Exit 9

46

Ash had never felt so relieved as he did when Olivia stopped the man from activating the release of the virus. He didn’t even flinch when she killed the older man. But when she started working on the computer again, he moved forward so he could see what she was doing.

She’d accessed a self-destruct system. Good. This place needed to go.

He watched as she set the timer to fifteen minutes, then hit Start.

Without getting up, she turned to the men she’d kept at the front of the room. “You’ll stay here. The world won’t be needing your services after all.”

One of the men said, “You can’t let us die in here.”

Ash started to scoff at the irony, but was cut off by the sound of Olivia’s gun. The bullet ripped into the man’s leg, sending him crumpling to the ground.

She looked at the others. “If any of the rest of you want to try to leave, I’m happy to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

There didn’t seem to be any takers.

“Good.” She glanced at Ash. “You and your friend should move out into the hallway with my men. We’re not going to have a lot of time to get out of here. I’ll join you as soon as I’ve had a final, private conversation with my old colleagues.”

There was a tingle at the back of Ash’s neck, that sense there was something he was still missing.

But the threat was over. Olivia had stopped it, and in less than fourteen minutes the entire place was going to be destroyed. If he wanted to get back to Josie and Brandon, Olivia was right. They needed to leave.

He nodded, and started for the door. Ahead, Chloe and the members of Olivia’s team were already filing out.

A few of the Project Eden people tried to go, too, but they were shoved back. Those that Ash passed pleaded with him with their eyes, as if he might take them along, but he had no compassion for any of them. They had chosen their path when they joined the Project. They could all go to hell as far as he was concerned.