“What was he sending payments for?”
“It took a lot of digging, but it looks like each of their families was involved with either my father or a medical study he was part of. Some kind of ‘vaccine study’, although it’s looking more and more like it was an unsanctioned study for something else entirely.”
I search for a pen, pulling a notepad close so I can write out a question. “Paying off the mothers?” I write. Yesterday they were reeling because they’d gotten confirmation that Bennet turned out to be related to three of the five guys that came to Six’s rescue in the park. As in, his father is their father too, but never claimed them. The other two turned out to be together, apparently.
Tony reads my question off the notepad and then voices it. “Were there payments to the mothers of the guys you DNA matched with?” I don’t know why he doesn’t just call them what they are, brothers.
“Yes, which almost makes sense. But then there are payments to Lukas and Micah’s families, too.”
“He didn’t father them too, did he?” Tony asks, slightly horrified. That would be awkward, based on what Bennet has said, it sounds like they have been together for a few years.
“No. Only Luis and Jackson’s mothers were both involved with my father. Jackson’s poor mother was actually in love with him. Apparently, my father more or less preyed on at least two women to get them pregnant, with the intention of testing whatever that ‘vaccine’ was. But Micah and Lukas’ families were different. Their parents were part of some kind of fertility study, where the medication they received looks to be the same as the so-called ‘vaccine’ that the rest of us got. But the parents that received the shot all had terrible side effects.”
“Jesus,” Tony remarks at the same time that I huff out a loud breath. Thankfully, it covered up the sound, but Tony still shoots daggers at me.
“But wait, there’s more,” Bennet says sardonically. “We think Six was running from BioCere, Inc and possibly my father. The CCTV footage was rough. She was definitely involved with the death of that trucker, but it was likely self-defense. After she climbed out of his truck, covered inhisblood, she ended up hiding behind a dumpster when she saw these guards show up, looking for her.”
I don’t even know this woman, but I wish I could hug her. It’s tough to fight back. She must have been scared.
“She almost got caught, but they missed her, the way she was shoved in between the dumpsters. After they left she stayed there, and we couldn't see her from the angle of the camera, but when she stumbled out later, she was bleeding profusely from her head.”
There’s more silence while we both absorb everything he’s told us.
“Tony− she’s pretty sure she had a tracker implanted. And I’m pretty sure she cut it out of her own head to save all of us.”
Damn.
“So what’s next? How can w−I help?” Tony almost slips on his words, and it makes me happy that he thinks of us as ‘we’.
“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, Tony. I don’t know how else to describe it, but she’s… special. There’s something different about her, something more…” He trails off a moment, like he forgot he was speaking. “There are two other names I need to research− Smyth and Laiken. I’ll send you what I’ve been able to find, but if you have any magic you can work, it would be helpful.”
Catching Tony’s eye, I nod, letting him know I can help with this. “You got it, Bennet. We’ll dig into it. You stay safe.” He flinches, noticing that he accidentally said “we”.
It’s not until they’ve hung up, and Tony and I have been staring at each other, trying to process all of this new information, that I realize Mara has walked into the room. She’s dropped her duffle bag, staring straight ahead at the computer screen.
“What’s up, Mouse?”
Tony pops up, hurrying over to kiss her on the temple. She looks up at him with a sad smile. “I knocked, but the door was unlocked, so I just came in.”
“It’s okay, I’m glad you’re here.” It’s actually really cute to see such a large, grouchy man act like such a softie around her.
She seems off, though. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I, um, I can help with what Bennet was just talking about.”
Tony raises an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
“Because I know at least one of those families is dead. The Smyths died almost 25 years ago.”
A gasp leaves my mouth as realization hits me. I wouldn’t have thought to connect it. “Your parents.”
She nods, lifting her chin. I want to tell her she doesn’t have to hide her sadness or pretend to feel strong all the time. But it’s only been days. I can’t expect her to feel that safe with us.
“They died in a car accident when I was seven years old. The medical report said they both had high levels of drugs and alcohol in their system. My mother was pregnant at the time.”
Tony slowly wraps an arm around Mara’s shoulders. She leans into him, letting him comfort her while she tells us everything.
“When I was 18, I received an inheritance. The amount of money that my parents had sitting in savings seemed like a lot, but I chalked it up to life insurance. But when I looked into it more, that wasn’t it. They barely had life insurance, and they had drained all of their savings on IVF.”
