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They entered the large conference room. She counted twenty-four chairs and more than half of them filled. Every eye seemed to be on her and Chandler. She’d brought the information to them and these people were highly trained and experienced, but somehow she knew it would fall on her to help end Frederick.
You’re pathetic. A teacher from inner-city Chicago taking on King Frederick?
Sadly, Mimi was right this time, and Kylee didn’t even try to tell her to be quiet. This was insane. She glanced at Greer’s wife Emery. She was a teacher as well, and already heavily involved in the secret her brother had died for. Emery’s brother had died on the opposite side of the Deltas, trying to steal the secret from them. Just like her grandma and grandpa were trying to help King Frederick do. There was a strange comfort in that. The Deltas didn’t judge Emery for her brother doing evil deeds, and they didn’t seem to judge Kylee for her rotten family either.
Chandler escorted her to a chair, helped her settle into it, sat at her side, and then reached for her hand again. She felt like they were a couple, just like most of the others in the room were. A few eyebrows raised as she clasped his hand tightly. She shouldn’t let him or his family think they were dating, but she really needed the support and strength of her lacrosse superstar right now. Herel campeón.
“Thanks everybody for getting here. I’ll try to make this brief so we can rotate out guard duty and those who have the second night shift or early morning duty can get some sleep. I’ll brief Alivia, Klein, and Greer when they return.”
A few nods, but most just sat tensely in their chairs. Kylee felt her own stress level rising at the intense look in each of the Delta family’s blue eyes. It was an odd thing to think about at the moment, but in most of the world, brown was the predominant eye color. Not tonight. Myrna and Shelly both had green eyes, and Emery, Melene, and Reed had dark-brown like her. The rest were piercing blue, like Chandler’s.
Cue the infatuated sigh.
Por favor quedate quieto. She’d added please because she really did need to calm down around this irresistible man.
“Everyone has been briefed on the message Kylee overheard and is up to date on the escalated threat from Frederick?” Papa looked around the table and received a lot more nods.
Kylee was impressed how much they all trusted Papa Delta—and her. Her grandparents were part of the reason for the nightmare coming at the Delta family and their country if Frederick succeeded. Yet Papa and these people trusted what she’d overheard and were willing to fight to protect the secret and their country.
“So we must assume that Ross, or Olivet, was the one who revealed the secret to King Frederick. They are traitors to our country.” He gave Kylee a sympathetic look. She held his gaze, willing him to know she would be all right, as long as Chandler kept holding her hand. She kept telling herself not to fall for him, but she needed him—his support, his strength, his ability to comfort and protect her.
“Papa,” Chandler interrupted him. “Does Admiral Seamons know what the secret is?”
Papa shook his head. “Admiral Seamons doesn’t know. He only knows about it because, Josh, one of the creators, told him he was working on something huge and Ross came to me about it. I never told him what it was capable of. Nobody but myself, the creators, and the person I appoint as secret keeper will ever know what the secret is. Unless the worst happens,” he said in an undertone.
“Frederick thinks it’s a weapon that will make him the most powerful man on earth.” Chandler looked to Kylee. She nodded. He seemed nervous to keep going and no one else said a word. They seemed to be holding their breath and waiting for something to happen.
Chandler locked gazes with his grandfather. “Is it a weapon?”
The tension ramped up. She waited in suspense along with everyone else as the seconds ticked by and Papa simply stared at Chandler. She could easily read that they all wanted to know and maybe had been waiting for this moment for a long time but their respect for Papa had held them in check. She thought Chandler deeply respected his grandfather but it felt like it was past time the entire family had some answers.
Papa looked away from Chandler and his gaze focused on the youngest Delta, Jessica. Kylee remembered how adorable and well-loved Jessie had been when she’d first visited the family. She still seemed like a sweetheart, but she was much quieter than Kylee remembered.
Colton, Chandler’s oldest cousin, cleared his throat and drew everyone’s attention. Kylee wondered if she should excuse herself. These people had earned the right to know what the secret was by their devotion to their family and to the secret’s protection. What had she done? Yet if she was going to be asked by Papa to confront Mimi and possibly King Frederick, she was in as deep as anybody.
“Papa,” Colton began in a gravelly tone. “You know we’re all willing to fight and die for you and the secret, just as we’ve always been.”
Several family members nodded.
“We’ve all tried not to ask out of respect for you, and like you’ve always taught us, to keep us and the secret safe.”
Kylee wondered if Colton was trying to tell Chandler he shouldn’t have asked the question. He surprised her when he continued, “But we’re all adults now and I would trust anyone in this room with any secret and with my own life.” Colton looked around the room and Kylee felt honored to be here. Did he really mean that? She didn’t know Colt very well, but he was more serious than the rest of the family and it was easy to trust him and look up to him like an older, trustworthy brother.
“You understand I’ve been trying to protect all of you as much as the secret,” Papa said quietly.
Kylee could hardly imagine the heavy burden Papa carried. To protect some huge secret, have his entire family involved, and want to keep all those he loved safe as well as protect America.
“We do,” Colton continued. “We respect and love you, Papa.”
Most of the heads bobbed in agreement, but even Colton’s parents and Chandler’s parents seemed content to let Colton lead the way on this.
“Can we at least know …” Colton paused as if trying to figure out how to phrase the question to get some information without being disrespectful, putting any of them needlessly in danger, or pushing Papa too hard. “Is it a weapon, and if not, why do all the rumors point that direction?”
Papa looked at him for a few beats. Kylee could almost feel everyone in the room hold their breath. Chandler’s hand tightened around hers. This family was crazy loyal to each other and to Papa Delta. To think they’d all committed to protect some secret and they had no idea if it was a cure to toe fungus or a bio-chemical weapon. It was singularly impressive to her.
“I know all the secrecy isn’t easy,” Papa began, “Especially as you all have proven your loyalty and devotion to your family and to the secret.” He paused. Kylee could almost sense the room’s disappointment, but still no one demanded to know. Papa looked up at the ceiling and then back at Colton. “It is a highly-specialized weapon. The likes of which the world has never seen.”
Everyone pulled in a collective breath. In any other setting, after such a proclamation Kylee would think there would be murmuring, questions, maybe a few curse words.
