The Countdown (The Taking #3)(44)

“About Natty?” He sat in one of the chairs at the small Formica table next to the bed I was on. He leaned forward on his elbows as if one had never been busted up in the first place.

“Yeah. About her.” I sat up too, facing him. “What . . . happened? Did you have any clue . . . what she was up to?”

Thom looked offended. “God. No. I can’t believe you’d think that. I mean, of course you would, but . . . no.” He rubbed his face, his dark, straight hair falling over his forehead. “I figured it out though. When we were at Blackwater. That last day . . .” He paused and cleared his throat before continuing. “I was actually stupid enough to think . . . well, I’m sure you know what I thought. I thought me and Natty, I thought we . . .” He gave me a chagrined smile.

“We all thought that,” I told him, hoping it made him feel better to know he wasn’t the only one who’d fallen for her innocent act. “She made it pretty clear she was into you.”

“Yeah, well . . . she wasn’t.” He shrugged, and I knew he wanted to drop that part of it. “Anyway, Natty and I had gone for a walk that night, and she said she was going back to her tent. Said I didn’t need to walk her back, but of course, I insisted. But she insisted just as hard. Insisted. I should’ve realized something was up—she was acting strangely. But I let her go.” Watching Thom, I could see the truth filling in the gaps. He shoved his palms into his eye sockets. “The thing is, it bugged me, so I followed her anyway.” He was still at the table, and he leaned his head back against the chair. “She didn’t head for your tent after all. I guess I wasn’t as careful as I should’ve been and she caught me when she came out of the communications tent. I thought she was in trouble—that’s what I thought was going on when I followed her. I had no idea she was armed, or how far she’d go to stop me, or anyone else who tried to stop her.” He looked up and watched me earnestly. “The worst part is, she knew my authorization codes. That’s how she sent the message out. She led the No-Suchers right to us. Christ, Kyra, it was my fault. I even told her I was turning her in—like she could be reasoned with. But then she pulled her gun on me, and the next thing I know Eddie Ray and the others were there. The next thing I knew . . .” His voice cracked. “She wasn’t the person I thought she was. I didn’t know her at all. I never had.”

He didn’t have to say anything else, because I already knew the rest of the story. I’d lived it too. At the asylum, drugged and tortured, and who knew what else they’d have done if we hadn’t escaped when we had.

If I hadn’t killed them all.

“I’m so sorry,” he mouthed.

“Like I said, no apologies.”

The phone on the bedside table rang, and Thom’s head jerked up. He gave a quick shake, but I was already reaching for it.

“Hello?” I said into the avocado-green receiver.

It was the clerk on the other end—the older woman who’d talked my ear off when I’d checked in. She hadn’t balked at all at the fifty bucks I’d offered if she’d give us a heads-up if anyone came around asking questions about us. I got the feeling we weren’t the first ones to check into this motel who wanted to be left alone. “You know how you told me to tell you if anyone asked about you? Well, a man just checked in, askin’ about the boy you were with. Showed a picture and everything.” Thom was standing right next to me now, his ear pressed to mine so he could hear every word she said. I would’ve asked her questions about the man, but I was waiting for her to take a breath, something she didn’t seemed inclined to do. “I didn’t tell him nothing, just like you asked. Said I’d never seen the boy before.” The money thing had been risky. Truth was, someone else could easily have offered her more, but Thom and I needed to hold some of Chuck’s money back for other things. “I don’t think he bought it though. He’s in the lot now if you wanna get a peek at him.”

My pulse hammered hard in my throat. “Thanks, Mabel. I appreciate the tip.”

“Anytime, doll. You kids take care—”

But I’d already hung up, and was racing to the window. I was careful with the curtains, not wanting to move them too far or fast. I didn’t want to let whoever might be out there know we were here. That we were watching him.

“Goddamn it,” Thom cursed from beside me, when he saw who I saw.

Even with an entire parking lot and a window to separate us, I felt my heart explode. It was my one true nemesis.

Agent Truman.

I glanced to Thom, a knot forming in my gut as I weighed everything he’d just told me . . . everything I knew about him. “How did he find us?” I asked. I reached for my clothes, piled on the edge of the bed. I yanked my pants on beneath the robe, my eyes never leaving Thom. He couldn’t be the traitor after all this, could he?

“Kyra . . . ,” Thom answered slowly. “I swear it wasn’t me.”

I wanted to believe him.

“How then?” I refused to turn my back, so I was forced to pull my shirt on in front of him. “How on earth did he know we were here?” I didn’t expect an answer, but I searched Thom’s eyes as I moved back toward the wall.

“You have to trust me. We’re in this together. I have no idea how he found us, but you heard Mabel—it’s me he’s after, not you. For all we know, he doesn’t even know you’re here.” He started to take a step toward me, but I held up my hand to stop him. “You can still get away. If you go out the back, I’ll turn myself in. You can get a head start.”