Chapter 9: The Last Mission
Twenty-four hours.
That was all the message gave me.
Twenty-four hours before someone reached the archive.
Twenty-four hours before another person decided what happened next.
The frustrating part was that my body didn’t care.
My mind was ready.
My instincts were ready.
But my body was still recovering from an explosion.
The doctor had been very clear.
“No unnecessary movement.””
Apparently, he had never dealt with military intelligence.
Or husbands who betrayed you.
Or dead men returning with family secrets.
Elaine stood beside my bed.
“We need to move carefully.””
I looked at her.
“Can you get me discharged?””
“No.””
“Can you?””
She hesitated.
That was enough.
“Elaine.””
She sighed.
“I can make arrangements.””
My father shook his head.
“Natalie, you can barely stand.””
I looked at him.
“I stood after an IED.””
Nobody argued.
Because they knew.
That was who I was.
Pain was not the thing that stopped me.
People who lied to me were.
Mason remained near the window.
Silent.
For once, he looked like he didn’t know what to do.
Good.
He deserved to feel helpless.
“You’re coming with us,” I said.
Everyone looked at me.
Mason included.
“What?””
“If you know anything about that archive, you’re useful.””
His expression hardened.
“You still don’t trust me.””
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
“You’re still here because I need information.””
He nodded slowly.
Fair.
Daniel looked at me.
“You’re just like your mother.””
I stared at him.
“Don’t compare me to her.””
His face fell slightly.
“Why?””
“Because she trusted people who didn’t deserve it.””
The words hit him.
Good.
The trip to my house happened six hours later.
Not officially.
Not legally.
But quietly.
Elaine handled the paperwork.
My father handled the transportation.
And I handled the truth.
The house looked exactly the same.
That almost made it worse.
The flower beds my mother planted.
The wooden porch.
The kitchen where Mason and I danced while making dinner.
Every room had a memory.
And now every memory had a question.
Mason stood beside me.
“I’m sorry.””
I ignored him.
“I know.””
He looked surprised.
“You know?””
“I know you’re sorry.””
I turned toward him.
“That doesn’t mean I forgive you.””
He looked down.
“I never expected this.””
“What?””
“To care about you.””
I stared at him.
“Don’t.””
His eyes lifted.
“I mean it.””
“You don’t get to tell me what parts of our marriage were real.””
He had no answer.
Good.
Daniel followed us inside.
His eyes moved across the walls.
“She hid it well.””
My father looked around.
“She had help.””
I looked at him.
“From who?””
Dad didn’t answer.
Again.
The secrets.
Always the secrets.
We reached the basement door.
Except there wasn’t one.
Daniel walked to the far wall.
He pressed his hand against the wood paneling.
A small click sounded.
The wall moved.
Behind it was a narrow staircase.
I stared.
My mother had hidden an entire room beneath my house.
And I had lived here for six years without knowing.
The underground room smelled like old paper and dust.
Inside were boxes.
Files.
Photographs.
A lifetime of secrets.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Your mother’s final mission.””
I picked up the first file.
The label made my blood run cold.
*MASON REEVES.*
Inside were pages.
Photos.
Reports.
And one final document.
A handwritten note.
From my mother.
I opened it.
*Natalie,*
*If you found this, then Mason succeeded in getting close to you.*
My hands shook.
*But there is something you need to understand.*
I read the next line.
And froze.
*Mason was never the person I feared most.*
I looked up.
Everyone was watching me.
I continued.
*The person who ordered everything was someone you trust.*
My breath stopped.
Then I turned the page.
There was a name.
A name I had seen every day of my life.
A name I never thought to question.
My father saw it.
His face went white.
Because my mother’s final warning was not about Mason.
May you like
It was about him.
*“Robert Hayes cannot be trusted.””*
