House of Leights (Secret Keepers #3)(13)

My father leaned forward and there was a flash. I blinked, waiting for my vision to clear. When it did, I saw another flash, but this time I realized what was happening.

The machine was scanning his eyes. After that it was his palm, then there was a small shelf that slid out and he pressed his fingertip down onto a small pin.

Shut up! Well, I was definitely forming a complete picture of what “top secret” really meant. When all the identity confirmation was done, he reached for me, pulling me forward and positioning me in front of the screen, which had to tilt down to see me. I got the same treatment as my father, and as soon as my eyes were scanned, all of my details appeared on the screen. My full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and blood type.

Speaking of blood … I flinched at the prick of the pin, but it really didn’t hurt too much. The anticipation was worse than the reality. Then it was Brad’s turn, and when he was done the door finally slid open.

Stepping into the warm building, I could have cried with relief. After being cold for so long, the heat felt like a luxury. Dad wasted no time striding forward, along the plain hallway. He led us toward an elevator at the end of the hall. A man was sitting in a chair just in front of the silver doors, wearing a suit and dark glasses.

“Good morning, Sam,” the guard greeted my father, acting like he was legit right out of a Will Smith movie.

My dad nodded in return, but no other words were exchanged. The guard didn’t ask what Brad and I were doing here, and it felt slightly awkward as we all waited in silence for the elevator to arrive. How that was going to happen when there was no button on the outside to press was anyone’s guess. I jumped when it dinged, and then the silver doors slid open. As we filed inside, I met Brad’s eye. He pulled his “what the hell is going on here” face, and I returned it with one of my own.

I had no idea what was going on, outside of the fact that I’d had to run for my life tonight.

“You can talk.” My father’s somewhat amused voice startled me so much that I almost stumbled into the wall. Only Brad’s arm, which shot out quickly, stopped me.

“What the freak is going on, Dad?” I asked as I straightened, finally letting my fear and anger loose.

His expression turned forlorn. The moment I saw that look, the rage coursing through me lessened. I never could stay mad at my parents, no matter how much they hurt me.

“I’m so sorry that we’ve kept you in the dark for so long,” he said slowly. “I know you won’t believe this, but we were preparing to tell you everything within the next few months – closer to the end of high school. We held off as long as we could, but you’re eighteen now, and the responsibility of your world is something you will have to deal with.”

Say what now? This was about me? My world?

“What does that mean?” Brad asked with bite to his words, his arm still wrapped around me. He probably sensed I needed the support.

My dad shot him a measured look. “It means that Maya is not fully aware of her life and destiny. That her mother and I undertake this work here so that we can keep her as protected as possible. And that everything we feared has come to pass.”

“Protected from what?” I stepped out from under Brad’s arm and closer to my father. I wanted to see his face when he answered. Before he said anything though, there was another ding and the elevator stopped moving.

The doors opened. On the other side there was another security guard sitting in the same position as the one before. Same suit. Same glasses. Same greeting to my father.

“Good morning, Sam. They’re waiting for you in conference room one.”

My dad nodded, and we trailed after him along a short hall to a door. He ushered us through, and as I stepped to the other side, I gasped, far louder than I would have liked. But … seriously. The room was huge and well lit, with what looked like at least thirty desks spread out around it. There were big screens flashing numbers and images, and despite the very early hour, people were everywhere. After so much quiet and dark, this was incredibly disconcerting to step into.

“Definitely government,” Brad said with a snort. “Always the same décor, no matter what department you work in.”

Since he occasionally got to visit his parents at work, he’d know better than me.

“Come on, your mom is waiting.” My dad inclined his head to the right. “She wants to be there when you find out.”

We ended up in a long glass-walled room. It was set up like a conference room: huge table, at least fifty chairs spread out around it. There were half a dozen people waiting at the far end from us.

I ran toward my mom; she stood to greet me. She was smaller than me, barely topping five foot. In my heels I had to bend down to wrap my arms around her.

“Little one,” she said, squeezing me tightly. She was strong; her hugs always made me feel special. “I have been so worried about you.”

My mom had no accent, having been tutored by Americans. Her parents had wanted her to integrate in every way possible while still maintaining their Japanese values. When we finally pulled apart, she led me to a chair next to the one she’d been sitting in. With a relieved sigh, I sank down and tried to shrug off everything that had happened that night.

Easier said than done, unfortunately. It was too big to just bury.

Brad and my father took two chairs on the opposite side of the table to us, and then my dad leaned forward. “Maya, it’s time for you to learn what we do here,” he said, before gesturing to an older, gray-haired man at the head of the table. “This is Peter Mattinson. He’s the head of our division.”