Chapter 5 #2
"Yes. After I faked my death, I drifted after you left Japan.
But I watched those who trained. When I figured out what was happening, I knew I had to stop them.
I tracked Scroll operatives, identified their contracts, and eliminated them before they could act.
I collapsed cells. Made kills look like accidents, natural causes, or self-inflicted. I became the ghost hunting ghosts."
"Why?"
"Because I believe Kuro built this. And in a way, I think I helped him. Every student he trained, every doctrine he refined, was part of what the Scroll is now. I can't undo it. But I can try to stop it from spreading."
She studied him. Calculating.
"And me? Where do I fit into this?"
This was the part he'd dreaded.
"They think you're the one hunting them."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Someone's been disrupting Scroll operations. Taking out key operatives. Collapsing contracts. They don't know who. But they've been tracking patterns. And the patterns lead to the only student who wasn't accounted for … you."
Her jaw tightened. "You staged the meeting in Niger."
"Yes."
"You killed Okoro before I got there."
"Yes."
"Because you knew I'd be assigned to him."
"He was the only target in the region who fit the profile that good organizations go for. He was a trafficker and a warlord. The kind of mark that draws attention. I knew someone would come. I was going to ask for help from whoever showed up."
She sneered a bit. He could tell she didn’t believe a word he was saying. "Lucky you, it happened to me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He met her eyes. "Because I needed you to know. I needed to warn you. And I needed … I stayed in the jungle. I saw your exfil, and I moved faster than you could. I had more knowledge and got to Okoro before you. I watched for whoever was coming. When I realized it was you …"
He stopped. Swallowed.
"I needed to see you. One more time. Even if you hated me for it."
She stared at him.
He couldn't read her expression.
The silence was suffocating.
Finally, she spoke. “How did you find me here?”
He straightened his shoulders. “The only plane that left the country within four hours of the assassination was a military aircraft.
I bribed a local national. They told me the flight plan had it flying into Langley Air Force Base.
I have … contacts here. People I pay to be my eyes.
They watched the gates for a woman of your description.
She narrowed her eyes. “No one followed me home. I was a wreck, but even so, I know how to find a tail.”
He cleared his throat. “He used a drone.”
She closed her eyes, and her jaw tightened. “And now someone else knows my address?”
“No. He no longer breathes. I couldn’t jeopardize you. He was expendable.” He would never let anyone compromise her. He’d die—or kill—before that happened.
“We do not kill innocents.” Her disgust dripped from her answer. “That is against everything I stand for.”
“He wasn’t an innocent. He was a killer, albeit an intelligent one. He funded his drone hobby by selling drugs and using children as mules, and he’d killed at least three people that I’m aware of. As I said, he was expendable. You are not.”
She stared at him for what felt like forever before finally drawing a deep breath and saying, "You're asking me to believe that there's an international network of assassins trained by Kuro and that they think I'm hunting them and that you've spent seven years taking them down alone."
"Yes."
"And now you're here because you need help."
"Yes."
"Because you can't do this alone, even though you have your own people you can call."
"No. I can't, my network is nothing like I assume yours is."
She crossed her arms. "And what exactly do you think I can do?"
"I don't know who you work for, but you're connected. You have reach. Resources. Intelligence. Support. The Scroll operates in cells. Independent, isolated, hard to track. But if we pool intel, we can map the network. Find the leadership. Take them down before they find you."
"You mean before they find us."
He nodded. "Yes."
She was quiet for a long moment.
Then she turned away and walked to the window again.
He watched her. The line of her shoulders. The tension in her spine. The way she held herself was like she was bracing for impact.
She's stronger than I remember. And lonelier.
The guilt of hurting her was a living thing, clawing at his ribs.
"Why should I trust you?" she asked without turning around.
"You shouldn't."
That seemed to surprise her, and she glanced back at him.
"I left you," he said quietly. "I lied to you. I let you think I was dead. I don't deserve your trust. But this isn't about trust. It's about survival. The Scroll is coming. And if we don't stop them, they'll kill you. And then they'll keep killing. Because that's what they do."
She studied him. “I’m not easy to kill.”
“But you’re not immortal either. None of us is.”
"And if I say no? If I tell you to leave and never come back?"
His chest tightened, but he replied, "Then I'll leave. And I'll keep fighting them alone. And you'll keep taking contracts, not knowing that every mission puts you closer to their radar. And eventually, they'll find you. And I won't be able to stop them."
"You're trying to manipulate me."
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
"Those aren't the same thing."
"I know."
She turned back to the window.
The silence stretched again.
Dan wanted to say more. Wanted to apologize a thousand different ways. Wanted to tell her that leaving her was the hardest thing he'd ever done. That he'd watched her from a distance when she was in the compound and that he was sorry for following her to her home, her safe space.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was the Scroll and keeping her alive.
Finally, she spoke. "I need to think."
Well, at least she hadn’t thrown him out. If she was going to think about it, she might be able to help him. If not, at least he’d warned her. "I understand."
"And I need to talk to my people."
"I agree."
"But I don't want you there. Not yet. Not until I've briefed them. Not until I know how they'll react."
He nodded. "Fair."
She turned to face him. "If I do this, if I bring you to my organization, you follow my lead. You answer to my handler. You don't go rogue. You don't make decisions without consulting me. And you will not kill on American soil. Understood?"
"Understood."
"And Dan?"
"Yes?"
"If you lie to me again, if you disappear again, if you do anything that makes me question whether I can trust you, I will hunt you myself. And I will not hesitate to take you out of this world, making you as dead as I thought you were three days ago."
He believed her.
"I won't lie to you again," he said quietly. "I promise."
She didn't respond. She just walked to the door and opened it.
"Leave, please."
He stood. Crossed the room and stopped in front of her.
For a moment, they were close. Close enough that he could see the gold flecks in her hazel eyes.
Close enough that he could smell the faint trace of shampoo in her hair.
Close enough that he could see the cracks in her armor.
She wasn't empty. She was breaking. And he'd done that.
"I'm sorry, Emi," he whispered.
"Don't call me that," she said again. “Look for a sign. You’ll know.” Her voice was softer this time. Less certain. He nodded, then stepped out into the night.
When she closed the door behind him, he stood on her doorstep for a long moment, staring at the black stone still sitting there, untouched.
She'd left it. That meant something. It had to mean something.
Maybe not forgiveness. But it was a chance.
He turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Behind him, inside the house, he didn't see her slide down the door.
Didn't see her press her hands to her face.
Didn't see the tears she finally let fall.
But he suspected she would cry, that she would break down. Because somewhere, deep in the part of him that had never stopped loving her, he knew her. He'd saved her life. But he'd shattered her heart. And he didn't know if she'd ever forgive him.