Page 104 of Girl Lost

He glanced at the woman in the wheelchair. “This is my daughter, Elizabeth. She’s a brilliant surgeon, but she’s dying. We’ve tried everything, including two transplants, but her new heart is failing, just like the others. Stryker”—he spat the name—“has interfered with all our hard work. Because of him sticking his nose in my business, Elizabeth might never get the heart she needs to survive.”

Luna’s brow furrowed. “Why not just print one for Elizabeth? Isn’t that what your research is about?”

Elizabeth spoke up, her voice soft but determined. “We’ve tried. But our trials haven’t worked yet. The bioprinted hearts ... they fail.”

Dr. Forest nodded. “It’s all a part of the clinical trial, you see. We remove the healthy heart and give the patient their bioprinted heart. The healthy heart goes to someone in need. Someone who won’t waste the new life we gave them. Then we study the bioprinted heart in our patient.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “The victim you mean.”

Elizabeth ignored her. “It works at first. The hearts beat just fine. The patients recover and gain strength. But then, like clockwork, four or five weeks later, their bodies reject the heart.”

“But we don’t just let them die,” Dr. Forest added. “That would be cruel. I take them into surgery and remove the bioprinted heart, along with all the healthy organs.”

Summer’s eyes widened in understanding. “Because you don’t waste resources, right?”

Dr. Forest beamed at her. “Exactly, my dear. You’re very bright.”

“What about me?” Trinity asked. “You gave me a bioprinted heart a year ago.”

“You’re the special one,” Dr. Forest said. “The only one whose heart hasn’t failed yet.”

“So why did you kidnap her?” Luna spat the question.

“Because she was wasting it!” A dark shadow passed over Dr. Forest’s features. He stared at Trinity. “You were destroying what I created. Killing yourself with drugs. You were wasting the precious life I gave you. If it hadn’t been for me, you would have died a long time ago waiting for a donor.”

Trinity paled, her hand flew to her chest.

Luna felt sick. The enormity of what they’d done, the lives they’d destroyed, all in the name of saving one person. It was overwhelming.

She had to keep them talking, had to find a way out of this.

Trinity’s face suddenly contorted in pain. She clutched at her chest, her breathing becoming labored. “I ... I can’t...” Her legs buckled and she sagged against the enforcer who had been holding the gun to her temple, nearly dragging him down with her.

“Trinity!” Luna cried, lurching forward, only to be stopped by the enforcer’s gun.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in alarm. “Dad, do something now!”

Dr. Forest’s calm demeanor shattered. He dropped the scalpel and rushed to Trinity’s side, barking orders. “Get her on the table! We need to stabilize her immediately!”

The enforcer holding Trinity scooped her up and laid her on an empty surgical table.

“We can’t lose her. She’s our only successful case.” Dr. Forest pressed his fingers to Trinity’s neck, checking her pulse.

“Dad, please! We need her.” Elizabeth wheeled herself closer. “We have to study why her heart lasted so long!”

“Sheridan!” Dr. Forest’s hands flew over Trinity’s body, attaching monitors. “We need the stabilizing agent! Now!”

Dr. Sheridan nodded. “I’ll get it from the lab.” She rushed out of the room.

Trinity’s body lay limp on the table.

Luna saw an opening. She spun and drove her elbow hard into the temple of the enforcer holding Summer.

Summer slammed her heel down on the man’s instep. He gasped and released her, stumbling back with his right foot dangling at an awkward angle behind him. He hobbled a step, then another, left leg working overtime to stay upright.

Luna shifted her weight. She turned her hips, brought her foot knee-high, and pistoned her heel down and forward. It cracked against his shin. The leg, bearing the guard’s full weight, collapsed with a pop. “My leg! You broke my leg!”

Pain ripped through her scalp. The second enforcer had grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her back. He shoved the barrel of his gun into her spine.