The Unwanted (56 page)

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Authors: Brett Battles

Tags: #Thrillers, #Fiction, #Suspense

BOOK: The Unwanted
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"I also thought you'd like to know about the children who'd been . . ." Peter seemed to be unable to finish the sentence.
"What about them?" Quinn asked.
"All but one survived. The doctors say he had a heart condition that just couldn't handle the stress of being kept drugged for so long, followed by all the excitement at the school."
"He?"
"A little boy. That's all I know."
Quinn paused as an image of the boy on the gurney squeezing his hand pushed everything else aside. Though he didn't wish death on any of the children, he hoped for his own sanity that this boy was one of the living.
"One last thing," Peter said. "You remember the man you caught in the apartment building in New York before you discovered the DDNI's body?"
That seemed like years ago to Quinn. "Al, right?"
"Al Barker," Peter said. "I was able to have one more conversation with him before the Feds showed up. I brought a picture of Hardwick with me that I'd taken from the NSA website. When he looked at it, he identified him as Mr. Monroe."
"Monroe?"
"The landlord who owned the building. Remember?"
"What the hell?" Quinn said. Hardwick had
owned
the building where Quinn had found the DDNI?
"I think we've been played," Peter said. "I think we might have just done what the LP wanted us to do. But no one will believe me anymore. I'm out of the game. I just thought you should know so you can keep an eye on your back. Since you're still in good standing, they'll be concerned about you. You're one of the few out there who know they exist and can cause them a problem."
Quinn let it sink in for a moment. Even if they had been set up, there had been no choice. Quinn had to do what he'd done. The alternative would have been a disaster. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.
"Get drunk," Peter said.
The line went silent for several seconds before it was replaced by the dead air of a disconnected call.

 

Nate sat behind the wheel of Quinn's BMW, his brand-new prosthesis pressing down on the gas pedal. They were heading south toward L.A., having retrieved the now-dusty car from where they'd left it in the Alabama Hills.
"You still want me to take you straight to the airport?" Nate asked.
Quinn glanced at the clock on the radio. By the time they reached the city, there would be less than two hours before his flight.
"Yeah. Straight there." Tonight he'd be sleeping in a hotel in Minneapolis, and tomorrow, after a long drive north, he'd be having dinner in his parents' kitchen.
Quinn stared out the passenger window at the upsweep of the Sierra Nevadas. After a moment, he looked over at Nate.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"Yeah? What?" Nate asked.
"I was thinking maybe you'd like to move into the guest room of my place."
Nate stared at the road ahead, his expression impossible to read.
"I'm not going to be around that much," Quinn said.
"Where are you going?"
Now it was Quinn's turn to stare out the window. "San Francisco."
A smile cracked on Nate's face.
"I guess I'm kind of asking you to watch my place for me," Quinn said.
"What about my training?"
"Your training won't stop."
Nate looked skeptical. "Don't jerk me around. I'm just going to be a glorified house sitter, aren't I?"
Quinn didn't answer for several seconds. When he finally did, he said, "No, Nate. You're going to be a cleaner."
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Help with this novel has come from various sources, some old, some new, and some I'm sure to forget to mention. Thanks to Jon Rivera, Helene Cariou, Lorena Philp, Jim Hardwick, and Tammy Sparks. All have provided assistance and support in abundance. And to Kelly for the same and more.
A huge thanks also to the sanity squad: Robert Gregory Browne, Bill Cameron, and Tasha Alexander. Not only did they help me focus, but they also gave valuable feedback and suggestions throughout the writing of this book.
And to team Quinn at Bantam Dell in the U.S.: Sharon Propson, Sharon Swados, and Nita Taublib. And at Preface in the U.K.: Rosie de Courcy, Trevor Dolby, Ben Wright, Paula Hogben, Nicola Taplin, and all the rest. And, of course, my agent, Anne Hawkins. But most of all, thanks to my wonderful editor at Bantam Dell, who makes everything I do better, Danielle Perez.
Finally, I couldn't have done this without the love of my three children—Ronan, Fiona, and Keira—who make life meaningful.
As far as any mistakes you might find in the story, I'm told that I'm supposed to take the blame. Guilty as charged.

Table of Contents

Title
By the Same Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Title

By the Same Author

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Prologue

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

Acknowledgements

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