Page 101 of Gamma

“I don’t know what you’re saying, darling,” I whisper. “I just know that you’re safe. No one else will hurt you. The bad man is dead.”

“Bad man die?” Her voice is low, the English surprising me.

“Bad man die, yes.”

She hums, shivers with the aftershocks of a sob. I just hold her.

“Bad man is dead,” I repeat, closing my eyes. “The bad man is finally dead.”

It’s over.

19

Home

There are Interpol interviews. Paperwork. Reports. Debriefings with international authority figures.

We fly the girl, Edda, to Iceland ourselves, in one of Mr. Roth’s supersonic jets. Lear found her parents easily. She was kidnapped right off the street in broad daylight, not two weeks ago. Someone informs them what occurred, and a small fraction of our part in it. Mr. Roth assures them through a translator that any and all medical or psychiatric bills will be paid.

On to New York.

Rin and I make a visit to Yelena and her parents—once Spaulding was killed, they were returned home.

“’Pollo?” She sits on my lap toward the end of our visit. “Is the bad man really,reallygone?”

I nod, touching her chin. “He’s really, really gone. He can’t hurt you or anyone else, ever again.”

She nods seriously. “That’s good. He wasrealbad.”

“He sure was, little one.”

She touches my face with a little hand. “You’re gonna go ’way now?”

I nod. “Rin and I have to go home. We’ve been away from home for a long, long time.”

She ducks her head. “I miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, little one. But I will come visit. And maybe you and your parents can take a vacation to visit us. All the way down in the Caribbean, hey?”

“Can I get one of those drinks with the little umbrellas in it?”

I laugh. “Sure, as many as you want.”

A cough from her father.

“As many as your daddy says you can have, I mean.”

She sighs. “That means like one.”

“Well, I’m sure for a special vacation, he’ll relax the rules a bit.”

“Maybe.” She looks at Rin. “Thank you for rescuing us, Rin.”

Rin smiles, tucks a lock of Yelena’s hair behind her ear. “I was glad to do it, honey. I’m so glad you’re safe and back with your mommy and daddy again.”

“Daddy says we gonna get a new bigger house soon. Big as a whole building, maybe!”

Rin smiles. “If Apollo and I have anything to do with it, you’ll get a whole house to yourself. And a pony, and so many puppies you’ll drown in them.”