The Certainty (Book Four in The Illusion of Certainty Series)

The Final Day, Pt. 1

“Is he asleep?”

Michael nodded, closing the door behind him. “Passed out once his head hit the pillow.”

“What did Patty say?”

“They got into an argument about his future. She doesn’t want him in Guild life but he’s bound and determined to join.”

“What’s with that family and Guild life? You’d think it was a cult or something.”

“To them it is.” Michael took my hand and led me down the hall. “Patricia and Robert were the last two in that family to join a Guild. The rest of them took private security jobs and teaching positions. Or went to college.”

“So I take it something happened to Patricia or Robert in their Guilds?”

Michael nodded. “Patricia was sent over to Europe during the Second World War. She was captured by the SS and the Guild wouldn’t send a team to extract her. They sent her family a condolence letter and they had a small ceremony.”

“Wow. That’s…how did her family react when she showed up on their door step?”

“They were stunned. Happy. Worried that something happened to her over there, she came back different then when she left.”

“Different how?”

“She was thinner, skittish, her overall presence was diminished by her time in experimentation.”

“She seems fine now.”

“She’s had time to overcome it, move passed it.”

I nodded. “She doesn’t like me.”

Michael leaned against the doorframe. “Why do you think that?”

“Just the way she looks at me. There’s an edge of distain in her eyes. I think it has something to do with you. Plus something Freddie said just makes it all seem plausible.”

“What did he say?”

“That all the women in his family were in love with you at some point or another. I’m guessing that includes Patricia.”

“Georgiana…”

“It’s ok.” I put up my hair. “You’ve lived a long life, Michael. There are bound to be a few ex’s in there somewhere.”

“I was never with Patricia.”

“That’s just her. I’m talking about her daughters too.”

I caught that I was onto something because he suddenly found the carpet at his feet extremely interesting. I just chuckled and went to the dresser.

“You know if I knew you were this sheepish about your exs I would’ve brought them up before now.” I looked over at him. “Which one?”

He looked up at me. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“You know everything about Aidan. The least you can do is fill me in on who came before me.”

“There aren’t that many.”

“But there are still some. You’ve lived lifetimes, Michael. I can only imagine how lonely that can be.”

His arms were crossed over his chest telling me how much he really didn’t want to talk about this. But I had to know. Which one of the sisters had he dated? All of them? None of them?

“Should I guess?”

He eyed me warily. “You’re not going to let this go are you?”

“I think I know which one it was. Susan, right?”