Armageddon's Children - Terry Brooks [77]
But he also knew that he would never leave without Tessa. Even at the cost of his own life, he would never leave her. It wasn’t a rational decision, wasn’t even a decision he had consciously arrived at. He simply knew it. Maybe he had always known deep in his heart and hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. It really didn’t matter. Somewhere along the way, at some point during their time together, he had made the commitment and it was too late even to try to change it. His feelings for her were so strong and so deeply ingrained that he could no longer imagine life without her. He was wedded to her in the only way that mattered—in his heart, in the strength of his affection, and in his determination to be with her forever.
So before he could fulfill what he believed to be his destiny—to save the Ghosts, to take his family away from the city and the danger that threatened—he must convince Tessa to come with them. She had steadfastly refused to leave her parents, but he must find a way to change her mind and he must do so quickly.
He thought of this as he came up to the station entrance and went down the steps, leaving Cheney to prowl the ruins outside. The light was so poor by now that he could barely see the walls of the compound. By the time he was finished here, it would be completely dark on a night in which there were no breaks in the clouds and no light from moon or stars.
But he brushed his concerns aside, worries for another time, and rapped hard on the steel door that led down into the tunnels, using the prearranged signal, twice hard and once soft.
Seconds later the locks on the other side released, the door swung open, and Tessa slipped through and was in his arms, hugging him close. “Why do you do this to me?” she breathed in his ear, kissing him, then burying her face in his neck.
“I had a long afternoon uptown. I didn’t get back until late.” He hugged and kissed her back. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,’ she said. “But I worry. Every time, I think that you’re not coming, that something’s happened. I don’t know how to handle it.”
She broke away, holding him at arm’s length and staring at him as if she had never seen him before, or never would again. Her eyes were black pools in the dim light, and her brown skin was smoothed and darkened by the shadows. “Did you miss me?”
He laughed. “Only enough that I gave up dinner to come see you.”
“That’s all? Only dinner?”
“That’s all I had time to give up. What else do you want?”
She stared at him. “I don’t know. Everything, I guess.” She smiled selfconsciously and reached into her jacket pocket. “I brought the pleneten. Six doses wrapped in cold packs. It should be enough for Persia. Keep them cold until she takes them. Have Tiger do the same while they’re stored.”
He nodded, accepting the packs and sticking them deep into his side pocket. The pleneten came in tablets that were easily transported. He would take them to Tiger tomorrow at midday, as promised.
She took his hands and led him over to the bench where they liked to sit during their visits. He wrapped one arm about her shoulders and cradled her against him. “Thanks for doing this.”
She nodded, but didn’t say anything.
He sensed something. “It went okay, didn’t it?”
“I might have been seen.”
He felt himself grow cold inside, and for a moment he didn’t say anything in response. “Seen by whom?” he managed finally.
She sighed and lifted her head from his shoulder. “There was another girl working in the medical supply room. She caught me in the refrigeration cabinet where they store the pleneten. I made up a story about doing an inventory, but everyone knows that inventories are only done by assignment and at certain times.”
“Do you think she might tell someone?”
“She might.”
“Then you shouldn’t go back.” Because you know what will happen if you do and they