Page 162 of Please Open Me
“Momma,” I exhaled, half laughing. “You scared me. Why’s the house so quiet? Where are Mom and Alice?”
She didn’t answer.
Her icy eyes—our eyes—lifted to mine like she’d been waiting for this moment. The air between us thickened, heavy and cold.
Finally, she spoke. “Sophia, have a seat.”
Her tone was flat. The same tone she’d used the night she recruited me. No emotion. Just disappointment etched deep into her face.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said, my voice small. I shifted my weight, resisting the urge to bolt.
“Sit.” She snapped her fingers and pointed to the chair.
My heart jumped. I obeyed before my brain caught up.
She turned fully to face me, folding her hands on the desk. Her gaze cut through me like I was a criminal in a line up.
“Do you know why I summoned you?”
“Because you missed me?” I joked weakly.
She tilted her head. “That’s cute. Try again.”
I sucked air through my teeth, stalling. “Because you’re done waiting, and you want Sebastian’s severed head on a platter?”
That last part was a joke. Even if I had to kill Sebby, I had it planned out. I’d drug him first. Then smother his pretty little face with a silk pillow. Romantic.
To my surprise, Momma shook her head.
“When I recruited you to S.H.A.D.E., who did I say you were allowed to kill?”
Her words were laced with accusation.
“Uh… operatives who were out of line?” I offered. “And the occasional criminal?”
Momma nodded slowly. “So you understand that means you can’t just slaughter agents without orders, correct?”
I blinked. “Uh, what?”
“You’re not allowed to kill when the mood strikes.”
“No, no, pump the brakes. I get that. I haven’t. What the heck are you talking about?”
She stared at me like I was dumb. “Recently, I told you another operative was looking into Sebastian Castillo.”
“Yeah?”
“As of this morning, we have reason to believe she’s dead. And I find it more than suspicious that her death occurred after I informed you of her involvement.”
I barked out a high pitched laugh. “Wait–you think I killed her?”
Momma didn’t blink. She stared like she was studying a dead animal she wanted to dissect. “You’re protective of Castillo. This is exactly something you’d do.”
“Uh, yeah, if I knew who the agent was,” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Momma, do you even have a body?”
Silence.
“That’s what I thought.” I leaned back in the chair like I wasn’t about to sweat my tits off. “If you don’t have a body, how do you know she’s even dead?”
