“Ashford,” he says by way of greeting. “Sit.” Do they know I’m an Ashford or are they just not sure what else to call me?
I choose the chair closest to the door—old habits die hard—and settle in. I have no weapons and am not in any shape to fight, so I’m certain my foot closer to the hallway would mean nothing if they attacked, but it’s the little things.
“Is it just us?” I ask, clearing my throat, hands shaking as they remove the mask, willingly presenting my face for the first time since I left home.
Kellen confirms, then adds, “This is simply a conversation.” I scoff and he almost smiles at that. “We’re just three people trying to understand a very complicated situation.”
I lean back in my chair, adopting the casual male posture I’ve perfected over weeks of pretending to be someone else. “Ask your questions, then.”
Kellen and Elias exchange a look, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, the former speaks.
“What’s your name?”
“Cassia.” That much I can give them; they won’t find it on any records.
“And who are you, Cassia?”
“You know who I am.”
“We know your name. We know you’re female. We know you’ve been impersonating Lachlan Ashford. But we don’t know who you really are.”
I consider the question, swallowing as it pillages in my mind like thoughts do when I’m determining how many moves I can beat my father in during chess.
Who am I? The daughter who disappointed her parents by leaving? The sister who stole her brother’s identity? The woman who weaseled her way into this team of Enforcers?
“I’m someone who got tired of hiding,” I answer after a few moments.
“From what?”
“From a world that pretends I don’t exist, and a system that treats women like usable property.”
Elias leans forward, hands clasping on the table. I meet his gaze. “So you decided to do something about it.”
A shrug. “Someone had to.”
“Had to what?” he presses.
I stare into his curious eyes and say nothing. Some truths are too dangerous to speak aloud, even here.
Kellen tries a different approach. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Planning what, joining your team? About five minutes before I walked out my front door.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only answer you’re getting.” His mouth tightens as the other man chuckles under his breath.
The silence stretches between us as they try to read me. To understand the motivations that drove me to such extreme risk and deception.
“Who is Lachlan Ashford to you?” Elias questions, the words genuine. So they don’t know…
“Someone I’ve met before.” I wonder if Elias’ power can detect half-truths? The answer isn’t a lie, but it’s the furthest thing from the actual truth I can say without lying. He smiles, eyes brightening.
Kellen isn’t as amused, sighing deeply. “We could have just let Arayik kill you, Cassia. We do not need to be having this conversation.”
“So why are you?” His stormy eyes darken; maybe he’ll murder me by the time we’re done.
“You see, I looked into Lachlan Ashford. It appears he is a messenger as you reported, but his supervisor confirmed his absence these last weeks.” Shit. “Does he know you’re here? Or did you do something to him to pilfer his identity?”
