. If it’s what we think, we have medicine to reverse it. But we’ll be careful because of the pregnancy.”
“Do it.”
I felt a small prick in my arm, an IV. Cool liquid rushed into my veins.
Thayne took my hand, lacing our fingers even though mine stayed limp.
Minutes passed, or maybe longer.
The heavy feeling started to lift, little by little. First my toes wiggled, then my fingers.
My chest felt less tight; I could breathe deeper now.
My eyes opened a crack, and Thayne saw right away.
“Ara?”
His face came into focus. He looked tired, worried, and the stubble on his jaw was more noticeable than before.
I tried to talk, but my throat was dry.
He leaned closer. “I’m here,” he said, reassuring me. “You’re coming back.”
I squeezed his hand, just a little, but it was enough.
He pressed his forehead to mine, and I felt his body shake once, like he was holding everything in.
“Nadia?” I managed to whisper.
His face turned hard at the mention of her name.
“In the basement. Tied up, but alive for now.”
I nodded the best I could.
I wanted to speak, to warn him, to beg. But the words wouldn’t come.
And I knew, deep down, that pleading for Nadia’s life right now would only make things worse.
So I stayed quiet. Inside, though, the guilt crashed over me like a wave.
I had known, from the moment Nadia showed up in the woods with her armed escorts and her too-convenient offer of help, something in my gut had twisted.
Her eyes had been too bright, her story had sounded too neat. I had felt the lie under her words the same way I used to feel Neil's lies in the past.
But I had pushed the feeling down. I had told myself I was being paranoid. That after everything, we finally had someone on our side who understood the enemy from the inside.
All of this was my fault. If I had spoken up sooner, if I had told Thayne the second she appeared that something felt wrong, none of this would have happened.
Instead, we were here, in another safe house, with another traitor chained in the basement. And I was the one who had opened the door for her.