When Charlie and John were kids, they used to fantasise about going after the Institute, even taking down a vehicle and freeing a captured Reacher. Charlie always wondered why nobody had ever tried it. Now he knew: the Institute was working with the largest group of Reachers in Britain, ensuring they would never be a target for a serious Reacher attack.
Sol had always known enough about Charlie to make guesses and assumptions about his movements. He only struggled when it came to John. Charlie now wondered if it was Sol who sent Scarlet in, with her sympathetic ear and convenient counsel, the first time. Had Sol told her where Charlie was vulnerable? Had he pushed them to murder Sarah and take Lilly? Or had the Institute been the one pulling the strings?
In the end it didn"t matter. He"d
