Page 143 of Resist

Raúl took a step toward me, but Jacob stepped in front, planting himself between me and our father. “Don’t you dare get close to her. Don’t youdare!”

Raúl grimaced, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “Of course, my son. I wouldn’t dream of hurting your sister.” We both glared at him and watched as a sinister smile took over Raúl’s lips. He shook the remote delicately in his hand. “That’syourjob.”

“What?” Jacob and I said in unison.

Then Raúl pushed the red button.

81: The Bomb

Jacob convulsed and dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, causing me to scream.

“Jacob!” I fell next to him again, not sure what to do to help him. He convulsed for several agonizing seconds until he finally stopped and just panted while remaining on all fours. “Jacob?” I whispered. “Are you okay?” He turned to look at me, catching my gaze. Something was different. Something was wrong. “Jacob?”

I never saw it coming. He moved so quickly, so fast, that I didn’t even get a chance to react. I fell onto my back, my head hitting the tile floor. And just as I opened my eyes to move, I felt a hard kick to my ribs, causing me to yelp out in pain. Then another, and another, causing me to curl up in a ball to protect myself.

I screamed. “Jacob! Stop it!”

“He can’t, my dear girl,” Raúl said calmly as Jacob grabbed the collar of my shirt and vest in one hand and the waistband of mypants in the other, lifted me up, held me high, and then threw me across the room.

SLAM!

My body smacked into a desk, toppling over the top and flipping down onto the floor of the other side. Oh god…this was not good. I tried to get up, tried to hurry. But no sooner was I up on my feet, Jacob was there, pulling his fist back and clocking me, sending me spinning back to the ground. I was seeing stars. I tasted the iron richness of blood over my tongue. I coughed, watching as red sprinkled the floor.

WHAM!

Jacob’s booted foot hit me right in the temple, causing me to fall over and cry out. The world was spinning, and I was losing. I tried to scramble onto my feet, feeling dizzy. “Jacob, please!” I hardly got the words out when he grabbed me by the back of the head and then slammed my face into a desk. And I dropped to the floor again, fluid filling my mouth, threatening to drown me. I rolled over, coughing out a mouthful of thick metallic blood.

BAM!

I screamed out as I took a kick to my gut. My vision blurred, and I could hardly breathe through my nose that had swollen up. Just as my sight cleared, I saw my brother draw his foot back, readying another kick, when he screamed out and stumbled backward.

“Mara!” Jacob said in between screams. “End it!”

Shock and fear rattled through me as I tried to get to my feet, the room spinning as I rose. What was happening? What was going on? Was he—was he resisting the implant?

Suddenly, Jacob’s body convulsed as his hands flew into his hair and he dropped back onto his knees.

“Follow orders!” Raúl yelled. I turned, and noticed he was pushing the blue button again, and then he shifted back to the red button.

Oh shit!

I snapped my attention back to Jacob. He was back on his feet, racing toward me. Adrenaline and instinct took over. I slipped into my fighting stance and just as he came in close enough, I kicked out, hitting him in the gut and then punched out with my left, causing him to stumble back. I took the opportunity and rushed toward him, delivering a sidekick straight into his sternum, sending him falling backwards.

Think, Mara, think!

How the hell was I going to get myself out of this mess?

“Mara!” Jacob screamed out, drawing my attention to him. “Finish it!” And suddenly he was convulsing again on the ground.

Finish it? Finish what?

I glanced back at Raúl, and sure enough, he was pushing the stupid blue button again. “You asshole!” I charged him. I needed to get my hands on that remote. No remote, no mind control. Raúl quickly pressed the red button, and suddenly I was being body slammed onto my left side, Jacob on top of me, straddling me.

“Sieze her!” Raúl ordered.

He flipped me onto my back, and then his hands were around my neck, squeezing hard. My hands flew to his wrists, scratching at his skin, pulling on his arms. But I couldn’t muster a single word. I just felt the pressure build and build in my brain, making me feel as though I was about to explode. And suddenly, Jacob threw himself off me, screaming as he scrambled away as fast as he could.

“The remote, Mara! The remote!” And then he was convulsing again, screaming as he tore at his scalp.

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