Page 157 of Death is Familiar

“Something facing the lake or⁠—”

“Just a room. With a bed. Near a washroom.”

“They all have ensuites⁠—”

“Jack…”

Finally catching my drift, and inability to deal with further decisions, he opened the door immediately to our left.

Inside everything was white, with the exception of a handful of accessories in shades of blush and grey. The bed alone was larger than my cell with the Seal, it was the biggest mattress I’d ever seen—like two kings pushed together.

“Here.” He pointed at the far side of the room to the ensuite. “Washroom’s through there. If you’d like I’d be happy to give you a hand⁠—”

I shot him a death glare. I was fully capable of showering on my own, even if I was starting to get uncomfortable with the idea of confronting my own reflection.

“I’ll find you something to wear.” Jack released his hold on me, and instead opened the closet across from the bed. “When you’re done meet Todd and me in the room across the hall. I’ll have some food brought up, and we’ll debrief.”

“Yes, Agent Hessinger.”

“Delilah—”

I waved him away, and slid into the fully-stocked washroom, locking the door behind me. He could stew with the new reality, while I tried to process not only the fact I escaped a cult, failed Three, and shared life changing news with both agents, but that the father of the passenger growing inside me wasn’t who I thought he was.

Or worse yet, I hadn’t known him at all.

†

Stripping out of Todd’s coat, and the god-awful hospital gown, I showered until I felt clean. And that took time. I’d been relatively clean when I’d woken up in the hospital—no longer smelling of swamp, the layers of mud and muck washed away from my skin, but I’d still felt dirty.

If I could have scrubbed off a layer of skin and started anew, I would have.

Instead, I used every product in the castle shower once, twice, three times, before brushing through the tangled ends of my hair. Unsurprisingly, whatever soaps and creams the Hessinger family stocked worked wonders. My skin shone and my hair had never been softer.

With the sun about to set, I exited the washroom and changed into the deep moss green leisure wear set Jack left out for me. The material was heavy, butter soft, and given the level of embroidery on the label, it was safe to say the outfit cost more than my entire wardrobe.

I toyed with the idea of a quick lie down to make the agents wait, but I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to get back up before the sun rose, which unfortunately meant I could no longer put off crossing the hall and laying myself bare to the agents.

Fiddling with the buttons of my top trying to conceal my new shape, I mentally prepared myself for the amount of detail I was about to share—and the agents’ reactions.

I didn’t want them to feel sorry for me. For them to see me as weak. I wanted them to see me as the fearsome beast that lived beneath my skin, and show them I was strong enough to take on any challenge that was thrown my way.

Didn’t I?

My heart beat faster. Leaving the sanctuary of my ridiculously large room, I padded across the hall, stopping in front of the room occupied by the agents. Sweat coated my palms. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth.

So much had changed. Even if I didn’t have more to share about my time with the Seal—which I did—the agents would never look at me the same.

I tried to make myself feel better by telling myself we all had our own secrets and our reasons for keeping them. But instead, it made me feel worse.

Todd was a father of two. Jack was filthy rich. And I⁠—

There was movement inside the room. A couple crackles and a pop from the fireplace. A low, barely there, one-sided conversation.

I needed to get this over with.

Pushing the door open, I entered the dark and cavernous room illuminated only by the setting sun and the fireplace. Jack and Todd stood, the flickering lights casting shadows over their faces, as their attentions zeroed in on me.

My attentions, on the other hand, zeroed in on the table. Where there was a strange assortment of food: pickles, chips, chocolate, ice cream, fruit, marshmallow spread, rice, beans, pasta, a jar of pickled jalapeños, and three meatball subs.