Page 132 of A Stop in Time

A tortured sound erupts from Daniel, but he remains immobile. That simple sound, however, sparks something in my mind, inciting a surge of memories rushing to the forefront.

I hear myself, the sound of my own agony, as they cut on me. As they administer more drugs. As he manipulates my mind and I battle internally with what I’m made to do.

It’s as though both halves of my mind—the part he’s tried to overwrite and bury, and the one he’s exploited and shaped—have finally reconciled.

No more. This ends here. I chant this internally. This. Ends. Here.

Dr. Pinney settles his frigid gaze on Daniel. “Your sister was planning to be a whistleblower”—his lip curls in derision—“so, clearly, she had to be eliminated.”

Daniel’s nostrils flare, the muscle in his jaw flickering wildly, but Catherine’s power still renders him immobile.

“Don’t let him do this to you.” My words are directed at the woman, and when her eyes cut to me, I barely resist the urge to recoil.

She stares at me with dead eyes. Not a single trace of emotion lurks there.

“Please. Don’t let him make you into a monster.” With my palm over my heart, I plead with her, willing my words to break through to her. “You’re stronger than this. Be better.”

Dr. Pinney tsks, his expression filled with disapproval. “That’s no way to show your appreciation for all that I’ve done for you.

“Catherine, why don’t you show us what we do to those who betray—”

“Noooo!” The intern charges at Dr. Pinney, sending him stumbling into Catherine.

Her head slams against the edge of a drawer, causing her to drop Daniel’s gun to the floor. Blood trickles from her hairline, and she appears almost dazed, but Daniel’s still held captive by her ability.

The intern grabs Daniel’s gun, aiming at Catherine with hands that quake. Dr. Pinney lunges for him, and I take advantage of his distraction.

I scramble for my gun that slid beneath the desk nearby, grabbing it in time to witness Dr. Pinney snapping the intern’s neck. He lets the man’s body drop to the floor without a care.

My stomach maws open in a sick abyss as his attention settles on me.

I only have one bullet left in my gun. This is it.

I raise my gun and aim, my finger on the trigger, just as Dr. Pinney snaps his fingers twice and hums, his thumb pressing that damn device once again.

My muscles jerk, disrupting my aim as I fire while my brain resists. No! Don’t you dare! You’re stronger! I smother that deep-seated impulse to immediately surrender my mind to him and obey.

My bullet hits him in the side of the throat. Dr. Pinney slumps against the desk, a hand pressed to his wound as blood pours from it.

This time when he snaps his fingers twice and hums, I don’t have any reaction. But Catherine grabs Daniel’s gun as she gets to her feet, moving as though someone’s pulling invisible puppet strings.

With blood spilling past the fingers pressed against his wounded throat, he delivers a raspy command. “Kill Mr. Madrano…and then her, Catherine.”

Before he even finishes, I launch myself at her, attempting to disrupt her gun’s aim on Daniel. Instead, however, her first fired shot hits the top of my shoulder.

I teeter on my feet but manage to regain my balance enough to swing my weapon at her head. It connects with a loud thunk, but it doesn’t do a thing to deter her. Fuck. I should know better. She was trained like I was to not register pain.

I drop my useless gun to the floor, clamping my hands around her grip on Daniel’s weapon, when a loud beeping begins. A computerized voice comes over the speakers.

“Please evacuate the premises within ten minutes.”

Fuck! Of course, Dr. Pinney has a backup plan. I don’t even want to know what’s due to happen at the end of the allotted ten minutes.

With a roar, I force Catherine’s hand to aim the gun upward and drive her backward with my weight. She slams violently against the door, and I barely dodge her knees when she attempts to ram one between my legs.

“Don’t do this!” I grunt through panted breaths as I stare into her eyes. “Don’t be a monster like him, Catherine. Don’t do this!”

Her numb, blank gaze cracks slightly, and she suddenly stops struggling. Then she shoves me off her with such force, it has me stumbling backward.