“Get in there.” Some nameless agent from the Bureau of Investigation shoved me in a holding cell.
“I want my advocate, a lawyer, and my mates,” I yelled as they locked the door and walked off.
Ugh. I still felt horrid from the effects of beingstunnedby Solomon. While I was happy that my guys and I weren’t shot with bullets, it wasn’t very comfortable.
It hadn’t even worn off yet when we were transferred from the hospital to their local offices. Immediately, we’d been separated and questioned.
And just like last time I’d spoken to the Bureau, they didn’t like my answers.
Now, here I was. I was pretty sure that they thought I was part of all this. Not that they–or me, for that matter–understood what this even was.
“Hey, are you okay, Grace?” a male voice whispered.
Great. They put me in with Abel.
“I want my mates.” I sat down on the bench, feeling a little hopeless.
The two of us were alone in the small cell. Abel was cuffed to a ring in the wall. My brothers were here, in a world that was only half theirs–and Evan had spectacularly rescued me from him.
Yeah, I needed more stories about his and Wes’ Army days.
He frowned at me. “You’ll get us out of trouble, right? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You were supposed to come with us.”
“You thought I’d just go with you?” I gave him an incredulous look.
“Well, yeah. You’re our sister. Mom only wants to talk to you. We'll bring you right back.” His baffled look made me think that heactuallybelieved that I’d simply go with him.
They’d bring me right back? Mmm hmmm.Sure.
“You held someone up at gunpoint to find me.” I scowled, angry they’d have the audacity to do that.
“That was Sol. I tried to ask the guy, and he wouldn’t tell me. Mom’s going to be pissed.” He looked away.
His scent didn’t get salty, and honestly, he just sort of smelled like body spray. Maybe he didn’t inherit Rosalind’s genetics and was like Dad.
Yet, there he went again with theMomstuff. I’d hoped I’d misheard.
“Rosalind’s not dead?” Of course she wasn’t dead. I curled into a ball. Spencer sent me love. Evan was worried. Wes was pissed.
“Mom? I didn’t know she wasn’t dead until yesterday. It absolutely shocked me. But Sol’s known the whole time. Um, I thought you were dead, too. We all did. Well, maybe not Mom? Though she knows you’re not dead now,” he blabbed.
Ugh, I’d forgotten how much he talked.
“You thought I wasdead?” I shot him a look. Not missing.Dead?
He nodded. “Well, yeah. Your work caught on fire, and a bunch of people died, including you.”
Oh. Well, I guess if the Temporal Authority exploded the super collider at Spencer’s dad’s work, that they mightburn downmine.
It hit me. No one looked for me. Because they thought that I was dead.
“Dad was really sad. He got all your stuff from your apartment. I think he gave your insurance money to your college for the cheer squad and bought the church a piano. It has a little brass plate on it with your name. It’s not at Mom’s church, but the new church Dad joined after the divorce." His face scrunched.
Someone mourned me. Missed me. The fact that he’d done those things with the insurance money was sweet.
“Sol was really weird about it though. I guess it’s because the company you work for does so much for the military? I don’t know.” His brow furrowed. “Do I tell Dad when I go home that you’re not dead?”
“Considering I’m not going back, probably not,” I said softly. “The last thing I ever want to do is hurt Dad. Though if you talk to Levi, you can tell him I have lots of boyfriends who are also boyfriends.”
