Aaron turns the phone off and shakes his head. “He’s good. Take the whole fiasco and find a way to make political capital out of it.”
When I look up from the screen, I see that Deo has been watching over my shoulder. I didn’t even realize he’d come back into the waiting room.
“They didn’t mention anything about the shooting, did they?”
“Just that there were reports of gunfire,” Taylor says. “But then they moved on to the helicopter. Don’t worry. No one saw you running from the scene.”
Deo pulls in a sharp breath. Taylor looks the tiniest bit guilty, probably because Aaron is shooting daggers at her with his eyes.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she mumbles. “Sorry.”
But I kind of think she did mean it that way.
“It’s okay,” Deo says. “Did you know that nurse is here? The one from The Warren? I passed her in the hallway.”
I nod. “She’s here to visit Daniel. Said she needed the bathroom.”
“If she got out,” Aaron says. “I’m guessing she’s not the only one. When you say Cregg was on fire when you left the lab, do you mean a five-alarm blaze or . . . ?”
“His clothes. And the cell phone case was kind of . . . melted to him.”
“Then we have to assume he made it out alive. Possibly Lucas and Dacia as well. And that means we need to get the two of you out of here before your house parent or whatever shows up. You can’t go back there. It’s the first place they’ll look.”
“I tried to explain that to the police,” Kelsey says. “But they seem convinced that you wound up with Lucas because you left the safety of Bartholomew House. He said they’d have additional security, and that we shouldn’t worry. I think they just want you where they can keep an eye on you in case they have additional questions.”
“So . . . options?” Aaron glances around at the four of us.
“Kelsey’s beach house is no good anymore. That’s where they found me last time, so it’s probably the second place they’d look.”
“Same goes for my house,” Kelsey says. “The State of Maryland is already questioning my ability to be objective where the two of you are concerned.” She gives me a stern look. “And that’s not a problem for me. I wasn’t planning to take on any new patients after this year anyway. A gradual retirement suits me just fine.”
“Before all this happened, Deo and I were planning to catch a bus out of town. We had a location all picked out. As much as I hate to admit it, that may still be our best option. Driving is kind of out for me as long as I’m having these visions, and—”
Aaron shakes his head. “Bad idea anyway.”
Taylor barks out a laugh. “Now how did I know you were going to say that?”
“I’m serious, Tay. The two of them off on their own, with no backup if Cregg’s people do happen to track them down? That’s a bad idea.”
I’m not surprised in the slightest that Kelsey agrees, but I am a little surprised to hear Deo taking that side. “Aaron’s right, Anna. Think about how close we came to not making it out of there. Safety in numbers.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I admit. “And . . . to be honest, I’m not certain we’re the only ones at risk. Something that Jaden said earlier has me worried. I think at least a few of the kids in The Warren got enough of a glimpse into my head that they know about Aaron.” I feel my face growing hot, so I add, “Taylor, too. Whether they also picked up that you’re gifted, I can’t say. I’m sorry. I could block Dacia, but . . . it’s not possible to keep the walls up 24/7, and some of those kids . . . you would not believe.”
Taylor shrugs. “Had to happen eventually. Maybe it’s for the best.” Her voice rises intentionally as she looks behind me. “Maybe Mom and Sam and Daniel will stop treating us like teeny-tiny babies in the cradle now.”
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Sam.” Aaron doesn’t even look around to confirm it, but I do. Michele Quinn and Sam are a few yards behind us. Porter, too.
“Hello, Aaron.” She gives her daughter an exasperated half smile. “Taylor, your claims of maturity would be a lot more credible if you acted like an adult when making them.”
Taylor sticks her tongue out. “I have no idea what you mean.”
Her mother responds in kind, and even though their coloring is different, I think pretty much anyone would tag them as mother and daughter right now.
Mrs. Quinn turns to me and Deo. “Kelsey, I’ve already met, but . . .”
“I’m Anna Morgan. And this is Deo Ramos.” Deo nods, but he doesn’t seem able to meet her eyes. “We are so, so sorry about Daniel, Mrs. Quinn.”
“It’s Michele. And the fault lies with Graham Cregg. Daniel said it was an accident, that there was no way you could have—”
“He’s awake?” Aaron says.
Taylor is already on her feet. “Can we see him?”