Chapter 8 - Breaking the Chains
David fell to his knees directly in the mud and freezing rain, ignoring the filth soaking through his trousers. He raised both hands, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the rain.
"Ethan... Liam..." David sobbed, his voice raw with a pain seven years in the making. "I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry. I thought I was saving your lives. I didn't know what they were doing to you. Please, forgive me..."
Aiden stood frozen, the metal pipe slipping from his fingers, clattering onto the wet asphalt. Milo peeked out from behind his brother, staring at David with bewildered, curious eyes.
"Is he... our dad?" Milo whispered softly.
Before David could answer, a sharp screech of tires echoed down the empty street. Two sleek, black SUVs rounded the corner, their high-beam headlights blinding us as they careened to a halt, blocking both ends of the alleyway.
Heavy doors slammed open, and four men in dark tactical gear stepped out, holding flashlights and sidearms. Behind them stepped a tall, silver-haired man in a tailored trench coat—Dr. Marcus Sterling.
"Well, well," Sterling’s voice echoed smoothly over the sound of the rain. "A touching family reunion. I must admit, Vance, I expected better security from my senior research staff."
"Sterling!" David stood up, stepping between the tactical team and the boys. "It's over! They're children! Let them go!"
"Let them go?" Sterling laughed, a cold, metallic sound. "These boys represent fifty million dollars in proprietary genetic technology. They survived injuries that should have ended their lives, thanks to our therapy. They are not children anymore, David. They are patents."
May you like
Sterling signaled his men. "Take the boys. Eliminate the parents. Make it look like an accidental drowning in the bay."
The tactical guards raised their weapons, stepping forward into the rain.
