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The baby of our unit. She means the youngest, not the last one adopted into our group. That was Tony. I was fourth. Dada second. Bridget third.
Confused, I let the anger simmer, ready to heat it back up if needed. Beside me, Sandesh keeps quiet. Handsome and smart. This line of questioning is getting us somewhere. His silence will keep her talking.
I ask the obvious question. “What are you saying?”
She rubs at her eyes. If she had on a stitch of makeup, that would’ve smeared it. But Gracie has no interest in dressing up, face or body. Her biggest fashion accessory is the fit body she gets from her devotion to the Cambodian martial art of Muay Thai. And genetics. “Leland found out John knew about The Guild.”
“Yeah. I remember the shouting. And?”
“And when he found out, he told me there were three choices. The first two involved killing or M-erasing John. The third was me giving up John and Tyler.”
I grind my teeth. Again, she mentions M-erasure in front of Sandesh. It’s no mistake. She wants him to ask, wants him to know exactly the type of dark shit my family can get up to.
I pause long enough to get control of my agitation and absorb exactly what she just told me. “Wait. Leland threatened John?”
“Yeah, he did. I made John leave to save him. I told John I chose The Guild over”—her voice wavers—”them. I told him I’d fight for full custody if he ever breathed a word of the family, so he left, staying silent and alive all this time.”
The room goes unnaturally quiet. I ache for Gracie. I’m hardly able to believe that John didn’t leave but was forced to leave so Gracie could save him from the family. It shouldn’t surprise me, but, honestly, it does. She had to give Tyler up to save his father. It seems so unfair. I got Sandesh into the family and got to keep him. But Gracie…
Gracie licks her lips with an artificially red tongue. “You asked me how your anger was different from Cee’s? You were six. You wanted love and kindness, even if you couldn’t admit it. Cee just wants to hurt people. The Guild is bad enough without adding people like that.”
Faced with the pain my sister has had to carry, I suddenly can’t breathe. I can’t imagine the rage she’s been holding against Momma and Leland.
A sinking feeling pulls at my stomach. A tremor of doubt convulses inside my heart. The traitor could be Gracie. It could.
32
SANDESH
After my messed-up morning as Justice’s Scully, I arrive at the International Peace Team’s headquarters in a suburb outside of Philly. Walking toward the entrance, I’m still rattled by the encounter with Gracie. If she hadn’t been top of my list before, she would be now. She was asked to give up more than any person should have to for her family. I can’t blame her for her attitude and anger—though Icanblame her for finding any blame with Justice. Still, I get the feeling that she can’t separate Justice from that time in their lives.
I pull open the front door and enter, unable to shake my suspicion of Gracie and my worry about that term, M-erasure. If Justice hadn’t been so upset after the conversation, I would’ve asked about it, but, honestly, I don’t need them to tell me the details. I got enough from context. Their family, or one of the many Parish companies, has developed a way to alter people’s memories.
A chill runs down my body as I walk through the sunlit atrium. What exactly is the Parish family capable of? Do I even want to know?
I pull off my tie, hoping Justice appreciates what I’m going through for her. The dress uniform is one of the things I don’t miss about being a Ranger. To my mind, ties are a way to make men uneasy, reminding them to choke back any spark of individuality.
I push the UP elevator button as my phone rings. I pull it from my pocket. Doesn’t Leland know how to text? I answer. “Yeah.”
“I see you are at the IPT.”
I’m so not interested in weighty reminders that I’m being watched. HowI Know What You Did Last Summer. “Yep. I’m at my place of employment, my business, because I’m not a prisoner to you. Bad enough I have to keep looking over my shoulder for Walid and his men.”
“We thought you were spending the day with Justice. What are you doing there?”
This guy doesn’t trust me and the feeling is mutual. “Actually, I was just headed upstairs to prepare my press statement on global covert Parish family activities. Can I get a statement from you?”
There’s a pause, hard and solid enough to feel like a punch to the gut.
“Don’t let this get messy, Sandesh. We care about Justice. We’d hope you do too.”
Was that a threat to Justice? What Gracie had revealed earlier makes it a distinct possibility. These people are seriously messed-up.
With effort, I swallow the gonna-eat-you-up-and-spit-you-out rising in my throat. “Look, Leland, we both understand the situation. I’m on your side.”
For now.
Another weighty pause. Like an orca circling a seal.
