Free Blind by Francine Pascal Page A

note?”
    â€œI’ve been worried about you,” he said. “I wish you had never gone off on your own.”
    Gaia was suddenly very glad it was dark. That way George couldn’t see how badly she was blushing. “I thought, you know, after Ella…”
    George turned away from her, his face once again hidden by shadows. “I don’t understand all the actions of my wife. I guess I never will.”
    â€œShe ended up saving me,” said Gaia.
    â€œYes, that’s the important thing. The thing I have to remember.” He continued to look off into the darkness, his expression unreadable. “Everything else Ella did, well, it’s over now. But she did save you.”
    â€œShe did.” Gaia took a step to the side, hoping to get a better look at his face. “Why did you send me the note?”
    â€œI wanted to meet you.”
    â€œNot this note. The first one. The note that told me how to find the apartment.”
    â€œAh.” Finally George turned back to her, though his face was still hard to see clearly in the pale moonlight. “I had hoped your father would be there to meet you, but soon after I sent the note, I learned he had abandoned the apartment. Still, I thought that if you went there, you might find some evidence.”
    â€œEvidence of what?” asked Gaia.
    George didn’t reply for a moment, though Gaia could hear him pull in and release a long breath. “Gaia, I think your father is being betrayed.”
    â€œBy my uncle?” asked Gaia. “I already know about—”
    â€œNot your uncle.” George took a step toward her. His long coat left a trail in the dew-soaked grass. “The conflict between your father and uncle is an old one. Who can even say which one of them is right?”
    I can,
thought Gaia.
The one that shot my mother? Not right
    George shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. “There’s someone else. Someone that’s become very close to him.” He paused for a second. “Did you get into the apartment?”
    â€œYeah,” said Gaia. She thought about the climb up the outside of the building. Even without fear, it now seemed to her more than a little crazy. It also seemed like something that George definitely did not need to know about. “It took some work, but I got in.”
    â€œWhat did you find?”
    Gaia shrugged. “Nothing. Someone had been there before me. Did some serious redecorating. That classic slice-open-the-couches-and-tear-up-the-books style.”
    â€œDamn,” George said under his breath. “Then there’s no proof.”
    â€œProof of what?” Gaia blinked and tried to stare through the darkness. “Who’s after my father this time?”
    Instead of answering, the retired agent only stood, head down and hands in pockets, his shoulders drooping. “Gaia,” he said in a tired tone. “Why don’t you come back and stay with me?”
    The offer was tempting. Almost too perfect. Natasha had just done the shape-up-or-ship-out routine. Gala’s other living arrangements seemed to be limited to cardboard boxes. Plus staying with George would mean not having to share space with Tatiana. Not having to watch as Tatiana methodically reeled Ed in. Not watching Ed get torn away from her like everyone else she had ever cared about. All good points.
    â€œWho’s after my father?” she asked.
    George sighed. His skin seemed to sag on his face. “It’s a shame he doesn’t tell you these things himself.” George shook his head, his fedora bobbing in the moonlight. “I’ve never understood why he treats you the way he does.”
    â€œLook, sometimes I don’t understand him, either, but that’s not really the point right now.” Gaia was anxious for George to get on with it. “Can you just tell me who’s after him now?”
    The agent took another deep breath. “I