Agents of the Glass Read Online Free

right?” said Silas.
    “Um, yeah…How did…Oh, never mind. You know
everything
about me,” Andy said as he twisted off the cap and took a healthy swig. “What are you, some kind of spy or something?”
    Silas tugged on his left earlobe and glanced around the room before saying, “Something like that. I’ll tell you a little about myself, but first tell me about Friday afternoon.” He pointed to the bandage on Andy’s forehead. “Tell me about the bank and the backpack and…what happened after that.”
    Andy’s eyes narrowed, staring straight into Silas’s. “You’re not a spy. You’re a reporter, aren’t you? I’m not supposed to—”
    “I’m not a reporter. I’m not recording you. That’s a promise. Here, check my phone. It’s turned off. In fact, you can hold on to it until we’re done. Have you talked to anybody about that day?”
    “Just my parents. And the police. And the FBI. They asked me some questions about what I saw before the bomb went off, but I don’t remember anything. I was just walking along and then…” Beginning to relax, he told Silas about the fateful pickle, the explosion, seeing the homeless man and his cans get blown into the street, and lying under the delivery truck, listening to all those sirens.
    “You were very fortunate,” Silas said. “Do you really believe that the pickle was fate telling you that it wasn’t your time?”
    Andy twisted his lips to the side, thinking. “I don’t know. It’s just…when I picture that poor guy in front of me and think that could have been me…that maybe it was
supposed
to be me…”
    “I think I can safely say that it wasn’t supposed to be you or the homeless man, either. It just…was. Now tell me about the backpack. Did anybody tell you that you should keep the money?”
    Andy squirmed. “Well, my dad didn’t exactly seem thrilled when I said I was going to give it back. But that’s just the way he is.”
    “What about your mom?”
    “She didn’t know until after I gave it to the police. She left for Africa on Saturday morning. I told her about it on the phone last night.”
    “What did she say?”
    Andy blushed and looked away. “I dunno. That she was, you know, proud of me.”
    “That’s nice. I’m sure she is. Your dad is, too. He just has a harder time saying it, I’ll bet. Still, weren’t you tempted at all to keep the money?” Silas pointed at the
Indefatigable
kit in Andy’s hand. “Would have bought a lot of model ships. Almost would have bought a real ship,” he added, laughing.
    “I thought about it for a second,” he admitted. “My dad said it would pay for college, but…”
    “So what was it that made you want to give it back to the bank?”
    He shrugged and twisted his lips again. “It was…the right thing to do.”
    Silas fought back a smile. Andy had said the magic words:
It was the right thing to do.
    “Do you always do the right thing?”
    “I try. I mean, I’m not perfect, but—”
    “You did it again today, a few minutes ago, with Melvin. You could have taken that great discount and just walked away with your model ship…and no one would have blamed you after the way you were treated. You’re not like most people, Andy. You’re special—a lot like Horatio Hornblower, now that I think of it. And we want you on our side.”
    “We? Who’s
we
?”
    “Before I tell you that, I need you to promise me that you won’t reveal what we talk about today…ever. To anyone. In a little while, you’re going to have a decision to make, and if you choose to join us, you’ll understand the need for secrecy. If you decide to walk away and forget you ever met me, though, that’s exactly what I want you to do—forget everything you hear today and just go on with your life. Do you understand?”
    Andy nodded, even though he didn’t really understand what he was agreeing to.
    “You probably want to know a little about me, starting with who I am, right? I suppose, in a way, I’m a