Chapter 5 - The Awful Truth
Claire continued to scream and cry, desperately trying to pull her arms away from me.
The heavy hallucinogenic drugs in her system were making her see something completely terrifying.
"Claire, it is me, please look at my eyes and listen to my voice," I pleaded softly.
I slowly reached forward and gently placed my warm hand against her trembling cheek.
She flinched at first, but the familiar touch seemed to break through the chemical fog in her brain.
Her panicked breathing slowly began to stabilize as she stared deeply into my eyes.
"They told me you were dead, they said Nathan was my husband now," she sobbed uncontrollably.
I carefully unbuckled the final leather restraint on her ankles and helped her sit up on the table.
She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, crying heavily into my shoulder.
"We have to get out of here right now before they send more guards," Marcus urged nervously.
Claire suddenly pulled back and looked at Marcus with a completely horrified expression.
"You cannot trust him," Claire warned me, pointing a shaking finger at my father's old partner.
She explained that she had heard Evelyn and the doctor talking while she was paralyzed on the table.
Marcus was not actually a victim of Evelyn's blackmail at all.
He was the primary financial backer of the entire underground human trafficking ring.
I slowly turned around to face the man who had just helped me survive the exploding stairwell.
Marcus was no longer holding his hands up in peaceful surrender.
He had picked up the unconscious doctor's security pistol and was aiming it directly at my chest.
"I really am sorry about this, but Evelyn offered me a massive fortune to tie up this loose end," Marcus sighed.
He cocked the hammer of the gun with a loud, terrifying metallic click.
"Step away from the pregnant woman, because her child is highly valuable to our buyers," Marcus commanded.
I stood firmly in front of Claire, perfectly shielding her swollen stomach with my own body.
I knew he would not risk shooting through me if it meant potentially injuring the expensive baby.
I slowly raised my hands, pretending to comply with his deadly orders.
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My right hand subtly brushed against the heavy medical defibrillator resting on the cart beside me.
I grabbed the charged paddles and forcefully lunged directly at Marcus without any warning.
