“He said you’d need proof,” Carter added, not seeming offended. “He told me about the time you were eight years old and convinced him to let you adopt a three-legged dog from the shelter. You named her Lucky. She lived another six years.”
The air left my lungs.
Nobody knew about Lucky except family. We had never put her online. This was long before everybody turned every private memory into a post.
“She died when I was fourteen,” I whispered.
I opened the door and stepped out, my legs suddenly unsteady.
“How is he?”
The question came out before I could stop it.
“Alive,” Carter said. “Waiting for you.”
He gestured toward the back of the facility.
“Unit 20 is this way. I’ve been monitoring the perimeter since your father confirmed Vincent had the key ready. No one followed you here.”
“You’re sure?”
“As sure as I can be.”
He started walking, and after a second I followed.
“We’ll know more once you’re inside,” he said. “We also need to scan you for tracking devices.”
I stopped cold.
“Tracking devices?”
His expression tightened.
“Your father will explain. But Emma, you need to understand the people David works for are sophisticated. If they wanted to monitor your movements or listen to your conversations, they would have the means.”
My hand went unconsciously to my left shoulder.
Two years ago David had insisted I get a vitamin shot. Said I looked run-down. Said B12 would help my energy.
Carter’s gaze followed the movement but he said nothing.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Your father has been waiting twenty years to explain this to you. Let’s not make him wait any longer.”
We walked past rows of orange doors numbered in black stencil. The facility was well lit, but eerily still, the only sound our footsteps against the concrete. Cameras tracked our progress from steel poles and building corners.
Unit 20 sat near the back, partly shielded from the main drive by a larger structure. I noticed immediately that you could not see it from the entrance.
Strategic.
I pulled out the brass key Vincent had given me. My hands were shaking badly enough that I nearly dropped it.
“Take your time,” Carter said.
I fitted the key into the lock.
It turned smoothly.
The metal latch clicked.
I lifted the roll-up door.
