Portia’s eyes widened, her breath catching. “What?”
I paced, my feet heavy on the slate floor, my hands flexing at my sides.
“On Sullivan’s Island, at the old house. She was there, real as you are now. I held her, Portia. Felt her heartbeat. She told me everything—Department 77, how it started, how it broke us.”
Portia’s jaw tightened, her voice low, skeptical. “Everything?”
I nodded, the weight of it crushing me.
“My grandfather—her father—created 77. Black ops, deniable missions, a shadow tool for the government. She joined it with my dad, Byron, thought they could change the world. But it turned, became a weapon for the powerful, corrupted by my grandfather. Dad left to protect us, but she stayed, thinking she could fix it, keep 77’s eyes off my brothers and me. She’s Number 2 now, heir to the whole fucking mess.”
Portia’s eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. “And you believe her? After she left you, after all this time, you just trust her?”
I stopped pacing, my chest tight.
“I do. Deep down, I do. She’s my mother. I saw her eyes, felt her regret. She’s not the enemy.”
Portia stepped forward, her voice rising. “She’s Number 2 in the organization that tried to kill your brothers, Silas. That kidnapped Claire, targeted Ryker, and now—” Her voice cracked, Monte’s name unspoken but heavy. “You think she’s innocent? You think she doesn’t know who tried to take me, who killed Monte?”
I clenched my fists, my jaw tight.
“I haven’t talked to her since, but I’m sure she knows. She’s got answers, and I’ll get them.”
Portia’s eyes softened, a flicker of understanding breaking through her anger. She set the folder down, her hands trembling.
“You’re going after them, aren’t you? Whoever did this.”
I nodded, my voice low. “With her. She’s got a plan to end 77, to kill my grandfather. I’m in.”
Portia’s breath hitched, and then she surprised me, her voice steady, fierce. “I want in.”
I blinked, my mind stalling.
“In on what?”
She stepped closer, her eyes blazing.
“I want to look the person who’s responsible for Monte in the eye. I want to know why. I want to make them pay.”
I scoffed, shaking my head.
“No way, Portia. This is my war, not yours.”
She pressed forward, her voice unyielding. “It’s mine now. Monte died for me, Silas. You don’t get to shut me out.”
I stared at her, her fire burning through my doubt. She was serious, her jaw set, her hands fisted at her sides.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” I said, my voice low, warning. “This isn’t a game. It’s blood, it’s death.”
She pushed me, her hands on my chest, backing me against the bed.
“I know what it is,” she said, her voice a blade. “And I’m not asking. I’m telling you.”
Her strength, her resolve, hit me like a wave, and I relented, my back against the mattress, her body looming over me.
“Okay,” I said, my voice rough. “But we do it my way.”
She didn’t answer with words. Her eyes darkened, a new kind of fire sparking, and she pushed me down, her hands firm.
