The air is thick with tension as the silence wraps around us like a live wire. Rosie looks up as the computer pings. Ethan looks at what's there and uses his body as a shield–hiding the screen from my view.
Whatever he just saw must be horrific if he doesn't want me to see it. "What? Are they alive? Are they okay? I need… to see."
I try to push him away, but he grabs me, steadying me. Holding me there. "Don't look at the screen. Whatever you do, do not look at that screen."
Rosie and Layla let out a gasp. I know what that means. And they sure as hell aren't telling me. "What's there? Are my parents–?"
"My deepest condolences," Layla says, looking at me–sadness coating her eyes. "Ethan, go distract her, get her on a date or something."
**
I couldn't drink the stupid espresso even as it was in front of me. "My parents... they're dead, aren't they?"
"Yes," he said, leaning forward. His voice was low and steady as he relayed the next words to me. "They're gone, Alexandria. They've been gone since before we even set foot in London. Julian didn't just lie to you; he used their memory as a leash.
"The coordinates he gave us... It was a setup. He wanted the IMF to find them so he could watch the fallout through our comms. He wanted to shatter the only team you have left."
Being devoid of feeling is freeing to say the least, except that with all this information, my stomach churns–violently. Now the only person about to die is his brother, Aaron. Ethan guided me to breathe so I don't empty everything inside of me.
When I look up at him, a newfound rage is deep within me. And so I might use it.
**
We got back later than needed because Ethan decided I needed fresh air. Rosie is now asleep, not knowing we just arrived. And I see that Layla has left, maybe to get something in the lobby.
Julian was using me and using my dead parents as a leash to keep me tied to him. At least now I know that.
But my feelings towards Ethan were only just beginning to blossom. Butterflies were churning, but if, after this mission, I still have feelings for him, that's one territory I am terrified of walking towards.
"Ethan... I need to go somewhere... Thanks for everything."
Seemingly, this was my way of saying sayonara. "Take a look at the file if you need to, and don't bother contacting me... all of you."