Page 92 of Unwanted

“What is that?”

“Harper was one of the children on the cliff that night. I thought she was a boy because of her hair. And…maybe I just thought we were all boys. But it was her.”

The agent sat back slowly. “How do you know?”

Jak told him about the pocketknife, about pushing Harper up on the ledge, about her memory of him telling her to live.

Agent Gallagher was silent for several moments before he gave his head a slight shake. “Wow. Okay…” He was quiet again. “So Driscoll caused Harper’s parents’ car crash somehow or…lured them off the road maybe, and then Harper ended up with you on that cliff. She was going to be part of his study too.”

A chill went down Jak’s spine. “I don’t know.”

Agent Gallagher nodded, his eyes unfocused for a moment. “All right. I’m going to look at some different angles.” He thinned his lips, his eyes focusing on Jak again. “For now, let’s get your statement, and then I have someone I’ve asked to join us here.”

Jak frowned, but the agent didn’t look worried, and Jak trusted him. “I’m ready.”

Agent Gallagher turned on a recorder and asked Jak every question he’d believed he would. Jak told him everything he knew, answering honestly and fully, and when it was done, when Agent Gallagher pushed stop on the small recorder, Jak felt like a boulder had been taken off his back.

The path before him had been cleared, and a sense of…victory swept over him. His life was his. It stretched out before him. And Harper was waiting to begin it with him.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Agent Gallagher stood, opening it and letting someone in. Jak looked more closely, standing, his mouth falling open.

It was the redheaded woman who’d told him about the cameras. She came forward, blushing when she saw Jak, lowering her eyes.

He took her hand and shook it, hardly believing she was there, in the real world. Not a part of that old world where war was being fought and enemies were all around. No, she had been a lie too. He was glad to know it.

It hurt to know it.

“Hi, Jak,” she murmured.

“Hi…”

“Brielle,” she said. “I told the truth about that.” She blushed again and looked down.

“Brielle is here to give a statement,” Agent Gallagher said. “Her name is unusual, and when you told me, I began searching in some of the programs Driscoll had volunteered for. I found your mother’s name from a program she was in twenty-two years ago. And I found two Brielles from more recent programs. Only one had red hair.”

Jak took in the information about his mother. That’s how Driscoll had found her then. Pregnant with him. He pushed that aside, looking at Brielle. “Driscoll sent you to me,” Jak said, already knowing the answer.

“Yes. He told me his son had lived his life in the wilderness. He was going to bring you back to civilization, but he was concerned your base instincts were too strong, worried you’d hurt someone, especially a woman. He wanted to place you in a real-life situation where you could turn toward those instincts or turn away.” She paused. “I had been prostituting.” Her face went pink. “For drugs. I guess he figured…it didn’t matter what you did to me. Maybe I thought so too. I took the money. I took the job.”

“Oh,” Jak said, not knowing how to feel. He felt stupid and used, but he also felt sad for Brielle.

“But I saw the camera at the river.” She made a sound that was sort of like a laugh, only not. “Maybe the old guy forgot it’s second nature for junkies to make sure they’re not being watched. Habit.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I knew something wasn’t right. Then I met you, and, well, I knew something was very wrong.” She swallowed. “I want you to know, that after I met you, after I saw who you really were, it”—she shook her head—“I don’t know. I’d tried so hard to get clean for so long. For me, even for my son, and I’d always failed. But after that…after you, I got clean. And I know it hasn’t been long, but I’ve stayed clean. You inspired me. And now I’m trying to reunify with my boy, to get better…” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she swiped at it. “I’m so sorry for what I did, Jak. And thank you for what you were to me.”

He nodded, and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him quickly and then letting go, turning. Agent Gallagher ushered her out of the room and closed the door. He walked back to Jak. He took Jak’s shoulder in his hand, squeezing it. “I imagine you’re ready to get home.”

Home. Harper. Yes. But…he frowned, thinking. First, he needed to talk to his grandfather. “Yes. I do want to go home. But first, I need to go to Thornland.”

“I’ll drop you there and come back in an hour. I need to stop by my office anyway. Will that work?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Agent Gallagher smiled. “Let’s go.”

***

Jak watched Agent Gallagher’s car pull away, turning toward the grand estate that he’d once called a castle. Now he knew it was only a big house where lots of unhappy people lived. He took a deep breath, not looking forward to seeing his step-grandmother. He was sure she was inside sharpening her talons, ready to scratch his eyes out.

The door opened, and Nigel stood there, as slinky as ever. “Nigel,” his mouth said. Slinky, his mind said.

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