Stealing Time by Rebecca Bowyer (bearly read books .TXT) 📗

eyebrows. “Because it seems alittle odd to be having a conversation...”

“I mean, why are you here?” She cut himoff.

Please fix our son, she wanted to say tohim. Please don’t judge me, yell at me, be furious with me. Youhave every right, but please tell me how to fix our son. Then youcan hate me all you like.

Instead, she glared at him, free hand on herhip, as though this was all his fault.

“I came to apologise for the other night. Iwas a little hard on you and I’m sorry for that. I just needed torule you out as a suspect.” He paused and frowned at her unchangingstance and expression. “You understand, right?”

Varya nodded and took a step backwards. “Youwant a vodka?” she asked as he brushed past her.

“I’d love a vodka,” he murmured.

She curled up beside him, drink in hand,bare feet tucked to the side, pretending a calm and relaxation shedidn’t feel. ‘Numb’ was the best she could manage right now.Sebastian seemed less able to hide his feelings. He sat awkwardlyon the low sofa, long legs bent in front of him, back straight,glass resting on one knee, hand on the other.

“We found the two little girls who wentmissing,” he started. He took a gulp of vodka and rested it gentlyback on his knee. Varya pictured the fortifying burn the liquidwould make as it meandered down his chest, into his limbs. “One wasa murder-suicide. The non-custodial parent.” Another gulp. “Theother had the same M.O. as Daniel. Looks like they didn’t manage toleave enough life span to get her home safely first, though. Thebody was dumped in an alleyway, behind the Town Hall.”

Varya tried extremely hard not to feel athing at this news. She lifted her glass and tipped back the entirecontents, flicking her head backwards and swallowing in one fluidgesture. But it didn’t silence the voice in her head, whichwhispered, Your fault. This is all your fault.

Worse, Sebastian wasn’t finished. He took adeep breath and looked at her directly.

“While the parents were identifying thebody, we got a call about three more abductions. We have toconsider the possibility they may be escalating operations.”

She dropped her glass onto the carpet then.It stayed there, tipped to the side, empty.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sosorry.” Great, hacking sobs that shook her shoulders started togush out. She felt, rather than saw, Sebastian kneeling in front ofher, his face level with hers. Her skin burned where he placed ahand on each of her arms and gently tried to pry them from coveringher face. “So sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept whispering, developingmomentum into a disturbing yet comforting rhythm. “All my fault,this is all my fault.”

“This is not your fault, Varya. You’re doingeverything you can to get the time transfer tech ready.” He’dsettled for rubbing her tensed upper arms gently, trying to injecthis warmth into her cold body. She stopped whispering but continuedto sob. She leaned into him slightly, testing to see if the feel ofherself against his chest would fracture her completely. His smellwas so good, sweet and affirming. Familiar and safe. Sebastian putone hand on her back, then another. It felt so good, as thoughanything could be overcome.

“It’s nearly finished,” she muttered intoher forearms, which still protected her face against his chest.“The time transfer tech, I think we’re nearly there. Maybe a fewmore days, another week.”

He touched her hair gently and smoothed afew strands down, brushing against her neck. Slowly, trembling, shedrew her arms down and folded them around her own chest. She leanedher cheek against his shirt, aware but not caring that she wasstaining it with her tears.

“There, see? And there was nothing you couldhave done to help that little girl anyway, not without us findingthe perpetrator to transfer the life span back from.”

Varya nodded and started to pull away. Thevodka was making her dizzy and the proximity to Kir’s father wasmaking the world spin too fast. Sebastian relaxed his arms and lether sit up straighter. Did he look disappointed? She wasn’tsure.

“I should have destroyed the technology.None of this would be happening if I had.”

Sebastian smiled sadly. He pushed up fromthe floor and returned to the opposite sofa, picking up his glassand taking a large sip.

“You don’t know that they’re using the unityou and Reg kept. I know you’re very talented, but that doesn’tmean someone else hasn’t been studying what you did. It doesn’tmean somebody else hasn’t discovered what you discovered. It couldsimply be coincidence.”

Varya frowned. “A coincidence that the M.O.is identical to the time thieves from ten years ago? That thesecond victim was my best friend’s son?”

“It’s not identical. Similar, but lessprecise. The child today, she had no life span left at all.”

“Maybe they’re just less theatrical, or lesscompassionate, than the last mob,” Varya shrugged. “And theconnection to me, what do you make of that?”

“Like I said, possibly just coincidence. Yousaid, yourself, that you’ve been incognito these past years. Nobodymentions you in the media anymore, nobody at the research facilityknows who you really are.”

“Unless somebody found out.”

Sebastian sighed. “Yes, unless somebodyfound out. But Varya, I think you’re being a little paranoid,aren’t you?”

She glared at him then. He hung his head alittle and took a swig from his glass.

“I’m tired,” she announced.

Sebastian nodded. “Of course, it’s late. Icould do with some rest myself.” He stood and placed the glass onthe little table next to the couch. “I’ll see myself out.”

“Let me know if there are any developments,”she called after him.

He turned on his heel. “I’ll callConnor?”

She shook her head. “You have mynumber.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, then. Good-bye,” she prompted, whenhe didn’t move.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she stoodto refill her glass. She stared towards the spare room, where sheknew Elena would be dosing Kir with Entiac to get eight hours ofdaily peace. As she sipped her third drink, she decided that shewould use her own magic potion to get her eight hours tonight. Thetime tabs were a vice she wouldn’t readily give up. She made a noteto avoid telling Sebastian about them, even if she had to comeclean about other things. For now, she needed to just