AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Beautiful, too.
Especially as I hadn’t ever associated her with these softer moments. Proof, I guessed, that we were supposed to meet.
By the time she was more aware, I was coming to the end of another task on my endless to-do list. Because the NSA had no idea what they were doing with Nimue, it meant that they’d tried and failed to cut me off from their source, but instead, they’d just made it easier for me to access it.
Which meant the hundreds of thousands of files they’d already started to collect on people were available for me to listen to, like my very own Audible of their persons of interest.
With a satisfied hum, I set my advanced search engine to work, rifling through the NSA’s targets and coming across some interesting names—Maxim Lyanov was on there, as was Misha Babanin… so were Dragon Head Zhao and Custanzu Valentini, plus a hundred other names.
My cell rang, making Star jolt on my lap, and I snatched it quickly so it didn’t disturb her.
When I saw ‘Ma’ on the ID, I sighed, mumbling, “I’d have preferred for it to be Riggs.”
“Riggs?” Star muttered back. “Your handler with the NSA?”
"The traitor." I hummed. “It’s Ma.” At her unsympathetic snort, I rolled my eyes and hit ‘connect.’ “Ma, what’s going on?”
“You’d know if you’d bothered to call me, Conor. I haven’t heard from you in over a week!”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Busy? Too busy for your mother?”
“I’m trying to bring down the New World Sparrows, Ma. It doesn’t just happen by itself.”
“You should be praying to Our Lady is what you should be doing. She’d help bring those horrible men down.”
“What about Jesus and Joseph? Can’t they get involved too?” I mocked.
“Conor!” she chided. “Your uncle says he hasn’t heard from you in a while also.”
“No, because I’ve been working,” I repeated blandly. “Are you spending a lot of time with him or something?”
“Not particularly.” She cleared her throat. “You are coming this Sunday, aren’t you?”
Well, that wasn't shady.
“I might not be in the country, Ma.”
“Where on earth would you be if you aren’t here?” she sputtered. “Since when do you leave America?”
“Since now.” I glowered at Star when she started snickering.
“Who’s that? I can hear laughing. Is one of your brothers there?”
“No, Ma. It’s…” I pursed my lips. “…my fiancée.”
Star stopped chuckling at that, her eyes wide as she stared at me, and I shot her a smug smile as I put Ma’s call on speaker, just waiting for the explosion.
“You’re ENGAGED?” she shrieked. “To whom? This would never have happened if your da was still alive. Where’s your head at, Conor? Do I even know this woman?”
“You don’t know her, and it would have happened if Da were still alive because she’s it for me, and my head is firmly on my neck—I haven’t lost it in the five minutes since this conversation began.”
“How could you do this to me?”
“I haven’t done anything to you,” was my calm retort. “This isn’t about you, Ma.”
“Who is she?”
