Leo
My eyes widened in absolute shock at his perception.
A wave of defensive fury hit me, and I lunged forward to aggressively push him away from me, but before my hands could make contact, two heavily built security guards who had been standing by the open door of the Phantom moved with blinding speed. They caught my arms from behind, pinning my wrists behind my back in a secure hold.
"What the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" I snarled, struggling against their grip.
"I am simply ensuring that you do not make another irreversible mistake tonight," Gerald said smoothly, standing back up to his full height and brushing a stray drop of water off his lapel. "You may be an esteemed guest on this island, Doctor Ackerman, but if you dare go against our safety regulations or pose a physical threat to the residents, I have the full authority to lock you in a containment cell. And frankly, I do not want to cause Miller any further distress."
I seethed, my teeth grinding together as I glared up at him with pure hatred. "I dare you to come within arm’s reach of me again, Gerald! Let’s see if I won’t slit your throat right here with my bare fingers! A clean, anatomical bisection of your carotid artery and internal jugular vein before your guards can even see the movement!"
Gerald just stood there, staring down at my unhinged display, and slowly shook his head in pity. "I truly cannot believe he is doing all of this for someone like you."
The words acted like a sudden splash of freezing water to my system. I stopped struggling against the guards entirely, my muscles going completely slack as I just stared up at him, my mind frantically trying to process the meaning behind his statement. "What... what the hell are you trying to say?" I demanded, my voice dropping.
He shook his head yet again, his tone dripping with disappointment. "You are a lost case, Leo. Just like your father was."
"Do not put me together with that man!" I screamed at him, the comparison hitting my deepest, rawest insecurity.
"Yet you are acting exactly like him," Gerald sneered down at me, his calm demeanor finally cracking into a cold, stern reprimand. "You haven’t released a single microgram of your pheromones ever since you stepped foot on this island, but the moment your anger gets triggered, you let it completely control your executive functions. That volatile temper will be the absolute end of you. I don’t know the exact extent of how badly you have hurt Miller tonight, but I certainly hope it isn’t catastrophic. Because if it is, you will continue to hate yourself over it for the rest of your miserable life. Forever and forever."
Hearing him voice my own worst fear completely broke me.
My anger evaporated into pure despair, and I burst into heavy tears all over again, my head dropping forward. "I didn’t mean to..." I sobbed out, my voice entirely undone. "I was just so incredibly angry that he lied to me. He couldn’t even look me in the eye and speak to me about what he had met you for. But I already know why he did it, and that’s why I lost my mind—because he hid the truth from me. How could he do that to someone he claims to love? How could he keep secrets from me?"
"He didn’t lie to you to deceive you, you foolish boy," Gerald sighed, his tone softening just a fraction. "And maybe the exact reason he didn’t tell you the details immediately was because he cares so deeply about your well-being. He knew that you would be completely devastated once you found out the biological truth of what is happening to you."
"What are you trying to say?" I demanded, snapping my head up, my tear-blurred eyes searching his face. "What do you mean by the truth?"
Gerald turned his head slightly and beckoned to the guards with a sharp gesture. "Let him go."
The two men instantly released their grip on my arms, stepping back toward the vehicle. Gerald then pointed a finger down at me. "I will explain the medical reality to you once you have actually come to your senses, stop screaming like a child, and get into the car with me."
"Why can’t you just tell me what you discussed with Miller right here?" I questioned defensively, wiping the rain from my eyes. "Why are you hiding it from me?"
Gerald glanced up at the darkened sky, then back down at me. "Maybe because it is currently pouring rain, or perhaps because you are still actively throwing a temper tantrum in the mud."
I lowered my head, the realization of how pathetic I must look finally sinking in. I reached up with a trembling hand and wiped my face clean of the remaining tears, forcing my breathing to stabilize. "I am... I am sorry for yelling at you, Director. I shouldn’t have lost my decorum. But I truly need to find out what is happening."
Gerald offered a small, calculating smile, turning back toward the Rolls-Royce. "You are completely soaking wet, so you will ride in the security transport directly behind me. I wouldn’t want you to soil my leather interior with rainwater," he stated bluntly.
He stepped toward his car, and one of the guards immediately held the door open for him. Once Gerald was safely inside, the door clicked shut, and the lead vehicle began to pull forward.
Simultaneously, a second black executive SUV appeared from the shadows, its rear door automatically swinging wide open right in front of me.
Without a single second of hesitation, I stepped off the muddy roadside and climbed into the dry, warm interior, closing the heavy door behind me.
I leaned back against the plush leather headrest, letting my head fall backward as the vehicle smoothly accelerated down the road.
Even though my clothes were completely drenched and pressing uncomfortably against my skin, I didn’t care about the physical discomfort at all. After all, I had chosen to remain out in that rain all by myself.
My mind was trapped on what Gerald had said about Miller.
What was he actually searching for? What did he discover? And why the hell does it have to do with my survival?