Chapter 7 - The Shadow’s Grace
The restaurant was suddenly empty of the chaos,
leaving only the inner circle and my daughter.
Elias,
the manager,
poured two fresh glasses of wine and brought them to our table.
“On the house,
Director,”
he said,
his eyes twinkling with a shared history.
“It’s been a long time since we ran a Protocol 7.”
I took the glass and thanked him with a nod.
Emily sat back down,
her body shivering slightly as the adrenaline began to fade.
“Mom,”
she started,
her voice trembling.
“How... how did you do all that?”
“Who are these people?”
I took a slow sip of the wine,
feeling the warmth spread through my chest.
“In another life,
Emily,
I was someone very different.”
“I worked for an agency that didn't have a name,
doing things that didn't officially happen.”
“When your father died,
I stepped away to raise you,
to give you a normal life.”
“But I never really left the network.”
“I just put it to sleep.”
Emily looked at the men in suits,
who were now quietly resetting the tables.
“And they just... they still follow you?”
I laughed softly.
“Loyalty is the only currency that doesn't devalue,
my dear.”
“I saved their lives more times than they can count.”
“When I called in the favor tonight,
they didn't even ask why.”
I reached across the table and took her hand.
“I am sorry I let it go this far.”
“I wanted you to find your own strength,
to see the red flags and walk away on your own.”
“But when he touched your hair...
when he tried to break your spirit...”
My grip tightened on her hand.
“I realized that some monsters can't be outrun.”
“They have to be destroyed.”
Emily looked at her reflection in the wine glass.
“I felt so small,”
she whispered.
“I felt like I was disappearing.”
“You didn't disappear,”
I told her firmly.
“You were just waiting for the right light to shine on you.”
“And from now on,
no one will ever make you feel small again.”
She looked up,
a small,
genuine smile finally touching her lips.
“I think I’d like to learn how to do that,”
she said.
“The thing with the phone.”
May you like
I smiled back.
“We’ll start your training on Monday.”
