Chapter 30
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Laura and Samuel froze, instantly assessing the tactical disadvantage. The figure standing in the shadows of the staircase held the high ground, and the heavy barrel of the shotgun was leveled directly at Richard's chest.
"We aren't here to hurt you," Vivienne said quickly, stepping in front of her father and raising her empty hands. "We were sent here by Grace Ellis."
The mention of the name caused the figure to pause. Slowly, a tall man in his late twenties stepped out of the shadows. He wore a thick wool sweater and had dark, piercing eyes that mirrored Vivienne's own. He looked exhausted, haunted by years of paranoia.
Around his neck, glinting in the dim light of the cottage, hung a silver locket.
Vivienne gasped, reaching up to touch the identical locket resting against her collarbone.
The man stared at her necklace, his aggressive posture instantly faltering. He slowly lowered the barrel of the shotgun, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and profound disbelief.
"You're the first," the man whispered, his rough voice cracking with emotion. "Grace told me you would come one day. I just... I didn't think it would be today."
"What is your name?" Vivienne asked gently, taking a slow step forward.
"Leo," the man answered, setting the shotgun down on the wooden dining table. "Leo Ellis. Grace raised me as her own son after she pulled me out of that hospital inferno."
Richard exhaled deeply, lowering his own defensive stance. "Leo, my name is Richard Ashford. This is Samuel, and Detective Bennett. We found Malcolm's hidden records at St. Agnes. He knows about the protocol."
"I know," Leo said bitterly, walking over to a small cabinet and pulling out a heavy iron lockbox. "Grace warned me. She called me yesterday morning, right before she disappeared. She told me the hunt had resumed."
"Did she tell you where she was going?" Laura asked, stepping fully into the room.
"She didn't have to," Leo replied, unlocking the iron box and pulling out a weathered map. He spread it across the table. "She's meeting Theodore. They've been planning this counter-strike for twenty years. And they left instructions for us."
"Us?" Vivienne asked.
"The three of us," Leo corrected, looking directly into Vivienne's eyes. "Grace told me everything about Malcolm's genetic obsession. We are the cure he was trying to manufacture. And the third child... the one Malcolm kept..."
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"Do you know who it is?" Richard demanded, leaning over the table.
Leo nodded slowly, pointing to a specific location marked on the map. "I do. And if we don't get to him before Malcolm realizes we've made contact, he is going to kill him."
