Page 32 of Never the Same

“That exact thing happened to you in college. Well, minus the tracker and source code part. But you haven’t been in a serious relationship since,” Julian remarked, brows pinched, eyes sharp on me, as if in apology to be the one to be the bearer of that trauma dump.

“What happened?” Nerves fluttered from my stomach to my chest, all the way to my throat, forming into a solid lump.

“Your boyfriend used you to get to Dad. Dad killed him first.” Blunt and to the point. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Gideon, even if this me barely knew him.

Got it.

“Dad took Lyra to check out your place in London,” Gideon shared a few seconds later. “She knows you the best of all of us, even though she doesn’t operate, and if you left behind any clues about why you were in Rome, she’ll find something.”

“And when was I last there?”

“About two weeks ago. You took one of our planes to the city and flew to the French Riviera after that before heading to the States,” Julian answered before turning to Gideon. “Maybe I should reach out to Gwen Montgomery? She’s as good as me, if not better. If anyone can help, it’d be her.”

“Mum will never approve of that and you know it.” Gideon tipped his head toward the back window. “She won’t even let those Tier One operators in on anything.”

“Who’s Gwen?” Did they forget I wasn’t exactly briefed on my own life?

“Gwen’s a cyber genius like me.” A wicked smirk cut across Julian’s mouth for some reason. Did he have a thing for Gwen? Or was that a touch of cockiness about his own skills? “Her father’s a Navy SEAL sniper who leads a team that works for President Bennett. And Gwen’s grandfather is the US secretary of defense, Admiral Chandler. Delta Shield also works for the secretary and president in an indirect way. We do sometimes as well.”

“Yet you don’t trust them enough to share a roof with us?” I jutted my chin forward, arms flying over my chest in defense mode on Reed and his teammates’ behalf.

“I do, I suppose.” Gideon grimaced, like that was painful to spit out.

“But we got our asses handed to us by Mum last night when we let her know we told the team about Tristan,” Julian tacked on. “She called President Bennett and ordered their secrecy.” I didn’t hear sarcasm there, so that was . . . well, not great.

Chills spilled down my back in a dramatic fashion as the reality of my situation struck me all over again, along with the reality of who I was before waking up in that coffin. I came from a family that had the American president on speed dial, which meant our family was a hell of a lot more important than I’d previously realized. “Who are we? For real?”

“Get dressed. Shoes on, too.” Julian nudged his chin toward the closet. “And I’ll do what Mum told me to and show you.”

Chapter Eleven

Hollis

I peeked around Julian, staring down an eerie stairwell that looked like it led straight into the depths of hell.

He flicked on a series of sconce lights that lined the stone walls. “You sure you want to do this?”

“Well, when you put it that way . . .” At least with the lights on, I wouldn’t fall to my death in the dark. “Something tells me this is a regular occurrence in my life. Creepy tunnels, hidden rooms—that kind of thing. And if I’m ever going to learn who I am, I have no choice, do I?”

He frowned. “There’s always a choice.”

“Just, um, lead the way.”

His mood lightened, and he winked. “Roger that.”

Two things hit me at once: the wink and the military-style response. Both seemed out of place for a cyber guru. I didn’t know how or why I knew that. Maybe it was just leftover movie trivia rattling around in my head.

“Were you in the military?” I couldn’t seem to picture him serving behind anything other than a keyboard, even if, based on the fit of his clothes, he clearly hit the gym.

“Surprises me, too, that I ever wore a uniform or took orders.” He held my arm, steadying me as we took the first step. “I was a sniper. Only after I proved myself did Dad put in the request for the military to use my other skills.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “I am a decent shot, though. So don’t let my appearance fool you, or Gideon’s cockiness have you believing he’s the best of us. In truth, you’re neck and neck with him.”

I paused on the next step. “Are you saying I’m on his level of terrifying?” I mean, apparently I could go head-to-head with our mother, but Gideon? No way.

The man had to be at least six-four and was as broody as he was intimidating—even though that didn’t stop me from swinging at him yesterday, I suppose. Still, most definitely not someone to bump into in a dark alley. Or, heck, in the light of day.

“Your kill count is right up there with his,” Julian laid on me.

I thought back to Gideon’s serial killer-y comment about leaving a trail of bodies behind. Great, and I’m like him. I checked my palms, ensuring they weren’t stained with blood even now. “Hard to believe I’ve killed anyone with these things.” I lifted my hands between us like they were weapons in themselves.