“Sorry, I’m just not in the mood for congratulations. I don’t really feel like a winner.”
He nodded. “Alec asked for you. It was the first thing he said when he got back.”
I forced a smile. “Thanks for telling me. I need to go. Major’s waiting.”
Major’s door was open. Hesitantly I stepped inside. Alec and Major both stood in front of the picture window, looking outward. It seemed like they were arguing about something. Alec shook his head, his expression angrier than I’d ever seen it. I took a step closer, hoping to catch a snippet of their conversation. Suddenly they fell silent and turned to look at me. Without another word from Major, Alec turned and left the room, his hand brushing mine as he passed. The door fell shut and a crushing silence engulfed me.
Major sank down in his chair and, after a moment, I crossed the room and sat across from him. He pointed toward a cup. “I asked Martha to make you tea. She said you like chai.”
I reached for the cup and blew on the steaming liquid, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and something spicier. A bit like Alec. I took a sip, knowing that Major was watching me. I cradled the cup against my chest. “Did you talk to Devon?”
Major nodded.
“And?”
“I told him the truth. He’s one of us. He’d figured most of it out by himself anyway.” He paused for a long moment. “And I invited him to join us.”
I jerked. Hot liquid sloshed over the edge of the cup and soaked my shirt, burning the skin beneath. I put the cup down. “What did he say?”
“He said yes.”
How would I ever face him again?
“Devon knows that what we did was necessary to catch the killer. He accepts it.” Major straightened the cuffs of his shirt. “And there’s someone else who’ll join ranks with us soon.”
“Another Variant?” For a crazy moment I was sure that Major had convinced Devon to bring Ryan back from the dead.
“Phil Faulkner, I know you mentioned him to Alec once.”
I gave a nod. So I had been right. Phil was a Variant. “What’s his Variation?”
“Venom. His tear ducts and the glands on his palms produce a toxin, a strong sedative.”
I thought back to my few encounters with Phil. I’d never paid much attention to him but something I’d noticed came back to me.
“That’s why he sometimes wore those fingerless gloves?”
“Correct. When emotionally challenged, he has some trouble controlling his glands, but we’ll be able to help him with that.” Excitement lined Major’s face. A new Variant was a big deal and now he had two.
“We found letters and documents in the house where Ryan attacked you. Apparently three Variant families moved to Livingston during World War II, worried the government would use them as weapons. They decided to hide and live lives free of their Variations.” His lips tightened in obvious disapproval. “Linda Chambers’ parents, Ryan’s grandparents, and Phil’s grandmother.”
“And nobody knew?”
“Since Variations often jump a generation, neither Ryan’s nor Phil’s parents were Variants, and they had no idea. Phil’s grandmother told him the truth. Alec and I talked to her and convinced her it was best if Phil joined the FEA. Unfortunately, Linda Chambers’ parents died without telling anyone, and so Devon never understood what was happening to him.”
“How about Madison; did she have a Variation?”
“Not that we are aware of. Devon claims he’s the only Variant in his family and I don’t have any reason to doubt him.” He paused before adding, “We decided not to burden Mr. and Mrs. Chambers with the knowledge of Variants just yet. Regarding the rest of town, the FEA let Summers and a few others run their magic. According to the local police and the media, Ryan was merely a teen sociopath with a drug problem.”
Major drummed his fingers against his desk. He seemed to ponder how much more he should tell me. “Long before you joined us, way before you were even born, Abel’s Army was a part of the FEA. But almost two decades ago, they broke things off and now they’re recruiting members for their own cause. While we are more than happy to help the government with their larger counterterrorism efforts, Abel’s Army is only too keen to offer their talents to the highest bidder.”
“So the agents weren’t kidnapped? They joined Abel’s Army of their own accord?” It seemed impossible that someone would choose Abel’s Army, a group that encouraged killing, over the FEA.
“That’s not what I said. We don’t know what happened to the agents. What we do know is that Abel’s Army is growing. They aren’t content with remaining in the background anymore and they are ruthless.”
I opened my mouth but Major raised his hands. “That’s all I can say.”
“So you don’t think Abel’s Army forced Ryan to kill? Do you think that maybe they brainwashed him?”