Fuck. They couldn’t take her off the island. It meant she got away with murder. Again. How many more people would she kill if left alive? How many more lives would she gleefully destroy? And how would Becca ever recover if Maya never had to face justice for the cruel and twisted crimes she’d committed?
God damn, he wanted her to pay, but did he want an eye for an eye? Did he want to be the one to end her miserable existence? Did he want to point his weapon in her direction and pull the trigger? Be judge, jury, and executioner.
No.
He hadn’t been able to shoot her in the hangar either—despite having every possible reason to. They didn’t need her breathing. They just needed a picture of the black rose. Still, after everything she’d done—to him, to Becca, to their baby—he couldn’t end this.
Not that way.
Jesus!
They were never going to be free of her.
The tunnel sloped downward, and a salt-laden breeze tickled his skin as they approached the opening to the cavern.
“Keep moving,” Jamie ordered, prodding Maya in the back when she hesitated.
“This won’t work,” she spat as she stepped into the muted glow of the hidden chamber. The opening in the ceiling above let in a shaft of dust-filled light, and the pool of seawater in the center sparkled over the rock walls like a disco ball swaying in the wind. “You’re all going to die.”
“Shut the fuck up before I gag you.” Regripping her upper arm, Jamie directed her toward the rigid-hull inflatable boat.
“Wait,” Jay said, stepping up beside Becca. She shuddered despite the residual heat radiating from the rock walls, and he slipped his arm around her waist to offer a bit of support. “Becca thinks Maya might’ve been chipped.”
“You’re kidding me.” Jamie looked from Maya to Jay and back again.
“It would explain a lot.” Her voice small and hollow in the large cave, Becca settled her attention on her sister. “You mentioned the Syndicate. Who are they and what did they do to you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Maya’s lips twisted into a cruel grin. “You weren’t good enough for them. They didn’t want you. Only me. I’m the smart one.”
“Turn around,” Jamie ordered, man-handling Maya until she had her back to him.
“They’ll come for me, and when they do, they’ll kill you all. Except for Jay. They want him. He’s special. Like me.”
“Who?” Becca demanded, her voice rising until it echoed throughout the chamber. “Who did this to you?”
“I’ll never tell,” she sing-songed.
Fingers threaded into her hair at the base of her skull, Jamie didn’t take long to confirm their suspicions. “Yep, there’s definitely a surgical scar here—just under the occipital ridge—vertical incision about two inches long.” He continued probing. “Someone opened her up from the base of her skull to just above the C2. I can feel something foreign, but it’s in there deep. Maya—” He shook her to stop her babbling and get her attention. “Do you know how to remove the implant?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“But is there a way?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“Fuck,” Jay said. “We have no choice but to leave her here.” He pulled his phone out of the cargo pocket on his pant leg. “Get her vest off, and I’ll snap a few pictures of the black rose.”
“Will that give you what you need?” Jamie asked, pulling a knife and cutting through the plastic cuff binding her wrists.
“Yeah, should be fine.” Jay looked to Becca for confirmation, and she nodded.
“No!” Maya shouted, putting up a fight and lunging toward them as soon as she was free. “You can’t have it. You can’t destroy Dominion. The Syndicate won’t allow it.” Jamie caught her around the waist and held her back. “Give me the code, or we’re all going to die!”
“Hold still, damn it.” Jamie wrestled with her until he had the Velcro straps of her vest loosened, her body armor peeling away with a harsh rip. She fought like hell, twisting and bucking, her breath ragged, and her eyes burning with rage.
“Give me the code, or we’re all going to die!”
“No one’s going to die.” Jamie shoved her shoulder down just far enough to slip the vest over her head before tossing it aside, and her panic went to the next level.
