“Sure,” he says, taking a deep breath and then smiling at me.
“If you need to leave, or feel yourself getting panicky, let me know and I’ll get you out of there, okay?” I say, putting my arms around his waist and looking up at him.
“Will do,” he says, and I tilt my face up for a kiss.
Dad isn’t back when we get to the house, but my mother is lazing in the den when I walk in the door.
“Saige, I didn’t know you were coming over. You should have called,” she says, not getting up or putting down her wineglass. She’s probably going to be passed out in less than an hour.
I give Sylas a face and walk into the room.
“I’m here to see Dad. Well, both of us are,” I say and she looks up and sees Sylas. Her eyes zero in on his tattoos and then on my nose, going back and forth and back and forth, her eyes getting wider and wider. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the change in expression.
She sputters and then turns away and back to her wine.
“I’m not going to talk to you with that thing in your face. Go take it out and then we can chat.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to do that,” I say, smirking. “Nice try, though.” I turn on my heel and leave the room, Sylas trailing after me. He doesn’t look embarrassed at all, which I absolutely love.
“You really know how to push her buttons,” he says.
“Hey, you’re the one who wore short sleeves,” I say, pointing it out. He looks down.
“I guess I just forgot,” he says and I can tell he’s being truthful. He’s getting more and more comfortable being himself. That makes me so happy.
“Come on, let’s hang out in the office and wait.” I can bring up the surveillance cameras and we can watch for when he pulls in the driveway. Sylas nods and follows me.
It’s a quick job to get the footage up and running.
“Do you have this all over the house?” he asks, looking over my shoulder.
“Yes. Well, except for the bedrooms. I do not need to see any video of my parents in bed.” Not that they do anything. I’m pretty sure they only had sex once, and that was to produce me.
“That’s probably wise,” he says as I flick through the other cameras in the house. Mom’s still sipping her wine and staring off into space.
Now we wait.
An hour later, I’m up and pacing the room. Sylas is sitting in Dad’s chair, flipping through the surveillance cameras.
“He’s here,” he says. I take a breath.
“Are you ready?”
He shakes his head.
“No, but I don’t think I’ll ever be. I just want this to be done.” I want that for him too, but I don’t think it will ever be done. You don’t get over something like this. You just learn how to live with it.
We’re out of the office and heading for the front door when Dad walks in.
I nearly gasp.
It hasn’t been that long since I saw him last and he looks like he’s aged ten years. He’s thin and haggard and stooped, like his back is hurting.
“Dad?” I say and he looks up. Dark circles are carved under his eyes, so blue against his skin.
“Saige,” he says, blinking at me. He drops his suitcase and Mom comes out to give him a cold kiss on the cheek and pretend she gives a shit that he’s home. They share a whispered conversation and she takes his bag and starts going upstairs. I know it’s a dummy bag. The real stuff he brought with him, weapons and so forth, are still in the car and will be put back in their hidden places within the house my mother doesn’t know about.
Martha bustles out, asking him he needs tea or food or anything.
“No, thank you. I just need to go to my office,” he says, giving her a weak smile.
Sylas is rigid beside me. His eyes haven’t left Dad’s face, but Dad can’t seem to look at Sylas. Martha heads back to the kitchen to make a tray of food and drinks anyway. Dad sighs.
“Let’s go to my office and I’ll debrief you,” he says wearily. I let him lead the way and every step he takes looks like it hurts him. What has he been through?
He crashes into his office chair and then rests his head in his hands as if his neck is too tired to hold it up anymore.
I lock the door and sit down on one of the leather chairs. Sylas takes the other and we wait for him to start. Silence is thick in the room, clogging my lungs. Sylas is breathing heavily next to me.
“Is he dead,” he says, and it’s not a question. It’s a demand.
Dad lifts his head.
“Yes. He’s dead.” He pulls something out of his pocket and tosses it at Sylas. It’s a tiny flash drive. “That has pictures. We got him with the long-range and then went in and got the body. It’s been disposed of.” He doesn’t elaborate on the method of disposal, but I know he’s got people working for him who know how to hide a body and make sure it’s never found. They’ve done it before and they can do it again without blinking.
Sylas takes the flash drive and turns it over and over in his hands.
“If you want the full details, they’re in there. I just have one request. That you destroy all the evidence after you’ve read it. If you share it with anyone, I’ll know.” He doesn’t even need a threat. Sylas knows what my father is capable of. More so than I do, apparently.
“I will,” Sylas says quietly, still staring at the flash drive.
Dad turns his attention to me.
“You haven’t been around much, Saige,” he says and I wish Sylas wasn’t here right now.
“I know. I’ve been busy. Next week is finals.” He knows that.
“Right, right,” he says and I feel a rift opening between us. Dad and I have always understood one another on a very deep level. I trusted him and he trusted me (or at least I thought he did) and I relied on him more than anyone else. He was the one constant in my life.
But not anymore. I don’t need to lean on him. It’s time I stand on my own.
“I don’t want to work for you anymore. And I want you to let Sylas go.” I didn’t mean to say it exactly that way, but that’s how it comes out.
Dad gapes at me. I guess I’ve surprised him. Sylas stops spinning the flash drive in his hands next to me.
“I’m not sure what you’re saying, Saige.” His shock wears off in a fraction of a second and now his eyes are narrowing. He’s moving from shocked to pissed. Fine, I can deal with that. I’m pissed too.
“I want to have my own life. I don’t want to lie and sneak around anymore. I don’t want to keep secrets. I want to finish school and travel and look at art and do what I want,” I say. I don’t let my eyes leave his face as I speak. I need to know what his naked reaction is.
His face changes so fast I can’t even latch onto one single emotion except for one I’ve never seen him give me, but I’ve seen him give it to other people.
Betrayal.
I’ve been his companion, his protégé my whole life and now I’m throwing it back in his face. All his work to make me like him and I don’t want it.
“Would you excuse us, Sylas?” Dad says, finally looking away from me.
“No,” I say. “Whatever you say to me, he can be here for. Besides, this concerns him.” If I’m really being honest, I want Dad to release all of them. I’ve never met the rest of his team, but they should be free to do what they want.
“I’d really rather discuss it with just the two of us,” Dad says slowly and carefully. If this were a few months ago, I would have backed down. I’d have deferred to his experience and age and the fact that he’s my father. Not anymore. It’s time I took control of my life.
“No,” I say, crossing my arms. “I love you, but it has to stop. I’m your daughter, not your minion.” Another bolt of betrayal shoots across his features.
“I know you’re not my minion, Saige. Why are you doing this? What is this about?” He’s not hearing me.