Monster Like You

Chapter 29

Easier said than done, because the black SUV was still standing on the other side of the street. Of course, the fire escape was also still at our disposal, but I was afraid that during a few hours of surveillance of my house, security personnel - if it was them - could also notice the fire escape and take it under surveillance. So we came up with another plan.

I left the house much earlier than I usually did, but my "tail" turned out to be ready for this: the all-terrain vehicle followed me. I pretended that I was driving towards the headquarters of Cerberus Corps, but deliberately drove along the road, where a traffic jam was already gathering. Here it became more difficult for an all-terrain vehicle to chase me: I changed lanes several times, shamelessly climbing into every acceptable "hole" between cars, using the small dimensions of my own.

At first, I "climbed" into the far left lane in this way, and when the bulky, clumsy SUV was able to change lanes behind me, lagging only a couple of cars, I began an even more aggressive rebuilding in the opposite direction. They honked at me with displeasure, but today I didn't care. I got to the right lane just in time to pull into a public transport stop. Turning on the emergency signal, I got out of the car and hurriedly dived into the subway. I'll have to buy the car from CLEC later, of course, but I thought it was an acceptable sacrifice.

In the subway, I easily blended into the crowd. Even if the maneuver was solved, and someone from the car followed me, he lost me. Having made sure of this, I went to the nearest station to the house of Rea. It was to be hoped that Nathaniel had already managed to get there. And that we can intercept Rea before she leaves for work.

I didn't know how to build a conversation, because I didn't fully understand her role, but I hoped that I would get my bearings on the spot.

There was no need to invent anything. Rea opened the door and, as soon as she saw Nathaniel over my shoulder, exhaled sharply. As if relieved.

"I suppose since you're here, you already know everything?" she suggested resignedly, stepping aside and letting us into the apartment.

She looked at Nathaniel warily, as if she was afraid that he might snap her neck at any moment.

"Not yet, but we hope that you will shed light on the dark spots."

According to the chosen tone, Nathaniel wasn't going to dispel her fear.

"Where is his child, Rea?" I asked a little more gently.

If she had been helping Alyss all this time and had taken the child to protect her, then she didn't deserve to be treated rudely.

Rea sighed again and motioned for her to wait in the living room, and she went into another room. She returned quickly, holding the baby in her arms, who was grunting with displeasure, about to cry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do," she looked guiltily at Nathaniel, then looked at me. "I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I couldn't catch the moment. First they loaded me with research, then you were with Gervase, then with Kiaran, then disappeared altogether..."

She came closer, not knowing who to give the baby to. He was still very tiny, he must have been born recently. Rea held it very carefully, and it was as if I was paralyzed. Deep down, I didn't feel right to take Alyss' baby in my arms.

Fortunately, Nathaniel was not one of the timid ones in this aspect either. Not immediately, but he stepped forward, offering his hands. Rea carefully handed him the child, softly clarifying:

"It's a boy. Alyss named him Celestine," she gave me a quick glance.

I shifted my gaze to Nathaniel's face and couldn't help but smile. Always gloomy and dissatisfied with something, a careless and brutal hybrid of a man and a chameleon has never appeared to me so confused, but happy. I remembered that the former Nathaniel Bond always treated children involved in our investigations with special attention and care. And, probably, now I understood why at the very beginning he was ready to sacrifice me for the sake of saving Alyss and the child. For the first time I saw him smiling quite sincerely, rocking a roaring baby in his arms.