The Complication (The Program #6)(60)

“Because?” I ask.

“Because then they’ll want you dead.”

My heart skips, and I look quickly to Nathan. He puts his hand on my arm, pulling me to his side. Ready to jump into the ball pit with a faceless organization.

“Or at the very least erased or lobotomized,” Marie adds, and I feel like maybe that was the better answer, as disturbing as that is. The concern that settles in her expression makes me think I’m not the only person The Program is after. Maybe they’re after Melody, too. Maybe they’re after everyone involved with the Adjustment.

“If you talk to him again,” Marie says calmly, “please have Michael contact me. I’m sorry Tom and I didn’t warn you about Dr. Warren sooner, but we were trying to be discreet.”

“You lie,” I say. “You’re not discreet.”

A smile tugs on Marie’s lips like she’s impressed with how I’m standing up to her. Before she says anything more, the door to the Adjustment office rips open, and two people rush in.

The young woman has blond hair and blue eyes that are deeply red from crying. The guy with her looks equally miserable, and he buries his hands in his pockets, staring intently at Marie. The doctor falls back a step as she takes them in, obviously recognizing them.

“What happened to him?” the woman demands from Marie, not even glancing in my or Nathan’s direction. “What was he doing?”

Marie stares back, wide-eyed in awe or disbelief. “He was trying to do right,” she murmurs, sounding far away.

“What the hell does that mean?” the woman asks, talking with Marie in a way that’s so personal, so steeped in history, that it feels like a parent/child relationship.

The woman herself is nondescript. She’s young and pretty, I guess, but in a way that’s not memorable. None of her features are prominent, a face that could be anybody. I don’t know how else to explain it.

Next to her, the guy surveys the room before he notices us. He’s intimidating—not because of his build or an aggressive expression. It’s how he seems to look right into me, like he can see me and know everything. Know my every secret.

“Marie,” the woman says, her voice tight but pleading. “What were the two of you doing here?”

It’s then that the woman’s eyes drift to the picture hanging on the back wall. Dr. McKee told us that his daughter shot it, and as her eyes well up, I realize this is her. This is his daughter.

Marie sees her looking and reaches to put her hand on her arm. “Quinlan—” she starts, but the woman shakes her off violently.

“Don’t call me that,” she says. “It’s Nicole. And what is this?” she demands, pointing to the picture. Behind Nicole, the guy she’s with curses under his breath.

“He remembered, didn’t he, Marie?” Nicole asks. “He remembered me.”

“You know he didn’t,” Marie says sympathetically. But she’s lying, and the way Nicole shakes her head, she knows she’s lying too.

Dr. McKee asked for his daughter—why would Marie try to cover that up? What else is she hiding that even after his death she has to keep a secret?

“You shouldn’t be here,” Marie says to Nicole. She glances at the guy. “You either, Deacon. How did you even know what happened?”

Nicole scoffs, offended. “Find out that my father was dead ?” she asks bitterly. “A stranger called me, Melody someone. Told me that my father died in the back room of a fucking office.” She chokes up, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “A stranger,” she repeats. “You should have been the one to call.”

Nathan and I exchange a look, not sure if this means Melody is okay, or if it was her final moment to set things right. He puts his hand over mine where I hold his arm. I can feel him shaking.

“Go,” I tell him. “Go look for her.”

He seems torn, partly because he’s upset with her and shouldn’t want to find her. But he still loves her. It’s not something that just shuts off in a day.

“You sure?” Nathan asks.

I tell him that I am and pass him the keys to my Jeep.

I’m glad that Melody called Dr. McKee’s daughter. It proves she has some compassion, after all. And although we don’t know much about the real Melody Blackstone, I hope Nathan can find her. I hope she’s still alive.





CHAPTER ELEVEN


AFTER NATHAN LEAVES, I GO sit on one of the chairs, and Nicole’s boyfriend—husband, I decide when I see his wedding ring—comes to sit in a chair one down from me. He watches Marie and Nicole talk, their voices quieter. He’s intense, like at any second he’ll jump up to defend his wife.

“The picture was one he found in storage,” Marie says. “He had no idea it was connected to you. He didn’t remember.”

I can’t believe she won’t tell her. I don’t know the reason, but I refuse to sit here and let it happen. I won’t be her accomplice. Not anymore.

“She’s lying,” I call out, and they all turn to me.

“Stay out of this, Tatum,” Marie says harshly.

“No,” I tell her defiantly, and then turn to Nicole. “Your dad,” I say. “He did remember. He told me the first time I was here that his daughter took that picture.” I motion to where it hangs on the wall. “And before he died, he asked Marie to call you.” My eyes drift to Marie, and she crosses her arms over her chest, her expression pleading for me to be quiet. “She told him no,” I finish.