Page 54 of Sweet Little Spies

How could he ever have a family himself if this was how hehandled his work?

“I don’t think this is the way,” his mom said tightly.

He had to fix this. “I don’t know, Mom. I think wrapping meup is a pretty good wake-up call. If I promise I’m not going anywhere, could Iget my arms out? I’m really hungry, and it’s been forever since I had some ofPapa’s cinnamon rolls.”

His mom looked his way with a watery smile. “Of course.”

Papa didn’t seem as sure.

“Papa, I promise you I’m not going to leave until you’recomfortable. I do not want to cause this tension,” he said. “Bri, I’ll answerall the questions I can. I don’t want you to think the twins will protect youmore than I will.”

“I never thought you wouldn’t protect us. I thought youmight be willing to sacrifice yourself to do it,” Bri replied. “I know itsounds noble, but there are things we can’t ever give up. Mom and the dads,they don’t get to stop being your parents because you became a CIA operative. Idon’t get to stop being your sister. I don’t think Carys gets to stop lovingyou. She can try, but I think it would be as if she stopped being who she is.Same for Aidan.”

“You’re in over your head, son. There is nothing weak aboutleaning on your family. I would understand it if you thought we weren’t strongenough,” Papa began.

“It’s not that.” He’d never wanted to admit this, but in theface of the damage his lies had done, the truth was the only way out. “I didn’twant you to know how bad it had gotten. It was my pride.”

His mother’s tears flowed freely now. She put her hands onhis cheeks. “There is no place for pride in a family. Not the way you mean it.You say the wordpride, but it’s actually ego. I’m begging you to letyour love for us win this war that’s going on inside you. And when it comes toCarys and Aidan, baby, if you had gone to Carys and asked if she would ratherbe protected or trusted and loved and a part of you, I know what she would havesaid. There are worse things than death, and one of them is thinking our loveis worthless.”

Fuck. He felt the tears slip from his eyes. No one could getto him like his mom. She was weird and quirky and comfortable with herself soeveryone around her was comfortable too. She was brave and kind and had neveronce let him down. Oh, she had a big career, and sometimes that had meant shemissed a baseball game here and there, but she’d been the strong base on whichhis life was built. “It’s not, Mom. It’s absolutely the opposite.”

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Neither isCarys’s. Baby, you will regret it the rest of your life if you don’t fix this.I know it feels like you have the weight of the whole world on your shoulders.It feels like the damn fate of it all is on you, but it’s not. It doesn’t haveto be. You have a team, and you have a family. You have a partner, and you havea woman who would be your wife right this second if you allowed her to be.Think about it. You denied her the right to be beside you while you’re in thetoughest fight of your life.”

He’d done so much damage. “How do I fix it?”

His mother was a romance novelist. If anyone would have agame plan, it would be her.

“I’m afraid this conversation is going to have to wait,kid.” Papa stood. “Zach, thanks for coming.”

Tristan looked up, and Captain Zach Reed stood in the diningroom beside his dad. He had a duffel slung over his shoulder and a ball cap onhis head.

“I was unaware I had a choice, sir,” Zach said, and then hislips curled up as he took in Tris. “Now that is something we didn’t preparefor. How’s the whole saran wrap thing working out for you, buddy?”

“It was a real oversight,” he admitted. The fact Zach washere meant one thing. “So they’ve brought my papa in?”

The Agency had been trying to find a way to bring Adam Milesin for a long time. He’d said no to money, to power, to information.

It turned out Tristan was his Achilles’ heel.

“I was supposed to get here tonight. Had the flightscheduled and everything. But this morning the head of our department told meto get my ass here ASAP and deal with our new consultant.” Zach dropped hisduffel on the floor out of the way and pulled up a chair. “I’m glad I did sinceapparently they have some torture techniques the Agency doesn’t prep us for.You know there’s a kink called mummification. You’re real close to that rightnow. Oooo, bacon. I had to fly commercial, so I have not eaten. This looksdelicious.”

His mom slid back into her chair. “Please, eat up. Do youwant a moment with Tristan? Brianna and I can take our plates out on thepatio.”

Brianna sighed, like she’d known she would get left out.

His sweet, creative sister. She’d been his partner in crimewhen they were kids.

“It’s up to you, Tris. Your dads are cleared for pretty mucheverything,” Zach said, reaching for the bacon. “But we both know our primaryteam doesn’t work the way the others do. Big Tag is taking over, if you lethim.”

The instinct to say no was still right there, but hisinstincts kind of sucked. He’d thought he had to change to become The Jester.Had to go cold and be alone.

What if what he’d always needed was his team? What if itdidn’t matter if he fucked up because it wouldn’t change the way the people wholoved him felt?

He looked over at Zach. Zach didn’t ever talk about hisfamily beyond the aunt who’d raised him. As far as Tris could tell, Zach wasalone. The military had become his family, and Zach was a rules guy.

Yet he was sitting there telling Tris if he wanted to bringhis mom and sister into the classified briefing, he was cool with it.

Because somewhere along the way the military had beensuperseded by the Agency team, the experiment Zach had been tasked to overseeand take apart if he could.

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