Penumbra (Spook Squad 3)

A smile fleetingly touched his lips. “At first, yes. But I think it’s becoming increasingly obvious you’re from one of the Hopeworth projects, though whether that project is Penumbra or something else is anyone’s guess. That being the case, you’ve obviously slipped their noose until now. Which means you had help.”

“Because a teenager could not escape the might of the military alone.”

“A normal teenager, no. But you are not normal, Sam.”

“And if that wasn’t apparent before, it sure is now.” She smiled to counter the bitterness in her tone. “But even so, my memories—or lack thereof—and the fact that there has been a careful ‘refinement’ of my past suggests that someone, somewhere, knows who and what I am. And they have gone to great lengths to conceal it.”

“Yes.” Gabriel paused. “Have you asked this Joe about it?”

“He says I will remember when I need to remember.”

“Helpful.”

“Yeah. And when I’ve asked who he is, I get the same response.”

“Then perhaps you need to find another source.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You don’t think I’ve been trying?”

“I meant another Hopeworth source. Have you ever gone back to see that woman who claimed to be your nanny in Hopeworth? The one who called you Josephine?”

“No.”

“Then perhaps we should.”

“What? Now

?”

“Is there anything else you particularly want to do?”

“How about sleep?”

He looked at her for a moment, then he laughed a little sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess you would. How about I come back later this morning?”

How about you come join me in bed? She rubbed a hand across her eyes and tried to ignore the impulse to say the words out loud. For all that she wanted this man, it wasn’t the right time for a seduction. And in all honesty, her planned lunch probably wasn’t the best time, either, though she had a feeling there was never going to be a “good” time.

But if she wanted to know for sure whether that something between them was more than just a side effect of genetics, of breeding, then she had better force her reluctant feet forward and at least try, wrong time or not.

“No. Let’s do it now; then I can sleep for the rest of the day.”

He raised his eyebrows. “And the apology lunch?”

“Can become an apology brunch. Unless you are willing to take a rain check.” She leaned forward and programmed the nursing home’s address into the auto-drive. The car shot back into traffic and drove on.

He didn’t comment, just nodded. She wasn’t getting much from him at the moment—not even little insights via body language, which meant he was controlling himself very tightly.

No surprise, really. He’d been doing that from the first time they’d met.

“So,” she continued, “what did you learn about Blaine?”

“Not a great deal. Basic information on family and education. Information that all but ceased when he went into the military at eighteen.”

“Did he go straight into Hopeworth, then?”

“No. Records show he enlisted in the army and went through basic training. The records are listed as high security after that, though.”

“I thought Stephan’s security listing was high enough to get access to such records.”