Shattered Girls (Broken Dolls Book 2) (26 page)

“Get on your knees,” he says. “Get on your knees! Now! Here’s how it’s gonna go down. Daniel forced me into doing this. It was his concept, after all.”

“No,” I say. “Blame me. Just let them go. This has gone too far.”

Chris spots something up ahead. Ignoring my request, he aims and shoots. No matter how many times I hear gunfire, it never gets easier. I block my ears and turn to see Gabby standing at the end of the hall with a bullet between her eyes and a hard drive in hand. The bullet hangs from her plastic skin, so she plucks it out and tosses it to the ground.

“Yikes,” Gabby says. “You’re a psycho.”

Dumbfounded panic seems to drive Chris to grab Daniel by the collar and press the gun into his temple. “That’s it! Give me my drive little girl, or good old Gramps here gets it.”

Time stops. This is one of those moments that will define the rest of our lives. Gabby could give Chris the hard drive and he’d run off, using the data to do the exact same thing elsewhere and under a different name. Or she could refuse and Daniel dies.

I look into my husband’s eyes and my stomach lurches. My memories come flooding back, of everything he’s done for me… of how selfish and downright malicious I was to the man whose only crime was that he loved me. Very likely, too much.

I can’t let him die thinking that I never appreciated him. As a doll, I told Gabby that family comes first, and that the selfish me is gone. It’s still true as a human. Seeing my family vulnerable and scared like this is enough to change anyone.

Without another word, I push Daniel out of the way and take his place in front of Chris as he pulls the trigger.

Excruciating pain starts at my stomach and spreads, until my limbs go numb from shock. A warm breath tickles my neck as my knees give out from under me.

I can’t see it, but I sure can
feel
the bullet in my abdomen. Just when the pain can’t get any worse, my body jerks, and I drop to the floor, my head hitting the tiles.

Gabby screams and lunges at Chris. Stronger than her human form, she tackles him to the ground.

The footsteps are distant, but I recognize the heavy thread and cries of Officer Bloom. He screams something I can’t make out and fires.

My blinks are slow as I watch Chris drop to the floor. Their voices run together, waver, fade out like they’re not really there, but through the smoke, Gabby and Officer Bloom drag me down the hall and into the elevator.

Time isn’t linear. It’s slow and disjointed all at once. Dying is strange. It’s… it’s kind of calming. It’s that sense of not caring because the pain is so shockingly immense. But there’s acceptance, too. I mean, I’m in no position to be in denial or to bargain. It is what it is.

I’m carried into the street, surrounded by dozens of figures I’m unable to make out anymore.

“Get the paramedics!” Officer Bloom yells.

“They won’t get here in time!”

“Then we’ll drive her!”

“In
this
traffic?”

See? Acceptance.

“Ella?” Daniel cries as I’m lowered to the ground. “Ella, breathe!”

It’s so bright out here. And noisy. But I don’t really care. I don’t care about anything. Only about people I love.

Daniel kneels next to me, tears streaming down his face. “Ella, breathe, sweetheart! Please breathe! We can turn you into a doll again while we repair your body!”

“Ugh,” I murmur, closing my eyes. “At least let me die human.”

“You’re not dying at all! Ever!”

“Now that’s just stupid. We only live because we die. I’ve lived the most I have in the past twenty-four hours because I was vulnerable. Let me go, Daniel. You need the closure.”

I stare up at the sky, enamored by the blueness. I never realized how damn beautiful it is. The gentle breeze ripples through my clothes. What a wonder life is. Even as my blood drains, I can’t help but be impressed by the intricate workings of our body.

Daniel says something else, but I never hear it.

I’m already gone.

… I moved the mountains for my family…

… I split the oceans…

… I gave my life…

…Gladly…

hat the hell am I on? It’s the most uncomfortable bed in the world. There’s an incessant beeping. I open my eyes, but my vision is blurred, like I’m looking through stained glass. White is the only color I can make out.

Ah. I know where I am. It’s cruel that hospitals make everything white. It tricks you into thinking you’ve gone to heaven, until you work out you’re actually in a form of hell.

I wriggle my body, but it tingles unpleasantly. Sitting up is not an option right now.

“Don’t move,” an unsympathetic voice warns. “Just stay.”

Adjusting to the light, I blink until the silhouette in the chair playing on her phone with her legs crossed resolves into… “Lisa?”

“Welcome back,” she says, not tearing her gaze from the phone. “Are you actually awake this time?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Lisa puts her gadget away and tents her fingers. “Did you know that comatose patients don’t just sleep like they do in the movies? They actually get up and walk around. You can even have conversations with them. I’ve had several with you this past week. The patient just doesn’t know it’s happening.”

I hesitate. My mind’s foggy, but I’m definitely switched on. “I’m here. I think?”

Lisa’s eyebrows whoosh up. “Oh. So you
are
awake. I should probably get the nurse.”

“I’ve been in a coma?”

“Yeah. Not a big deal; you’re okay. You know when they knock someone out, and in that time they tie them up and transport them to a different location? Yeah, that’s falsified. If you were unconscious for that long, you’d be brain-dead. Stupid Hollywood ruins everything.”

