20. Delfino
20
DELFINO
J ekyll’s body lay covered in the makeshift medical morgue. Outside, the waves crashed against the Montenegrin shoreline in a rhythm that seemed too peaceful, too ordinary for everything that had happened. My face felt stiff, as if all my tears had dried on my skin and hardened into a mask.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my stepfather’s last moments—the blood spreading across his shirt, his eyes fixed on mine as the light faded from them. His unfinished messages about a traitor, then Lyra.
Who had he been warning us about, and what had he wanted me to tell Dr. Carrington?
Hornet entered the room, his movements measured. He’d given me space after we arrived at the secondary safe house, knowing I needed time alone with my grief. Now, he approached with two steaming mugs, offering one to me.
“It’s tea,” he said, the gentleness in his voice nearly undoing me. “You should drink something.”
I accepted the cup, wrapping my cold fingers around its warmth. “Thank you.”
He settled beside me on the wooden crate that served as a makeshift bench. Neither of us spoke for several minutes. From another room, I could hear the muted voices of the team as they secured the perimeter and tended to Regent’s wound.
“The evidence we recovered from Montenegro is being processed,” said Hornet. “Typhon suspects Jekyll had digital files that might help us understand what the Minerva Protocol is and possibly where to find Dr. Carrington.”
I noticed he used her real name rather than Henning. The name Jekyll had spoken with such tenderness. A woman who’d clearly been important to him, perhaps more important than I’d ever been.
“He reached out to me for her,” I said, the words tasting bitter.
Hornet shifted to face me more directly. “Kima, that’s not true. You heard him. He was proud of you. He?—”
“Needed my help to find her,” I finished. “And now, he’s gone, and we still don’t know what Minerva actually is or where Amaryllis might be.”
“I think she’s more than just someone he cared about,” said Hornet. “The way he spoke about her role in the Minerva Protocol suggests she’s critical to whatever they’ve been building.”
A rush of complex emotions surged through me—grief, anger, confusion. “She must be special indeed if he was willing to let my mother suffer through his ‘death’ for eleven years.”
Hornet didn’t argue, didn’t try to soften the truth. It was one of the things I loved most about him—he respected my feelings, even the uncomfortable ones.
“We found this,” said Greenwich, walking into the room. “It was in Jekyll’s vehicle. Addressed to you.”
My hand trembled as I took the envelope he held out. The distinctive slant of the letters was unmistakably Jekyll’s handwriting. I’d recognize it anywhere, even after all these years.
“I’ll give you privacy,” Hornet said, standing.
I caught his hand. “Stay. Please.”
“Of course,” he said, settling back beside me as I broke the seal. Inside was a single folded page, along with a small flash drive.
My dearest Kima,
If you’re reading this, then our reunion didn’t end as I had hoped. There’s so much I wanted to tell you face-to-face, so much I needed you to understand. Perhaps this letter can provide some of the answers I owe you.
First, know that leaving you and your mother was the hardest choice I’ve ever made. Not a day passed when I didn’t think of you both, wonder how you were, ache to see you. I told myself it was for your protection, and while that was true, it was also cowardice. I was afraid of what you would think of me if you knew the truth.
The Minerva Protocol began as an idea among a handful of disillusioned intelligence officers who discovered corruption at the highest levels. We found evidence of operations like Argead—systematic networks using diplomatic channels to traffic people, information, and materials. When I “died” during that mission, I was recruited to help build something better, something untainted.
Dr. Lyra Carrington, who may be living under the alias Henning, was one of the architects of Minerva. She’s brilliant, dedicated, and now, I fear, in grave danger.
We were close once, before I met your mother. But what was between Lyra and me ended years before I became part of your family. I need you to understand that my love for your mother was genuine and complete. I never betrayed her heart, only her trust by letting her believe I was dead.
The flash drive contains everything I’ve learned about SMO Romanov. It also includes credentials that will grant you access to Minerva, should you choose to use them. I’ve designated you as my successor on the council—not out of obligation or guilt, but because there is no one I trust more with what we’ve built.
Jekyll once told a young girl that true strength comes not from never falling, but from rising every time we fall. You’ve exemplified that strength in ways that have made me prouder than you can imagine.
I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. Instead, I ask only that you consider carrying forward what we began. Minerva needs you. And perhaps, in time, you might find that you need Minerva too.
With all my love,
Dad
The signature hit me hardest. Not Edgar. Not Jekyll. Dad.
I stared at the letter until the words—most of which he’d already told me—blurred. Part of me wanted to crumple it, to reject this posthumous attempt at an explanation and connection. Another part clung to it as the last piece of him I would ever have.
“Kima?” Hornet’s voice was gentle.
“He left me everything,” I said, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. “His work, his legacy. He wants me to join Minerva.”
