I was out of the car before Dad was parked. Mom's car was still here, making me burst through the door, but found no one in my direct sight. I heard my brothers upstairs playing whatever video game they were playing, but Mom was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" Dad asked lowly, and I pointed upstairs. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard their voices, "Thank God."
"Yeah, but where's Mom?" I questioned, and he shut the door.
"Out to a movie with Abby." He stated, but then took me by the shoulders. "You have to listen to me very closely. Use your brilliant spy mind of yours. I don't care what she says or what she wants you to tell her. You can't tell her I still work for them."
"You didn't tell her!" I shrieked, and he cupped his hand over my mouth to stop me from speaking, but I shoved it away. "Why not?"
"Because she thinks I quit working for them a long time ago." He said lowly, "And it has to stay that way."
"Why wouldn't you tell her, though?" His hand went back to my shoulder, and his head darted around the room and to the windows.
"It doesn't matter now, but you can't, not in a million years, tell her that I'm still a spy." He ordered, "Do you understand? Or your brothers, you can't tell them either."
My mind was still frazzled, but I agreed. "I guess, but why wouldn't you tell her? You're allowed to tell your wife."
"It's a long story that I won't get into." He stated, "It's for her own good. It's for everyone's own good. If you tell her, I'll lose her. And if you tell her that you're also a spy, she's going to lose her mind. She'll break, and I can't see that happen. You have to promise me that you will not tell her anything!"
And then the lights flicked on.
We both froze. Our heart rates sped up, his probably faster than mine. He was trembling more than me, and everything that he was at the agency, calm, collected, together… it wasn't there anymore. We didn't turn to see who it was, but whoever it was, it couldn't be good. Either someone broke in, or it was Mom. And honestly, we both would've taken an intruder.
I turned first, seeing my Mom, eyes already prickled with tears, arms crossed, standing against the wall with the light switch. And I could tell it was hard for her to contain herself.
"What?" She breathed, not taking a step. "You… you still work for them?"
Dad finally turned towards her, "I thought you were out with Abby."
"The highway was shut down because of an attack on the agency." She growled, shaking her head. "You still work for them!?"
Dad was thinking. He had multiple scenarios running through his head, and by the look on his face, none were good.
"Answer me!"
"Yes." He breathed, trying to keep calm, but it wasn't working. "I still work for them."
She shut her eyes, letting the tears fall from her face. "How could you…" She cried, and when Dad took a step forward, she took a step back. "Stay away from me."
"Okay." He obeyed, "But let's talk this out."
"Talk it out!?" She shrieked, keeping her arms as support by the wall to balance. "You've been lying to me for almost twenty years! I’m not going to talk. You’re going to explain yourself. You’re going to tell me the reason you betrayed me and stayed there."
“Cindy, I couldn’t just leave.” He started, “After that attack, and when I went back, they were trying so hard to find whoever did that to us. I couldn’t leave. Not when we could’ve found the group the ruined our wedding day.”
“But you didn’t.” Mom stated, “You didn’t leave. Not even after twenty years.”
“I was promoted. I was making so much more money.” He countered, “I was providing for not only this family, but your siblings too, when they needed it.”
She wanted to protest, but her hands rolled into fists, eyes closed, as she chose her words carefully. “You’d rather have us with a little bit more money then you guaranteeing yourself alive?”
By this point, the boys turned down their game, trying to listen in from upstairs. I was still speechless. Nothing I could say would help.
"I'm so sorry." Was all Dad could manage.
"This whole marriage started with a lie." Mom shot back angrily, taking another step back. "This entire marriage has been a lie!" She buried her head in her hands, "Your love was all a lie."
"No!" Dad assured her, taking a couple steps, but she shook her head, and he stopped.
"And you." When she looked at me, a tear finally rolled down her cheek. "You work for them, too?" She didn't let me answer, "Of course you do. You're his daughter. Both liars."
I love her, and it broke my heart to see hers break, too. "Mom, please-"
"Anyone else?" She asked, throwing both of us off guard. "Anyone else in this family who's a spy? Might as well let me know now."
I think she meant it to be sarcastic, but we didn't answer.
"No." She was so close to her breaking point, looking upstairs. "Which one of them?"
"It's Alex." I finally answered. "Phillip and Eric aren't involved."
She didn't look happy, but a little relieved. But then she thought some more, "Poor Mark and Alice."
Dad finally managed to take another step. "Please, let's just talk this out, don't blow things-"
"I'm sorry." Mom cut him off, "But this lie was too much. You've been lying to me for twenty years. It shows how much you don't trust me. Did you ever trust me?"
"Of course I did!" He exclaimed, but he bit his lip when he realized what he said.
"Did." She laughed sadly, looking at him, then to me, then back to him. "I'm sorry. It's obvious you don't trust me, and I can't trust you. I want a divorce."
With that, she snatched her purse fast and headed to the door.
"Mom!" I cried, and I heard the slow steps of my brothers coming down the stairs. I looked up at Dad, who was frozen. I could tell his brain was shutting down.
"Mom?" Eric asked, and the front door shut.
"Dad, snap out of it!" I faced him and shook his shoulders hard. "Dad, please!" I whipped my head around to look out the window, and she was getting in her car. "Mom's leaving! She might be gone forever! Go stop her, please!"
I don't know what it was, but when she pulled out of the driveway, it clicked. "Cindy!" She shoved past me and bolted to the door, and was off after her.
I started also, but my brothers ran past me. "Oh, no you don't." I stated, grabbing them by the shirt collars and pulling them back. "You need to stay here."
"Why?" Phillip shot at me, "Mom's leaving! Probably forever!"
