Ruby’s pulse drummed in her ears. She thought of her daughter, of the tiny hands that had once gripped her fingers, of the laughter that had faded too soon. She thought of Edward’s daughter and granddaughter, caged in a burning lab.
She loathed Edward—hated him for what he’d done to her, for what he had forced her to become. But understanding crept in, insidious and unforgiving.
She pushed back from the table, rising to her feet with slow, deliberate purpose.
“Something dramatic,” she echoed, rolling the words on her tongue like an ember waiting to catch.
She turned back to Lucas, her expression unreadable.
“Tell me where to start.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
RUBY FLUNG THEgas tank around the bungalow, ensuring each rug, photo frame, and antique was doused in the fuel. Pieces of Edward’s life littered the small house, old pictures of his wife and daughter, knickknacks accumulated through time, binder after binder containing the stories of the thermophiles he created.
“Are you sure we don’t need these? It seems fucked up to just erase thermy histories like this,” she asked, assuming the wireless headphones were picking up her voice.
“I helped Edward digitize them a while back,” Lucas responded in her ear.
“What about his family’s pictures?”
“He’s dead, so he won’t miss them.”
The fumes singed her nostrils as the gasoline soaked through the living room’s carpet and slipped across the kitchen tiles.
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s not his actual house. He relocated after the TCA burned down his previous one.”
“It does make me feel a little better.”
She made her way toward the front porch, tugging along a giant, black duffel bag stuffed with stolen research and organic materials. She pulled a pack of matches from her pocket, struck a pinch of them against her thigh, and tossed them onto the pooled fuel. Phlogiston lifted from the wooden fixtures as they caught the flame.
“Don’t miss any of the canisters.”
“I got them,” she assured. “How long do I have until you’re here?”
Lucas hesitated.
“I’m not coming to pick you up.”
Ruby stilled. “This place is in the middle of nowhere. It’s literally fifty miles back to the motel. If you didn’t want to drive back, you shouldn’t have just dropped me off. I’m not fucking walking.”
“I’ve sent someone. They’ll be there shortly.”
“Who?”
Lucas exhaled, and she could hear the guilt slithering into his tone. “Give him a chance, okay?”
Ruby’s spine went rigid. “Lucas?”
The Bluetooth beeped. Connection lost.
A slow, crawling dread settled into her bones.
The night air bit at her skin as she stepped out of the burning building, flames licking at the sky behind her. The streets were empty, silent, the neighboring houses long since abandoned. She adjusted the strap of her bag, shifting the weight against her shoulder, and turned—
Stopped.
A car idled at the curb. A familiar figure leaned against it, hands shoved into his pockets.
