I had almost reached the elevator when Jared call ed my name. Soon, his hand was in mine. He stopped mid-step, causing me to jerk backward.
“We have to go,” I said, tugging him down the hal .
Jared stopped me again. “Would you please tel me what’s going on?”
“No,” I snapped, smacking the button to the elevator. “That would require me tel ing you the whole truth...and that's not real y how our relationship works.”
The door opened, and I pul ed Jared inside. We were alone, and for the first time I felt I could breathe. I leaned against the wal and sighed. “This isn’t happening.”
“What isn’t happening? Nina, talk to me,” Jared said, putting his hands on the wal at each side of my head.
“She’s my friend, Jared! She was on the other side, the side that kept me grounded…sometimes kept me sane, and now it’s gone! It’s al gone!”
Jared cupped my face. “She’s stil your friend. You’re life at Brown is no different.”
“It’s not different? It’s disappeared!”
He frowned. “Let’s think of this as a positive thing. You have someone to talk to about this, now. Someone on the other side that understands.”
I crossed my arms. “I needed them, Jared...so I wouldn’t get lost in al of the heaven/hel fiasco.”
“She’s human, Nina. She may handle it differently, but she knows how you feel. She knows what it’s like to know things, and be different because of it. Embrace it.”
“Embrace it,” I grumbled. “You don’t understand.”
Jared took my hand and kissed my fingers. “This is a good thing. With her help, we can find the book.”
“Great!” I said as the doors opened to the main floor. “Let’s find the damn thing and get rid of it! Take it back to the church, I’ll stop having the dreams, Kim can be Kim again, and I can get my life back!”
Colonel Brand waited next to the car that would take us to the base. Jared and I remained silent during the trip, but once the plane took off from the runway, he began again.
“Nina, we can’t just take the book back. We have to read it; find out why Jack stole it from Kim’s uncle in the first place.”
“Because Jack was crazy, that’s why,” I snapped.
Jared sighed with frustration. “They’ve been tel ing us why. In your dreams.”
I thought for a moment, recal ing Jack’s words on the roof. He had to save her. I could think of only two women in the world my father would risk his life for. The inscription on my ring leading to a deposit box only Jared and I could access…he had stolen the book to save me.
But from what?
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you insinuating that I'm keeping something from you? Because that would be just...total y and completely hypocritical.”
Jared frowned. “No. But we need to find someone that can interpret what your dreams mean.”
“Who would know, Jared? Besides Eli or Samuel. They wouldn’t tel us, anyway, right? Who would know?”
“Asking them again wouldn’t be a good idea. Kim said they’re already onto us. It’s impossible to keep a secret in that realm. We need a human.”
“A human isn't going to be able to make sense of my dreams, Jared, unless it's someone that already knows. One of Graham’s men, maybe?”
Jared shook his head, deep in thought. “Claire didn’t leave any of them alive. Anyone that might have known anything about it is long gone.”
An idea popped into my head, instantly creating a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“What is it?” Jared asked, concerned.
My mind instantly searched for other options. I was desperate to make the name stuck in my throat a last resort, but she was our only choice. “My mother,” I whispered. “Cynthia would know.”
Jared’s brows pul ed in for a moment. “Jack left her in the dark.”
“You don’t real y believe that, do you?” I asked, incredulous.
He peeked over at me, and then relaxed. “You’re right. How to get her to tel us anything is the question.”
“SHe’ll tel us,” I said, determined.
Chapter Seven
The Perfect Storm
“Isn’t this a surprise,” Cynthia said, fussing with her hair. “I’m on my way to the Komen fundraiser, Nina dear. We’l have lunch tomorrow.”
I side-stepped, guarding the front door. “This is important.”
Cynthia laughed once, unamused. “Not more important than breast cancer, I assure you.” When I didn’t move, she cocked her head. The expression she used for immediate intimidation lit her face. “You wil let me pass this instant, young lady.”
Instinctively, I obeyed. Seeing that she was in no mood for antics, I decided to try the blindside approach.
“Daddy stole a book from someone a few years ago. Do you remember?”
She blinked a few times, my words clearly unsettling to her. “Your father was in shipping, Nina. What interest would he have in a book?”
“He did it, Mother. I’ve seen the book myself. Jared’s held it in his hands.”
Cynthia’s cold eyes darted to Jared, and then narrowed. “I must ask at this point, Jared. Are you trying to get Nina kil ed?”
“No,” Jared said emphatical y, taking a step toward her. “No, that’s why we’re here. We need to know why Jack took the book. What was inside that he was hoping to find?”
Cynthia relaxed, lifting her chin. “Nina, you’l find that if you ignore things…they tend to go away. Now, I real y must be going….”
Jared’s jaw flitted, and then he took an obstinate step in front of the door.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Grey, but I can’t al ow you to leave until you tel us what you know.”
Cynthia stood unaffected, as if she could brush past Jared if she chose, but she was simply too much of a lady to shove her way through.
“What makes you think I know anything?” she asked, a tiny smirk on her face.
I crossed my arms. “Because you know everything, Mother.”
A smal grin of satisfaction crept across Cynthia’s face. “Your father underestimated that particular talent of mine for years. It’s nice that someone noticed.”
“We need your help, Cynthia,” Jared said. “Why did Jack think Shax’s book could save Nina?”
“The truth wil only hurt you, Dear,” Cynthia said. Her words were meant to be empathetic, but her eyes were devoid of emotion.
I pressed my lips together in hard line, taking her warning very seriously. Before I could make a decision, Jared spoke.
“I'm only going to ask you one more time, Cynthia. What do you know about Jack's reasons for taking the book?”
Cynthia chuckled. “Empty threats rarely compel me to comply.”
Jared leaned against the door. “I have al night, Cynthia. How important is this fundraiser to you?”
“Very wel , then,” Cynthia said. She shifted her weight, clearly irritated. “Your father never wanted children. I wasn’t exactly…maternal…so I never questioned him. But when you came along, Nina, it changed him. He seemed to watch you as if he were waiting for something. I asked him, once, why he stared at you that way. His expression was both disgust and shame, but he didn't answer. He simply walked away.”