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“Why?”
“Because he’s dead.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Well, whoever he was, do you have access to his notes? His case files?”
“Actually, Justin, you knew him better than anyone.”
My blood turned ice-cold. I opened my mouth to speak but was unable to form a single syllable.
Suddenly, I felt like I was falling.
“That’s right, Justin,” Leo said. “The last operative to track Black Cell was your brother, four years ago. That was the case he was working on when he died.”
All the air expelled from my lungs.
“You know I’m not supposed to tell you any of this,” Leo leaned in. “You know I could get thrown in jail for this. Your brother’s death is buried under mountains of classified paperwork. Only those with the highest security clearance can open the files. That’s why the information they gave you and your family was so limited. They told you he died during a training accident. They lied. The truth is that a drone blew up the safe house he was staying in while working undercover in Russia. It was his first international operation. There were three others with him, more experienced. Everyone died. The only reason I know about it is because I worked with him personally—briefly—on the case.”
The room began to spin.
“Justin, when I found out Astor assigned you tothiscase, I almost fell out of my chair. The rumors about how you’ve changed since he was killed are ... well, they said you went crazy afterward, that you disappeared and no one could find you for months. For a while, people thought you’d killed yourself. Then one day, you suddenly resurfaced, working for Astor Stone Inc. Then the rumors changed. They said you’d turned into some kind of emotionless ice-cold assassin.”
His gaze shifted to my cheek.
“I heard about what you did in Zambia a few years back ...”
I couldn’t breathe.
“But I’m telling you this because if these men could kill an operator as skilled as your brother, they can kill you. Forgive me, but you need to hear it.”
He grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. I was in too much shock to move.
“You can’t trustanyone, do you understand?” His expression turned desperate. “Do not trust anyone, Justin. If you find Sophia Banks, do not trust her. Hell, maybe she has Aleks Petrova’s identification becauseshekilled her. I’m telling you—do not trustanyone.”
Abruptly, Leo released his grip on me and stood, pulling the phone I hadn’t even heard ringing from his pocket.
“I need to take this. Excuse me for just a minute.”
As he walked away, I stared at the empty booth, memories pummeling me.
23
Justin
My brother was killed one day after his twenty-sixth birthday. Nate was younger than me by five years. I’ll never forget the day he was born. I remember holding him for the first time and feeling a weird parental tug toward him. An instinctive obligation to keep him safe.
I’d failed.
Growing up, Nate and I were as thick as thieves. Best friends and partners in crime. When my dad walked out on us for another woman, sending our mother into a deep depression, it only intensified our bond. We did everything together.
There was no Justin. No Nate. Only Justin and Nate.
Where are Justin and Nate?people would ask.
What happened to Justin and Nate?
Justin and Nate skipped school again.
Did you hear Justin and Nate got arrested again?