"She's not going anywhere, she just needs time to think." I assured them, looking back to see a black van race by. "Just hold on." I ordered as I stealthily crept towards the door and then stood on the porch.
I stood on the porch, watching Mom drive down the street, Dad running on the sidewalk after her, and the black van race by too. But when I saw the black van slammed into Mom's car full-on, my gun was locked and loaded in my hands. I wanted to head down there too, but Dad was already firing shots at the men and the tires of the van. But they managed to grab her, stuff her in the van, and make a swift U-turn before Dad could get a shot.
"No!" I cried as I started taking shots at the driver and the tires, but when they started firing back, I dodged more then fired. And then it was out of sight. "Mom!"
Dad ran back, but I was already in tears. "They got her."
"We'll get her back." He managed to pull himself together slightly, "I know the Russians. There's always a ransom involved." He breathed in deeply, "But this will be a steep one."
And then someone screamed.
Both our heads whipped back to see Eric with his mouth wide open, looking directly at Phillip, who was on the porch, back facing us, blood pouring from a wound in his back.
"Phillip!" Dad and I both screamed as he bolted again, up the steps and fell on the porch and holding him in his arms. I held Eric back a ways, and I noticed Phillip also had a wound in the front. It flew right through him.
"No!" Eric cried, but I only shoved him back farther.
"Call 9-1-1." Dad ordered fiercely, now practically sobbing, ripping off the sleeve of his shirt to use it to cover his chest wound. He was unable to handle himself anymore. "Go!"
I called 9-1-1 and they told me there would be an ambulance and three cop cars here immediately. But the wound was near his heart… if he wasn't already dead, it would be a miracle.
I didn't know what to do. All I know was that I had to sit Eric down and had to make him stop freaking out before I could do anything to help Mom. She was out there, alone, afraid, and I couldn't do anything about it. There was this overall guilt I couldn't, and probably, would never shake. I lied to her. Dad lied to her. We lied to each other. We lied to my brothers. And neither Dad or I could protect them when they needed it.
"What's gonna happen to him?" Eric asked weakly, and I could finally hear the sirens.
"He's going to make it." I assured him, putting on a brave face for him. "He will."
"Promise me." He pleaded, and I wanted to. I wanted to guarantee my little brother's life. But I couldn't.
"He'll live, Eric. That's what we do." I thought back to all the attacks, all the missions I've been on, Alex too, and even imagined what Dad could've gone through. "That's what this family does."
I kept one arm around Eric as I pulled out my phone and texted my team members.
Code Black. Please respond.
Everyone responded within a minute. Everyone asked what was going on, what happened, and I told them in detail. But even though I needed help, they were all at their homes, protecting their families. I understood, of course, but it was frustrating.
When it finally looked like things calmed down a bit, and Phillip was in the ambulance, I took Eric's hand and headed outside, walking towards Dad, who was already getting in the ambulance with him.
"I'm going with him, Belle." Dad informed, and I nodded. "I have to be there."
"I know you do."
"But I need you to stay here."
The ambulance siren suddenly jerked loudly, signaling it' be racing down the street soon, but I shook my head at his request. "I can't do that, Dad. It's not safe here."
"It's not safe anywhere." One door shut, "But right now, you need to be with him." And then the other shut, and they took off. Did he not care about Mom? Did he really think she wasn't dead?
But it wasn't until I was there, only with Eric, and everyone was out of sight, did my phone beep. I glanced at the screen, expecting it to be Dad or a team member, but it was from a restricted number.
Back alley. 30 minutes. Alone. Or she dies.
I should've seen it coming. Dad was right. This had to be a ransom. But I couldn't leave Eric. Not when he was trembling and tear-stained.
"Eric, sweetie." I knelt down so I could look my little ten-year-old brother in the eye, "I'm going to drop you off at Aunt Alice and Uncle Mark's, okay? Alex will be there too."
"But Dad said to stay here." He argued, but I only held his hand and led him to Dad's car, since mine was still at the agency.
"I know, but I need to go take care of a few things." I opened the car door, and he reluctantly climbed inside. "It'll be over before you know it." Whether it was good or bad, I didn't answer. As I drove, I kept watching the clock.
When I walked Eric up to the door of Aunt Alice and Uncle Mark's place, Alex was already outside. He opened the door silently and waited for Eric to go inside.
"Come back soon?" Eric asked, looking up at me. And then I needed to lie.
"Of course." I assured, and he ran inside. Alex shut the door and we stood on the porch together.
"Is Phillip okay?" Alex asked once the door was fully shut and was sure Eric was out of earshot. "I swear, I'm going to hunt down and kill whoever did this."
"Me too, but I don't know, Alex." I breathed, trying to calm myself, "First my mom, then Phillip, I mean, who's next?"
"Do you at least know the location of your mom?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "We could always get Milo to run through city footage-"
"That's the thing." I clenched my fists angrily, "The Russians got her."
"No…" Alex shook his head, "Is Trisha involved? How do you know it was them?"
"My dad." I responded, "But now I have to go and try and negotiate. And I have a feeling it won't end pretty."
"Don't do this, Belle." He pleaded, and then lowered to a whisper. "Don't do it by yourself. Let your team help you. But you can't do this alone. Not this time."
"This is the time I need to do it alone." I couldn't even mention them by name anymore, "They want me alone."
When he saw there was no stopping this, he sighed, "Just don't do anything stupid. I don't want to be down yet another team member and I can't even count how many family members."
"Just go easy on Eric. He saw Phillip get shot." My voice wavered, still upset with myself. "Protect everyone else who's left."
"That's what I'm here for." He assured before I got back in the car, and drove to what I assumed to be my inevitable death.