Under His Guard Read Online Free Page B

weight of sympathy rolled from him. “We thought it best he didn’t sit in on this meetin’. If you find you can’t contain yourself, perhaps you’d be better off trackin’ him down.”
    Like hell. “I can control myself.”
    â€œGood man.” Hills nodded at me. Easing back, he asked, “What do we know?”
    Hatch launched into a detailed description of the Pneumonic Plague, the disease that had been spun as the Gay Plague back in fifty-nine to sixty in order to wipe more homosexuals off the map. When she was being tortured by CEO Cutler, Liz had found out the virus wasn’t originated to kill gays—it’d been created to infect rebel masses. Created by Liz’s father, Robie Grant, and his InterNations counterpart, Dr. Val. It was this Dr. Val who’d not only wiped Leon’s frontal lobe but had also made him a human incubator. She was on Liz’s hit list, too, for perfecting her mind-scrub techniques years before on Robie Grant.
    â€œIt’ll be total genocide of the rebel faction if Cutler has his way,” Hatch said. “He wants complete control of the government, total adherence to the Company, and death to all who stand in his way. A handful of those infected with the sleeper virus are our fellow rebel leaders. Cutler’s savagery is very well planned.” Hatch’s keen eyes landed on me.
    Cannon joined in. “From the records Liz gave us from her father’s lab, we know this new manifestation will spread faster than ever once it goes live.” He kicked his chair back, his hands scrubbing down his face. “Jesus fucking Christ. I remember what happened to my folks, my sister when they got sick. This thing’s gonna rip through all of us until our guts are bleeding out on the floor.”
    The thought of Leon becoming sick from this disease, dying from it, was not a reality I was willing to face. “It’s exactly what the Colonial Americans did when they sought to lay claim to Native American land. He’s using Old History against us. They delivered diseased blankets to the indigenous, killing them quietly.”
    â€œWe won’t go quietly.” Liz gripped my hand.
    â€œLysander’s just waitin’ to wipe us all out.” Miss Eden twined her fingers together, looking down.
    She’d know better than anyone what the CEO was capable of. She’d been married to the monster, forced to abandon her two sons when they were young because her husband, the rising CO star, had beaten her mercilessly. She’d been reunited with both Nathaniel and Linc only recently.
    Lysander Cutler might’ve been defeated in the Territories of the former North Americas, but he was blazing a new trail across the Pan-Atlantic pond. Worldwide, he’d either assassinated leaders or simply slick-talked his way into the director’s seat in places like Zeta—home of the Siberian citizens—Delta and Kappa in the Europa continents, and Omega Territory. We might be free, but our brethren overseas were not.
    I barged to my feet, unable to contain my rage any longer. “You were right last night,” I said, glaring at Linc. “You should’ve killed your motherfucking dad when you had the chance.”
    Liz tried to placate me while Cannon was ready to restrain me, rising from his seat.
    Linc merely nodded. “I know.”
    Nate spoke in a calm drawl. “It wouldn’t have mattered. Leon was already infected by that point.”
    I wrenched free of Liz’s hands.
    â€œIf we can track down Father, we can find the cure. When we finally take him out, it will be with the antidote in hand and total InterNations victory on our side.” Linc drew Liz close to his side.
    â€œSorry. Sorry, man. I’m just really screwed up about this,” I apologized.
    â€œNo shit.” Liz huffed a little laugh.
    â€œYou have every right to be upset, Darke, which is why I asked if you needed