“Damn,” Scarlet exclaims. “That’s gnarly, Nate.”
He shrugs, staring my dad straight in the eyes as if to sayIs that enough proof for you?
“So you have your own gift,” Uncle Benji comments. “What is it?”
“Illusion.”
“How does that work?”
Nate’s eyes find mine, and I give him a small nod. Moments later, the room around us shifts into a beautiful beach similar tothe one he showed me so long ago. The legs of the table dig into the white sand, and a seagull flies overhead.
Mom gasps, dropping her fork onto the table.
“Holy shit,” Uncle Benji breathes out. “This is incredible!”
“Oh my god!” Scarlet screeches. “Take us to Paris!”
Great. And now we’re eating steak in front of the Eiffel Tower.
“Incredible,” she murmurs.
“Enough,” Dad snaps, and Nate obeys him for the first time and returns us to our house.
“So you were being hunted too, then?” Uncle Benji asks, taking a sip from his glass of water.
“He worked for them,” Dad interjects.
“Did you now?” My uncle raises his brows once more.
“Not anymore,” Nate supplies.
“The point is, this man killed three people when they pushed Landon for information about you,” Dad says.
Uncle Benji grins, shooting me a pleased expression before he dips his head in Nate’s direction. “Why, thank you, Nate.”
“It was more to save Landon, but you’re welcome.”
Dad rolls his eyes.
“What I’m gathering from this is that Nate wants to protect our boy so badly he’d commit a crime,” Mom says. Her eyes are wet, but I can’t tell if it’s for the people who have died or how grateful she is that I didn’t.
As I peer around the table, a sense of completeness fills me. My whole family, more interactive than they ever have been, and Nate. All together.
“How do we know he’ll continue to protect him and not try to fuck over our family?” Dad challenges, but I can sense the anger leaving him.
“I could ask him,” Uncle Benji offers.
And weallknow what that means. Nate stiffens in his chair, sending my uncle a weary glare.
“I don’t think that’s—”
“It’s fine,” Nate interrupts, cutting me off mid-sentence.
Uncle Benji clears his throat, sitting up with a grin. “Alright. Ready?”
“Yes.”
“Answer me honestly: do you intend to hurt this family now or anytime in the future?”That simmer that leaks from coercion fills the air around us, and it almost makes me want to cry. To feel it now, knowing I won’t ever feel it in my chest again.
