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LoneWolf99: Safe.
Geek4life: I need more than that. People are losing their shit. First Piper and now Seth.
LoneWolf99: Tell them they’re both safe.
Geek4life: What went wrong?
LoneWolf99: What do you mean? This was a successful operation.
Geek4life: It wasn’t. You were supposed to keep them safe.
LoneWolf99: We did our best.
Geek4life: When are you returning Seth?
LoneWolf99: Soon. I’ll be in touch.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Finnegan
I sitin the driver’s seat of the car, hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel as my mind races with the thought of the failed mission. Sure, I congratulated everyone for a job well done and even told the kid it had been a success. It wasn’t. I almost lost Seth, and Teddy is missing.
Keeping them safe was part of the mission, and I fucking failed.
With a determined sigh, I drive toward the safe house as if drawn by an invisible force. I don’t know what prompts me to go there, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I can feel it in my bones that I need to be there before I go back to the field to finish what we started.
I walk toward the library, and the familiar sound of a grand piano engulfs me. Derek had tried to talk me out of the expense, but here I am, hearing the familiar notes of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata pour through the windows, filling the air with hope.
The sound reminds me I’m alive, and the melody fills me with a joy I can’t comprehend. It’s like a welcome home or a warm hug from a loved one.
My breathing enlarges the chambers of my heart as the medley of bright notes pushes the darkness away from inside me. It’s the first time it’s replaced with light and warmth. But the music ceases when I step inside the library. Piper’s head turns my way, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Please, carry on,” I say quietly.
“What happened?” Piper asks in a low voice.
“Excuse me?”
She tilts her head, looking past me, and then asks, “Where is Derek?” Her voice quivers with anxiety and I feel a lump form in my throat.
The worry in her voice tightens my chest, and I swallow hard. “That’s classified… but he’s okay,” I reply.
She doesn’t back down, her eyes boring into me with a steely determination. “Drop the bullshit, Finnegan Gil,” she says firmly. “I can see it in your eyes, the worry. Your heart is heavy, and it’s making you angry.”
Piper shakes her head, either frustrated or… I can’t read her well and it’s infuriating.
“There’s too much anger in your soul.” Piper touches her chest, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again and locking stares with me. “Where is Derek? Did something happen to him?”
My gaze drops to the floor, and I sigh. “San Francisco. He’s okay, but you’re right, things didn’t go as well as I planned them. There’s a lot more we have to do before everyone is safe.”
She nods, the tension seeping slowly out of her frame. I expect her to walk away or kick me out, but instead, she gestures to the empty spot beside her. “Sit with me for a while before you go back to work. I want to help you find some peace.”
I snort. “What can you do for me?”
“We can play together,” she whispers.“It’ll help, I promise.”
I hesitate before finally taking the seat beside her. Even without speaking, I can feel the calmness emanating from Piper and slowly settling over my body. I breathe in her scent. She smells of fresh cotton, autumn leaves, and the breeze of September.
