“Then it’s not your fault. Nick, what is this? What’s going on?” A miniscule widening of her eyes flashed her fear up at him.
“The explosion today. It was John Smith.”
“You can’t know that yet. Maybe it was—”
“It was John Smith. The worst terrorist attack on America in history, and it was an abnorm who did it.”
“But…that’s going to…things are going to…my God, it’s going to get worse. They’re going to come after abnorms. Really come after you.”
“Yes.” He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “So I’m going after him. John Smith. Not the same as before. Something different.”
“What?”
“The only way to get close is if he thinks I’m on his side. So I’m going to be. I’m going to leave the agency and go on the run.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The bombing. They’re going to blame it on me.”
She stared at him. He could practically hear her mind working. “Wait, no, it doesn’t make sense. He’ll know. John Smith, he’ll know you weren’t in on it.”
“Right. But he’ll also know that all of the DAR thinks I was. That I’m on the run, and that I’m being chased. That the agency I’ve served for years, the one I’ve killed for, has betrayed me. That’s enough to make someone start thinking differently. And what a coup for him if I came over to his side! Think how much I could help him. Not only what I can do, but what I know.”
“But for that to work—”
“Yeah. They’re going to have to chase me. Really, truly chase me. I’ll be designated a target. No one but Drew Peters will know the truth. Everyone will think I really went over.”
“No!” Natalie yanked her hands from his. “No, are you crazy? They’ll kill you.”
“Only if they catch me.” He tried a grin, aborted it quickly. “It’s dangerous, I know, but I can do it. And it gives us a chance to get—”
“No. Take it back. Go to the director right now and tell him you changed your mind.”
“I can’t do that, Nat.”
“Why not? Don’t you understand? You have children. I hate John Smith as much as you do, but if I had the choice between him being dead or Kate and Todd having a father, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
“It’s not that simple,” Cooper said, and held her gaze. It only took a handful of seconds. He watched the revelation hit. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened.
“Kate.”
“Yes,” he said. “Kate. If I do this, she won’t be tested. Ever. That was my price. She gets to grow up and live a normal life. She won’t be taken from us. She’ll never see the inside of an academy.”
Natalie steepled her hands over her nose and mouth. Her fingers were shaking. She stared at his chest. Cooper knew enough to wait her out.
“She’s tier one, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her shoulders and straightened her back. “There’s no choice?”
Cooper shook his head.
“The things we do for our children.” Natalie managed a thin, tight smile. “When do you have to go?”
“Soon. I want to see the kids first.”
“Do you want to…you could stay. The night.”
A warm feeling bloomed in his chest. When they’d split up, they’d both agreed that sleeping together was a bad idea, that it would confuse the kids and maybe risk complicating the friendly relationship they had. It had been a mutual decision and a good one; much as they loved each other, neither wanted to be involved romantically, and so it had been years since they’d shared a bed. For her to offer that, now, tonight, it touched him. “That’s a tempting offer. I really wish I could. But they’re going to be looking for me.”
“Already?”
“Soon.”
“All right. You’d better come in, then. What are you going to tell them?”
“Nothing. Just that I love them.”