Page 51 of Perfection

Every bruise and mark looked extremely painful.

“Son of a bitch,” Cal growled, lowering himself to Vi’s other side.

Bitch? Hell, it’s more like Satan himself,York thought.

York leaned close to Vi’s ear, reluctant to touch her for fear of causing her more pain. “Medics are almost here. There’s a corrective antidote.”

She tried to whisper something.

“Did you get that?” York asked.

Cal shook his head. “It’s okay, baby. Help is on the way.”

Her lips moved, but nothing came out.

“Ugh. What the hell…” Shishido whispered.

“Shut it.” York silenced him with a hard look. He glimpsed Vi’s spot computer on the floor a few inches from her withered hand and picked it up.This is goodbye, friends, he read. He showed it to Cal.

A suicide note? He didn’t believe it.

His brother gave a forceful shake of his head. “Why?”

“Because someone did thistoher.” It was the only answer he had. He got to his feet and touched Shishido’s arm, motioning for him to follow York into the kitchen. Maybe a drink of water would help her. Grabbing a bottle from the refreshment closet, he turned and said urgently, “This is a crime scene. Treat it that way.”

Shishido nodded. “Yeah. Okay. But the suicide note?”

“I don’t buy it,” York said.

“Isn’t it usually some kind of political statement?”

“Usually. I want you to start going over the apartment. Begin with her room.” York was already heading back to the bedroom.

“You’ve got it.”

He unscrewed the bottle cap, imagining it was the vile neck of whoever’d done this to Vi, twisting it in anger as he stopped by his brother. He knelt, handing the water to Cal. “Here.”

All he could do was wait, watching Vi and not really paying attention to what his brother was saying to her. They’d had a relationship. It was none of his business. He followed a dribble of liquid as it ran down her cheek and under her ear to a vintage, gold-filigreed earring. It was excruciating to see his friend reduced to this deformity. Stinking sweat poured from her as she shuddered and thrashed, another mutation transforming her chest. And he swore he’d find whoever did this.

When he looked at her face again, she was studying him. Her lips twitched in a knowing smile. The end was near.

“Not…suicide,” she whispered, her words audible this time. The confirmation of his fear pierced his heart. Her breath stuttered. Her eyes blinked as if she was going to lose consciousness. “Not suicide. She…she…”

Vi went still. Her body relaxed and York could swear he saw the life flow out of her. The sudden stillness echoed through the room.

York dropped his chin to his chest, confounded and devastated. Hurting. “Vi didn’t deserve this.” He was barely able to get the words out.

Cal rose to his feet. He slammed a closed fist into the palm of his other hand and cursed. “She never had a chance. There was no way of beating the mutation genes.”