Page 22 of Taking It Off

I feel tears streaming down my face. I’ve missed these three so much the past couple of days. But do they agree with Will? Can this really work out?

“Em, I know how hard this has been for you. I won’t lie and say it isn’t hard for us too, because knowing that the woman we love is an assassin; well, that’s a lot to process. But we love you, Em. That doesn’t just go away because you had a secret.” Jeremy’s statement catches me off guard. I don’t expect this kind of support from any of them.

Luke stands in front of me, taking my face in his hands. “I have to know something, though.” He locks his eyes with mine and I know I’ll answer any question he wants to ask, no matter how painful.

“Anything,” I whisper.

“Why did you think you couldn’t just tell us? I had no idea my dad was involved in all that. I’d have been the first one to turn him in if I had even suspected it. We do not condone the actions of our fathers. You have to know that,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“I didn’t know how to tell you. Part of me thought I was protecting you; the rest was protecting me. I had no idea if you guys would turn me in or not. And honestly, I’m pretty good at what I do. It took someone familiar with my scent to figure me out,” I respond.

“That’s kind of what we figured. You have to promise us that you won’t keep any more secrets. That’s the only way this will actually work,” Luke insists. I nod.

“I do have one more thing that I should tell you. Or maybe it’s better if I show you,” I say, standing up and stepping away from the three of them.

“More secrets?” Jeremy asks. Frustration is written all over his face.

“I like to think of it as more of an omission,” I reply. He cocks an eyebrow at me, letting me know that he’ll be the judge of that when he sees what I’m talking about. “This is something that no one knows about me. I’ve wanted to show you guys so many times, but I was scared.”

Three sets of eyes stare at me as I stretch my hands out to my sides. Using my power, I turn the bedside lamp on. Then I shift into my pixelated form and float around the room.

“Where’d she go?” Luke asks.

“I’m right here,” I answer, my voice a little distorted in this form.

“Wait, you shift into pixels?” The awe in Will’s question nearly floors me.

“I have to admit, that is not the secret I expected. Though it does explain why I didn’t see you at Dave’s,” Jeremy says.

“We were face to face for a minute, and I thought somehow you’d seen me,” I explain, floating near his ear. I move away from them again and shift back. “That’s it. I have no other secrets.”

“What about your childhood? You won’t talk about it when we ask. Is that a secret, or just because of the trauma?” Luke asks. He sounds more curious than upset.

I take a deep breath. “It’s not something I enjoy talking about. But you’re right. You deserve the whole story.” I spend the next hour explaining about my parents and answering questions about my past and my abilities.

“Wait, you can check our phones without even touching them?” Jeremy asks, his eyes going wide.

“I can, but that doesn’t mean I do. The only thing I’ve done is check to see where you are. Well, except for using Will’s to get a link to his father. I’m sorry about that, too. I don’t know how you guys could possibly forgive me for what I’ve done,” I insist.

“I can’t guarantee it’s gonna be easy, but understanding why you did it helps. I’m mortified by what my father did,” Luke responds.

Will stares at me for a minute. “I wasn’t as close with my dad as we all were with Luke’s. That doesn’t mean I won’t struggle sometimes with the idea that you took his life. And it’s not like we’re gonna tell my mom that’s what happened.”

“I’m not so sure she’d be too upset by it, honestly,” I mutter.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“I think she’s saying your mom was one of your dad’s victims,” Jeremy answers for me. I nod, wishing I didn’t have to share this with them.

“Wow. That’s rough. I’m glad they’re letting her keep her bank accounts, then. They seized his when the evidence turned up. I guess they investigated Mom and me, because they called and said that our funds wouldn’t be taken.” Relief washes over me. That means they weren’t able to trace the money I transferred from Dave to Will and his mom. I know that I told them I wouldn’t keep any more secrets, but this one will go to my grave with me.

“I’m willing to try making this work with you guys. I can’t promise that I won’t take other jobs. I won’t promise to hide my darkness anymore. You three are the only ones who know what I really do for a living, and you’re the only ones I’ve ever told about my abilities. That’s a level of trust that I’ve never had before. It’s terrifying.” Admitting how I feel is nearly as scary as the feelings themselves.

“But you do trust us, and that’s the important part,” Jeremy says, taking my hands. I let him pull me into his arms.

“I do. But what happens when the police look into these murders more? Now that you guys know, how will you be able to keep my secrets?” I can’t stop myself from asking the questions, but I’m not sure I want the answers.

“The three of us have already met with the police and given our statements. We’ve all been cleared of any suspicion. The fact that we had no knowledge about our fathers’ enterprises until the cops showed us their records helped with that.” Jeremy’s words echo in my head.

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