Page 127 of A Touch of Treachery
Jethro Percy might be in an interrogation cell, but his earlier words haunted me.He had a lot of friends in high places, and I doubted he would face any prolonged, severe punishment for his crimes.
It wasn’t right, and it certainly wasn’t perfect, but at least I’d gotten some small measure of justice for my father and cleared his name inside Section 47.No matter what happened with the General, I would be happy with that legacy, one that was free of the treachery that permeated Percy’s actions.
Eventually, the meetings ended.Just before midnight, Desmond and I left Section headquarters and went to my apartment.We shrugged out of our coats and put our things down.
Desmond wandered over to the windows and stared out into the dark.I followed him.The calendar had flipped over to February, but this night was the coldest one yet, and only a few hard bits of snow drifted down from the sky.
As much as I wanted to hold him, comfort him, I kept my hands to myself.Desmond was the one who was hurting right now, not me, and I wanted to give him the time and space to deal with all the ugly events that had happened.
Desmond barked out a harsh laugh, breaking the silence.“I still can’t believe you were right.Even though I’ve had hours for it to sink in, I still feel like I’m watching a horror movie, and this is all happening to someone else.”
“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” I replied in a soft voice.
“I know.I’m sorry too.Ihatethe things my father has done, to you and your father, to me and Graham, and to everyone else at Section.”
“But?”
Desmond sighed.“But I still care about him.A small part of me always will.”
I nodded, and we both stared out the window again, watching those hard bits of snow flutter down from the sky.
Desmond turned to me.“I’m surprised you came to me.That you told me your plan to take down my father and asked me to be a part of it.”
After I’d written my report on General Percy’s connection to Henrika, I’d packed up my laptop and folders and gone to Desmond’s apartment.I’d shown him the evidence and laid out my theories.
Unlike General Percy, Desmond hadn’t done anything wrong, and he didn’t deserve to be blindsided.Even more than that, he was my partner, both inside and outside Section, and I didn’t want to keep this secret from him.Icouldn’tkeep it from him.Not if I wanted what we had to keep growing.
A touch of treachery had destroyed my father and General Percy, and I didn’t want the same thing to happen to us.
“I’m surprised you agreed to help me.Whatever he’s done, the General is still your father.I would have understood if you hadn’t wanted any part in my plan.”
Desmond nodded, his gaze searching mine.“So where do we go from here?”
That was the question I’d been asking myself all day, and I’d been bracing myself for this moment ever since I’d revealed the General’s crimes.“I understand if you need some time.”
Desmond’s eyebrows drew together in a quizzical look.“Time?”
“Time away from Section.”I swallowed, and my voice dropped to a ragged whisper.“Time away fromme.”
Desmond stared at me, his face once again blank and unreadable.I bit my lip, bracing myself for the worst.
My father had always chosen something else over me, whether it was a Section mission or hanging out with his cleaner friends or weekend training.I’d never felt like I wasenoughfor the great Jack Locke, no matter how smart I was or how many good grades I got or how many logic puzzles I solved.
Desmond had never made me feel like I was inadequate or lacking or simply not important.Not for a single second.But I couldn’t help wondering if General Percy was right.If Desmond would someday regret participating in my scheme to expose his father’s crimes.If the storm of secrets that I’d unleashed would eventually doom us the way it had doomed our fathers.
A shadow passed over Desmond’s face.I tensed.This was it.This was the moment he was going to agree and say he did need some time away from Section and especially from me.
This was the moment Desmond was going to break my heart.
Desmond stepped even closer, and I had to tip my head back to stare up into his eyes.“I don’t have your synesthesia, but if there is one thing I know for certain, one absolutetruth, it’s that I willneverneed time away from you, Charlotte.”
My heart soared, but I forced myself to remain calm.“Are you sure?After everything that’s happened, no one would blame you for stepping away.Iwouldn’t blame you.I just destroyed your father’s life, his career, his legacy inside Section 47.”
Desmond stepped closer still, and his hands came up to cup my cheeks.“I don’t care about the General’s legacy inside Section.I don’t even care about my own.All I care about is building a legacy withyou.”He hesitated.“If that’s what you want too.I would understand if you needed some time as well.Especially since your father is dead because of mine.”
I placed my hands over his and squeezed his fingers.“Building a legacy with you isexactlywhat I want.”
We looked at each other a moment longer, then Desmond bent his head and kissed me.It was a soft kiss, a gentle brush of his lips against mine, but it made me tremble all the same.I dug my hands into the front of his vest as though the fabric was an anchor mooring him to my side and gave myself fully over to this moment.Here, right now,thiswas about the way we made each other feel, instead of all the awful things our fathers had done.
