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Finally, I force out the words: “I’m so sorry. I got involved with some very dangerous people, and now I’ve been…I’ve been recruited to help take them down. I’m working with a—a special forces team who…who are looking for the people responsible for Adam’s death.”
It’s close enough to the truth. And I don’t want them to know everything.
Mom’s face crumples while Dad’s eyebrows shoot up. “Dangerous people? Special forces? Are you insane?” he growls. “You know what got your brother killed! And now you’re telling me you’re mixed up in that world? After everything we went through, everything we sacrificed to give you a chance at?—”
“I have to do something!” I argue, my own anger rising to the surface. “And I’m not the girl you used to know. Didn’t you see me in that stairwell, Dad, back at the high-rise? Didn’t you see me—” I break off, not wanting to know exactly how much my parents saw. I reach out my hands, pleading. “Don’t you understand? This is the only way I can make it right, the only way to get justice for Adam?—”
“Justice?” Dad interrupts, his voice rising. “You think you’ll get justice for Adam by throwing your own life away?”
“It’s the only thing that will let me move on,” I insist. “If you knew the things I’ve learned, the skills I’ve developed?—”
I break off. I can’t very well reveal the ugly truth about the criminal underworld I’ve found myself trapped in. Mom’s eyes well up with fresh tears as she takes my hands imploringly in hers.
“Please, Scarlett,” she begs in a tremulous voice. “Please, just come home. We can’t lose you, too. Not—not again.”
The anguish in her voice very nearly breaks me. For a moment, I envision returning to my ordinary life: medical school, a normal job, a normal life. A wave of longing washes over me as I realize how much I’ve given up in my crusade for vengeance.
But then Adam’s face fills my mind, and the yearning is chased away by a searing spike of rage and guilt. As long as his death remains unaddressed, I’ll never be able to let go. Not really.
And none of this matters, anyway. Because there’s also Lyssa to consider. As far as she’s concerned, I have a debt to pay...with my life.
“I can’t come back,” I say in a low voice. “I have to see this through to the end.”
Mom bursts into tears, burying her face in Dad’s chest as he wraps his arms around her, his jaw twitching. He holds my gaze for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
“The people you’re looking for—are they the same people who took us?” he asks carefully.
Shit. Of course they would be wondering about their own kidnapping. I feel a stab of pity for the pain I’ve put them through, all lies by omission.
“Look, it’s all top secret, that’s why you haven’t heard anything through official channels. That’s all I can really say...”
Dad’s face darkens. An awkward silence falls over the kitchen.
“I should go,” I mumble, not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary. “We’re in the middle of an operation and…well, we can’t stay long.”
I glance towards the hallway, debating whether I should go upstairs to retrieve Lyssa. But she appears in the entryway, hands shoved into her pockets in a deceptively casual stance. Mom and Dad immediately straighten, no doubt unnerved by her imposing presence.
“Everything okay?” Lyssa asks me, her tone all business.
I nod and step away from my parents. “Yeah, we should go.”
Mom moves forward and grips my arm, her eyes searching my face.
“Just promise me you’ll stay safe,” she whispers, then adds even more softly, “And that you’ll come back to us when it’s all over, tell us you’re safe.”
My heart clenches at the naked hope and desperation in her tone. I want so badly to reassure her, but I can’t make that promise. Not with what lies ahead of me. So instead, I just squeeze her hand gently and offer her a watery smile.
As Lyssa and I turn to leave, Dad calls out gruffly, “Are the authorities any closer to catching the bastards that took us?”
Lyssa actually barks out a short laugh at that. I tense, worried she’ll say something to raise Dad’s suspicions further. But after a beat, she sobers and shakes her head.
“I think...the, uh, government might be getting a bit closer,” she allows vaguely. “But these things take time.”
Dad grunts, seeming unsatisfied but unwilling to push further. We reach the back door, and I pause and glance over my shoulder to take one last look at my parents. Mom is clutching Dad’s arm, her expression pinched with worry and sorrow.
I raise a quick hand in farewell and then follow Lyssa into the yard and the back street, heading into the shadows again. She goes to check that the Syndicate guards are back in place before we leave, and I’m thankful for the ten minutes or so to collect myself.
“That was awkward in there,” Lyssa mutters on her return. “Your parents are, like, aggressively in denial.”
