Chapter 45

 

LILIA BREATHED A sigh of relief as she shredded the rest of Frei’s and Aeron’s files. She had replaced them with standard files with little information in her best attempt at German. She hoped the app on her phone had worked well enough to pull it off.

She had been relieved that Fleming hadn’t printed off Renee’s file. It was under Llys on Frei’s computer and her last mission under Worthington. It had all been to keep Yannick off track if he’d broken into the base.

Lilia scowled. Yannick had been a conniving piece of scum. She didn’t like to ask where he’d disappeared to but Frei had remained conspicuously silent on the subject when she’d asked. As long as he was no threat, she didn’t care.

She sighed. What that made her, she wasn’t sure.

“Human, hon, human.”

She smiled and felt a familiar wave of warmth. “I thought you were busy with Jessie.”

Nan hovered close, the way she always had when Lilia was a child. The simple feeling of her being near was enough to ease the ache that had come from losing her. “Kid’s outrun the cops, nice ride Icy has, but Icy ain’t doing so well.”

“I know.”

“She needs more help than medication.”

Lilia sighed. “I know.”

“Shorty can’t heal her.”

Lilia turned away from the shredder and walked to the window. “I know.”

Nan slumped down onto the table. “You know about Mousey?”

Lilia shook her head at the names. “Mousey? I take it you mean Jessie?”

Nan’s energy took a seat on a rocker. She could see her rocking, knitting out, hair bobbing.

“I know. Mamma, Frei hasn’t asked for my help. I had to learn the same lesson Aeron’s going through the hard way, remember?” Lilia perched on the edge of her desk. She’d not had the gentle guidance Nan could give her back then. She’d been scared and alone. And she’d had to watch Eli remarry and Aeron grow without her. The pain it brought still stung her eyes.

“Hon, you did what you thought was for the best. You ain’t made of stone.”

“Either way, I can’t do anything unless she asks.” Lilia would be ready to ensure she had the best help there was if she did. “She won’t ask.”

Nan tutted and her needles click, clicked away. “Now who’s bein’ all cranky. She has a lot of heart.”

“Yes, and she needs an operation.” Lilia rubbed the bridge of her nose. “She thinks she won’t be useful. She’s been conditioned to think that way.”

“A little bit of love can change that.” Nan clicked away. Lilia felt soothed by the sound—a trace of her childhood. All it needed was the waterwheel and her father chopping wood or whistling.

“Yes, but that involves trusting Dr. Andrews enough to tell him she needs help.” Lilia shook her head. “She has survived so much because she was fitter and faster, because she’s seen as a machine. Being seen as less than that isn’t an option for her.”

Nan tutted again. “She got different priorities now.”

“Maybe.”

Nan faded and Lilia turned, knowing it was in time for someone to enter the room. Her heart pounded into a sprint at the look on Fleming’s face, the anger and the tears in her eyes. Lilia dropped her gaze to the file in Fleming’s shaking hand and took a long, slow breath.

Oh dear.

“She’s alive?”

From one problem to another. The wonders of CIG. “Yes.”

Fleming stormed in and slammed the door behind her. “No one told me.” Her voice was too calm, too fueled with repressed pain. “She didn’t tell me.”

“I ordered her not to,” Lilia whispered. It was so hard to be in charge. Too hard.

Fleming’s eyes flared with anger. “Why?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Fleming narrowed her tear-filled eyes. “Then I’ll find out myself.”

Lilia shook her head. “The information wasn’t filed. I will tell you that I did not do it lightly.” She offered a sad smile. “Renee agreed after what had happened.”

Fleming threw the file on the desk. “She didn’t think I had a right to know?”

“Yes.” Lilia took a breath, maintaining her cool. She spent much of her career being yelled at, people demanding they know why something had been done. She had spent too many years having to pretend that their pain didn’t hurt her too. “The woman who we found, was not the woman you loved.”

“I don’t understand.” Fleming rubbed at her eyes. Lilia didn’t know if Fleming was more furious with herself for feeling or with the situation.

“I know you don’t.” Lilia held up her hand to stop the protest. “Please, it’s better you don’t.”

She held Fleming’s stormy, pain-addled eyes, as silent tears trickled down her cheek. “She know I married him?”

Lilia nodded. “She went to the church. I believe she left you flowers.”

Fleming’s shoulders shook. “What must she think of me?”

“I believe she was relieved that you were happy.” Lilia gave her a gentle smile. “She hated having to put you through the pain but it was better for everyone.”

“She’s Llys, she’s Worthington . . . She’s . . . with your daughter.” Fleming’s eyes narrowed once more. “A strange police report went through to my office. It didn’t take a lot to piece it together.”

“What does that mean?”

“A judge called in the authorities, accusing an agent that looked like your daughter and Renee of damaging his property.” Fleming fiddled with her wedding ring. Guilt was the major cause of her anger. “It made me go looking for Renee’s file. I had to know.”

“That’s all they had to go on?” Lilia tried to hide her forming frown. “Why would that come all the way through to you?”

Fleming clicked her tongue. “That was my thought, which is why we will do the investigating.” She met Lilia’s eyes. “If she’s in trouble, I want to know why.”

“Why would she be in trouble?” Lilia watched her for a moment, trying to read the fizzing aura. “Maybe someone is just trying to make it appear that way?”

“Which again begs the question of why.” Fleming wagged her finger. “And if someone is trying to muddy her reputation, I want to find out who.”

“Nothing to do with demanding answers from her?”

Fleming glared at her. “That would be unprofessional. I can scream at her when I’ve cleared her name.”

Lilia picked up her handbag and nodded to the door. It seemed fair. “After you.”

Fleming strode out. “You’re telling me that you don’t know why your daughter and Renee are causing damage to a judge’s property?”

Lilia allowed a wry smile. “I’m telling you that when it comes to my daughter, Agent Fleming, I’m utterly clueless.”