Whisper of Memory (Whispering Woods Book 2) by Brinda Berry Read Free Book Online Page A

possibility.”
    My breath stuck in my throat as I thought about Regulus and his trust for the IIA. I believed with every cell in my body that Regulus was sure he worked for the good guys. “I’m trying to stay open-minded. If Pete is running from the IIA, I’m sure that Regulus doesn’t know.”
    Em started the video again and located two other men she circled on-screen with the drawing tool. She clicked on the Stop button and glanced sideways at me. “I’m not saying that I think Regulus knew anything about it. I know you’re in deep.” She leaned back in the chair as far as she could go without falling over.
    I flopped belly first on top of my bed and rested my chin on my folded hands. “I’ve never really cared about boyfriends…or lack of.”
    “Um-hum.” Em withdrew a bottle of nail polish from her bag and waved it. “You mind?”
    “Go ahead.”
    “And now you’re worried about boyfriends, now that you have one? Where is this going?”
    “I’m torn between wanting to know Regulus better and being scared of knowing him better. He drives me crazy. I think about him all the time. But when we’re together, it gets complicated. Most of the time, he only talks about the IIA and training me.”
    “That’s all you do together?” Em grinned because she knew the answer.
    “No. We do other things,” I answered hesitantly.
    “Your relationship sounds normal to me.”
    “If we aren’t talking about the IIA and finding Dr. Bleeker, we’re…you know…kissing.”
    “So what’s the problem?”
    “There’s so much that I don’t know about him. And he knows everything about me. Too much. They have a file on my entire family.”
    “You ever read the file?”
    “No.”
    “Then how do you know that it’s everything?”
    “I don’t. But he knows stuff about my mother.” Silence. The topic was always uncomfortable. Em’s mother was the type who overpowered her life. Mine had conveniently disappeared when I was a toddler. They were both unspoken burdens in our psyches.
    “What did he tell you?” Emily asked in a near whisper, her hand poised above the last toenail she was painting. She was holding her breath.
    I focused on the brush in her hand. The polish was pink and glittery. “I guess she was a synesthete like me.”
    “Is that all he said?”
    “No, he knows what she looks like.” I met her eyes. “He said she has a scar on her right cheek. My mother has eyes of two colors—one green and one blue.”
    “You didn’t know that?”
    “No, I didn’t.” I sounded angry and exasperated. “Sorry. I don’t remember much about her. I’ve seen a few pictures. But when I look at them, I see her face and I think about what she did to us… Leaving her husband and two kids… I never look at her eyes.”
    “Why did she leave…if you don’t mind me asking?”
    “I really don’t know. I’m sure that dad is better off without her. She put a gun to my head the last time I saw her.”
    Em didn’t appreciate my sarcasm. “Did she recognize you? You’ve grown up since then.” She leaned forward and put her hand on my shoulder. “She would have to be a monster if she remembers you and still did what she did.”
    “Like I said. Better off.” I shrugged. I picked up a gaming magazine on my nightstand, flipping through the pages.
    “What else does Regulus know?”
    “That’s the part that scares me. What’s worse…not knowing or knowing what you wish you didn’t?”

     
     
     
     

Chapter 4

Austin
    A ustin leaned back in the chair as much as possible while examining his new ink. His shirt usually covered the tat so his mother hadn’t noticed yet. The three-inch, intricate design began on his top right pec. Only someone looking for it could see the letter M on the tail of the dragon. The slight difference from the other scales on the dragon’s tail was his tribute to her. Not that she would ever know about it. Grabbing the orange soda to take another swig, he shook his head in