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Vivi rubbed the back of her neck and laughed, but the sound was dry. “I can’t, Beatrice. Until I remember what happened in Berlin, I’m more of a threat than a help to all of you.”
Beatrice glanced away, disappointed, but nodded. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, regardless. You’ll always have a place with us.”
She carried Sloane toward the vehicle, leaving Vivi and Ian staring at each other.
Will you stay?He wanted to ask. And then he wondered why he cared.
“She did you a solid,” he grumbled, not able to hold back. “We all thought you were dead, and you would’ve been eventually, if that woman there”—he pointed to Beatrice’s back—“hadn’t risked all of this to get you out. All she wants is for you to talk to her daughter and see if you can help her. Since when are you a coward?”
Once again, the doctor was taken by surprise. “You don’t even know me anymore.”
She was right. He’d thought he knew her, but he’d been wrong. About her and so many other things. “I’m not sure I ever did.”
He turned on his heel and stalked to the car.
Seven
Vivi stared at the wall in her room. During their trip the previous afternoon to see the “compound”—the term she had started calling it in her mind—someone had hung a painting of a pair of lovebirds on her wall.
Invasion of privacy, sure. Some hidden meaning? Possibly. Regardless, birds made her happy, so she wasn’t going to complain.Come to me, my little bird.She could still hear her father’s voice, after all these years. If she hadn’t been so upset at the compound, she would have loved trying to identify many of those in the nearby trees. She wondered who she should talk to about getting some bird books for the library.
And then, she smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.What am I thinking? No one here cares about birds, except me, and I won’t be staying.
So far, she was living at this headquarters rent free, which bothered her, but she didn’t like being manipulated either. She was going to suck it up and see what she could do for Sloane, but she had no hope of helping. Hell, with her luck right now, she might make things worse.
Which was why she’d said no in the first place. Not because she didn’twantto help, but, as she’d reminded Beatrice, she wasn’t a child psychologist, nor was she sure of her own sanity at the moment. The past six months had tied her up—emotionally, mentally, and physically. Secrets bored into her. Gaps in her memory racked her with fear of what she’d forgotten.
And then there was Ian. Talk about nightmares.
He was so opposite of her. Tough, strong, courageous.
His comment had stung more than if he’d actually struck her. The disappointment in his eyes had nearly felled her.
Once she’d been his lifeline. Now, it seemed she was his anchor.
Vivi sighed—she’d been doing that a lot the past few days. Amends needed to be made, debts repaid. Figuring out how to do both was the problem.Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.
The puzzle about Sloane’s dreams had been consuming her. There had to be an answer, a root cause to the fear chasing the girl in her sleep.
Her brilliant, if currently unstable, mind insisted Vivi knew the reason she was fascinated by that cause. It might answer her own questions. What was she hiding from herself? Why couldn’t she remember what had happened that night?
Leaving her room, her first stop was to see Rory. “Don’t bother with my money,” she told him. “You can bet the agency I used to work for has eyes on it. You touch it, they’ll trace it—and my fake death—back to Beatrice and SFI.”
The bearded man scoffed. “Nobody traces my magic.” He wiggled his fingers in the air.
So cocky. “They will. Please, for all our sakes, let it be.”
He sat back in his fancy, ergonomic chair and appraised her. “You’re rich as Midas, and I know you earned every penny, even though you and I never crossed paths while I was a spook. Why let them have it?”
“It’s the devil’s money. I sold my soul for those pennies. Each and every one is tainted and I don’t care that they have it. I certainly don’t want it.”
He made a capitulating gesture with one hand. “All right, but you are seriously underestimating my skills.”
“I’m sure you’re the best. I simply don’t wish to bring any unwanted attention to your organization.”
He nodded and his expression softened. “We’ve all been there, you know. Danced with the devil.”
She hadn’t simply danced with him. She’d been his puppet. There was no changing that. It was time to move forward and make up for it. “Since I’m broke, I could use a job. Any suggestions?”
