His face fell. “Afraid? To see me?”
“No, of course not. To see you in that place, I guess.”
“It was a long time ago, Kel.”
“Not long enough. Not for me. Or you.”
“You came back for me.”
She put up a hand. “I never should have left you there in the first place. I knew. I… knew. That man. That animal.”
“But he’s dead now. It’s over.”
“It’s never over, Eddie. Not for you. Not for me. We both know that. Those scars run deep. I’ve never married. Never even thought of it. Never had kids. Never wanted them. You want to know why?”
He nodded.
“Because I didn’t think I could protect them. Easy way out, really. I was a coward, Eddie, plain and simple. A coward.”
“Kel, it wasn’t your fault.”
Paul rose and paced in small circles in front of him. “Of course it was, Eddie. I abandoned you. I’ve spent my whole life making penance for it by doing very dangerous things. And it just occurred to me recently that while I was making my penance I forgot one important thing.” This all came out like a blast of pent-up air finally released.
“What was that?”
“You.” She knelt in front of him, took his hand, and squeezed it. “I forgot you, Eddie.”
“You never forgot me. You wrote. You came to see me sometimes.”
“It’s not the same. You know that.” She sat back and put a hand up to her eyes.
“Please don’t, Kel. Don’t be sad.”
She rose abruptly. “I will get you out of this, Eddie. That I promise. Even if I die in the process.”
Kelly Paul turned and walked unsteadily from the room, leaving her younger brother alone with thoughts not even his unique mind was really equipped to deal with.
CHAPTER
73
ELLEN FOSTER WAS SEATED in a chair in an underground bunker she reserved for the most private of meetings. No notes, no recordings, no surveillance of any kind.
She sat there looking at the man who stared back at her.
“Can you even comprehend how furious I am about all this?” she said.
Mason Quantrell said nothing. He nervously tapped his fingers on the wooden tabletop and simply eyed her with caution.
She continued. “It was the neatest package I could possibly provide. It was perfect. All you had to do was your job. And now?” She slapped her hand against the table. “And now?”
Quantrell’s face darkened and caution was thrown aside. “We were set up, Ellen. You have a spy in your operation, obviously. It wasn’t my fault. We hit all of our cues right on the mark.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. They just played you. They outsmarted you.”
“They outsmarted us,” he corrected in a high tone. “You and me. In this together.”
Foster’s angry look was slowly replaced with something far subtler: apprehension.