Page 7 of Duality (The Archers #1)

I dipped my head once. “I will.” It was a vow, and she nodded sharply before pivoting on her heel and going back inside to her sobbing brother.

I blew out a slow breath as I struggled to get my emotions under control.

I could grieve later. But now, I had to keep it together.

Brittany didn’t have any family to notify, so we drove down to the city coroner’s office.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I identified the bodies.

I made arrangements with the coroner for the funerals.

Emmy had helped me recover Eric’s will and last intentions document, so Clayton wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

Izzy stayed at my side during all of it. Her stoic presence helped me keep it together when all I wanted to do was to storm into Citadel’s office, guns blazing. I think she knew that, because she never took me up on my offer to drive.

When we finally exited the coroner’s office, it was close to 9 p.m. My phone rang. I looked down at it, then muted the ringer.

“Again?” Izzy asked carefully.

It was the fifth call I had dodged from Alexander. I was sure he had questions and was worried, but if I heard his voice, any of their voices, right now, I would shatter into pieces I would never be able to pick up.

I nodded, and she grimaced. “You don’t have to pick up the call. But we also don’t need him sending people to find you.”

I bit my lip. She had a good point. I typed out a quick message that I had a family emergency and would be in tomorrow morning.

“You could call in sick tomorrow,” Izzy said, reading over my shoulder. “I’m sure they would understand.”

I shook my head. “We have another meeting with R&D about the new security system. I need to be there to take notes.”

And catch up on what I missed today. The information about the security system could help the Archers prevent what happened today from ever happening again.

All of our safe houses had security systems, but clearly, there was a flaw.

The primary feature of this security system that SDS’s R&D was presenting was its invisibility.

Unless you knew where to look, cameras and sensors could be hidden.

I didn’t know where we were going to come up with the funds to buy a system, but I could use the information to maybe make our systems better.

“Maybe it’s time to bring them into the know,” Izzy said carefully, and my gaze snapped to hers. Tell SDS who I was? Was she crazy?

“There is not a world in which that goes well,” I warned her. “I’ll be fired on the spot. And you know how much the information I’ve gathered has helped us.”

It was information we needed now more than ever, and no matter how useful I was to the guys, they wouldn’t hesitate to fire me for my betrayal.

“I know it has. But from everything you’ve said and everything we’ve gathered, they are good guys. Their resources could be helpful when we go after Citadel.”

She had a good point, but I hesitated. I couldn’t see how it would go well.

Marcus had such a black-and-white code of honor and truth from his military experience that had been implemented across the company’s operating procedures.

I had lied to him, to them, for years. There was no way he would take it well, that they would take it well.

Besides, would they even believe in the Archers’ mission?

The Stone brothers were well off and came from a firmly upper-middle class family.

They ran in the same circles as some of the people we took down.

My checkered past was so far from their ivory tower that there was no way that telling them the truth would end well.

And there was a small voice that whispered my biggest fear in telling them.

That they wouldn’t want me. Not that we had any kind of relationship now, but the brothers plus Adrian were the closest I had ever gotten to anyone other than my lieutenants.

The Archers consistently proved to me how fucked up the world was.

The Stone brothers and Adrian were the exception.

The banter and, dare I say, friendship I had found with them, even as their employee…

Well, it had gotten me through more rough patches than they would ever know.

If I told them, I would not only lose the best source of information the Archers had, but I would also lose them.

And I liked my job. I liked the work that SDS did.

If I told them, I would probably never be able to work in security again.

Not unless Liam crafted a whole different identity for me, but even then…

“Just think about it,” Izzy said, reading the conflict in my eyes. “You don’t have to make a decision now. But…”

“But what?” I needed her to spit it out.

“But it’s okay to lean on someone sometimes. Or multiple someones.”

“I lean on you all,” I tried to protest. I leaned on them for the Archers’ work. Most of the time. But I tried not to. It was the job of the boss to protect their employees.

“No, you don’t,” Izzy corrected, but her tone was gentle. “Not in the way I’m talking about, and you know it.”

“I’ll think about it,” I conceded, ready to be done with this conversation. “But later. For now, we need to find out how this leak happened and how we can prevent it from happening again.”

She was just trying to help, but now wasn’t the time. The Archers were the justice for the people the system failed, and right now, we had to sharpen our arrows.