"That's why I love you," she said.
She kissed me, slow and sure, and when she pulled back, I felt like I could breathe again.
"Okay," she said. "Then we'll figure it out together. The truth. The story. All of it."
I agreed.
She turned the conversation cautiously. "So ... your father."
I took a breath. "What about him?"
"Tell me," she said. "Everything. I know you talked to him this morning. What did he say?"
I could've deflected. Could've given her the sanitized version, left out the parts that made me look weak or angry or lost.
But I didn't want to hide anything anymore.
Not from her.
"He told me about The Vanguard," I said. "An organization so powerful they can turn heads in any direction they want. He had a pact with them, apparently. But it's been broken, and he doesn't know why. They've inserted themselves into the lives of my brothers. All of them except Micah."
Her eyes widened. "All of them?"
"Yeah," I said. "They've been here. They're coming back. Maybe today."
She processed that, wheels turning. "And he wants something from you."
"He wants me to talk to you," I said. "Get you to tell me everything about your sources. Your employer. Everything."
Her expression hardened. "Of course, he does."
"I told him I'd try," I said. "But that I'm not making any promises."
She tilted her head. "Are you asking me now?"
"No," I said. "I'm telling you what he asked. What you do with that is up to you."
She studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I'll think about it," she said. "But I'm not handing over my sources without understanding what they'll be used for. And I'm not putting people at risk just because your father says it's important."
God, I loved her.
"That's fair," I said.
She asked a few more questions—clarifying details about The Vanguard, about what Byron had said, about the timeline of when my brothers had been here.
We talked it through, back and forth, until the pieces started to fit together in a way that made sense. Or at least, as much sense as any of this could make.
Then there was a knock at the stateroom door.
"You naked?" a familiar voice called.
Amelia's eyes went wide.
I laughed. "You're going to enjoy this."
