Page 78 of Concluded
As quietly as possible, Achilles rolled off the couch and onto the floor, curling into a loose fetal position.
He whispered his wish.
It took effect immediately, paralyzing him and cutting off all feeling from his body.His vision dimmed and then darkened completely, his hearing began to fade, and unconsciousness pulled him inexorably into its fathomless chasm.
Just before he plunged completely, he heard Dee utter a single word.
“Mom?”
CHAPTER32
She looked older.Of course she looked older; it had been nearly forty years since Dee had seen her.Her voice was the same, though, with the accent he’d never consciously noticed.And her golden-brown eyes, the same hue as his, they hadn’t changed either, although there were wrinkles at the corners now.She was still thin and still smelled of cigarettes.Her hair, although no longer dark, was still frizzy and wild, reminding him of Medusa.And he still couldn’t read any expression on her face as she stood in his living room, staring at him.
The big man and her other companion, a whip-thin thirty-something guy who looked like an angry greyhound, stood silently near the door as if to keep anyone from escaping.
Achilles lay curled on the floor, motionless, eyes closed.
Dee felt… nothing.A complete absence in his core, as if the black hole had settled there and swallowed all emotions.
“Mom,” he said, because nothing else came to mind.The word tasted dry and bitter.
“You’ve caused much trouble.”
“That’s what you have to say to me, after walking away four decades ago?”
She shrugged.“You survived.”
“You left me with that bastard.”
Again, she showed no reaction.“He kept you alive even though you weren’t his.Besides, they’re all like that.Better for you to learn it while young.”
He didn’t know what she meant bythey.Men?Humans?
Before he could ask, she clapped her hands briskly.“So do you want to tell me what’s going on here?”She cast a pointed look in Achilles’ direction.
Now Dee did experience an emotion: he felt like a chastened child and had to work hard not to cower.“He convinced me that what Ashley was doing was wrong.That I should rescue him and help his cause.We were on the run and it was goddamn miserable.I changed my mind—I’ve had enough of their Bureau crap.I came back here and waited for someone to show up.Didn’t expect you, though.”
“So why is he here?”
“I figured the people I took him from would want him back.I strung him along, made him believe I was helping him.He’s going to stay unconscious for an hour.”
Her lips thinned.“How?”
“More tricks.”He forced a laugh even though his chest was hollow.“He wished for it himself.Thinks he’s going to be a big hero.”
“You fucked him into complacency?”
Dee didn’t wince.“Yeah.”
“Not a bad way to get what you want.It worked for a while with Martell.”
That wasn’t something Dee wanted to think about.He glanced at Achilles, motionless and vulnerable, and looked away.As he waited, the goons near the door shifted their feet.
Finally his mother spoke.“What did you hope to gain by handing him over?”
“I made a mistake.Look, I’ve seen for myself—the Bureau people are going to lose.The agency’s been disbanded, they have zero resources, and even though some of them are still dumb enough to stay in the fight, they’re losing people all over the place.The ones that are left, they’re old.Isolated.They have no real weapons, and they’re just scurrying around aimlessly, trying to put out fires.But the fires are everywhere, aren’t they?”All of this was distressingly close to accurate.
For the first time, she smiled.“Everywhere, darling.”
