He nods. “My great grandfather started the company when he got back from the war. Why?”
“So did they help build Radison before it was blown to bits?” My heart pounds at the thought. Maybe Seth’s father does know more than he lets on.
Seth pauses, the gears turning in his head. “I…don’t know. My grandpa died before we were born, and you know how my dad is about the past. It’s not something I ever thought to ask, but it makes sense that they would have, right? At least if he lived in this area at the time.”
“Miles said Madison didn’t even exist until after the drug wars, so yeah.” I open the binder, suddenly curious to see what the Mitchells were building in 1945. “There’s nothing here.”
“What?” Seth comes to get a closer look, as if I can’t tell the few yellowed papers are blank. “I never thought to look at these. I was always looking for money that didn’t belong. And of course hiding places for drugs, which I always find. Why do you always show me answers I’ve missed for years?”
“No clue.” I go for the next year and the next. Those are empty, too. Something about seeing nothing in these binders makes me uneasy. “Seth, if there was nothing to put in these binders, then why have them?”
He nods slowly. “I know where you’re going with this. The information has been removed, which is suspicious. But the most logical answer is that it was confiscated after Radison was destroyed…”
“What?” I don’t like the angry expression he’s giving off.
“Think, Fi—who would have taken these? Would they have destroyed them or would they have kept them?”
It clicks. “Ohhh, shit, you think the Army…?”
He drops the empty binder on the desk and puts his head in his hands. “I don’t know what I’m thinking, but it sure seems like Major Norton has had me targeted from day one. Maybe there’s no coincidence at all—maybe he’s worried we know stuff about the old city.”
I can’t seem to get enough air. It’s not impossible. The Army clearly has some kind of intel about the factory. For years no one ever thought to dig it up, and that’s the first thing they started to do. They must have known. Maybe they even have the blueprints. “You think your family helped with the factory?”
“No idea.” He leans on the desk, wincing at what I’m sure is another headache from his glitching vision. I want to reach out to him, comfort him, but I still have no idea where we stand. “But this doesn’t make my dad look innocent by any means. For all I know, he could be selling info to whoever wants to pay.”
“Maybe…but then where’s the money?”
“In his veins.” Seth’s voice is cold.
“He couldn’t have spent that much on drugs. That kind of info would come with a huge payoff. He’d have to have a whole room full of painkillers.” I purse my lips, the wheels turning but getting nowhere. “Something is beyond fishy.”
Wearing an expression I can’t read, Seth goes to the desk and digs through the papers again. “I’ll keep looking through this stuff. I know you’re probably bored—you can check up on Hector’s progress with destroying the element if you want.”
For some reason his words make me uneasy, or maybe it’s his pain-filled expression. It’s obvious he’s hurting in more ways than one, and I don’t like the idea of him being alone with all that stuff on his mind. “Is your vision still being weird?”
“It’s fine,” he says, though he blinks rapidly.
“You don’t look fine. Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
He shoots me a biting look. “We don’t have to tell each other everything, right?”
Anger flares, hearing my own words used against me. “Seriously, are you gonna be like that right now? I’m worried about you!”
“And I’m worried about you!” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re getting…I don’t know, like, distant from me lately, and now you won’t even tell me what I’ve done wrong.”
My eyebrows rise. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Really?” Seth leans on the desk, staring me down. “Then why do you always pull away from me when you should want to be close? And you can’t seem to stand the thought of me seeing you undressed. Not that I’m incapable of waiting, but how do you think it makes me feel to see you recoil like that?”
I fold my arms, not expecting this sudden change in topic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re doing it right now!” he points out.
Crap. My hands drop to my sides. “This really isn’t the time—”
“When is the time then?” Seth rounds the desk and grabs my hands. “I can’t do this. I have to tell you everything, and you should tell me what’s wrong because if this keeps going…what then?”
I know he’s right. There’s no way I’ll get past this invisibility barrier without telling him how strange it is for me, but I’m so scared of how he’ll react.
“Fiona, please, tell me.” His eyes beg me so badly that I have to look away.
“Sometimes…when we’re…it’s just…” I can’t seem to get words past this lump in my throat. But he wants me to tell him. He’s asking for it. “Sometimes it’s weird, okay?”
Seth’s brow furrows. “Weird? Like, me touching you is weird?”
I wince, but force myself to nod. “I mean, I can’t see what you’re touching or kissing. It’s just you and the air and…”
“Oh.” He drops my hands as he steps back. I have never seen him look this embarrassed, and I regret even the few words I said. “Well, I’m sorry it’s so weird to be with me. Not sure I can fix that.”
“No, Seth, that’s not what I meant.” I try to grab him, but he jumps behind the desk.
“Maybe you should go.” He sits in front of the computer, not looking at me. “I need to think. By myself.”
“Um, okay.” I head for the door slowly, hoping that maybe he’ll call me back. But every time I turn to glance at him, he’s still staring at the computer screen. So I leave, and I manage to keep my tears in for five whole blocks. But when they come I can’t seem to get them to stop.
Chapter 25
When I compose myself enough to talk without breaking down, I call Bea. Though it’s only the late afternoon, the short winter days make it so evening is almost upon me.
“Hey, Fi! What’s up?” Her voice is warm and happy when she answers, and it makes me want to be with her even more. Maybe some of that will rub off on me.
“Oh, just wondering if you could pick me up at SuperMart.” That’s as far as I made it before I realized walking from Mitchell Construction to my house would take longer than I wanted it to. With the ever-watchful eyes of Juan’s men to follow me the whole way to boot.
There’s the smallest pause, and I picture her confused face. “I thought you were with Seth.”
“Well…um…he needed some space.” I hope this is enough information for her to understand that things aren’t exactly going well, because I’d rather not explain more.
“Aw, Fi, of course I’ll come get you. Except now I’m worried. Just hold tight—I’ll be there in like ten minutes, okay?”
“Sounds good.” I lean back on the bench, wishing I could close my eyes and put my guard down. But I can’t, not with the two Jaguar-tattooed men standing just on the other side of the SuperMart entrance. They don’t even pretend not to see me; their glares are strong and unwavering. Finally one puts a cell to his ear. Great.
I haven’t seen or heard from The Phantom since he offered to break me out of jail Monday night. It’s only Saturday, but it feels like a long time with everything that’s happened this week. And if Juan was the one behind the bugs, you’d think they would have come after us by now.