“I know,” I said softly. “I know you do.” She looked down for a second, blinking hard, before I kept going. “But I think you’ll understand once you meet her.”
That earned a tiny glance upward.
“She’s different.” I couldn’t stop the smile pulling at my mouth now. “Yeah, she’s turned, but she learns frighteningly fast.”
My fingers tapped lightly against the desk as excitement started creeping into my voice. “And the way she thinks?” I shookmy head once, laughing quietly. “She approaches problems sideways. It’s fascinating.”
The more I talked, the softer Ezra’s expression became.
“I can’t wait to see what we create together.”
That finally did it. A real smile broke across Ezra’s face. Rare enough to feel historic.
“There he is,” she murmured. “That obsessive little inventor look.”
I pointed at her dramatically. “Rude. There is nothinglittleabout me.”
“You’re right though,” she admitted, still smiling faintly. “I’ll have to meet her.” Her eyes narrowed mischievously. “Especially if I can recruit her to help keep you under control.”
I gasped in offense. “Absolutely not!”
She laughed softly as I pointed at her. “I cannot survive two people reporting my crimes to you behind my back. You already have spies for that.”
Her expression gentled again at that, knowing exactly what I meant.
“I worry because I love you idiots,” she admitted quietly. “All of you.” Her fingers curled against the desk. “I just want to keep everyone safe. It's my job.”
“Youarekeeping us safe.” I softened my tone immediately. “But you can’t carry every piece of the world by yourself forever.”
Her jaw tightened slightly.Watch me, she said with her eyes, daring me to tell her again that she couldn’t.
“If you keep piling pressure on yourself,” I continued carefully, “ something’s going to crack. It’s just a matter of when.”
Silence stretched for a second before she slowly inhaled through her nose. Then, like watching ice freeze over water, the familiar Ezra mask slid neatly back into place. Calm. Controlled. Untouchable.
“Alright,” she said briskly. “Well, looks like we have another person joining this family.”
I laughed quietly. “Yeah. We do.”
“We’ll celebrate soon.”
I nodded once. “Soon.”
For a second, neither of us moved, then I smiled at her softly. “Love you, E.”
Her hand hovered over the disconnect button, but she paused long enough for her expression to warm one last time.
“Love you, big bro.”
Click.
27
RACK
The elevator dinged softly, the doors sliding open as I stepped inside without bothering to look up from my phone. My thumb kept moving across the screen while I hit the button for level five from memory alone.
Ever since Calix’s meeting yesterday, he’d turned into a man possessed.
