Page 50 of Innocent Salvation

“Oh, I thought you said four.”

“Yeah, I did, but they came earlier. Watchdog has some news he wants to share in person.”

“That can’t be good.”

“No, nothing that gets him out of his lair is ever good.”

Snow was surprised the news didn’t worry her more but having Seb close eased her fear, making her see how silly she’d been to run off like she had. As she ate her grilled cheese and drank the tea Seb had made her, she wondered how she’d ever coped without him in her life, and how she’d cope if this all went wrong and she had to face a future without him in it.

The truth was, she wouldn’t and that terrified her.

Chapter 20

Bein, Bás, Watchdog, and Hurricane’s arrival was smooth. Before long they were gathered in the back room around a table where Watchdog had set up his systems until it almost resembled mission control back at the base.

“So, now we have everything set up, are you going to share with us what you found that was so important that you leave the protection of your fort and come all the way to Paris?” Snow said it with a smile, but it was to hide the nerves she felt. Ever since they arrived, the tension in Watchdog and the furtive glances he shot her had made her teeth gnash.

“Okay, there’s no easy way to say this so I’m just gonna come out and say it. Your father is alive, Snow.”

Snow felt her heart stop, the air in the room stilling as if even it couldn’t make sense of the words being spoken to her. “No.”

She stepped back and came into contact with Seb, who put a reassuring hand on her hip to steady her as if he knew she was about to fly apart.

“I’m sorry, Snow. I should have found it sooner but honestly, I wasn’t looking until now, and even then, it was as much luck as anything else.”

Swallowing the confusion, she snapped her spine straight. “How?”

“We don’t know how but he must’ve had help to pull it off.”

“How do you know it’s him?”

Everything in her wanted to deny the truth of this. She’d seen him shot with her own eyes, had grieved for him, buried him, and now they were saying he’d been alive all along.

Watchdog typed some commands on the screen and there he was. The image was grainy and side on. Her father had aged in the years since he’d apparently not died but there was no doubt in her mind it was him.

She felt Seb stiffen behind her, his grip on her waist tightening and she knew he was feeling her pain and reacting to it.

“Where and when was this taken?”

“Three days ago, in London.”

“London? What the hell is he doing there?”

Watchdog glanced at Bás, seeming to hit his quota of answers.

“We don’t know yet, but we have to assume at this point it has to do with Dominique and you. Could be revenge or a con. We just don’t know yet, but we have him now and Watchdog has every program ever invented running looking for his facial signature. If he pokes his head out again, we’ll find him.”

“Forget it. My father is too good. If you saw him, it’s because he wanted to be seen.”

Hurricane, the quietest of the group, looked at her. “You think it’s a message?”

“I do. I just don’t know who for. The only person who might know is Dominique.”

“Which leads me to our next conversation. I think we need to draw her out and the best way to do that is you.”

“Fine.”

“No way.”