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“What happened?” Dad asked.
I glanced at Emory. “What can I tell them?”
“Everything you know, they can know,” he said.
I looked back at them. “You’ll find this hard to believe, but please, just listen with an open mind. And keep in mind that Emory didn’t want any of this to happen.”
And so I told them. I started with how we met in India, which they mostly knew already. I left out the amazing sex, of course, since the baby pretty much implied that had happened, but I told them Emory was a SEAL doing anti-terrorism in Pakistan and about how the terrorists had been watching me ever since the resort.
I told them about The Network, about the pictures, everything. I even told them about feeling like I was being watched in the park, which I only told part of to Emory. Through the whole thing, Emory stood there and let me speak, never once correcting me or contradicting me.
By the end, my parents were staring at me with openly disbelieving looks.
“And that’s it,” I said. “We got another photograph this morning. Emory thinks we’re all in serious danger.”
They were silent for a second as I stopped talking. Finally, Dad began to chuckle.
“Roger,” Mom said, “knock it off.”
“What? It’s a crazy story; I’ll give him that.” Dad looked at Emory. “How’d you get her to believe in all this?” he asked.
“It’s the truth, sir,” he said.
“You expect me to believe that terrorists are after my daughter because you’re some elite Navy SEAL?”
“Yes, sir,” he said.
“I saw the pictures, Dad. The man I described matched the man Emory told me about.”
“Pictures can be faked. Descriptions can be made up.”
“Roger,” Mom said again.
“I’m just saying,” he went on, “we don’t know this man. He could be some crazy person for all we know.”
“Explain how he was impossible to find,” I said. “Explain how he just shows up here out of the blue.”
“Fake name and Google.”
I sighed, shaking my head. I knew Dad wouldn’t believe it, but I didn’t think he’d be so aggressive in arguing it.
“What about you, Mom? Think I’m just an idiot getting fooled by a con man?”
“No,” she said softly, “I don’t.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Emory said.
“Sorry, son,” Dad added, “but I just don’t buy any of this. If it were true, why not call the police?”
Emory looked at me and I sighed, nodding to him.
“The Network is extremely dangerous, sir. If word got out that they were operating on American soil, there would be a panic. I can promise you that. My commanding officer ordered me to keep this under wraps, and so I’m tasked with handling this myself.”
“Convenient,” Dad said. “Who is this commanding office of yours?”
“Colonel Blackfire,” Emory said. Then he grinned. “And I’m aware that sounds like a fake name, but believe me, this is very real.”
“Okay then. Let’s say for a second that you’re not lying. What are we supposed to do with this information?” Dad asked.
“Nothing,” Emory said. “You just need to sit tight. We’re telling you only in case something actually happens. I have members of my team coming to help out with this situation, and they’ll be able to keep you two safe while I watch over your daughter.”
“Convenient,” Dad muttered.
I shook my head and felt my anger starting to rise. I couldn’t blame him for being skeptical, but I could blame him for not believing his daughter.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew what I knew. I trusted Emory completely, and although this was an incredibly strange and insane situation, I knew it was very real.
“Listen, Dad,” I said, surprised by my own angry tone. “I get that you don’t believe it, and frankly I don’t blame you. But your daughter is telling you that this is real, so you better start playing along.”
Everyone stared at me for a second.
“What?” I asked finally.
Emory just grinned at me.
“Okay,” Dad said. “Okay, honey. I don’t believe a word of this, but if you need us to just keep doing what we normally do, well, I can handle that.”
Dad stood up from the kitchen table.
“One more thing,” Emory broke in. “I’d like Tara to stay with me tonight at my hotel.”
Dad raised an eyebrow. “Do you now? Of course you do.”
“Your home isn’t secure, sir. I don’t believe The Network is after you or your wife, but they are after Tara and my son.”
