Chapter 8 - The Man I Was Supposed to Marry
"You knew."
Mason stepped toward me.
"Not everything."
"How long?"
"Olivia—"
"How long?"
"Nine months."
I laughed because if I didn't, I might scream.
"Nine months."
"I couldn't tell you."
"We're getting married."
"I know."
"You knew my dead father was tied to your classified operation and said nothing."
"Because I was ordered not to."
"That's the same excuse I used with my mother."
His face tightened.
"It isn't the same."
"Feels pretty damn similar."
Mercer intervened.
"Colonel Bennett, General Reed had no discretion."
I turned on him.
"Then you can stay out of this."
He did.
Smart man.
Mason lowered his voice.
"Your father's name surfaced in archived Northstar material. I didn't know about the trust. I didn't know Voss was alive. And I definitely didn't know Sienna was in danger."
"But you investigated my father."
"Yes."
"Without telling me."
"Yes."
I hated the answer because I respected it.
That was the worst part.
I knew exactly why he had done it.
Duty.
Compartmentalization.
Need-to-know.
All the words I had built my own career around.
They sounded different when they cut into your personal life.
Mom watched us with bitter satisfaction.
"Now you know what it feels like."
I turned to her.
"Don't."
She went quiet.
Mason placed a file on the table.
"Nightglass tracks dormant financial channels connected to hostile intelligence collection against military personnel."
"And Northstar?"
"One of the channels."
"Voss?"
"Officially dead."
"Unofficially?"
"We suspected he might have survived Prague."
"Why didn't you find him?"
"Because whoever helped fake his death also erased twenty years of financial traces."
I looked at Mom.
She suddenly looked sick.
"Could Andrew have done that?"
Mason didn't answer immediately.
"Possibly."
"No."
Mom shook her head.
"Andrew hated him."
"Your husband also participated in a classified intelligence operation you knew nothing about," Mercer said.
She looked at him.
"Don't tell me who my husband was."
I almost laughed at the irony.
Price slid another document forward.
"There may be one person who knows what happened."
"Who?"
"Your father's former aide."
I knew the name before he said it.
"Colonel Thomas Grant."
My father's shadow for twelve years.
He'd retired after Dad died.
Then disappeared from almost everyone's life.
I hadn't spoken to him since the funeral.
"Where is he?"
Price hesitated.
"Virginia."
Mason's phone vibrated.
He looked down.
"Vehicle hit."
"Where?"
"Traffic camera caught the SUV thirty miles east."
My heart jumped.
"Sienna?"
"No confirmation."
"Let's go."
Mason caught my arm.
"You can't be operational on this."
I stared at him.
"My sister was kidnapped."
"Exactly."
"I outrank half the people in that hallway."
"And I outrank you."
My eyes narrowed.
"Do not use that right now."
"I'll use whatever I need to keep you alive."
Mom whispered, "Go."
I looked at her.
She held out her second phone.
"Take it."
I didn't move.
"Voss contacts me through that."
"You told me everything?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"No."
I almost exploded.
She continued quickly.
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
"He asked me to do something six months ago."
"What?"
"Put a device in your apartment."
Mason's expression turned murderous.
I stopped breathing.
"A device?"
"I thought it was for financial information."
"What kind of device?"
"A small black adapter. It looked like a phone charger."
My mind raced.
I had seen it.
Three months ago.
Behind my kitchen desk.
I thought Mason had left it there.
"You bugged my home."
"I'm sorry."
"You bugged my home."
"I didn't know—"
"When?"
"The night of your birthday dinner."
My anger became ice.
"You've been feeding Voss information for six months."
"No. I swear."
"You didn't have to feed him anything."
I pointed toward her.
"You gave him access."
Mom broke down.
For the first time all night, she truly broke.
Not performance.
Not manipulation.
She covered her face and sobbed.
"I thought I could get the money back before anyone knew."
Sienna was gone because of greed.
My credentials were compromised.
My home had been bugged.
My father's hidden operation had resurfaced.
And the mother who had slapped me for being selfish had handed a hostile intelligence network access to my life.
Then her second phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Unknown number.
I answered.
Voss spoke immediately.
"Change of plans."
"Let me talk to Sienna."
"Not yet."
"What do you want?"
"Bring Linda."
My mother looked up.
"Why?"
I asked.
Voss chuckled.
"Because she has something that belongs to me."
Mom's crying stopped.
I slowly turned toward her.
"What does he mean?"
She stared at the floor.
"Linda?" Voss called through the speaker.
My mother's face became gray.
May you like
Then she whispered something I never expected.
"I still have the key."
