Evelyn turns to Parker, who’s been silent through most of this discussion. “What about you, sweetheart? Will you bring Noah and Liam?”
And there it is—the question that’s been hanging in the air since Maria made the offer.
Parker’s entire body is tense, her jaw tight, her hands clenched in her lap. I can see the war happening behind her eyes. The mother who wants to keep her children safe. The fighter who wants to stay and hunt down the people who threatened them.
She’s struggling.
Torn between being mommy and being mama bear.
“I...” Parker’s voice is strained. “I don’t know. The boys need me, but?—”
“But you want to stay and help find Ryan and Aria,” Jace finishes quietly.
“They came after our kids,” Parker says, her voice breaking slightly. “They put my babies in danger and I— I want to make them pay for that. I want to be here when we find them. I want?—”
“You want revenge,” Silas says from his position by the window. “And that’s valid, firefly. No one here is judging you for that.”
“But the boys need their mother,” Parker continues, her voice getting smaller. “They’re terrified. They need me there, need to know I’m keeping them safe. I can’t just leave them to go hunting?—”
“Then don’t,” I say gently. “Go with them. Keep them safe. Let us handle the hunting.”
Parker’s head snaps toward me, her sea-glass eyes wide. “But?—”
“Parker, we can do this,” Jace says. “Me, Cal, Silas—we can track down Ryan and Aria. We can dismantle their network. We can handle the tactical side. But Noah and Liam?” His voice softens. “They need you. Not us. You.”
“You’ll be helping them and us, angel,” I add. “You can be both the mother who protects and the warrior who fights back. You don’t have to choose.”
Except she does have to choose. Because she can’t be in two places at once. Can’t simultaneously keep the boys safe in Martha’s Vineyard and hunt down threats in the city.
This is the choice she’s been making alone for years.
But now she has us.
Now she can delegate. Trust. Share being the parent and the safety net.
If she can bring herself to do it.
“Go with the boys,” Silas says, his voice firm but gentle. “Keep them safe. Help Sienna with Jimmy and Lottie. Let Maria and Evelyn take care of all of you. And trust us to handle this.”
“What if something goes wrong?” Parker asks, and I hear the fear underneath the words. She’s really struggling with letting go. “What if Ryan and Aria come after you? What if I’m not here and?—”
“Then we handle it,” I say simply. “Parker, we’ve been doing this work since before you left. We know how to protect ourselves. How to hunt threats. How to eliminate problems. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
She looks between the three of us, and I can see the moment she starts to break. The walls she’s built around herself—the ones that say she has to do everything, be everything, protect everyone by herself—they’re cracking.
“Okay,” she whispers finally. “Okay. I’ll go. I’ll take the boys to Martha’s Vineyard. But—” She looks at Charles. “You keep me updated. Every development. Every lead. Every move you make. I want to know everything.”
In Parker code:if you three get yourselves killed, I’ll kill you myself.
“Of course,” Charles agrees.
“And the moment you find them—” Parker’s voice hardens. “—I want to be there when you handle it.”
“Deal,” Silas says.
The logistics get sorted quickly after that. Maria’s already arranged for private transportation—a helicopter to Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow morning, early, before the boys are fully awake. Evelyn coordinates packing, makes lists of what the children will need, calls ahead to ensure the house is stocked and ready.
Sienna hugs Parker, the two women holding each other for a long moment. “We’ll keep each other sane,” Sienna murmurs. “And the kids will have fun together. It’ll be good for them. The cousins can distract each other.”
