The Registry (30 page)

“Check the surrounding towns, fifty—no, seventy-five-mile radius.” Grant nodded at Leonard. “For those who aren’t in the field, start doing background checks on people in the area. Look for someone or something that stands out. Why would a stranger risk his life to help someone? It’s for a darn good reason; we find the reason, we find her.”

The men seemed to nod their heads in agreement, glancing around at each other.

“Please be at your destinations within twenty-four hours, rested and refreshed. Rex will give you your itineraries.”

With these final words Grant turned and walked back to his room. He could hear Agent Ross trailing in his footsteps. Grant wondered if he was going soft. A few years ago Leonard would have been through the window. Grant didn’t need Agent Ross for anything at the moment and wished he would go away.

“We’ll take my helicopter, but it’s still a far hike; we’re looking at about five hours or so. The men have about an eighteen-hour drive. We’ll leave in a few hours; please pack up your things,” Grant said.

He heard the agent’s footsteps stop. Agent Ross was no longer at his heels. That was one of the traits he admired about the man; he took direction well. Or maybe he was just scared of a helicopter ride after the incident with Agent Jeffries. Grant let out a happy sigh over the memory of his earlier flight.

Chapter 58

The husband’s word is bond. He is older, has experienced the world, and knows how to avoid dangers and bad situations. His number one priority is always the safety of his wife, he is always right, and a wife appreciates his intelligence.

—The Registry Guide for Girls

T
he hum of the air conditioner came to a stop at the same moment Mia’s eyes flew open. She grabbed the wristwatch Carter had lent to her: nine thirty. She assumed it was A.M. and flung her legs off the bed. She switched on her lantern and examined a couple of the bruises on her arms. Some were going down. She had only been here a week but training with Carter had caused her so much damage.

Mia was settling into a nice routine: stretches and core training in the morning, reading in the afternoon, dinner, and then training with Carter, followed by some kisses.

Each bruise showed her dedication, and she was proud to wear them. Even Andrew was in good spirits; spending time with Rod meant a lot to him. Mia figured it was almost like having a father. She missed Andrew. They never spent any time together. She felt guilty over her time with Carter, like she was cheating on Andrew. She reminded herself he’d shot her down. She wasn’t required to sit around and wait for him. Besides, he didn’t own her. She had the right to have some fun with Carter.

Her conversations with S never got longer than a few sentences. They didn’t come every day either. Mia always thought it was a special treat to receive contact. She didn’t know anything personal about her new friend. But her faith was reinforced. She found out Guatemala was on the far side of Mexico, it had a tropical climate, and, according to the Internet, it owed America everything for even existing. She took the lack of specifics she could find as a positive.

Mia slid the door to her room open. She walked to the light switch and closed her eyes while the light flooded in. She waited a moment before opening them, giving herself time to adjust. She didn’t bother to change out of her sleepwear, too-short plaid shorts with a baggy white tank top. It was comfy and perfect for her stretches. She reminded herself that rewearing clothes conserved water, too.

“I always wondered what you looked like when you woke up,” Carter said.

Mia jumped and turned, going into a fighting stance. Her heart was in her throat.

“Calm down, princess, it’s just me.”

Carter raised his arms in the air. He was in baggy mesh shorts and a plain white T-shirt, not his normal work clothes.

“What are you doing here? Just hanging out in the dark?” Mia relaxed her stance. “Is it nine thirty
P.M.
?”

She was always scared of sleeping through the day. Having no priorities and no windows made it hard for her to grasp time. Carter started laughing.

“No, no, it’s the morning. I just got down here, listened to see if you were up before I turned on the lights. Then you opened the door, almost scaring me. I thought I’d play hooky and stay home with you today.”

“Count me out.” Mia wasn’t sure what hooky was, but it didn’t sound like fun to her.

“It’s just an expression, princess. I’m ditching work to hang out with you.”

“Oh.” Mia pressed her lips together. She found the term a little misleading. “Well, I stretch and do the workouts you wrote down for me in the morning. Run in place for a while.”

