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“Dad,” I choke out, willing myself not to crumble under the weight of his searching gaze. “I…”
For an endless, agonizing moment, he simply stares at me in silence. Then, with a sharp exhalation, he’s crossing the distance between us, enveloping me in his arms as his shoulders hitch with barely contained emotion.
“My God, Scarlett…you’re really here.”
I nod against his chest, blinking back tears as I cling to him with every ounce of strength in my body. “I’m here, Dad. And I’m so sorry.”
Eventually, we migrate to the living room, the three of us settling into the overstuffed armchairs that have played silent witness to so many memories over the years. Lyssa perches attentively on the edge of my chair, her demeanor courteous yet somehow apart from the intimacy of our reunion.
“So,” my father begins once the tearful greetings have subsided. He aims a sidelong glance at Lyssa before returning his scrutiny to me. “Are you…well, are you still with that group you were mixed up in? Or with this special forces group? Or…?”
A lump forms in my throat as I try to find a way to explain. “Well, I’m with Lyssa, now. As—as partners as well as, uh, colleagues. I mean,” I go on awkwardly, “she’s my?—”
“Girlfriend,” Lyssa supplies. “And yes. Scarlett is no longer with the asshole—excuse me, Mrs. Fletcher—no longer mixed up with the bad guys who kidnapped the two of you. But she is still mixed up with me, I’m afraid.”
Mom looks…actually delighted. “How lovely!” she says, beaming. “And you don’t need to pull your punches, Lyssa. Those people were assholes.”
“Mom!” I’ve never heard her swear before, and she actually giggles.
As for Dad, though, I see a faint glistening in the corners of his eyes. “Thank God you’re staying away from them. After your last visit…” He swallows hard. “We were so worried for you, sweetheart.”
“I’m so sorry, Dad. I really am.”
Reading the anguish in my expression, my mother lays a gentle hand on my arm. “We won’t dwell on the past, dear. Not tonight. Tonight is for celebrating the fact that you’ve returned to us at last.”
“She has,” Lyssa says. “And while the past can’t be changed, Scarlett has a future ahead of her now. One of her own making.”
My mother looks at me with hopeful curiosity.
“Yeah,” I say awkwardly. “Actually, I thought…I thought I might go back to school. Finish up my medical training. Maybe even become a doctor, like I planned before…” My mouth twists, unwilling to drag up the past again. “Well, before everything went sideways.”
Lyssa and I have talked this through. Like she keeps reminding me, the money isn’t a consideration for me, not anymore. And she said she likes the idea of banging a doctor.
And, weirdly, I also nervously ran it past Hadria when I happened to catch her alone in the medical room the other day. She said she’d come down to make sure it was still well-stocked, and agreed at once that it would be incredibly useful to the Syndicate to have a member with medical knowledge. While the rest of the Syndicate’s medical contacts have come around—as soon as Zepp Imperioli was out of the picture, coincidentally—she has seen a strategic weakness and plans to plug it up.
“Oh, Scarlett,” Mom says. “That’s wonderful.” And now she’s crying again, hugging me again, and so is Dad.
And finally, I know I’ve truly come home. Home to the person I had the potential to be, before Grandmother got hold of me, before I let hate and rage become my guiding forces.
Now, for the first time since Adam’s death, I can breathe freely—and instead of those last terrible moments with him, I can remember the good times instead, a whole lifetime of love to cherish. And that’s how I’ll honor him from now on.
By remembering my love for him, and his for me.
CHAPTER 34
Lyssa
It’s the day of Hadria and Aurora’s wedding, and for the first time that I can remember, Hadria Imperioli looks nervous. Her usual composure is beginning to waver as she paces the foyer downstairs at Elysium.
“Would you stop that?” I drawl from where I’m lounging on the chaise in the corner. “You’re making my head spin just watching you.” Hadria shoots me a withering glare and I grin at her. “What’s got the mighty Hades spooked? Suzy isn’t going to do a runner, is she?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Hadria snaps the words, but there’s no real venom behind them. She resumes her pacing, long strides eating up the plush cream rug laid over the hardwood floors in honor of the wedding.
Leaning back, I study Hadria again. There’s a faint sheen of sweat on her brow, and her movements are just a touch too jerky, too uncontrolled. She really is rattled. Well, we can’t have that, now can we?
Rising to my feet, I step into her path, catching her by the shoulders. “Look at me.” When she meets my gaze, I hold it firmly. “You’ve got this, okay? Today is just another day. Another moment where you get to tell the world and everyone in it to go screw itself because you’re the one calling the shots. Just like always.”
A muscle ticks in her jaw, but I can see a hint of gratitude in those pale eyes. “Is that supposed to be a pep talk about my wedding or about our next job?”
