Page 14 of Night Fall (The Quantico Files 1)

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Alex felt her throat close, as if fingers of fear had grabbed her and were trying to choke the life out of her.

Stop it! Remember who you are. You don’t have to be afraid of that crazy woman. She’s just the means to an end. You’re here to get that book, then you’ll never have to see her again.

Mike pulled the car over to the curb. “If you can’t get her to give you The Book, we’ll have to call in help to search her house.” He leaned over and took some papers from the glove box. “Here’s the warrant and the release document.”

Alex took them and slipped them into the inside pockets of her jacket.

“Are you sure you want me to wait out here?” Logan asked.

“Yes. She’ll shut down if you’re with me.”

Even as Alex said the words, she wasn’t sure they were true. Maybe the fear wrapping itself around her was caused by her concern Logan would see her as vulnerable if he came inside. If he saw the conditions she grew up in, would he feel sorry for her? She hated pity from anyone. She hated self-pity even more. Alex steeled herself to get out of the car and knock on her aunt’s door.

“Give me a little time,” she said. “I can’t just walk in and ask for The Book. I have to put her at ease first.” She placed her hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Please don’t park any closer. I don’t want her to see you two out here.”

“Okay. But no kidding, Alex. If you need help, you call us right away.”

“You know my aunt. She might be crazy, but she’s not dangerous.” As soon as she’d finished speaking, the memory she’d recovered popped into her mind again. It made her feel cold inside. How could she have forgotten that for so many years?

“Except someone associated with her might be planning to kill a lot of people. This is different.”

“Mike is right,” Logan said. “Fifteen minutes, Alex, or the house will have to be searched. We don’t have a lot of time for her to get comfortable.”

Although she didn’t like what Logan said, the agent in her knew he was right. They didn’t have time to play games.

“Okay.” Without another word, she got out of the car, then walked slowly across the street. Even though she didn’t want Mike or Logan to go with her, at that moment she felt completely alone. Almost as lonely as she had when she’d lived in this house.

The November wind suddenly whipped past her, causing her to pull her jacket tighter. It might have helped her body to feel warmer, but it didn’t do anything to abate the icy fear in her soul.

Adam sat in the diner, watching the people around him. Three women were laughing and talking two booths away from him, probably making fun of someone. Like other students had made fun of him when he was in college. At a table across from him, tired-looking parents with a small child and a baby ate silently, hushing the toddler several times. When the baby began to cry, the mother reached for a diaper bag. She took out a bottle and stuck it in the baby’s mouth. He could tell by her pleading expression that she was embarrassed by her children, yet she hoped they wouldn’t have to leave. The father just looked disgusted, as if the baby’s cries were somehow his wife’s fault.

His gaze shifted to an irritated man who spoke loudly to a waitress as he pointed at his plate. From what Adam could hear, he was livid because his hamburger was pink in the middle. “I asked for well done,” he was saying. “Does your cook even know what well done means?”

Without saying a word, the weary waitress picked up his plate and walked off. Adam smiled to himself. He was pretty certain either the waitress or the cook would add something special to the man’s burger. Something he didn’t want.

Adam sighed. No one here was worth saving. In fact, no one in the whole world was worth saving except his family. These beings didn’t know if they were angels or demons, and they didn’t care. That made them useless for the Master’s plan—the plan straight from the book he’d embraced with his whole heart. Why had he hated it when he was a kid? Probably because his mother was the one who first read it to him. Not his father.

He grimaced to himself. Getting rid of so many of these cockroaches would actually be a blessing. The Book prophesied that those who remained would rule the earth together as one. Although all he wanted was to do the Master’s will, he felt a twinge of jealousy. He liked being part of a small, special group that had wisdom kept from the rest of the world. If everyone were as blessed as he was ... Well, he didn’t like that idea.

But then he reminded himself that he would always be the one who fulfilled the prophecy. That knowledge made him feel better. He would be revered among everyone who survived the Master’s judgment.

He smiled to himself again, then went back to his notebook, where he continued to write down his plans. It wouldn’t be much longer.

Alex stood in front of Willow’s door, shivering. Just standing there made her feel sick to her stomach. She remembered sitting on these porch steps, crying. Wanting nothing more than to go home. She’d even prayed for help from a God who didn’t answer. She’d asked Him to get her out of this house. But nothing changed, and she’d had to find a way to exist with a deranged woman. If there even was a God, He obviously didn’t care about terrified little girls pleading for help.

She’d also asked Him to make it possible for her to someday become an FBI agent. Her dream of working for the Bureau had come to pass, yes. But she’d made it on her own. Without anyone’s help.

With effort that took everything she had, she pushed the ghosts of the past into the dark chasm where she valiantly tried to keep them imprisoned. Her arm felt like lead when she lifted it and knocked on the door. She could hear noises from inside, and she expected to see her aunt swing the door open. But instead, another woman did. She looked to be in her sixties and had curly salt-and-pepper hair, dark eyes, dark skin, and a wide smile on her face.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

Alex was momentarily thrown. The FBI had confirmed that her aunt still lived here. Who was this?

“I’m here to see Willow LeGrand. I’m ... I’m her niece.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Alexandra? Oh my goodness. She’ll be so happy to see you.” She pushed the door open wide. “Come on in, honey. Willow’s told me so much about you.”

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