Kaitlin followed Ethan and Sadie from the kitchen but stopped in the doorway as Kane rose to his feet.
Did he really mean to come with them?
Well, he could think again. She glared at him. His eyes narrowed, and he hovered for a moment, but then sank back down into his seat.
She blew out her breath. She so didn’t need an audience for this, because she had a weird idea that she was going to totally humiliate herself. And she had her tough-girl image to think about—she hated the idea of anyone pitying her.
She didn’t even have a picture of Sam, hadn’t seen his face since...
And did she want to know the details of what had happened to him between the time he’d been “taken to hospital” and when they had found him?
She’d heard him screaming in her head. Calling for her.
Maybe the files wouldn’t really tell her any more than she already knew. And she could finally accept that it was over. In the past. There was nothing she could do to change things now.
Or was there?
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sadie asked.
“If I don’t, I’ll always wonder.” Besides, could it be worse than what her imagination had already come up with?
Ethan led them into a large room; it was at least two stories high but still managed to feel cozy. Bookshelves lined the walls and, at the far end, a set of stairs led to an internal balcony that ran around the room, allowing access to the higher shelves. The decor was crimson, velvet and leather, dark wood. The place smelled of paper and polish, and the huge log fire that crackled in the hearth. At least, the room was warm.
So why was she shivering?
She wandered around, running her fingers over the books, casting glances to where Ethan was setting up his laptop on a coffee table in front of a long leather sofa. Sadie sat beside him, watching her, a worried frown on her face.
Kaitlin’s stomach churned.
“Come and sit down,” Ethan said. She took a deep breath and moved over to where he sat. He got to his feet, smiled. “It’s not too bad, I promise.”
“You’ve watched it?”
He nodded.
Something occurred to her. “You haven’t censored it, have you?”
He opened his arms. “Take a look.”
She peered into his mind. He was hiding nothing. She exhaled and sank down onto the couch where he’d been sitting, glancing quickly at the screen.Project Isolation.
That word shot a dart of pain into her heart, and her eyes pricked. That’s what they had done. Isolated Sam from everyone he loved. From her. From the group. Even from himself.
“We’ll leave you to go through it alone,” Ethan said. “There’s some video stuff, a lot of reports. It will probably take you a while.”
She looked up at him. “Thank you.”
Sadie was still seated, clearly concerned about something. Finally, she sighed. “There’s something else.”
Kaitlin saw Ethan toss her a glance—he wasn’t sure his wife should say whatever she was going to say. Sadie shrugged.
What else could there be? Kaitlin scrubbed her hand across her face. “What?”
“I had a dream.”
She sat up straight at that, twisting on the seat so she could stare into Sadie’s face.
Many of their group had developed new powers in the last few years. Sadie dreamed about the future. She’d dreamed about Ethan before she had ever met him. Dreamed of him telling her he loved her at a point when he was still enemy number one.
