18. Hyland #2
With a generous heap of fajitas wrapped, I deposit the huge plateful on Ember’s lap. She’s curled up back in her original spot but with Luke snuggled next to her now. The pair are animatedly debating three different movie choices.
I fill my own plate then take the other end of the sectional, sliding my feet beneath Ember’s blanket. She smiles when I tangle them with hers, needing to feel her touch. To my pride, she’s nibbling one giant fajita while Luke’s devoured his already.
“What are we watching?” I take a big bite.
“Still debating.” Ember shrugs.
“She likes the villains.” Luke wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I thought girls were supposed to like the good guys.”
“They’re boring,” Ember argues.
“But the baddies are bad for a reason!” he exclaims.
“It isn’t always that simple.” Ember pokes him in the side. “Villains have an origin story for a reason. Most are just misunderstood and deserve a bit of forgiveness.”
He frowns at the TV, visibly confused. “Then why does everyone hate them?”
“Because it’s easier to hate someone than consider that we all make mistakes,” she tells him. “Life isn’t that simple, Luke. Not even when it comes to the good guys and the bad ones.”
Letting them continue debating, I stuff down mouthfuls of jam-packed tortilla. Moral debates are not my thing. But I can hazard a guess at what’s on Ember’s mind.
It doesn’t take a genius.
She’s wrestling with her own conscience.
We all know that she blames herself, not only for Gracie’s current predicament, but for all that she was forced to do while being held captive. Not to mention Ember’s refusal to discuss what happened at the docks. She’s been emotionally fragile ever since.
I have a lot of experience with guilt. It’s hard to avoid in this line of work—casualties and failure go hand-in-hand with criminal investigations. We toe the line between life and death on a daily basis, and unfortunately, that means losing people along the way.
It also means taking lives.
No matter the damage that leaves behind.
My phone pings in my pocket, capturing my focus. I pull it out with one hand while wolfing down the last of my food, clicking on our team’s encrypted group chat.
Warner: Press release has been issued. Prepare for the onslaught.
Blaine: Raye made contact with a few of our sources this afternoon too.
I tap out a quick reply.
Hyland: Any joy?
Blaine: Not yet. May take some time. These people don’t like to rat even for a reward.
Warner: Then we’ll double it every week until someone talks. Management’s orders. I want to know who purchased the girl ASAP.
Shit, Hudson and Kade are not fucking around. Our contact with the Falcon Team has been extremely limited since the blowout, but it seems Josh’s death is having far-reaching repercussions.
“Hy?” Ember watches me type.
“Nothing important. All went according to plan.”
She visibly deflates, nodding to herself.
“The others will be back later. Warner will check on Tom then come home.”
“That’s good. He shouldn’t be alone.”
“Just watch the movie, Em. Everything is under control.”
She half-heartedly blows a raspberry at me before focusing on whatever crap Luke’s settled on. I watch her over the top of my phone in between checking the building’s security feeds and backup systems programmed into my phone.
It’s not often that I pay attention to my gut feelings. After all the shit we’ve survived in years of investigations, I doubt my gut thinks rationally anymore. But this sinking feeling has been screaming at me for days, and I can’t ignore it any longer.
We took down a trafficking ring once before at great cost. Briar Valley is one of our biggest success stories. A big enough victory that our ex-team leader, Ethan, felt ready to retire and move across the country to live there.
I don’t know if we can do it a second time.
This monster is already far larger than we realised.
All the signs point back to our past—to the evil we thought we’d vanquished when we served justice to Willow and her family. The connections are glaring. Dimitri Sanchez may be rotting in the ground, but his ilk is still wreaking havoc on us.
Rolling my lips together, I draw up my most recent conversation with Willow. She keeps in touch, especially after all we went through together. More so recently as she understands exactly what we’re facing now.
Hyland: Case is spiralling. Think we’re getting closer, but it’s complex. Keep your family close - everything is connected.
To my surprise, she replies relatively quickly. Willow isn’t usually super responsive. Running their sprawling refuge deep in the Welsh mountains while raising children keeps her hands full.
Willow: We watched the press release on the news. Ethan’s been on the phone with Warner for an hour. You alright?
I chew on the inside of my cheek, weighing how honest to be.
Hyland: No. Don’t know how this will all end.
Willow: If you need a place to escape, you know there’s always a home for you here. All of you.
I lower my phone to study Ember and Luke when they both burst out in giggles at something on the screen. Luke’s now laying half-sprawled over her while Ember absently fiddles with his golden hair.
In less than a year, she’s barged into our lives and made herself the fucking centre of our entire universe. Even if it wasn’t deliberate. As long as Ember’s threatened, none of us are safe. Nor is our family unit.
Gael isn’t above dangling a young, innocent girl in front of us to get what he wants. There isn’t a level he won’t stoop to. With our focus shifting to Europe, the threats will only multiply, and there’s Madden’s deranged father to consider too.
We’re surrounded by enemies.
It feels like they’re inching ever closer.
I want peace and justice, not just for Ember, but for all the victims still out there. Of course, I want to give her closure too. She deserves it more than anyone. Perhaps more than she even realises. But I will not jeopardise what we’ve found in each other to do so.
Malignant wasps swarm inside my skeleton with each letter that I type, allowing me to consider the possibility of failure. Up until now, I’ve refused to give power to the notion.
Hyland: If things go south, I’ll take you up on that.
Willow: Good. We always keep each other safe.
My mouth dries up as unsettling fear takes root.
Hyland: Always.