But they’re not really paying attention to us. They’re all catching up with each other. I guess they’ve all been off on their own missions and this is our first time all together since... New Zealand.
I listen to their stories—Hunter, Jax and Sander have the best stories about what they’ve been up to in the states. Brett and Gage can’t talk about what they’ve been up to—I guess whatever it is, it’s top secret. But that is over now, and I’m so glad they’re here.
I’ve missed my friends.
My family.
This thing with Steven is really almost over. And I can’t wait until it is.
Kind of gross.
Things are absolutely crazy in my house with all the guys there. And I love it. But I also haven’t had time to process everything that has happened to me while I was taken, so I go outside to sit on the porch swing and just look at the sky.
It’s cold in Switzerland today. Really cold. The ground is covered in snow and the wind is blowing. It’s hard to tell if it’s still snowing or if it’s just the snow that is already on the ground just blowing around.
Since I’ve been in a warmer climate over the past week, I am freezing, so I quickly head back inside and decide to just look at the snow from the bay window. I take a seat, putting my back against the wall and pulling my knees up to my chest.
Gage walks over to me, carrying mug of something that is steaming.
“Hot chocolate?” he asks, holding out the mug.
I accept it. “Thank you.”
He sits down beside me.
“You look better,” I tell him.
And it’s the truth. Last time I saw him, he was still recovering from Nolan shooting him. It was quite a slow recovery, but he looks to be one hundred percent better now. He’s even got a slight tan, which I’ve never seen on him before.
“I took some time off,” he says. “I went to Hawaii for a couple of weeks. It was nice. And then I got called on a mission in the Caribbean, which I’ve got to admit, that was nice, too. I got to spend all day on the beach.”
“Nice,” I say. “I hope I get some kind of permanent mission in the Caribbean.”
He laughs. “Well, considering your dad runs Spy School, I’m pretty sure you’ll get the best missions.”
“Are you kidding? When this is over, I’ll be lucky if he lets me leave his side,” I say.
“He won’t be able to keep you away from Sebastian,” he says. “How long have you two been dating?”
“Not long,” I answer. “Sebastian really likes to play hard to get.”
“You two are perfect for one another,” he says.
“I think so,” I say. “I got to meet his family—his mom, sister, and stepdad.”
“Really? I’m surprised. He doesn’t really talk about his family much,” Gage says.
“I know,” I say. “I was surprised when it happened. I mean, it took him a while for him to even tell me about Steven.”
Steven may be Sebastian’s biological father, but his stepdad, Matthew, is more of a father than Steven will ever be.
“Well, how do you tell the girl your crushing on that your father wants to kill her?”
“True,” I say, taking a drink of the hot chocolate. “So... what is our plan exactly? I know Steven isn’t going to give up.”
“No, he’s not,” Gage says. “That’s why we’re all here. We’re going to let him come to us.”
“He really doesn’t stand a chance,” I say, but I wonder if he does.
Steven has spent his whole life building up to this one moment. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s good at what he does. In the end, we might be the ones who don’t stand a chance, but we’ve got to try.
“Did you see him?” Gage asks, looking away from me and out the window.
“Yeah,” I answer. “I mean, he wasn’t around that much.”
“I mean Nolan.”
“Oh,” I say. “Yeah, I saw Nolan. He, um... it was weird. In Australia, Nolan let Sebastian and me escape. He could’ve had us, or at least put up a good fight. But he didn’t. And when I was captured, Nolan was really good to me. He made sure I was fed and that I was okay. And when Steven wasn’t there, he took me out for a run and he let me roam the house freely. He actually helped me escape. After Steven left, he took me to a hotel that he paid for and he told Sebastian where to find me. I thought it was going to be a trap, but he let us go.”
“That’s crazy,” Gage says.
“I know,” I say. “Sometimes I forgot that he wasn’t the old Nolan. But he shot you. I mean, he can’t be on our side anymore.”
“No,” he says. “But maybe he changed his mind or something. Maybe he regrets it.”
“Even if he does regret it, how could he come back from something like that?” I ask. “None of us would ever trust him again. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want him on my team.”
“No, me either,” he says.
“Our team hasn’t really done anything together since New Zealand,” I say. “We are still a team, right?”
“Of course,” he says. “It’s just, sometimes we have to do our own individual things. And when they need a team to kick butt and takes names, they call us.”
I laugh. “How is it going to work now? I mean, Sander has his American girlfriend...”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile as much as he has today. I think he’s called her at least ten times,” he says. “It’s kind of gross.”
“I think it’s sweet,” I say. “Sander deserves to be happy. And someday, you’ll meet a girl you’ll call ten times a day when you’re not with her.”
“I doubt that,” Gage says. “I could never like a girl more than I like my job.”
“You that say now, but someday you’ll meet a girl who changes your mind,” I say.
“Maybe,” he says. “Or maybe I’ll be single until I’m forty.”
