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“Do we really want her in here?” Saint asked, his onyx gaze fixed on Harper.
“She’s involved,” Ryland stated. “Whether we like it or not. So she may as well be in the loop so she has some idea of what’s going on.”
With a shrug, Saint sat back, a bit of an uncomfortable silence settling over the group. Harper held her breath waiting to see if anyone else would challenge her being there and was relieved when Banshee spoke up and drew them back to the business at hand.
“Okay, guys, I managed to hack into The Agency’s server and find the file on Ex Nihilo.”
“That’s our team,” Ryland reminded Harper.
“It contains all our personal information and, get this, it also has all of Merlin’s info.”
Beside her, Ryland sat up even straighter. The tension in the room escalated as everyone waited to find out who had thrown them to the wolves. Because a lot of their suspicions rested on him.
“Name?” Pharaoh asked.
“Cross Mills.”
???
For a stunned moment, Ryland thought he heard Banshee wrong.
“That’s not possible,” Ryland said, gripping the edge of the table so hard it bit into his palms. The cross hanging around his neck seemed to burn into his skin.
“Who is Cross Mills?” Pharaoh asked.
Ryland couldn’t process the conversation taking place and he had to force himself to say, “My dad. Well, his name is Nathan, but everyone always called him Cross, his SEAL nickname. But he died on a mission ten years ago.”
“Are you sure about that?” Saint asked.
Fuck.Ryland swiped a hand through his messy hair, at a complete loss. There’s no way his dad could be alive. He could still picture the notification team standing on their doorstep, asking permission to enter and waiting until he, his sister and mom sat down at the dining room table. It was all so solemn and formal. And when they delivered the news that his father had died on a classified mission, it felt like his world had imploded.
Although Ryland hadn’t seen his dad much during those years after his parents separated, his dad had been his idol. Cross Mills had always appeared so big and strong. Larger than life. Undefeatable.
“Nathan ‘Cross’ Mills,” Banshee said, typing away. “His records are sealed.”
“He died on a classified mission,” Ryland said again, trying to process his thoughts and feeling a million miles away. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that his dad might be alive.Impossible.They’d received his ashes.
Beside him, Harper laid a hand on his arm and he didn’t pull away which caught him by surprise. Ryland wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. Needing or receiving comfort was a foreign emotion for him. He was always the one running to everyone else’s rescue. But Harper’s touch told him she cared and empathized. That he wasn’t alone. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The information overload was on the verge of frying his brain.
And, fuck! Could his dad really be alive?
“Address?” Pharaoh demanded.
“Somewhere on the Baja Peninsula.”
“I’m going,” Ryland stated.
“We’re all going,” Pharaoh amended. “Saint, get the GPS tracker off the Suburban. We’re leaving in five.”
Saint gave Pharaoh a salute, shoved back from the table and headed outside while everyone else stood to gather the gear they had with them.
Harper looked over at Ryland. “What about me?” she asked quietly, appearing unsure and hesitant.
“You’re coming with us,” he said, gaze raking down her pajama-clad body. “Bruja, can you give Harper something to wear?” Though he had his go-to duffel bag, he imagined she’d rather wear something other than his clothes which would be much too large.
“Sure thing,” Bruja answered and motioned for Harper to follow her.
???
