Page 112 of Broken Wheels

And then dying.

“Turn it off!” Doc shrieked.

Dix flicked the television off, then went to Doc and pulled him into an embrace, but Doc was having none of it.

“I should have done something about this years ago. Every one of these people died because of me.”

“Stop it!” Chalmers ordered. “You didn’t make the damn toxin, you didn’t distribute it, and you’re sure as hell not responsible for what this asshole is doing.” He pointed to the TV. “Ask yourself one thing. This happened how many hours ago, and we’re only learning about it now?” He snatched the remote from Dix’s hand and aimed it at the TV. “Sorry, but this is important. We need to see this.”

The report had gone live to the site, and Dix wasn’t surprised to see Spencer dressed in a hazmat suit, a microphone thrust at him.

“Mr. Spencer, you had your hazmat teams on the ground within two hours, but news only got out about this terrible incident an hour ago. Why weren’t we informed at once?”

“It was decided to delay sharing news until the area had been declared safe to enter. As soon as we got the all clear, I ordered my teams to get in there and begin the cleanup.”

“But why isn’t the government here?”

Spencer didn’t miss a beat. “We’ve got an agreement with them. They’re sending troops to quell looting and to keep order, but we feel with tensions this high, it would be best if we take the lead.”

“The body count is now as high as twenty-five hundred, and we’ve learned many of them were kids, as one of the places the plane buzzed was a school.”

Spencer’s face was grim. “This is a tragedy on a scale we haven’t experienced before.”

Chalmers growled. “This is total bullshit. He said no one was allowed in until it was declared safe, but that amateur video the news network received… who shot it? Because if that was a member of the public, on their phone, they’d be dead too. And it had to be taken as the plane came over.” His face was grim. “So someone knew enough to film the event. Someone who wore fucking protective gear, you know, like the kind Spencer’s people use in areas like this.”

“Listen!” Doc yelled.

“Mr. Spencer, do you have any thoughts on why someone would do this?”

He grabbed the microphone and glared into the camera. “It’s our belief that this is a new terror cell carrying out attacks on US soil. While I’m not at liberty to divulge classified materials, it seems the group is centered in the US, and its leader is a citizen.”

What the everloving fuck?

Chapter 33

After pacing around her apartment most of the night, Kathy Robertson was bone tired and out of ideas.

How could I have possibly been so stupid?

She’d trusted Spencer. She’d trusted his vision for a better country. She’d put her faith in him to bring about that vision. She’d given him unwavering loyalty. Hell, she hadn’t so much as blinked when he killed the two men he’d sent after Malone. They’d failed, right? So that meant they were out. Easy peasy.

She wasn’t about to fall into the same trap. She’d done everything for the man. She kept his schedule immaculate. She also kept her mouth shut. Sure, she knew about the board and their part in the unfolding plot Spencer was working toward. She wasn’t sure how it involved Malone exactly, but overall, it didn’t matter. She would be by Spencer’s side, making his vision a reality—until one act made her rethink her devotion.

He killed the board.

They’d been with him for years, and he snuffed them out as though they were strangers. She hoped she’d imagined the glee in Spencer’s eyes as they took their last breaths, but her stomach roiled. She knew Spencer was an egomaniac, knew he’d kill to bring everything to fruition, but for him to wipe out the people who’d gotten him this far?

Is that how he rewards loyalty?

Once that question had arisen in her mind, more arrived hot on its heels.

Where would he draw the line? What about all the scientists who were working for him? What about everyone who’d fucking bled to help him get to where he was now?

One question took precedence, however.

What about me? Am I safe?

Kathy believed in his dream that their country could be a place where people could become the best versions of themselves. She’d sacrificed more than anyone else, because she wanted that dream to become a reality. Then he committed yet another act, but one so heinous that it made her wonder if the man had any soul at all.

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