Secret Passage
Page 16
“He is?”
“Of course. May I take your coat?”
“No, I think I’ll keep it, if you don’t mind.” Never knew when you’d need to make a speedy exit, Zac decided. He glanced up. There was no snow on the skylight today. Sunshine streamed in through the glass, easing Zac’s feeling of claustrophobia.
The maid ushered him down a long, dim corridor to a set of ornate wooden doors which she swung open with a flourish.
“Dr. Von Meter, Mr. Riley is here to see you.”
The old man stood at the window staring out at the garden. He didn’t speak until he heard the doors close behind the maid, and then he said over his shoulder, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Have you?” Zac walked slowly toward him.
The old man turned. When he saw the look on Zac’s face, something that might have been fear flashed in his eyes. “Stop,” he said. “Don’t come any closer.”
Zac kept walking. “We’ve got a score to settle, old man.”
“I don’t know what you mean—”
“You know exactly what I mean. If you, or anyone associated with Project Phoenix, goes near Camille or my son again, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
With an effort, Von Meter seemed to muster his dignity. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner? I’m the one who created you. I control you….”
Zac reached out and closed a hand around Von Meter’s throat. “News flash, old man. You’re not God. It’s time you stopped pretending that you are.”
CAMILLE SAW HIM FIRST THIS TIME. He stood in the shadows, watching them. And just like before, her heart began to pound as he moved out of the trees into the sunlight. Their gazes met, and she felt everything inside her go still.
Adam came running over and tugged on her arm. “Who is that man, Mom? I’ve seen him before.”
“Have you? Where?”
He shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know.”
Zac started walking toward them then, and Camille’s heart beat even faster. She didn’t think she’d be able to utter a word, but when Zac stood before them, she whispered his name.
“Von Meter is dead,” he said.
Camille caught her breath. “Did you—”
He shook his head and glanced down at Adam. “Hello, there.”
“Hello.”
Zac knelt, his heart in his eyes as he gazed at his son. “I’ve been watching you play. That’s some arm you’ve got.”
Adam beamed. “You wanna play catch with me?”
“Sure. Baseball’s my favorite sport. That is…” He glanced up at Camille. “If your mother doesn’t mind.”
“I don’t mind,” Camille said softly. She sat down on a nearby bench and as she watched them through a veil of tears, time seemed to stand still. Her gaze met Zac’s and he smiled. She heard her son laugh, and she captured the moment in her heart. Then the world began to turn again. Time moved on.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3769-8
SECRET PASSAGE
Copyright © 2004 by Marilyn Medlock Amann
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