Page 68 of Cast in Shadow
“Robin did,” Zeke echoed, his throat drying up again.
“Yeah, man. Try to keep up, will you? Who do you think asked us to look into this? MacNamarra’s just the tip of a very dirty iceberg. It’s a work in progress, but you’ve been cleared of all wrongdoing.”
His head was swimming, and it wasn’t because of whatever they’d shot into his neck. If what they were saying was true ...
“Oh, and you might be interested in this, too.” Nix handed him another envelope, then watched intently as he removed the contents. Confirmation that the mortgage on his mother’s house had been paid off. A notice that his mother had been accepted into a new treatment program and was responding well. Pictures of his sisters on a college campus.
“I need to talk to her.”
“Yes, you do,” agreed Nix, “but that might be a problem.”
“Why?”
“Because no one knows where she is. She disappeared right after she asked us to look into that,” Nix said, waving toward the file.
“I’ll find her.”
“No, you won’t,” Nix said with a laugh. “But she’ll resurface again eventually, and if you’re even half as smart as I think you are, you’ll be waiting for her when she does.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Aggie
Aggie felt none of the usual anticipation as she worked her way back to the chalet, just a vague sense of dread. Too many memories lingered there, memories that included more than just the peace and solitude the place provided. Zeke hadn’t spent a lot of time there, but he’d certainly left an impression.
Over the past few months, she’d gotten used to the idea that Zeke was no longer part of her life. The ache remained, however, a constant presence deep in her chest. She carried it with her—a painful reminder that her life had never been and would never be normal.
Perhaps that was why she’d stayed away as long as she had. She’d known that returning to the chalet would bring those feelings to the surface. But after spending three months in a crowded city, bombarded by people and noise, overcome by the sheer sensory overload, she needed a break to recharge, and the chalet was the one place to do that safely and without fear of discovery.
Well, she hoped that was still the case. Zeke knew about the place, which, strictly speaking, meant the location was now compromised.
Zeke would not betray me that way.
Nor did she believe he would betray her friends. Not that he knew anything specific, but he knew enough to cast unwanted attention their way if he wanted to.
Aggie had warned Nix when she sent the information on McNamarra’s bank accounts, just in case. That was a fun conversation. Nix had told her not to worry about it, but how could she not? She had so few friends. So few people who knew anything about her. And none of them, not even her brother, knew everything.
Her existence was a solitary one, and most of the time, she liked it that way.
T liked to say she was a human conduit, a funnel through which great quantities of information and emotions flowed. Sometimes, bits and pieces got trapped, and over time, she reached capacity and needed to clean her filter to function properly again.
He also said she was a glutton for punishment, putting herself in the midst of situations where she connected most with those she was trying to help.
He wasn’t wrong. She’d always been that way, particularly with negative emotions. She felt those more strongly than the others, which was probably why she was compelled to do what she did. Living among them. Getting to know them. Experiencing firsthand the effects of greed and corruption at the lowest level made it real in a way that sitting behind a screen in a luxurious refuge never could.
Unfortunately, she could only do it for several months at a time before she became overwhelmed.
Meditation helped, as did sticking to a primarily organic diet, but eventually, she needed to distance herself from everyone and everything.
Simply put, being around people drained her.
Well, being around most people did. Zeke was an exception, which was why Nix’s words had struck such a chord with her. Aggie felt different around Zeke. When she was with him, she felt connected to another human being in a way that didn’t drain her, but fortified her.
“Your soul mate. Your perfect match.”
Nix’s words echoed in her head for the billionth time. It was a nice thought, but soul mates didn’t walk out and disappear so easily, did they?
Aggie arrived at the chalet in darkness, too tired to do much of anything besides shower and crawl into bed. She slept a solid twelve hours and probably would have slept even longer if her bladder hadn’t been close to rupturing.
