Chapter 16
The Suited Man
Marcus, Maya, and Thorne escape the processing plant through a vent after a standoff with the suited man—Corbin, the regional director. Thorne reveals he knows Corbin from his past research. They flee in a truck, ditch it in a ravine, and hike to a farmhouse. Corbin is waiting there, showing Marcus a video of his mother, captive, and announces Phase Two begins tonight at the fairgrounds.
The darkness swallowed everything. Marcus's hand found Maya's arm in the black, her fingers cold and shaking against his skin. Somewhere to his left, a boot scraped concrete. Flashlights snapped on, three beams cutting through the smoke like lighthouse sweeps, and he saw the suited man standing exactly where he'd been—still, patient, hands clasped behind his back.
"Don't bother running," the man said. His voice carried an easy confidence, the kind that came from never being wrong. "The building's surrounded. Your friend with the fire trick? He's already in custody."
Marcus's chest went tight. Thorne. He forced himself to breathe, to think. Maya's hand tightened on his, and he felt the weight of the pistol in her other grip. Three rounds left. At best.
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