Chapter 3 3

The Kaufman convoy was a fortress on wheels. Three black Subaru SUVs sat on the shoulder of I-94, hazard lights blinking in the downpour. Private military contractors with assault rifles stood guard, their postures tense.

Miller pulled the battered Lincoln up behind them.

"Stay here," Kaela ordered.

She stepped out, clutching a beat-up first aid kit that contained things no pharmacy sold. She walked toward the convoy, hands raised, displaying a digital token on her phone screen.

A guard stepped forward, weapon raised. "Back off."

"Onyx sent me," she said, her voice muffled by the mask. She flashed the screen. The code cycled: Zeus-Priority-Alpha.

The guard lowered his weapon, talking into his earpiece. "Clear her."

He led her to the middle SUV. The door slid open.

The smell hit her first. Antiseptic, stale sweat, and underneath it all, the faint, metallic tang of blood mixed with sandalwood.

A man lay reclined in the captain's chair. Even pale and sweating, Barron Kaufman was devastating. High cheekbones, a jawline that could cut glass, and dark hair plastered to his forehead. His eyes were squeezed shut, his chest heaving in erratic, shallow gasps.

A woman in a white coat-Dr. Sterling-was hovering over a monitor. "Tachycardia. 140 bpm. He's hallucinating. The sedatives aren't working."

Kaela climbed in. The door slid shut, sealing out the rain.

"You're the specialist?" Sterling sneered, looking at Kaela's muddy boots and oversized hoodie. "You look like a hobo."

Kaela ignored her. She reached out, placing two fingers on Barron's carotid artery.

His skin was burning. Under her fingertips, his pulse fluttered like a trapped bird. But the moment she touched him, he flinched. His muscles seized, rock hard, then... stopped.

A strange stillness washed over him.

Kaela leaned in. She sniffed the air near his neck. Sandalwood. And something else. A bitter, chemical scent seeping from his pores.

Datura and synthetic scopolamine.

"He's not having a panic attack," Kaela said, her voice flat. "He's in a lucid nightmare loop. Sensory overload."

She opened her kit and pulled out a small spray bottle filled with a cloudy, amber liquid.

"What is that?" Sterling shrieked. "That is not FDA approved! You cannot-"

"Shut up," Kaela said. She didn't look up. She sprayed the mist directly into Barron's face. "It's concentrated Mandrake root and beta-blockers. It cuts the noise."

Barron inhaled the mist.

Almost instantly, his chest stopped heaving. The monitor beeped-a slower, steady rhythm. 130... 110... 90... 80.

Sterling stared at the screen, mouth agape. "That's... impossible."

Barron lay still. His eyes were closed, but his mind was racing. The screaming in his head-the drill, the fire, the crash-had silenced. Replaced by a cool, dark void. And a scent. Rain, ozone, and something herbal.

He felt a hand on his neck. Cool. Firm. Grounding.

For the first time in months, the pain was gone.

Kaela capped the bottle. She turned to Sterling. "Tell Alistair Kaufman someone is slow-dosing his grandson. This isn't TBI. It's poisoning."

Sterling paled. "Who are you?"

Kaela pulled her hood lower. "Someone who got paid."

Her phone buzzed. Transfer complete. $50,000.

She turned to leave.

Suddenly, a hand shot out.

Barron's fingers wrapped around the hem of her hoodie. His grip was crushing. His knuckles turned white. It wasn't the weak grasp of an invalid. It was the desperate anchor of a drowning man.

Kaela froze. She tried to pull away. He wouldn't let go.

"It's... a spasm," Sterling stammered. "Post-seizure reflex."

Kaela looked down at the hand. Veins popped against the skin. He was strong. Too strong.

She leaned down, bringing her masked face inches from his ear.

"Let go, rich boy," she whispered. "I know you're awake."

Barron's fingers twitched. He held for a second longer-a challenge-and then, slowly, deliberately, his fingers uncurled.

Kaela pulled back and exited the vehicle into the rain.

Inside the SUV, Barron Kaufman opened his eyes. They were dark, clear, and focused. There was no madness in them. Only the cold, calculating look of a predator who had just found a new scent.