I highly doubt that.
Gage would be a catch for any girl. Maybe I’m biased because he’s my best friend, but someday he’s going to fall madly in love with somebody that he likes more than his job. And it’s going to be beautiful.
I can’t wait to see it.
Debriefing.
I am sitting in my dad’s office. He is sitting at his desk, and Sebastian and I are in chairs, facing him. We’re supposed to tell him about everything that happened since we left New York, and boy, do we have a lot to catch him up on.
“We went to Florida after we left New York City,” Sebastian tells him. “A beach town called Cocoa Beach.”
“You didn’t stay there long,” Dad says.
“No, Sir,” Bass says.
“What made you leave?”
“A creepy dude had our pictures,” I say. “There was this reward for information that lead to our capture.”
“Steven was the one who released our photos,” Sebastian says.
“Why did this guy just tell you?” Dad asks.
“I am not sure,” Sebastian answers. “He said something about cleaning his life up and not running in those circles anymore. I think he was genuinely trying to be helpful. And it was helpful. If he hadn’t told us, we would’ve kept blindly running.”
“Where did you go from there?” Dad asks.
There is a pause.
My heart hurts thinking about it.
“My mom’s house,” Sebastian answers. “I didn’t know where else to go. And I knew that she would be able to help me find Pops.”
“Smart decision,” Dad says.
“Not that smart,” he says. “Steven was able to find us easily. Too easily.”
“Why didn’t you leave Louisiana? You knew Steven was on the way there. You could’ve easily escaped.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to stay,” I say, stepping in. I don’t want Sebastian to get in trouble. “I was tired of running and thought we should stay and fight. I kind of refused to leave, actually. I thought we could take him. And we would have been able to if everybody would’ve s
howed up, but Steven showed up early.”
“And they took you,” Dad says, now looking at me.
“Yes,” I answer. “I didn’t fight because they threatened Sebastian. Plus, there were too many of them to fight off. I knew there was no way.”
“What happened after that?” he asks, still looking at me.
“I was given a sedative and I woke up the next day in a locked bedroom,” I answer. “I later found out that I was in Steven’s house.”
I then proceed to tell him about everything that happened from the time I woke up until Sebastian and I got on the airplane—even everything about Nolan.
Dad doesn’t react at all when I tell him about what Nolan did.
He turns to Sebastian.
“What happened with you?” Dad asks.
“I knew they had too much manpower,” Sebastian says. “I knew I couldn’t just go after them—if I had, they would’ve taken me, too. And Pops was bleeding out. So, I did what I was trained to do. I waited and called for backup. But by the time backup got there, it was too late. They had already taken her.
“And then I spent the next few days searching. I tried to follow their trail, but everything went cold. I even had Brett trying to find something. It all seemed impossible until I got a call from Nolan. His instructions were clear—I had to come alone and not tell anybody. I knew it could be a trap, but it was my only hope.”
“Don’t do that again,” Dad says. “Next time, call me.”
“Yes, Sir,” Sebastian says. “But I don’t regret it, because she’s here with me now. I regretted following protocol as soon as I realized she was gone. If I could go back in time, I would’ve gone with her. I would’ve let my dad take me, too.”
“And things could’ve ended a lot worse,” he says. “We have orders to follow for a reason. You can’t be stupid, Bass.”
“You don’t know what I went through when I realized she was gone,” Sebastian says. “It was agony. I felt as though a part of me had died. I didn’t know if she was alive or hurt or what. So, no offense, Sir, but screw protocol.”
“Watch your tone,” Dad says. “I understand where you’re coming from. I’ve been there before. And I can’t stop you from doing your own thing. But following protocol is important. You’re a smart kid, though. I trust your judgment. You did the right thing this time.”
Sebastian’s face is now turning red.
He’s mad.
I grab his hand, holding onto it.
He looks over at me, like he’s shocked by what I did. But he doesn’t look so angry anymore, so it worked.
I turn my attention forward.
“Dad, no offense, but Sebastian kept me safe and alive for months,” I say. “I trust him completely. The only reason I was taken was because of my own stupidity. If anybody is to blame here, it is me.”
“No, it’s not,” Sebastian says. “I’m the one who is trained.”
“Nobody is at fault,” Dad says, shocking me. “You’re home and safe—that is all that matters. Now, we must look forward.”
“What are we going to do?” I ask.
“We’re going to bring this to an end once and for all,” Dad answers, then looks at Sebastian. “Have you continued her training?”
“Yes, Sir,” Bass answers. “It’s been hard since we’ve pretty much been in a new country every few weeks, but I’ve trained her hard. She’s impressive. She picks up everything so quickly.”
“Good,” Dad says. “I want you to continue her training. I believe it is best that she not attend Spy School in the normal sense. I feel it would benefit Serenity more to learn from you.”
“Okay,” he says. “I will train her.”
