Page 185 of Wicked Angel
“She was my wife. Briefly.”
He nodded. “Yes. You did mention her. Years ago.”
“I don’t want to talk about that today.”
“Why?”
“It’s irrelevant.”
Clearly, he disagreed. “What else is outside the fortress, Johnny?”
I leaned forward on my knees, sending the kitten scurrying from my lap, as the tears burned in my eyes again. So fucking fast. This place, Rory, was one of the only places it felt safe for the tears to come. Most everywhere else… I felt mostly numb. Emotionally numb. The wall was high and I was safely inside.
But the pain rose up now, so fucking fast.
“My mom. She used to be there. Before she died.”
“Not anymore?”
I looked up at him. “She’s dead.” He knew that.
“So, she’s silent now? You don’t hear her anymore?”
“No. She’s gone.”
“I know you miss her from your life. Do you also miss her outside the wall?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because… she never tried to come in.”
“She knew the fortress was there?”
“She knew I built it. That… my dad built it,” I amended, remembering our last conversation, what he said about my dad being the first builder of the wall. “She watched it get built, from the outside. She never did anything to stop it. To stop us.”
“She abandoned you.”
I rubbed my face.
“She abandoned you in your life. And she abandoned you inside the fortress, too, didn’t she.”
I didn’t answer that.
“Do you see that, Johnny?”
“Yeah. I see that.”
Rory was silent for a moment. I wasn’t sure if he was thinking, or just giving me a moment to digest.
“We’ve talked about your dad and about your mom, who could see the fortress. And about your ex-wife, who could not. And your friends, who cannot. Can anyone else see the fortress?”
I took a breath. “I think… I think she can.”
“Who?”
“Angeline. My new… friend. My publicist. My…” I didn’t know what to call her. “At least, she can feel it. And sooner or later she’ll see it. If…”
