Chapter 377 Brad's Heartbeat
The Wizard could only stare at Brad in disbelief.
Brad had dragged him up the mountain as if the world were ending. He had expected some grave, world-shaking crisis. Instead, Brad wanted him to learn fortune-telling.
Brad, quick to grasp the basics, spoke after a short while. "I see. I understand now. Thank you."
The Wizard waved him off, eager to be gone, not caring in the slightest what Brad intended to do with the knowledge. "Go, go. And don't bother me unless it's urgent."
Brad packed his things and followed him down the mountain.
The night was cool and sharp, the sky a deep black scattered with stars like silver dust. At the foot of the mountain, Brad sat in a small riverside teahouse. The wind stirred his robe, and the cross in his hand caught the faintest glint of light.
His gaze followed a girl cutting through the night on a bicycle, her hair streaming behind her.
Juniper parked the bike with some effort and found the spot they had agreed on. She slid into the seat across from him. "Sorry, Mr. Thornton. Things got hectic in the lab. I kept you waiting. Let me buy you tea."
"It's fine," Brad replied.
The teahouse was busy, so Juniper brewed the tea herself and set the pot in front of him.
Brad took a sip. "I've looked into it. From what I can tell, your mother stumbled upon someone tied to the Galactic Aurora Collective project. I spoke to Catherine—the one who sanctioned its existence."
Juniper nodded slowly. "You mean she ran into one of the higher-ups, and that's why she…?"
"Yes. The fire and the illness were no accident. Catherine told me her grandmother had contact with a certain project before she died. She's investigating it herself."
Brad drank again, his voice steady. "The reading suggests that Elodie and your mother encountered the same project."
He hesitated, but chose to speak plainly. "If you weren't part of the Windsor family, you might have ended up in the Galactic Aurora Collective Lab as… a test subject."
The words hung in the air. Brad's throat tightened, and he took another sip to mask it.
Juniper was brilliant—brilliant enough to stand out even among the Windsors. She had been on the Collective's radar for years. But that same year, Catherine had infiltrated the facility and dismantled it entirely, erasing what could have been a nightmare.
Juniper rested her chin in her hand. "If I want to know more about the Galactic Aurora Collective, who should I ask? I'd rather not bring up something that would hurt Catherine. Damn Franklin…"
Her voice hardened. "Thinking about what Catherine went through makes me want to kill him."
Brad's tone stayed even. "I've been inside the Galactic Aurora Collective, but only alongside Catherine. You can ask me, though there are things I can't reveal. Catherine would be better."
He paused, then added, "If you ask her, she won't turn you away."
"No," Juniper said firmly. "Even if she doesn't mind, I do. You don't understand."
She turned toward the river. The surface was calm, broken only by a breeze that rippled the water and lifted her fringe. A gentle smile curved her lips.
"I like Catherine. At first, I worried she wouldn't like me—that she'd think I was taking her place. But she's wonderful. Being her sister is a gift. And since I'm her sister, it's my job to protect her."
Something in Brad shifted at her words. "It's good," he murmured, "that she found a family like this."
He knew better than most how hard Catherine's life had been.
Juniper stood. "I should go. See you next time, and thanks—"
"Fuck! Who the hell—?!"
She froze, staring at the man sprinting away with her bicycle. This was Eternal Light Cathedral's foothill, a quiet spot with barely a soul in sight. There wasn't another bike for miles.
Juniper's shoulders slumped. She still had to get back to Imperia City, but now she'd have to find a ride to somewhere with public transport first.
Brad brushed the dust from his robe. "I'll take you."
"What? You can drive?"
He could, but instead he gestured toward the river, where a small ferry bobbed at the dock. "By boat. Faster. It'll take you straight into the city, and you can get a cab from there."
"That works."
Soon they were on the ferry. Juniper stood at the bow, waving as Brad remained on the shore. "Mr. Thornton, it's getting windy. Go home! See you next time!"
Brad lifted a hand in return, watching until the ferry vanished into the dark. He murmured scripture under his breath until his heartbeat slowed, then returned to the teahouse.
The tea had steeped too long; it was bitter now. He smoothed the wind-tossed edges of his robe. Something stirred deep inside him.
In a restaurant across town, Catherine read a message and arched a brow. "Brad says he's going traveling? Out of nowhere?"
Last time they spoke, he'd said he'd be staying at Eternal Light Cathedral for a while.
Alexander took a napkin and carefully wiped the bit of frosting from her fingers. "He's a priest. Wandering is part of the calling."
"True, but he also mentioned Juniper is digging into her mother's past. He thinks it may be tied to the Galactic Aurora Collective and asked me to… cooperate? Since when is he this polite?"
She called Brad to ask directly. When his answer proved vague, she told him to come to the restaurant.
He arrived in travel clothes, and in just a few days something about him seemed calmer, more distant.
"Need me to prepare anything for your trip?" she asked.
"No. I can handle myself. We may not see each other for a while. I just need you to give this to Juniper."
He handed her a small box and left without another word.
Puzzled, Catherine opened it. Inside was a cross etched with scripture—the very one Brad had worn since childhood, never once parting with it.
Her breath caught.
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