here? Why are you at Dylan’s home?”
She looks back to me, but it’s my sister who
answers. “He was our neighbor. He moved in when Dylan was twelve. I
had no idea he was your father.”
“Hello, Elletra. It’s lovely to see you
again.”
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same right now,
Sadiq.”
“Dylan?” Nev’s looking at me like I’m a
stranger, and it’s killing me.
“Maybe we should all sit down, and Sadiq and
I can explain,” I suggest.
“This is because of that stupid vow isn’t
it?” Ellie asks.
“What vow?” Aiden asks, still holding onto
me.
“As Dylan said, we should go inside and
discuss this,” Sadiq says. He looks around the backyard. “Perhaps
with less of an audience.”
“These are my friends. Whatever you have to
say can be said in front of them,” Nev tells him, standing up
straight again.
“I do not expect you to keep things from
your friends, but it will be easier to explain things to a smaller
group of people.”
“I agree,” Reina says. “Matt, Nev, Ellie,
Aiden, Nate, Darcy, Dylan, Sadiq, and I will be going inside.
Everyone else, try and enjoy yourselves out here.”
We walk inside and get settled on the couch.
What happens next will either save us, or destroy us. I’m afraid
destruction is the more likely outcome.
Chapter 11
Neveah
We’re in Dylan’s large family room, which is
pretty fitting, since we’re all “family” in here. Reina is sitting
on one side of Matt, while I’m on the other. Nate, Darcy, Aiden,
and Ellie round out our side of the room while Dylan and…my
father…sit on the couch across from us. No one says anything as we
just stare across the open space between us. Matt squeezes my hand,
and I squeeze back.
“Explain,” Reina finally says, and I hear
the strain in her voice. She lost over a decade with Matt because
he felt so much guilt over killing an innocent man, who is now not
only alive, but also looking not so innocent at the moment.
“I saw some strange things happening at
work. It took me a few months to realize what was going on, because
I didn’t want anyone to realize that I was looking. Once I figured
out that I was seeing money laundering transactions for a drug
cartel, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Drug cartel?” I ask. I would’ve expected
weapons, or something related to war. Not drugs.
“Yes. Many people take advantage of a war,
and in this instance it was a drug cartel. My employer was getting
rich while he cleaned up the money for a group that operates out of
an island in the Caribbean.”
“Our government came to you,” Matt says in a
monotone voice.
“Yes. I was approached by a woman who said
she knew what I had found, and she could use my help. I didn’t
hesitate to agree because our country was suffering enough from the
war, and we didn’t need drugs coming in on top of that. I knew in
my heart that it would come to it—these people would not stop at
money laundering, but bring their drugs in as well.”
“Shit. They found out, didn’t they? You
didn’t just walk into that plaza, did you?” Aiden asks.
“Yes, they found out. I thought I was being
smart, but I wasn’t being careful enough. My handler let me know
that my family was in danger, and there was only one way out. I had
to ‘die’ to save them. I walked into that plaza, was shot with
blanks by a sniper inside one of the buildings, puncturing the
blood packets under my clothes,” he tells us, then looks at Matt.
“You were in shock, so I don’t think you remember that no one was
allowed near my body except for your Commanding Officer and the
medics that appeared right away.”
“I remember trying to run to you, but I was
held back,” Matt says, and I’m afraid he’s going into shock again
right now. I squeeze his hand to bring him back, and he kisses the
top of my head.
“I know you’ve suffered because of what you
thought you’d done, but I want you to know you weren’t targeted, or
chosen for this.
She looks back to me, but it’s my sister who
answers. “He was our neighbor. He moved in when Dylan was twelve. I
had no idea he was your father.”
“Hello, Elletra. It’s lovely to see you
again.”
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same right now,
Sadiq.”
“Dylan?” Nev’s looking at me like I’m a
stranger, and it’s killing me.
“Maybe we should all sit down, and Sadiq and
I can explain,” I suggest.
“This is because of that stupid vow isn’t
it?” Ellie asks.
“What vow?” Aiden asks, still holding onto
me.
“As Dylan said, we should go inside and
discuss this,” Sadiq says. He looks around the backyard. “Perhaps
with less of an audience.”
“These are my friends. Whatever you have to
say can be said in front of them,” Nev tells him, standing up
straight again.
“I do not expect you to keep things from
your friends, but it will be easier to explain things to a smaller
group of people.”
“I agree,” Reina says. “Matt, Nev, Ellie,
Aiden, Nate, Darcy, Dylan, Sadiq, and I will be going inside.
Everyone else, try and enjoy yourselves out here.”
We walk inside and get settled on the couch.
What happens next will either save us, or destroy us. I’m afraid
destruction is the more likely outcome.
Chapter 11
Neveah
We’re in Dylan’s large family room, which is
pretty fitting, since we’re all “family” in here. Reina is sitting
on one side of Matt, while I’m on the other. Nate, Darcy, Aiden,
and Ellie round out our side of the room while Dylan and…my
father…sit on the couch across from us. No one says anything as we
just stare across the open space between us. Matt squeezes my hand,
and I squeeze back.
“Explain,” Reina finally says, and I hear
the strain in her voice. She lost over a decade with Matt because
he felt so much guilt over killing an innocent man, who is now not
only alive, but also looking not so innocent at the moment.
“I saw some strange things happening at
work. It took me a few months to realize what was going on, because
I didn’t want anyone to realize that I was looking. Once I figured
out that I was seeing money laundering transactions for a drug
cartel, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Drug cartel?” I ask. I would’ve expected
weapons, or something related to war. Not drugs.
“Yes. Many people take advantage of a war,
and in this instance it was a drug cartel. My employer was getting
rich while he cleaned up the money for a group that operates out of
an island in the Caribbean.”
“Our government came to you,” Matt says in a
monotone voice.
“Yes. I was approached by a woman who said
she knew what I had found, and she could use my help. I didn’t
hesitate to agree because our country was suffering enough from the
war, and we didn’t need drugs coming in on top of that. I knew in
my heart that it would come to it—these people would not stop at
money laundering, but bring their drugs in as well.”
“Shit. They found out, didn’t they? You
didn’t just walk into that plaza, did you?” Aiden asks.
“Yes, they found out. I thought I was being
smart, but I wasn’t being careful enough. My handler let me know
that my family was in danger, and there was only one way out. I had
to ‘die’ to save them. I walked into that plaza, was shot with
blanks by a sniper inside one of the buildings, puncturing the
blood packets under my clothes,” he tells us, then looks at Matt.
“You were in shock, so I don’t think you remember that no one was
allowed near my body except for your Commanding Officer and the
medics that appeared right away.”
“I remember trying to run to you, but I was
held back,” Matt says, and I’m afraid he’s going into shock again
right now. I squeeze his hand to bring him back, and he kisses the
top of my head.
“I know you’ve suffered because of what you
thought you’d done, but I want you to know you weren’t targeted, or
chosen for this.
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