smile.
I stop—alarmed at how easy the habit has become for me. Instead I look down at the phone number and imagine Aaron and Myra sitting by the fire in a cabin. Aaron braids Myra’shair while she talks about how bored she is living in the woods. They’re happy, though—free to live their own lives.
I shouldn’t ruin that. I should let them get away.
But I’m too selfish, so I hit send and sit back on the bench, watching the fountain across the park. At first the line just rings, and I worry she’s left it behind after all, but then there is a click, and Myra’s voice rings through clear and aggressive as ever.
“Yeah, who’s this?” she says.
A flood of emotions fills my chest, and I steady myself. “I need his help,” I say quietly. There’s a pause, and then Myra mumbles for me to hold on. I wait, wishing she’d stayed on the line a little longer. Reminded me of what it was like before I knew the truth about myself. But she’s getting Aaron, because ultimately she knows how to help me.
“Are you okay?” is the first thing Aaron asks. He sounds distracted, like he’s driving, but his voice is urgent.
“I need to find Marie,” I say. “She’s disappeared.”
“I can’t believe you tracked me down for this, Quinn. If Marie disappeared, none of us will find her. I told Deacon the same thing last night.”
“You spoke to Deacon?” I ask, cold pinpricks running down my arms.
“Wait,” Aaron says. “Aren’t you together?”
“No,” I tell him, and look around, as if Deacon has been just out of sight the entire time. But the park is unchanged. Aaron curses.
“What’s going on?” he asks. “First Deacon calls looking forMarie. Now you? I told you I was out, Quinn. What the hell happened at Marie’s apartment yesterday?”
“She wasn’t there,” I tell him. “But she left me a file.” Tears sting my eyes.
“A file? Your closer file?”
“No.” I shake my head. “My life file. Quinlan McKee was an assignment. I was her closer.”
He’s quiet for a moment and then, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The real Quinlan McKee died when she was six,” I say. “Marie and Arthur Pritchard found me and brought me in. Trained me as a closer for Quinn’s life. But the assignment didn’t end there. They let me stay. They let Quinlan’s dad keep me. My entire life is a lie, Aaron. I’m not even real.”
“So . . . Tom’s not your father,” he asks.
“Nope.”
He’s quiet for a long while, and I imagine him sharing a stunned look with Myra from across the seats. “Hold up,” Aaron tells me. “Let me pull over.”
I wait a minute, and then I can hear Myra’s voice in the background asking if I’m all right. It makes me feel good that she asked. But I can’t help wondering if she would have been friends with me—the real me—if I hadn’t been a closer. I have to question all my relationships now.
“You there?” Aaron asks. When I tell him that I am, he exhales heavily. “Damn, girl,” he says, like he can’t quite believe what I just told him. “I mean, I’ve always hated Tom, couldn’tunderstand how you turned out so nice with an asshole like that for a father. Now we know, I guess.”
“I guess,” I repeat.
“Shit, though,” Aaron adds. “Marie, too? They both lied to you?”
“Yeah.”
I know the idea of Marie betraying us hurts him just as much as it hurts me. We trusted her with our lives. We were trained to. “So how you holding up?” Aaron asks, quieter. Changed by what I’ve told him.
“I’ve certainly been better,” I say.
“Understandable. What’s this mean to Deacon?” Aaron asks. “What are his thoughts on this mess? I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”
“He—” I stop, look around the park again. I suddenly feel as if I’ve been noticed, feel the tickle of someone’s gaze on the back of my neck, prickling my skin. I get up from the bench and dart my gaze around, looking for the difference in
I stop—alarmed at how easy the habit has become for me. Instead I look down at the phone number and imagine Aaron and Myra sitting by the fire in a cabin. Aaron braids Myra’shair while she talks about how bored she is living in the woods. They’re happy, though—free to live their own lives.
I shouldn’t ruin that. I should let them get away.
But I’m too selfish, so I hit send and sit back on the bench, watching the fountain across the park. At first the line just rings, and I worry she’s left it behind after all, but then there is a click, and Myra’s voice rings through clear and aggressive as ever.
“Yeah, who’s this?” she says.
A flood of emotions fills my chest, and I steady myself. “I need his help,” I say quietly. There’s a pause, and then Myra mumbles for me to hold on. I wait, wishing she’d stayed on the line a little longer. Reminded me of what it was like before I knew the truth about myself. But she’s getting Aaron, because ultimately she knows how to help me.
“Are you okay?” is the first thing Aaron asks. He sounds distracted, like he’s driving, but his voice is urgent.
“I need to find Marie,” I say. “She’s disappeared.”
“I can’t believe you tracked me down for this, Quinn. If Marie disappeared, none of us will find her. I told Deacon the same thing last night.”
“You spoke to Deacon?” I ask, cold pinpricks running down my arms.
“Wait,” Aaron says. “Aren’t you together?”
“No,” I tell him, and look around, as if Deacon has been just out of sight the entire time. But the park is unchanged. Aaron curses.
“What’s going on?” he asks. “First Deacon calls looking forMarie. Now you? I told you I was out, Quinn. What the hell happened at Marie’s apartment yesterday?”
“She wasn’t there,” I tell him. “But she left me a file.” Tears sting my eyes.
“A file? Your closer file?”
“No.” I shake my head. “My life file. Quinlan McKee was an assignment. I was her closer.”
He’s quiet for a moment and then, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The real Quinlan McKee died when she was six,” I say. “Marie and Arthur Pritchard found me and brought me in. Trained me as a closer for Quinn’s life. But the assignment didn’t end there. They let me stay. They let Quinlan’s dad keep me. My entire life is a lie, Aaron. I’m not even real.”
“So . . . Tom’s not your father,” he asks.
“Nope.”
He’s quiet for a long while, and I imagine him sharing a stunned look with Myra from across the seats. “Hold up,” Aaron tells me. “Let me pull over.”
I wait a minute, and then I can hear Myra’s voice in the background asking if I’m all right. It makes me feel good that she asked. But I can’t help wondering if she would have been friends with me—the real me—if I hadn’t been a closer. I have to question all my relationships now.
“You there?” Aaron asks. When I tell him that I am, he exhales heavily. “Damn, girl,” he says, like he can’t quite believe what I just told him. “I mean, I’ve always hated Tom, couldn’tunderstand how you turned out so nice with an asshole like that for a father. Now we know, I guess.”
“I guess,” I repeat.
“Shit, though,” Aaron adds. “Marie, too? They both lied to you?”
“Yeah.”
I know the idea of Marie betraying us hurts him just as much as it hurts me. We trusted her with our lives. We were trained to. “So how you holding up?” Aaron asks, quieter. Changed by what I’ve told him.
“I’ve certainly been better,” I say.
“Understandable. What’s this mean to Deacon?” Aaron asks. “What are his thoughts on this mess? I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”
“He—” I stop, look around the park again. I suddenly feel as if I’ve been noticed, feel the tickle of someone’s gaze on the back of my neck, prickling my skin. I get up from the bench and dart my gaze around, looking for the difference in
Similar Books
