I let her know that I would be back in a minute. I went back upstairs and told Xander that I was going out. He reminded me to call Parker to let him know what was going on.
I turned on my phone for the first time since yesterday and had to pointedly ignore the messages from Declan for now.
I put in Parker’s number and waited for him to answer.
“I was planning on going out for a walk with a friend,” I told him, feeling like an idiot. I didn’t know the protocol for this sort of thing. “Is that okay?”
“Absolutely,” he said easily, setting me at ease. “I’m already outside.”
“Oh. Okay, thanks.”
“Oh, and Miss Patterson?”
“Yes?”
“It’ll be best if I come with you. I mean, I don’t have to walk with you, but I have to stay close by. Mr. Dark would insist.”
“Of course.” It would probably make me feel better having him close anyway.
Downstairs, Parker greeted us both as we stepped out of the door and then reminded us that he would be close by if we needed anything. Then we started strolling along the streets in the sunshine. I missed simple things like this. I’d gotten caught so caught up with everything in the last couple of weeks that I hadn’t taken time away to wind down.
“Thank you for taking the time to walk with me,” Maggie said. “I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve been wondering about you,” I told her honestly. “I mean, who you are in relation to Declan, or…”
She flashed me a smile and gave a small laugh. “If you’re wondering if we’re together, the answer is no. Absolutely no. Declan and I are old friends. Family friends, actually. My father also works for Dark Enterprises in the lab.”
My stomach clenched. So it was the same Johnson.
Maggie continued. “Declan and I would often be thrown together for various dinners and other engagements our parents had. We became friends and we could understand each other. Both of us had parents whose work came first.”
I didn’t realize how tense I’d been until she told me there was nothing between her and Declan. Relief swept through me. “I didn’t know. As I’m sure you know, he’s kind of quiet about things sometimes.”
“He is quiet,” Maggie said. “I usually have to pry everything out of him. And I’ve noticed, for the last several months…even close to a year, he’s been extra quiet. He was going through something and he wouldn’t tell me, even though I asked more than once. Even though I would drop by his office and try to pry it out of him. That’s what I was doing that day we met you in the elevator.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Parker following at a distance. He nodded his head when I met his gaze, and I turned my attention back to Maggie.
“So, he told you about me. When was this?”
Maggie nodded. “He did. I bugged him enough, I guess,” she joked. “No, actually I showed up at his office one day and he said he had to go to the hospital. He told me about your father and how he wanted to look out for him—and you. And of course, we got to talking, because I’d never seen him this interested in anyone before. Almost like he was in love.”
My heart twisted. He said the same thing to me. And it surprised me that he told Maggie about me beforehand. But she hadn’t recognized me in the elevator, had she?
She answered before I could ask. “Of course I didn’t know who you were when we ran into you in the elevator. I didn’t know what you looked like. But I did realize he was acting strange. He told me after the fact, and of course, I wanted to come over here right away and talk to you, but he told me not to and said you needed time to adjust everything. But then I saw him last night…” Her eyes were a little sad and I realized right there that she really did care about Declan, but just as a friend. “And then, it was like he couldn't hold back anymore. He told me everything.”
I stumbled a little on the sidewalk in surprise. “Sorry,” I said to a woman when I brushed her shoulder. I glanced back one more time to make sure Parker was still close by before saying to Maggie, “Everything?”
Maggie nodded. “He told me why he’d been acting strange this past year and about the things he was able to do now.” She lowered her voice and linked her arm through mine so we could be as close as possible and not talk too loudly. “He’s so strong and fast…” She shrugged. “Well, better not talk about that here. But you know exactly what I’m talking about. He told me he told you too.”
“I know exactly what you’re talking about.”
“The thing is, I wasn’t too surprised. I had heard my dad talk about this serum before, even though I really had no idea what he was talking about. And he would meet with Declan’s father often to discuss things I’d overhear bits and pieces of, conversation that didn’t make sense until I heard Declan’s side.
“Anyway, that’s not really why I came, though it’s nice to be able to talk to someone else about it. I came to say that I still feel like he’s holding something back like he has another secret.”
Her words resonated with me. It was probably the same secret he wasn’t telling me.
“Something else is weighing on him,” Maggie said. “And I think it has to do with you. He’s worried about you. He told me he couldn’t lose you, acted almost
