Page 25 (1/2)

I stood in the gangway between ainst the outer wall of the building, rough brick against my check, my eyes closed My stomach churned with anxiety What had happened to Beezle? Who had taken hi hiainstbefore htened

"I wasn’t crying," I said

"Of course not," he replied

"I’m just worried about Beezle," I said

"Naturally," he said

There was an aard silence, and it only highlighted the nearly impossible distance between us Gabriel would have comforted me, and I would have welcomed his comfort Nathaniel didn’t knohat to do, and I didn’t know if I wanted hihts only ed for repairmen to come and fix your back door and your broken ," Nathaniel said

The door I’d otten about it Gabriel and I had pushed it back into the fra--was it only yesterday? Why did it seehter I had more and more days like this, days that seemed like lifetimes?

"How did you get out the back door when the bomb was in your hand? The door was nailed shut"

Nathaniel shrugged "I tore it out of the fra to be fixed now"

"Yes I would not wish to take any chances with your safety"

He said this in a way that htlike tenderness in his eyes Maybe he meant it Maybe he really did want to keep me safe That didn’t mean he cared about the person I really was as opposed to the person he wanted me to be And no amount of tenderness would help me find Beezle or Gabriel But I needed him to cooperate with me, in at least one way

"Listen, Nathaniel," I said "I really do need you to keep this business about Gabriel frowould be fierce"

As much I didn’t like Nathaniel, I didn’t want hi to sacrifice his beautiful face for my sake I’d have to play this carefully

"I think that you would agree that so, only nodded so that I would continue

"But I would not want to alarm my father unnecessarily"