“I thought we could do another kind of workout.” Carter bent down and kissed her forehead. She giggled in response.

“It’s too early for kisses.”

“It’s never too early with you.” He spun her around and let his arms rest on her hipbones while he clasped his hands in front of her.

“I’ve got an idea!” Mia said. “Since you’re here during the day, what if we went upstairs? I could make you some real food. See the sun! I haven’t seen the sun in over a week. Please, please, please!”

Mia felt like her eyes were going to fall out of her head with the pleading look on her face. Carter bit his lip. He was contemplating the idea, but Mia knew she had him.

“You can’t tell anyone, ever. Not Dad, not Andrew.”

“I promise.” Mia went up on her tiptoes.

“Give me a minute. Let me make sure the blinds are shut. I’ll call for you when the coast is clear.”

She nodded, not listening. She wished the blinds would stay open so she could feel a warm glow on her skin; she hadn’t realized how much she’d taken sunlight for granted. She told herself to cheer up, remembering there was nothing but sun in Guatemala. The door cracked open.

“The rest of your castle awaits, princess.” From the top of the stairs Carter bowed and held out his arm.

Mia took the stairs two at a time. The blinds were thick and kept out almost all the light, but the little bit that made it through made Mia wrap her arms around herself and breathe it in. It was beautiful. She skipped over to the fridge and made a face at its contents. She was hoping to make some real food for them.

“You guys eat out a lot, huh?”

“Dad can’t cook, and I never learned,” Carter said. “I’m used to it anyway.”

She sifted through what little they had and decided on some French toast. Eggs, milk, and bread would do the job. She didn’t think it was worth asking if they had any cinnamon.

She set her ingredients on the countertop and was looking for a skillet when they heard the unmistakable sound of the garage door opening. Carter sprang from his seat. There wasn’t enough time to make it to the basement door; it was right next to the entryway.

“Here.” He opened one of the lower cabinets. “Hide.”

It was easy to understand why the cabinet was empty. The fridge was bare, so it didn’t make sense to have pots and pans when there was no food to cook. She scooted right in and Carter closed the door with his knee; it bounced open a little, giving Mia a slight view.

“Hey, kiddo.” Rod’s voice was unmistakable. “What are you doing with all that stuff?”

“I was going to try to cook, make a little breakfast for Mia. Surprise her.” Carter sounded honest.

“How do you know what you’re doing, though?” Rod asked.

“Mia told me once, talking about some kind of egg bread; I guessed it couldn’t be hard to figure out. Thought I’d use the computer. She’s not awake yet so I have some time.”

Rod walked around the counter and Mia got a clear view of his legs.

“I don’t want to see you get your hopes up about this. I think Andrew has some strong feelings for her. They’ve been through a lot and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go chasing after her.”

“Relax; I don’t want a battle either. We’re friends.”

Oh, great,
Mia thought. She wished she could chime in and tell Rod how wrong he was. She had made the same mistake, thinking Andrew might have feelings for her. There were none. She always felt ashamed when she thought back to Saint Louis and his rejection. She also had an urge to pull Carter’s leg hair for saying they were just friends. She wondered if this was what he did with all his friends.

“Okay, just be careful and back off a little,” Rod said. “Shoulder feeling any better?”

“I just took some ice off,” Carter said. “I think it’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

“Good, we’ll need you to finish the Robinson job,” Rod said. “I forgot my new boots; any chance you’d run upstairs and grab them for me? My back is killing me and I think they’ll make all the difference.”

“Sure,” Carter said as he left the cabinet.

Mia heard him running up the stairs. As soon as he was all the way up, Rod bent down. She froze, not wanting him to see her. He pulled up a loose floorboard and took out a plastic bag. It was filled with some money and documents. He dropped some more money in the bag and replaced the board. He leaned against the counter, ending Mia’s view. She realized Rod was getting things ready for their departure. She thought it was unusual that he was hiding this stuff.

“Here you go.” Carter reappeared.

“Thanks. Feel better, rest up that shoulder.”

Rod started toward the door. He stopped briefly to add a closing remark.

“And remember, don’t get involved.”

