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“Let’s hear it.” It’s not easy to hide my voracious curiosity, but something tells me I need to. I want to show him I can handle whatever is about to happen without freaking out orlosing my temper. I can’t afford to make any mistakes if I want to see Ren.
“You are free to visit with Ren whenever you want.”
I didn’t expect that, and I sure didn’t expect it to come out that way. “Really?” I ask once I find my voice. He always has the upper hand. I should know that by now. He’ll always find a way to surprise me.
Holding up a finger, he adds, “On one condition.”
I knew better than to think there were no strings attached. “What is it?”
“I want to have another tracker implanted in you.”
There might as well be a big, glaring spotlight shining on me. Or maybe it’s the headlights of an oncoming truck. Either way, I’m a little off-balance, but do my best to recover. “Oh, is that all?” I ask with a shaky laugh.
“I know how you feel about it.”
“But you still want me to get it?”
Shrugging, he says, “Those are my terms. You’re free to go down and see him. You can spend all of your time with him, if you want. That’s up to you. But not unless I know where you are at all times. How many more dangerous situations do you need to get yourself in before you know I’m right about this? I want to be able to trust you, but it isn’t only you we’re talking about now. And I can’t trust him. Not yet. Maybe not ever, after what he’s done.”
It hurts to hear it, but I can’t pretend like I don’t relate. “He needs help,” I remind Dad.
“And he’s getting it. But he isn’t cured yet. There’s no telling how long it will be before that happens.” He presses his lips together in a firm line while his jaw ticks. I know what he’s thinking. He just doesn’t want to say it out loud. If it ever happens. There’s no guarantee the treatment is going to work, or that he won’t struggle with this for the rest of his life. There’sno magic pill or potion that will heal him, just like there’s no magic spell that will erase the past and instantly rebuild the broken trust.
There’s one thing I know for sure, way down deep in my heart. “I can help him. I know how that sounds, but I believe it.”
“I can’t say you’re wrong because I don’t know that you are,” he admits before scrubbing both hands over his face. This has taken a toll on him. “If you’re going to help him, that means spending time with him. Which means you have the tracker implanted.”
He’s not going to let this go. I guess if I were in his place, I wouldn’t let it go, either. Besides, I did tell myself I would always listen to him from now on if I made it out of that compound, and here I am. You don’t forget an experience like that. Knowing they were going to hurt me, knowing nobody had the first idea where I was. If it hadn’t been for Ren showing up, I would still be there. Whether or not I’d be alive is another story.
Dad is still looking at me expectantly. “Well?” he prompts, snapping me back to the present. “Do I have your consent? Will you allow the tracker to be implanted?”
That’s the thing. That’s all I’m looking for. The opportunity to consent. He might be backing me into a corner here—I don’t exactly have a choice. But I could say no and face the consequences. Right now, I don’t care about the consequences. I just want to see Ren.
“Yes. Let’s do it.” Because it’s already been too long since I’ve had a few moments with him, and it’s breaking my heart to imagine him all alone.
A look of relief takes a few years off his face. “I thought you would be reasonable. You’ll be glad to know I’ve already prepared.” He pulls out his phone and types a quick message while continuing, “We’ll have this taken care of in a few minutes.”
“Right now?”
“I didn’t think you would want to wait,” he says before glancing up from his device. “And I know I’ll sleep much better once it’s in there, and we know it’s working.” The disapproval in his voice makes me cringe, but there’s no time to explain myself before the door opens and a stranger walks in, escorted by one of the guards.
The next thing I know, I’m led to a chair and asked to pull the top of my shirt down so the doctor—at least, that’s what I assume he is—can access my shoulder. “I’m going to give you a little something to numb the area,” he explains after swabbing me with alcohol. Dad turns away, staring out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. Funny how a man like him who has shed more blood than I even want to know about can’t stand watching something like this.
I suck in a breath when there’s pressure. Not pain, but it feels weird just the same. No wonder they wanted me unconscious when they did this the first time. How else could they have implanted it without me knowing?
“All done.” The entire process took less than a minute. Now there is gauze taped over the small wound, and he explains how to keep everything clean and dry until it heals. “It shouldn’t take more than a day or two, but be sure to let somebody know if you feel heat or pain at the site.”
“Thank you.” Even with whatever he injected into my muscle, there is definite soreness that wasn’t there when I first came into the room.
It doesn’t matter. It’s ironic, feeling freer than I have in a long time, even with a tracking device implanted in my body. Dad tests it on his phone, and I watch relief wash over his face when it works. I really had him worried.
“Can I go downstairs now?” I’m practically jumping out of my skin. I’m so eager to see Ren.
“Those were the terms. Whenever you please.” He doesn’t have to like it, though, and he clearly doesn’t. But I held up my end of the bargain.
Not wanting to leave without a thank you, I walk back around the desk and give my father a quick hug. He wraps his arms around me and squeezes gently.
Once he releases me, I can’t move fast enough, almost running from the room and jogging down the hall. I’m coming. I didn’t abandon you.
