“I don’t know.” Albert shook his head. “And honestly, I don’t wanna find out. Because that would mean they found me. It’s more about principle now than about dying. All these years, decades on the run, constantly looking over my shoulder—I ain’t going out like that. They can’t have me.”
He looked up at Dave, his gaze piercing. “That’s why I had to speak with you. If you had exposed yourself in New York before I got the chance, if they had seen you, they would’ve started digging at headquarters, and Peter’s connected to me. But now that you know, you must understand the gravity of the situation.”
Dave expelled a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. If anything, Albert’s crazy story had pulled him out of his funk for a while. He should be scared, but all he felt was curiosity. “I understand, but what exactly does it mean for me, aside from keeping what I am a secret? It’s not like I didn’t know that already.”
“It means,” Albert said, standing, “you’ll have to learn control not just so you don’t hurt yourself or your friends, but so you can set a limit. You never know if someone is watching you, and if you want to live, you’ll have to blend in.”
“Then I’ll have to look over my shoulder my whole life, like you? Did you ever try to lure them out, whoever these people are? To take them out?”
“It’s too risky. They took out a few of us. The last man they killed, I’d seen what he could do. You wouldn’t believe it even after you’ve seen it with your own eyes. He was incredible. And they butchered him all the same. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. It has been a while since the last murder though, so I’ve relaxed somewhat. That’s the only reason I allowed you all to come here—that, and the fact that Peter swore you kids will keep your mouths shut. But it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
Dave pursed his lips, contemplating the old man’s words, but didn’t have anything else to say.
“Tell me,” Albert said after a moment. “What’s your plan, after this is over? What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” Dave closed his eyes, shaking his head. That power of his, whatever it was, had been twitching constantly since Albert’s trick. It was all Dave could do to stand still. “I’m not sure I want anything. Right now I just want some peace of mind.”
“It will get better,” Albert said, oblivious of Dave’s inner struggle. “But in case it doesn’t, in case you can’t sort it out on your own, there’s someone who will help you.”
Dave tilted his head, and Albert motioned him over to the big stone. The man reached inside his jacket for a small pocketbook and a pen.
“There’s a place you can go, a place where I trained for a while,” Albert said, scribbling something with his pen. Dave sat next to him—it was a set of coordinates. “It’s not open to just anyone, but there’s a way to find it for those who really need it. You’ll find the first direction here,” Albert tapped the paper. “This is all I’m allowed to give you. If it ever gets bad, really bad, this is where you should go. Keiko there…” he hesitated, grimacing, “can tell a person’s future. Help figure it all out.”
Dave gave him a flat stare. “Oh, really?”
Albert scowled. “They will help you there if you need it. That’s all. Got it?” He tore the small piece of paper out of the pocketbook and handed it to Dave.
Not sure what to make of it, Dave just folded the paper and slipped it into his wallet. “Sure. Follow these coordinates, find Keiko.”
Albert nodded. “You can also come here but don’t fly in. Stay under the radar. I won’t tell Peter.”
Albert opened the pocketbook and wrote down something else. “This is my phone number. You’re in our little paranoia club now, so you’ll have to keep in touch. If anything suspicious happens, let me know.” He handed the paper to Dave. “Better not call me from your cell phone, though. Use a payphone or something.”
“Wow.” Dave glanced at the paper before also putting it in his wallet. “You do know paranoia, don’t you?”
“Yes, and you’ll be the same soon.”
“Can’t wait.”
“I don’t take calls from unknown numbers, but there’s a code. Give me two short calls and a long one. I’ll pick up if I can. Oh, and you can’t keep that. You’ll have to memorize it while you’re here and give it back to me before we go. Or eat it while I watch. That’s up to you.”
Dave stared him in the eyes for a long moment, wondering if the old man was joking, but there was no trace of humor.
“All right,” Dave said at last. “Anything else?”
Albert rubbed his hands. “I think that’s all. Let’s try those exercises I wanted to show you.”
Dave got up and stretched, his muscles positively numb. A nudge came from somewhere deep in his chest, making him grunt and grit his teeth. He suppressed the desire to shake his head and turned to Albert instead. “Can I ask you something?”
The old man paused and turned, raising a brow. “Sure.”
“Have you…” Another nudge, and this time Dave had to squeeze his eyes shut and take a deep breath. “Have you ever been afraid of yourself?”
Albert’s gaze darkened. As he turned around and resumed walking, his silence screamed louder than words.
Chapter 22
Martin was all right.
Peter had made sure of it when he watched the man drive up to the Eagles’ base and walk through the doors on his own two feet. So were the others, about a dozen
