Page 102 of Once a Hero

“What would like to be called? Amber? Amberlyn? Beatrice?” he asked.

Beatrice was too stunned to speak.

She looked for familiarity, but she felt very distant from this man in front of her. It was like when she had looked at those photos on the mantel in his cabin before it burned down. There were memories there, but she felt no sorrow.

It was a good thing she also felt no anger.

“Nothing to say to your own father?” he asked.

Beatrice opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She swallowed.

Closed her eyes to release a small tear. She didn’t know what that tear was for.

“Y-you were dead,” she finally said.

“Dead to the world.” He laughed.

“Why did you ghost us?” Twenty -ive years.

“To keep you and your brother alive.” He pointed to Molyneux. “She was looking for you two. If I distract her, you can go live your own lives.”

Molyneux shrugged. “Little did you know that both of them would be looking for me instead.”

Dad laughed.

Dad? Beatrice stared again. She couldn’t have imagined this moment in her life. She had been so focused on Molyneux, all the while expecting Dad to be dead, that she could not fathom seeing him alive now.

And working with Molyneux.

She frowned.

“You frown like your brother,” Dad said.

“Even though they’re not biologically related,” Molyneux said.

Don’t talk about my brother.

Beatrice didn’t want to endanger him. Oh, the dilemma. She knew that Benjamin could track her down, but wouldn’t that put him in danger?

Kenichi and Raynelle would help, but to what extent? They were both recovering from injuries. There was no telling if they had been more injured at the lab a few days prior.

Then there was Jake.

Would Jake be able to track her down? Would he do whatever it would take?

Beatrice missed him already, but right now she had to survive this to send an SOS.

“What are we doing down here?” She braved herself to ask.

“Did you bring the key?” Dad asked.

“What key?” Beatrice had dismissed the golden key as a red herring. Now what? “The golden key?”

Dad laughed. “No. The brooch box.”

“The what?”

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