Page 85 of Wilder
Professor Silverton winks at me. “Glad you’re okay, too, Echo. I knew your mother—both your parents, actually—very, very well. We had a complicated relationship, to be honest.” She makes a clicking noise with her tongue, then nods, as if she’s trying to decide how best to explain whatever she’s about to lay on me. “Despite the fact that we didn’t see the need to officially give you a mentor in our organization and didn’t invite you to join the ranks of those we watch over until just recently, Ihavebeen aware of the situation that has unfolded since the car accident.” Her glance briefly flicks to Royal, then back. “How’s Chase?”
My lips tremble as I blink rapidly, trying to process that this woman, my teacher, knew my parents. “He’s okay.” I nervously glance down the table at Savannah and Ireland. Their confusion tells me they aren’t aware of who Chase is.
Giving me a warm smile and a nod, Professor Silverton glances at our former running coach. “Theo assigned himself to Royal after his arrest and was quick to point out there might be a need to watch over you as well… and he wasn’t the only one who made the suggestion either, but we’ll get to that in a moment.” She absentmindedly tucks a lock of red hair into place in the bun at the back of her head. “It wasn’t until you got here and everything began to unravel that I felt strongly about bringing you into the fold. And knowing your parents as I did, I thought it should be me to watch over you, though I’ve had plenty of help.” Her eyes are steady on mine, and I swallow hard as she continues. “I wish moving back home hadn’t been such a trial, but you’ve walked right through the flames and emerged stronger for it.”
Royal’s eyes find mine and he nods, silently telling me everything is okay. Despite his reassurance, my hands shake. “I have so many questions, but I can’t—” So many things are being thrown at me all at once, I’m finding it hard to arrange everything in my head in a way that makes sense.
“Take your time. Collect your thoughts. We’ll answer whatever you want to know. Now, or at any time in the future.” She gestures to the Sin Keeper beside her that he should continue with the unveiling.
Beckham immediately sits up and grabs at my hand under the table since it’s obvious it’s his turn.
A woman in her mid-forties pushes back her hood. “Hi, Beckham. You’ve been through the wringer lately. I’m sorry you had to come into contact with Megan like that.”
“Mrs. Anderson? What—? I mean—” He runs a hand over his face, then clears his throat. “I don’t know what to say,” he rasps.
“I’ve had eyes on you since you entered high school, but not in an official capacity until we discovered Megan hadn’t stopped what she was doing after you were removed from her care. Iwas hoping you’d appreciate the chance to do what needed to be done. What should have been done for you—and would have been—if I had realized in time what was happening to you.”
This is the guidance counselor he told me about. The one who was kind to him. I tilt my head, and her gaze drifts to mine, the corners of my mouth tip into an uncertain smile. I grip his hand tightly as he stiffly nods. “Yes. Um. It’s nice to see you.”
A feeling of calm washes over me. These people… they’ve been trying to help all of us all along. In a way no one else has.
By the time the Sin Keepers across from Ireland and Savannah reveal themselves, it doesn’t surprise me to lay eyes on the cops who came to help us deal with the pandemonium at the cabin, Officers Dubois and Minnick. They’d been helpful that night, diligently doing their job, unlike some of the other members of the police department that we’ve come into contact with.
I bite down on my lip. Quietly, I ask, “What about other SIN brothers—” I hesitate before mumbling, “Like Davis?” He’s a SIN brother. But he’s not here. There are plenty of them unaccounted for today.
One of the Sin Keepers in the back row draws back her hood. “Davis has a long way to go, honey.”
FORTY
ECHO
The appearanceof Katrina has me gasping, and it’s not because of the way Royal is clutching at my thigh. This woman and her husband have lived next door to my family—they’vebeenRoyal’s family. I close my eyes, trying to understand how she could be involved in this. “I prompted Davis more than once to tell Royal the truth about his part in the accident. Frankly, I was surprised when it finally happened. He’s more like your parents than you and Kara are.”
I frown, taking in what Katrina has said. From her account, I gather some Sin Keepers are simply in charge of those in need of monitoring. But why does it appear they’ve had eyes on my entire family? My head is ready to explode.
Eyeing Katrina carefully, Royal grits out, “They were your files on Rich’s computer, weren’t they?” He glances at Theo. “Why’d you tell me about them?”
“We wanted you to realize there was something bigger happening. And correct me if I’m wrong, I believe you saw the multitude of files—people—involved.”
“You can say that again,” I mumble.
Royal lets out a disturbed-sounding exhale. “Were we supposed to be able to look at them? Because those fuckers were locked up tight.”
Theo laughs. “No. And I almost had a heart attack when you and Wilder spoke with that Archer guy from Hawthorne Hall. From what I hear of him, he might have been capable of breaking into the files. He’s a genius. I made a mistake there. We never intended for you to inspect the contents. Not yet, anyway.”
Wilder leans forward, elbows braced on the table. His jaw twitches in subtle amusement. “I know some smart people, I guess. Sorry.”
“No harm done,” Theo chuckles. “We were monitoring the entire situation as it unfolded in the library.Ourgenius had a way of stopping you if you had gained access.” One of the still-hooded Sin Keepers in the back lifts a hand, giving us a little wave.
Biting back a laugh, I murmur, “I’m not sure I want to know how you’d have managed that.”
Theo winks at me. “Probably not, Speedy, probably not.”
With that, Professor Silverton gets our attention again. “What we need you to understand is that each of you is connected to a bigger, broader picture. Something larger than any of you comprehends at this point. But we’ll do our best to explain.”
I let out a ragged breath, then inhale deeply through my nose. I’m no idiot. While it’s comforting to know these people are on our side, there’s a reason they are here for us. And I don’t have a clear picture of how everything and everyone is connected. Beckham continues to hold my hand, only now it’s because he senses my discomfort, and he’s taken to running his thumb along the back of it.
Wilder leans close to Royal, and I faintly hear him whisper, “Is she holding up okay?”