“My legs,” I croak. “Can I still walk?”

“You’re fine,” Lisa dismisses. “You’re still ugly, but that’s it.”

Relieved, I laugh, but my throat is raw. “What happened back there?”

“Officer Bloom—I think that’s his name—came to New York once they abducted his daughter. Devin? Anyway, once that happened, he blew the whistle. He didn’t want to be in on it anymore, and a lot of the police who were against the idea in the first place backed him up. He couldn’t understand why his own family wasn’t exempt from the crazy rule. Turns out him and Chris never really got along. Families, eh. When he turned up outside, I ran over and gave him the skinny. He shot Chris. Good news is, you’ve made the papers. Your stream didn’t last long, but it grabbed the attention of plenty of geeky fanboys who shared it everywhere.”

“So… everyone’s okay…?”

“Yep. Thanks to me. The abductees are back with their families and the company is shut down. Meanwhile, I walk away scot-free with this little beauty.” She pulls the hard drive out of her pocket, waves it, and puts it back in. “Gabby gave it me. Begrudgingly so, but she wanted to honor your wishes. We all thought you were dying at one point.”

“And what about me? Am I going to prison?”

“Nah. I’m not going into all of that legal mumbo-jumbo. There’s absolutely no evidence to say that you or I hacked into the dolls and altered their transmission. Officer Bloom is on your side, so he swore up and down you were held hostage alongside Jason, Pam, Daniel, and that weird kid. Matt or something. Thanks for being my decoy, though. If I so much as stepped inside that building, there would’ve been trouble. I wouldn’t be sitting here beside you right now, that’s for sure.”

It’s amazing how calm she is. “But what about you? Is the whole company going under? Didn’t they kill your friend Jerry?”

She checks her nails, disconcertingly bored. “I don’t want to be sad right now, okay? I have time to mourn him later. The company split. Those who left with me before the abductions will be fine. The others will be spending every Christmas for the next few decades behind bars. Enough said?”

I sit back, struggling to accept her explanation. How can I ever trust her? I’ll never know what’s true and what’s not. But for now, I’m too tired and dopey to argue. My stomach feels bruised and sore, as if I’ve attempted fifty billion sit-ups in five minutes.

“Don’t touch your stomach,” Lisa snaps. “Look, I oversimplified. You had a lot of surgery after the bullet went gallivanting through your organs. Don’t go poking at things, all right? Trust me.”

There’s that word again. Trust.

Complying, I put my hands by my side and try not to focus on the throbbing band of pain around my abdomen. Just concentrate on the harsh lights above… the stiff blankets… the cheery view through the window—even if it’s just a red roof covered in bird droppings, it’s still better than looking at Lisa.

“Where is everyone?” I keep my gaze on the roof.

“The professor? He’s been by your side this whole time. He left about ten minutes ago to get a sandwich. I thought I’d sneak in. He still kinda hates me. Some people, right? I’m gonna split in a few minutes. Don’t want to miss my flight. Or run into him.”

I turn to look at her. “Flight? What? Where are you going?”

She shrugs. “Australia. I’m due for a holiday, you know? I hear the weather’s bipolar over there, so I’ll have to pull a Sianne and pack for every occasion.”

“But what will you do?”

Her eyes roll to the right. “I told you, I have plans with this data. Don’t worry, I won’t be abducting people or anything like that. Oh, almost forgot, if you ever want a job, let me know. I couldn’t stand you at first, but I like your moxie. Or lack thereof. You listened to me. You’d make a good minion. Plus, the way you took the bullet for Daniel? That’s impressive. So if you decide you don’t want to live out your golden years with your silver fox, just so you know, you’ve got options.”

“Wow.” I shudder. “That’s a scary thought. I’m at the end of my life, aren’t I?”

“Or the beginning. Age is just a number. Hey, did you know if you can tickle yourself, you’re probably schizophrenic? It’s true. You’re also more likely to be a psychopath if you say ‘um’ and ‘because’ a lot. I’ve tried to stop using those words.”

Daniel appears at the doorway with mustard on his chin. He’s dressed in a woolly cardigan and jeans, and his eye is still swollen. “Ella?” he gasps through a mouthful. “Ella, are you awake?”

“I’m awake,” I croak. He rushes to my side and wraps his arms around me, kissing my forehead and cheeks, then glances at Lisa. “What the hell are you doing here? What did you do to her?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, enough with the accusations!” Lisa grumbles. “When you’re off celebrating your second honeymoon, just remember it’s because of me. No, no, don’t bother with a thank you or anything, you ingrates. Ciao, losers.”

“Lisa, wait.”

She stops at the doorway.

“Thank you… I think. You gave me legs and stopped the doll apocalypse… even though you were kind of part of it initially… but… thank you.”

Lisa smirks and flicks her hair. “You’re welcome.”

It’s like déjà vu. She flounces off with a flourish, and I’m left with the assumption that it’s the last time I’ll ever see her. Only this time, I’m not so confident. That girl is all sorts of trouble, especially now I know she’s a psychotic
genius
. Yes.
Psychotic.
She may refrain from saying “because’” and “um,” but she’s just as messed up as ever.