Counterfeit ✓

Chapter 47

THE WIND WHISTLED through breaches in the stone as Mila paced through the cave with her knife pointed at the grey-eyed man who stood in front of her. After hearing footsteps and facing him, she attacked the leader and brought her to the cave she remembered from Stephen.

Her shoes shuffled over the floor-the gray-eyed man just sat down on a rock, fidgeting with the jacket's sleeve. He offered her a smile. Mila sucked on the inside of her cheek, stopped, and directed the knife at his chest.

"You won't kill me." He chuckled. "I'm the only one who can help you."

"Why are you even here?" Mila snapped. "You killed Elody."

The gray-eyed man stood up. "The footbridge did."

Mila shuffled forward-she didn't want to risk losing him. Not when she was close to capturing him. She pressed the knife against her chest. Her eyes narrowed. Frustration ran through her veins. Earthworms churned in the soil. She pushed the knifepoint in his skin-his blood seeped from the wound.

"Talk. I don't have all day. How do we escape? Why are we even here?"

He chuckled. "I wouldn't tell you. I'm just here to have fun."

Water dripped from the cracks in the roof and slid down the back of Mila's neck. Her hands trembled. She couldn't let her people down-they needed her, and the leader's appearance helped her to take a step closer to the truth.

Once again, she pricked his skin. His smile still lingered on his face. Mila pushed the weapon deeper-the gray-eyed man didn't budge. With her eyes squeezed shut, Mila heaved a sigh. As of now, she concluded he didn't want to murder her either. For the past weeks, the leader had a lot of opportunities and never used one of them.

Mila dropped the knife to the ground. The sound echoed through the cave. As she squatted, he took the knife and threw it to the outside-his injury long gone. Mila looked up. For once, she desired to hear the truth. She just couldn't stand another day without knowing if she'd ever see her family again.

"Why are we here?" she begged. "We're only teenagers who want to see our families back."

"You won't." The gray-eyed man shrugged. "You're here for a reason. Your family agreed."

"My family wouldn't ever agree."

"They did."

The stone's cold seeped into Mila's body. She couldn't believe her ears-the leader just attempted to manipulate her to join his side. Mila wouldn't give in. She slipped her hands into her pockets and narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe a single word. You're lying."

He smirked. "I'm not."

He pulled a tablet from the jacket's inside pocket, turned the screen, and tapped on the arrow. Shivers rolled over Mila's back as she noticed her parents sitting in the small living room-the gray-eyed man sat across from her father. Mila's lungs constricted.

"Your daughter is important to us," the voice of the leader sounded through the tablet. "We need her to protect us from the government."

"How can she help? She's seventeen. We need her."

Tears pricked in Mila's eyes. She swept them away with her sleeve. As of now, she didn't even want to hear the conversation-she trusted her parents not to give up on her. Or ever.

"We need her for our experiment. Her peers give us good results. Just sign over here. We can give a cure to your mother."

Mila's mother pushed her chair backward. "I don't believe you."