Dad smiles. “Well, I believe that is all I need for now.”
“There is one more thing,” I say. “Something I left out of the story.”
He looks at me, waiting.
I’m nervous to tell him this part.
“Remember when I told you that Steven forced me to have dinner with him?” I ask.
Dad nods.
“Well, during that dinner he confessed a few things to me. One of them being that he is the one who killed Mom,” I say. “And he told me that he placed me with that woman...”
“I suspected,” Dad says. “But I wasn’t sure.”
“He’s a monster,” I say.
“He will pay. I promise you that,” he says.
I nod. “Good.”
“That will be all,” he says.
Sebastian and I get up from the chairs and head out of his office. Once we’re out, we shut the door behind us and Sebastian looks at me.
“That went well,” he says.
Well?
That was well?
“Are you up for some training?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer, then follow him out to the backyard.
Well, things are certainly never dull around here, that’s for sure.
Monday, January 15
Relationships.
Sander is on the phone to his girlfriend and I smile, watching him. He literally has the goofiest grin on his face while he walks back and forth, talking to her.
I met her when Sebastian and I were in America. We went to her school before we left for New York City—Phoenix was her name, I think. She was cute. Perfect for Sander.
After a few minutes, he hangs up his phone, now frowning. It’s clear he didn’t want to get off the phone with her.
The guys all make fun of him for calling her so much, but I think it’s adorable. He gives her as much time as he can while still being focused on his job. It’s a good balance.
He deserves this. He deserves happiness.
Sander comes over to me, sitting by me on the couch.
“Hey, cuz,” he says.
“Cuz?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, you’re practically family,” he says. “Someday, when you and Sebastian get married, you’ll be my cousin.”
I roll my eyes, but can’t stop my smile.
“Were you talking to Phoenix?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
“Yeah,” he says, his face immediately lighting up at the mention of her name.
“You miss her?”
“So much,” he says. “The worst part of it all is that I don’t know how long I am going to be here. It could be a week or a month or longer. It’s unpredictable.”
“If we’re waiting on Steven, it won’t be long,” I say. “He is not patient.”
“He’s been waiting years to get his revenge.”
“No,” I say. “Steven killed my mom. He is the one who put me with that woman. He’s been getting his revenge all these years. Now that I’m here, nothing will stop him.”
“I’m sorry,” Sander says. “Did you tell your dad?”
“I told him yesterday,” I answer. “He didn’t seem surprised.”
“He’s not going to give Steven any mercy. And I don’t blame him. Not only did he kill your mom, but he took you,” he says. “And you are the most important thing to your dad.”
I smile, loving how much my dad loves me.
It’s good to know that somebody cares about me, after going so long without love in my life.
“Enough talk about Steven,” he says. “We talk about him enough.”
“Agree,” I say.
I’m sick of talking about him.
It’s all any of us have talked or thought about for far too long.
“You look happy, despite what is going on,” Sander says.
“I am happy,” I say.
“I’m glad my cousin finally stopped being so stubborn.”
“Me, too.”
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I answer. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“Good. He deserves love. And I couldn’t think of anybody more perfectly suited for him than you.”
I smile at his words. “Thank you. Things are... kind of weird here. I don’t get to spend time alone wi
th him, with everybody around all the time. I’m used to it just being us.”
“Ah, you want to make out with my cousin,” he says. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you two get some alone time tonight.”
Sander winks at me.
My face grows warm.
“I didn’t say I want to make out with him,” I say, sinking further into my seat. I know that nobody else is listening to our conversation, but it’s still embarrassing.
Still, he’s a little right. I haven’t kissed Sebastian since we left Louisiana and I want to do it again. I really liked our kiss. A lot.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Sander says.
“How would you feel if I teased you about kissing your girlfriend?” I ask.
“I kiss her all the time,” he says.
I cover my face with my hands. “Sander, please. Can’t we talk about something else?”
“Like what?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say, looking at him. “Politics?”
He laughs. “You’re interested in politics?”
“Not really,” I answer. “It’s kind of cold today.”
“The weather,” Sander says, shaking his head. “Serenity, you are absolutely adorable. Please, never change.”
“It’s not my fault you try to embarrass me,” I say. “Let’s talk about your girlfriend. I want to know more about her.”
His smile widens when I mention her. “She is absolutely perfect. You would love her. Actually, I think the two of you could be good friends. She’s seventeen, but she acts like she’s twenty. She’s so unlike her classmates. I think she could’ve made a great Spy School student. She picks up on everything so easily. She fights just as good as a lot of students here.”
“That’s awesome,” I say. “Is it hard to date her and have this job?”
“Not as hard as I thought it would be,” he says.
“You said to me once that you couldn’t date a girl unless you liked her more than your job. You like her more?” I ask.
He nods. “So much more. So much that if she asked me to give this all up, I would. But she never would, because she knows how much I love my job.”
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