Page 153 of The Lazarus Protocol

Her father didn’t respond right away. He drew his hand back to his lap, smoothing down the blanket that covered his legs.

“I wish you could’ve seen her. She was…impressive.”

He almost smiled. “She was complicated and always would’ve been. Her mother…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Thank you for giving me the truth so I could know what happened to her.”

The fact it had happened mere hours before she saw her father again for the first time since she was a child was like an ache in her chest she couldn’t get rid of. She felt the weight of grief, of lost chances and the realization that despite all her wishing she wouldn’t ever have her family—or the idea, the dream of it.

Instead, she would be creating a new dream. One that had a whole lot of “perhaps” to look forward to.

The promise of something that could be amazing.

He sighed. “I knew even back then Vesper would be a force the world would need to reckon with.”

“You were right.” Steph found a smile, shaking her head. “She tormented me, got in my way, and was a giant pain in my…” She cleared her throat, deciding not to downplay the pain her sister had caused her or the way she’d contributed to Steph’s anxiety around trying to fix her. “Everything she did was to make me stronger, to prove to me that I could be who she seemed to believe I was.”

Her sister had believed Steph would need the strength Vesper was intent on forging in her, and if the fight against Earthnet turned out to be even half of what the Division Zero team believed it would be, she would turn out to be correct. Not that Steph would ever have admitted that to her sister.

“And who are you?”

Steph tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I guess I’ll find out.”

“I think we both will.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t lift the shadow in his eyes. “I, for one, have plenty of time by myself to decide who I’ll be now. Time to reflect.”

“Write a memoir?”

His wheelchair shook, and she realized it was a laugh. “I don’t think anyone wants to read that.”

“I would.” Though he was probably right that she might be the only one. “Maybe Vesper left a journal or wrote her own memoir. The team has agreed to work at uncovering her entire network and making sure they’re shut down. If we find anything personal, I’ll ensure it’s returned to you.”

He nodded. “I appreciate that, and everything else you’ve done.”

“I’m just glad we found you before things got any worse. Montrose would’ve used you against me to torture Adam.” She hadn’t said those words aloud yet, and didn’t like the sound of them now. “It would have been bad.”

“We’ve had enough ‘bad.’ It’s time for some good.”

She spotted an orderly approaching them. He came around so her father could see him before he clasped his hands in front. “Monsieur, I believe it’s time for your treatment.”

Her dad nodded, then glanced at her.

Steph kissed his cheek. “See you soon.”

She watched the orderly push her father’s chair to a walkway that ran along the building, with brick arches shielding it from the weather. Until the door opened and he was wheeled inside.

“Everything okay?” Adam stood beside her, his hair tied back. Sunglasses on. T-shirt and jeans, and a leather jacket.

“Everything is different,” Steph replied. “‘Okay’ is relative.” Not the first time it occurred to her that he might be one of the few people in the world who truly understood what she, and her father, had been through.

Adam slung an arm around her shoulders, and she laced her fingers with his as they walked to the parking lot out front. “He’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, I think he will.”

“Because of you.”

She squeezed his hand. “Pretty sure you were there as well.”

“Thanks for going with me to get the team.”

“If I hadn’t, I’d never have found my father.” She glanced over. “But that’s not the only reason why I’m glad I did.”