Hornet’s eyes moved to the flash drive. “How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know.” I set the letter aside and rolled my shoulders.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to small letters and numbers written along the bottom of the paper.
“Maybe a password,” I guessed.
“Right.”
I rubbed my temples. “Any news on Amaryllis?”
“Nothing yet. Typhon believes she was taken during the initial assault,” Hornet said. “Reaper’s been trying to track her signal since we arrived, but so far, no luck.”
“And the attack itself? Do we know how they found us?” I asked.
“No confirmation yet, but Greenwich is analyzing the security protocols. The timing suggests inside information.”
“We should join the others,” I said, standing and slipping the flash drive into my pocket.
Hornet stood with me, his hand finding mine. “Kima, about Jekyll?—”
“Not now,” I said, squeezing his fingers. “I can’t…I need to focus on what comes next.”
He nodded, understanding as always. “Whenever you’re ready.”
We found the team gathered in the main room of the safe house. Maps and equipment covered every surface, transforming the humble fishing cottage into an operational center. Reaper sat at a computer terminal, his injured shoulder heavily bandaged. His brother hovered nearby while Greenwich and Regent worked on the communications equipment. Typhon stood apart, speaking quietly into a secure line.
“Any updates?” I asked, approaching Reaper.
He looked up, his expression uncharacteristically somber. “Nothing solid on Amaryllis yet. But I’ve been reviewing Jekyll’s movements before Montenegro, and something caught my attention.”
He pulled up the surveillance footage on his screen—Jekyll leaving a café in Athens three days ago. He moved as though he knew he was being tracked, checking his surroundings in the practiced manner of a seasoned operative.
“Watch,” Reaper said, slowing the footage. “Right here.”
Jekyll paused briefly, his hand moving to his pocket. The motion was subtle, easily missed if you weren’t looking for it.
“He’s passing something,” I observed. “To whom?”
Reaper zoomed in on a shadowy figure at the edge of the frame. “Unclear. The quality’s too poor for facial recognition. But whoever it was, Jekyll trusted them enough for direct contact.”
“Which means what?” Hornet asked.
“It means Jekyll had other allies in the field,” Reaper replied. “People connected to Minerva who might know where Dr. Henning is.”
“Carrington,” I said under my breath.
“Copy that,” said Reaper.
Typhon joined us, his call apparently concluded. “The Bulgarian intelligence service reports increased FSB activity near their border with Greece,” he said. “Multiple convoys moving north.”
“They’re pulling back to friendly territory,” Hornet noted. “Taking their assets with them.”
Something occurred to me—were they transporting Amaryllis? Based on the look on Reaper’s face, he feared the same thing.
“We need to find her,” I said under my breath.
Reaper’s expression changed, became more guarded.
“What did Jekyll tell you about Minerva?” I asked, meeting his gaze directly.
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to us.
Reaper held my gaze for a long moment. “Nothing concrete.”
“And Dr. Carrington?” I pressed. “What did he say about her?”
His eyes flickered briefly to the others before returning to mine. “Only that finding her was critical to stopping Romanov.”
I studied him, sensing there was more he wasn’t saying. “Jekyll mentioned a traitor.”
A shadow passed over Reaper’s face, but he didn’t speak.
Before I could press harder, Greenwich approached. “Movement on the FSB channels,” he reported. “They’re coordinating something major. Multiple assets converging on a location near the Montenegrin-Albanian border. According to this, it’s scheduled for forty-eight hours from now.”
“Show me,” I said, motioning to his laptop.
The coordinates indicated a remote area—mountainous, sparsely populated, difficult to access.
“It could be a transfer point,” Hornet suggested, studying the terrain. “Somewhere to consolidate before moving deeper into friendly territory.”
“If they have Amaryllis, that’s where they’ll take her.” I said.
“It’s thin intelligence to stake an op on,” Typhon cautioned.
“It’s all we have,” I countered. “Finding Amaryllis should be our top priority. And given Jekyll’s final words were about Dr. Carrington, we need to locate her as well.”
Typhon studied me, his expression unreadable. “The terrain makes this challenging, let alone the FSB’s presence,” he finally said.
As the team focused on this new intel, I found myself drawn back to Jekyll’s letter. Whatever his flaws, whatever pain his choices had caused, he’d believed in what he was building with Minerva. Believed in it enough to sacrifice his life with us, to die protecting it—and me.
I hadn’t asked for the responsibility he’d passed on to me and I wasn’t sure I wanted. Yet somewhere deep inside, I felt as though I owed it to him to at least consider his request.
Hornet appeared at my side, his fingers brushing mine.
I patted my pocket. “We need to find out what’s on here,” I said under my breath.
Hornet led me out into a separate room. “Ready?” he asked, handing me my laptop.
I reached in and pulled out the drive, knowing I wasn’t, but also that I had to find out anyway.