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.Photos of the boys were everywhere and he had to admire her obvious love for her children.He'd always found women who loved being mothers attractive, regardless of their career choices.And Marianna Glendower did motherhood very, very well.She did most things very, very well; he'd seen that for himself over the last several weeks.His admiration of her had only grown.A click came from the kitchen and he tensed.Ed relaxed, recognizing the kid outlined in the light of the refrigerator."Nate? You ok?""Just can't sleep, sir.I didn't mean to wake you.""I wasn't sleeping, either.Want to talk about things?" Ed kept his tone neutral, but inviting.He'd dealt with many a middle-of-the-night talks with teenage Georgia.Especially after what had happened when she was fifteen."Yeah.I guess.You'd probably have the most answers.""You have questions about what's going on with your mom.""That's the truth." The boy flopped into the chair adjacent to the couch, putting his bottled juice on the coffee table in front of him."Tell me why this guy is doing this.Why does he want to hurt my mom and Aunt Ally? They never hurt anyone!""No, they haven't.And I wish I could tell you.If I could figure out why, I could find the guy and deal with him.Nate, I'm not going to stop until I do find him.""Yeah, you say that, but we both know the good guys don't always win."He was old enough to understand that; Ed knew soft platitudes and empty promises wouldn't be enough for a young man like Nate."No, they don't.But we have to try, have to do the best we can.And when it matters, hold on to hope that we can win.And son, your mom matters to me.A great deal.I can promise you that."Nate stared at him for a long time.Ed just waited, sensing the boy needed to wrap his head around what were very adult concepts.Finally, Nate spoke."I used to think the bad guys my mom dealt with were just stupid people who would always get caught.I never thought they'd be people who would hurt my mom.Or that they would be so real.""Or everywhere you turned? Son, I've been in law enforcement for more than half my life.Bad guys exist.I can't deny that.""How do you do it? Doesn't make it seem like there's more bad than good? Cody was nice, she didn't deserve to be hurt at all.""No, she didn't." Ed thought for a moment."Sometimes.If you let it, the bad will start to overshadow the good.That's when you have to find your grounding.""Your what?""Grounding.Your center.The something that makes your world worthwhile.""What's yours?""My daughter.My grandson, the rest of my family.My friends.They are the ones I do this job for.To help protect them.The people I've helped through this job.The knowledge that for those people I have made a difference.""Why did you join the FBI and not the cops, or the military, or something?" Nate's tone changed."Initially?" What was the boy thinking?"Yeah, I guess.How did you know it's what you were supposed to do?"He recognized the question for what it was.A boy on the verge of manhood would have insecurities when a parent's choices were examined.Threatened."I never intended this.I was in my first year of law practice, married with a baby coming.I was expected to go into state politics like the rest of my family--even like my wife.I hated politics, still do and always have."The boy snorted, and Ed was reminded of the boy's father's occupation."I hate them, too.So what changed you? Made you go against your family?""Something happened.That's for sure.To a classmate of mine.HIs wife and daughter were victims because of nothing they had done.Thy were kidnapped because of who my friend's family was.The FBI was called in.""And that was it? You just joined right then?""No.It's not that easy.I stayed with my friend until the end, and that meant seeing how the agents helped his family, him.I made my decision kind of rashly, and applied.""Just like that? What did your family say?""My family wasn't happy, no." Where was this leading to? Was the boy possibly thinking of joining the FBI someday? Did his mother know?"But you did it anyway.""I was a man, son.Twenty-four years old and had been making my own decisions for quite a while.But that was it in a nutshell.When I spoke with the agents so long ago, something clicked, Nate.Everything in me said it was the right decision for me.Then when Georgia--my daughter---was born I kept remembering my friend's daughter and the repercussions for her.And I know I could do more good as an investigator than as a politician, if I worked hard enough.Where is this going? It sounds like something more on your mind than what's going on with your mom."Chapter 20Marianna stood in the hall, unashamedly eavesdropping.She’d heard the depth of Nate’s turmoil in his questions, though the words were innocuous enough on the surface [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]