I’d warned Sam that Will was outside waiting, but Sam continued to lecture me on my foolishness in bringing him here yet again. With Nora standing on the porch, his tone lowered. As weak as he still was, he’d insisted on sitting at the table.
“What makes you think he isn’t still working some angle?” Sam propped his forearms on the table to steady himself.
I’d begged him to go easy on Will, but judging from Sam’s red face and fierce expression, chances weren’t looking good for Will. My own emotions where Will was concerned had run the gamut over the past several days. I’d done a more complete healing on him once I’d recovered myself. In only a week’s time his strength had returned, but he carried a pervasive sadness and sense of guilt over all that had happened.
I felt sweat break out on my forehead as I went to the door. Will was describing the details of events in Albany to Nora. Her steady presence seemed to help Will in some way, maybe giving him the comfort and acceptance he was missing from his own mother.
I waved them both in and shook my head. “Are you sure you want to talk to Will now, Sam?” I asked, darting a glance between Sam and Will who were staring each other down for what seemed like forever. Will’s gaze broke away first.
When the door closed, Will addressed my uncle. “I have no defense, Sir. I just want to say that I’m sorry I put you…and…” he glanced at me, “…your family…in danger. I never meant to see anyone get hurt. I didn’t know…” His gaze dropped to the floor and his voice grew soft. “I thought I was saving my dad.”
I felt Sam’s energy shift as he looked from Will to Nora, his expression softening. He dropped his face into his hands and shook his head. “I can’t fault you for surviving, kid. We’re all just doing what we have to do to make it through another day.”
Will cleared his throat and met Sam’s resolute gaze, a moment of understanding exchanged between them. “I appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt, Sir.”
Sam straightened in his chair and sucked air between gritted teeth. I watched him shut out the pain in his body and come to some conclusion. “My understanding doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. I want you to answer a question for me—honestly,” he added. Will nodded. “Why did that Industry agent pull you out of that work camp and think you could find Lily and her brother?”
Will was quiet for a long time. Then he looked from me to Sam, a scared look on his face I hadn’t seen before. “I guess it’s only fair that you know the real truth about me. I know enough of your secrets.” Sam glanced at me but I silently shook my head. Will, as yet, knew nothing real about the Network, other than Father Stavros’s part in helping us. He didn’t know all of our secrets, but his tone had me on edge about what new information he was about to reveal.
“I’m a tracker, Sir. I was born and bred a tracker. My parents were involved in the early days of the DNA experiments when designer genetics were first developed. Some people wanted certain hair or eye color. Others wanted kids with high IQ’s or more athleticism. My parents did a lot of traveling in remote areas and thought it would be useful to have a kid with tracking skills.” He lowered his gaze and fumbled. “They crossed a few genes with wolf DNA.” He shot a contrite frown my way. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Lily.”
The truth struck me like a blow. That explained a lot. Why the wolves took to him so completely, how he could overhear conversations he shouldn’t be able to hear, his uncanny sense of direction, his stealthy footfalls that allowed him to sneak up on me, and those eyes…. My jaw clenched and I narrowed my gaze at him.
Had I just been talking about forgiving him? Trusting him again? I hadn’t even asked myself how he knew Zeph and I lived in Stanton and why the Industry needed his help in finding us. My blood began to heat up as I stared at him across the room. “You lied to me—again?”
“I didn’t exactly lie. I just left out some details about myself. I didn’t think you would understand. I thought it would make you…afraid of me.” His face took on a pathetic but effective look of insecurity, which made me both hate him and see the vulnerable guy he was underneath his wisecracking and confident exterior.
The exhaustion of the past week, the trauma of the past few days, and all the secrets and lies came to an explosive crescendo in my head. I’d held it all in for far too long.
“How could you think I wouldn’t understand? I have had these freaky abilities my whole life. I know most people would think I have this amazing gift…and it is…but it is so much responsibility…sometimes I think I’m just going to suffocate with the weight of it.” I stalked around the room, furious. “And scared, of you? Oh, p-l-ease. I’ve been living with a little brother who can drain the life out of people like some kind of vampire. I have been living with a monster—trying to control him! How could you think I wouldn’t understand?”
Three sets of wide eyes focused on me when I stopped ranting. I sucked in a ragged breath and lowered myself into a chair. My head fell onto my arms. “I have to go after him. I won’t let them have him. YOU don’t understand,” I yelled. “None of you know what this is like for me!” I couldn’t take one more piece of bad news, one more lie, or one more horrible truth. When I lifted my head and swiped at the tears on my cheeks, I could only bear to stare at the table.
Nora rested a warm hand on my shoulder. “We know how much you love your brother and how hard you’ve tried to…help him.”
“I promised,” I said, looking up into her compassionate brown eyes as I stuffed my emotions back in their dark little corner. It was the final truth. With a firm set to my jaw, I jammed my thumb into my chest and glared at Sam, whose haunted expression could only have mirrored my own. “I promised my dad that I would take care of Zeph. It doesn’t matter what he’s done. It’s my job. I have to take care of him.” Then I pointed a finger at Will, my resolve settling hard over my heart. “And YOU, Tracker…you’re going to help me find him.”