Page 184 of The Company

Chapter Seventy-Four - Harper

When I wake up in the morning I have no idea what to do with myself. I realize, after lying in bed running all the past days’ events through my mind, that I’m waiting for Vincent to appear and tell me what to do.

Just as this thought crosses my mind, the phone on the bedside table rings.

I stare at it. Do I answer it? I even look around, hoping Vincent will come rushing into the room, but he doesn’t. I count the rings and when it gets to seven, I gather that it’s not connected to a machine and pick it up just to make the noise stop. “Hello?”

There’s a bunch of noise on the other end. “Harp?” Nick asks, sounding very distant.

“Nick? Oh my God, is that you?”

“It’s me,” he says over the roar of traffic. “It’s me!”

“Where are you? How did you know I was here?”

“Vincent called me last night. He said you’re having some trouble adjusting…”

I stop listening. Vincent called him? Called him? Like, just pressed a few numbers and presto, he’s in contact with my brother who’s been missing for a year?

“Harper?”

“Yeah,” I answer. “Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”

“I said, he’s worried about you. And how your time with Tet has affected you.”

“My time with Tet.” Nick’s talking again, but I’ve tuned him out. He knew. He knew I was with James. And Sasha knew where he was too. He went to see Sasha. And my father knew James was with me, they were in contact and that’s why James dropped me off at the ship.

“Harper? Are you still there?”

Somehow all these threads are connected. It’s ragged, but somehow, everything is related. I just can’t seem to figure out how.

“Harper!” He yells it this time.

“Sorry,” I say back quickly. “I think I lost you for a second. The line went silent. Say it again.”

“I said you have to stay away from Tet.”

“Why?” My heart is beating so fast I have trouble breathing.

“Listen, Harp. Tet is on a mission, only he’s not aware he’s on a mission. They brainwashed him years ago, Harper. You need to stay far, far away from him, do you understand?”

“What mission?” I think I might get hysterical.

“I know you’re not going to believe me, but he’s been programmed. They’re all programmed. Do you understand? All the assassins are programmed. They brainwash them when they’re young. All growing up. They tell them things to make them loyal and then when they turn sixteen, the programming is activated and they become assassins.”

“But you—”

“I was never programmed, you know that, sister. I was with you. We’re different. We’re the Admiral’s children. We both have a role to play, but I don’t have time to talk about that now. I got to get back on the road and I just needed to tell you that Tet is dangerous. I know you’re probably wondering who to trust right now, but sister—” His formal use of sister makes me stop my panic and listen. It’s how he always got my attention when we were young because he was not allowed to say my name in front of others. Sister, he’d call me. It meant people were listening. “You have to trust me. Listen to Vincent. Please. He’s telling you the truth. I’m on my way to see you.”

“When?” I interrupt him. “When will you be here?”

“Two days, OK? Just hang in there for two more days and I’ll explain. But for now, Harp, please—listen to Vincent. Give him a chance and let him take care of things. Just relax. You’re safer now than ever before. You’re safer with him than with your own father. OK?”

“OK,” I say just to answer him. But he takes that as the end of our conversation and hangs up. The traffic noise cuts off and is replaced by silence.

I just stare at the phone.

My brother just called me. Remember it all, Harper. Remember it all.Tet is brainwashed. Tet is dangerous. Tet is on a mission. Vincent is good. Nick will be here in two days.