Page 378

Garovel had to wake Hector up in order to eat and get changed. Colt watched the young black man shuffle stiltedly into the bathroom as if his limbs were made of wood.

Soon, they were in the car again. Hector went right back to sleep, and Colt stared at an open road as they headed for Walton. At length, Bohwanox had a few private words for him.

‘When I asked you before about how you intend to raise Stephanie and Thomas, you said you’d figure something out.’

‘I remember.’

‘We both know that’s not much of an answer. We have time, so I didn’t press you on it. But if this child doctor doesn’t have good news, then we might have to answer that question a lot sooner than we expected. You understand?’

Colt glanced at Hector and the twins in the mirror. ‘...Yeah. I understand.’

-+-+-+-+-

It was a snug fit, to be sure. There was barely room to move around, but Gina had everything she needed in this modest basement. She had a checker-print bed, a bathroom with a shower, a mini-fridge, an air conditioner, a heater, and even a kitchenette. Computer equipment took up most of the available floor space, and everywhere else lay scores of boxes, all filled with food that would last a very long time, if she needed it to. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it to.

She figured that most people would hate having to live in a place like this for very long, but for her, it mostly just brought back memories. Nowadays, she preferred more fresh air and physical activity in her life, but she didn’t mind falling back into old habits. As long as she had internet access, she could survive just fine down here.

She gnawed on a stick of beef jerky with her hair in a half-combed tangle when, abruptly, her phone rang. She checked the number, but it wasn’t one she’d seen before. She answered it. “Hello?”

<“Hey, Gina,”> came Roman’s voice.