Mia heard the door slam shut but didn’t move. She wanted to wait for the garage door to close, in case he ran back inside. Carter might get in big trouble for letting her upstairs. Her mind raced back to Rod’s comments. What did he see that made him think Andrew was interested in her as more than a friend, and what had made Carter say they were just friends? She shook her head. Maybe it was for the best that Carter was just having fun, because even though she tried hard to deny it, Andrew never left her thoughts.

D
o you want to see my room?” Carter asked. The morning had turned into a lazy afternoon and Mia didn’t want it to end.

“Sure, I’ve never been all the way upstairs.”

Carter swooped by and grabbed Mia’s hand, swinging it back and forth as he led her up the steps. They were carpeted and felt nice on Mia’s bare feet. At the top there was a small landing with three doors, one on each wall. Straight across from the steps was the bathroom. It was large, with a deep, giant tub. Mia wondered why, since they were so concerned about water shortages, but not enough to ask.

“To the right is Dad’s room and here . . .” Carter swung open the door. “Here is me.”

There were dirty clothes all over the place, the bed was unmade, and a strange odor came from within. The wall was decorated with photos of Rod and Carter. Most were just taped to the wall without any frames. It was just as Mia had imagined.

Carter flopped down on the bed. It looked soft as his body bounced up and down. Mia sat next to him, not wanting to lie down yet. There were papers scattered everywhere; she bent down and picked one up. It was a realistic drawing of a dog.

“That was Rufus. He died about a year ago.”

“You’re talented.” Mia examined the detail in the ears and snout.

“You want to see some more?”

Mia nodded while Carter rolled over and produced a binder. Mia began flipping through the pages. There were lots of Rod, doing a whole different array of activities: fishing, hiking, biking. It was obvious Rod and Carter were each other’s lives.

Random pictures of animals, monsters, and characters filled the rest of the pages, until Mia reached the back. For the last several pages the same picture was drawn over and over again; it was of a beautiful woman. Mia ran her hand down the page.

“That’s my mother,” Carter said. “Well, I think so at least. I based it off a photograph of her.”

He again rolled over; this time he reached into his nightstand and pulled out the picture. She was wearing the long navy blue dress Mia had worn her first day there. Her hair was long and strawberry blond. Mia saw that her features were similar to her son’s.

“She’s beautiful.”

“I never met her.” Carter took the photo back.

“Did she die having you?” Mia put her hand over her mouth. As soon as the question was out she knew she’d gone too far. Over the past week her fairy-tale story of Rod and his wife had filled her heart and head. She’d begun to imagine all the different possibilities.

“No,” Carter said. “Her name was Rachel.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t give you an R name—Rod, Rachel, and Roger?” Mia said.

“My name is Rod. Carter is my middle name,” he reminded her.

He didn’t seem to lighten up. Mia got the impression he wanted to talk about his mother.

“Well, what happened?”

“You want to know?” Carter let out a big sigh.

Mia nodded.

“My dad was thirty when they were married. He got her through the Registry, of course, but it was different for him. He loved her. He won’t talk about her much, but I know he did. Real love, not ownership.”

Carter took a short breath. Mia could tell he was trying to talk but couldn’t form the words.

“Well, after they were together for a few years she got pregnant with me. When I was born my dad wanted to give me up. Turn me over to the government, like he was raised. They fought about it, but my dad didn’t care. It was the right thing to do in his eyes. He didn’t want to waste money feeding a boy. He just wanted to try for a girl right away. So, when I was about a week old, my mother was sleeping, and he came in and took me. He was driving me to the nearest safe house. To drop me off. I guess I didn’t cry or anything. About halfway there he had a change of heart. See, he wasn’t a bad man. He couldn’t do that to my mother or me. He’d spent a little bit of time with me and he knew he loved me, too.

“When we got back it was too late. My mom realized he’d taken me away. She wrote a note and then she killed herself.”

All of Mia’s romantic ideas came screeching to a halt. She regretted asking Carter for the story. It was sad, sadder than she’d expected. She didn’t know how to respond, so instead she just leaned over and hugged him.