Chapter 36 #2
“Thank god.” Pushing off the wall, I kicked off my orange clogs—even though this felt like the sort of place one was expected to never wander barefoot—and spun to face both agents.
“I need a shower. I need some clothes, and something to eat, and then I’m going to tell you everything you need to about the Seal.
You are going to get the one shot to ask all of the questions you need to ask, and then I am not opening this up again. Got it?”
They nodded.
“Then I’m going to sleep in a real bed, and whenever I wake up, we are going to form a plan to deal with everything.”
When they nodded again, I crossed the great expanse of marbled floor and started up the stairs using the handrail, my bare feet smacking against the cold stone.
But the truth was I had no idea where I was going, and halfway up the steps my unease ate through my anger.
“I appreciate you giving me the space to storm off,” I shouted over my shoulder, my gaze forward, “but someone better show me where to go, because I’m only making it look like I know what I’m doing.”
Jack must’ve taken the stairs three at a time, because he was at my side in a matter of seconds, guiding me up to the second-floor landing where I was met with the longest hallway of my life, and innumerable closed doors.
His hand flat against the curve of my waist, he asked, “What room would you like?”
How the heck was I supposed to know? I just needed simple. Easy. “Jack…”
“Something facing the lake or—”
“Just a room. With a bed. Near a washroom.”
“They all have ensuites—”
“Jack…”
Finally catching my drift, and inability to deal with further decisions, he opened the door immediately to our left.
Inside everything was white, with the exception of a handful of accessories in shades of blush and grey. The bed alone was larger than my cell with the Seal, it was the biggest mattress I’d ever seen—like two kings pushed together.
“Here.” He pointed at the far side of the room to the ensuite. “Washroom’s through there. If you’d like I’d be happy to give you a hand—”
I shot him a death glare. I was fully capable of showering on my own, even if I was starting to get uncomfortable with the idea of confronting my own reflection.
“I’ll find you something to wear.” Jack released his hold on me, and instead opened the closet across from the bed. “When you’re done meet Todd and me in the room across the hall. I’ll have some food brought up, and we’ll debrief.”
“Yes, Agent Hessinger.”
“Delilah—”
I waved him away, and slid into the fully-stocked washroom, locking the door behind me.
He could stew with the new reality, while I tried to process not only the fact I escaped a cult, failed Three, and shared life changing news with both agents, but that the father of the passenger growing inside me wasn’t who I thought he was.
Or worse yet, I hadn’t known him at all.
?
Stripping out of Todd’s coat, and the god-awful hospital gown, I showered until I felt clean. And that took time. I’d been relatively clean when I’d woken up in the hospital—no longer smelling of swamp, the layers of mud and muck washed away from my skin, but I’d still felt dirty.
If I could have scrubbed off a layer of skin and started anew, I would have.
Instead, I used every product in the castle shower once, twice, three times, before brushing through the tangled ends of my hair. Unsurprisingly, whatever soaps and creams the Hessinger family stocked worked wonders. My skin shone and my hair had never been softer.
With the sun about to set, I exited the washroom and changed into the deep moss green leisure wear set Jack left out for me. The material was heavy, butter soft, and given the level of embroidery on the label, it was safe to say the outfit cost more than my entire wardrobe.
I toyed with the idea of a quick lie down to make the agents wait, but I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to get back up before the sun rose, which unfortunately meant I could no longer put off crossing the hall and laying myself bare to the agents.
Fiddling with the buttons of my top trying to conceal my new shape, I mentally prepared myself for the amount of detail I was about to share—and the agents’ reactions.
I didn’t want them to feel sorry for me. For them to see me as weak. I wanted them to see me as the fearsome beast that lived beneath my skin, and show them I was strong enough to take on any challenge that was thrown my way.
Didn’t I?
My heart beat faster. Leaving the sanctuary of my ridiculously large room, I padded across the hall, stopping in front of the room occupied by the agents. Sweat coated my palms. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth.
So much had changed. Even if I didn’t have more to share about my time with the Seal—which I did—the agents would never look at me the same.
I tried to make myself feel better by telling myself we all had our own secrets and our reasons for keeping them. But instead, it made me feel worse.
Todd was a father of two. Jack was filthy rich. And I—
There was movement inside the room. A couple crackles and a pop from the fireplace. A low, barely there, one-sided conversation.
I needed to get this over with.
Pushing the door open, I entered the dark and cavernous room illuminated only by the setting sun and the fireplace. Jack and Todd stood, the flickering lights casting shadows over their faces, as their attentions zeroed in on me.
My attentions, on the other hand, zeroed in on the table. Where there was a strange assortment of food: pickles, chips, chocolate, ice cream, fruit, marshmallow spread, rice, beans, pasta, a jar of pickled jalapenos, and three meatball subs.
“What’s with all this?”
“I… uh.” Jack looked at the spread as if he suddenly realized just how much variety was on the table. “I didn’t know if you were having any…cravings.”
Cravings. I almost laughed. I hadn’t had the luxury of cravings when held captive by the Seal, and now Jack and Todd went out of their way to give me choice—something the Seal had taken away in every way, shape, and form.
My confused and battered heart, melted just a little, and I decided I was going to make the most of it. So, I said, “fuck it” and pulled up a seat at the table.
Just for the rush. Just for the heck of it, I grabbed the meatball sub, flipped it open on the plate, and loaded it with pickled jalapenos. Then I snatched the marshmallow spread and drew a thick line of it over the toasted bun.
It was perfect.
Two bites in, Jack and Todd joined me at the table, both replicating my sandwich topping choices, when the firelight caught Jack’s face…
There was no way.
Dropping my glorious sub onto my plate, I reached across the table and took a tentative hold of Jack’s chin. He winced, darting his eyes between Todd and me, while I slowly turned him towards the light.
The side of his face was swollen. His lip was split and he had the makings of a black eye. It looked like someone—
“Oh my god, Todd! Did you punch him?”
I’d have expected a cover up but instead was met with, “Yep.”
“He’s got a black eye!”
Todd shrugged, and picked up his sub.
“I deserved it.” Jack pulled his face from my grip. “It’s an arrangement we had, ever since… anyway. We’re good. We’re square.”
Todd’s mouth twitched. Didn’t seem like he felt the same way.
“What the hell?” It wasn’t really a question, but Todd hadn’t been the sort to resort to violence, so whatever this was about must have been something big. “Todd? Care to explain?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Jack?”
“We’re not getting into it, Delilah.” Jack maintained the united front, then pulled out his phone with an app set to record, his finger hovering over the start button. “Now, I need you to tell us everything.”
“You just expect me to ignore the fact you were punched in the face and move on?”
Both Jack and Todd said, “Yes.”
“But—”