Behind the Mask

Chapter 73

Sean's POV

The meal was served as Corey and Victor explained their grand scheme. It was clear that most of the leaders didn't fully understand the technology side of the plan, but when it came to the killing side, they were all in. Raven and Dominic took the lead on determining which groups would make contact and how. Each mafia would seek out different services from guns to drugs to sex workers from the Academy. My stomach rolled at the realization of just how depraved the organization had become. I was glad my parents and Phil weren't alive to see it. It would have destroyed them to see the organization they had devoted their lives to had now become worse than the very same people they sought to take down.

I felt her hand tighten around mine and turned to look into those beautiful eyes. "Are you okay," she whispered. She scooted her chair closer to me as I nodded. "I love you."

I gently cupped her chin. "I love you too, both of you," I said, then kissed her gently. She leaned against me as we continued to listen to the discussions. She kept shifting in her seat. I can only imagine how uncomfortable she must be. "Come on, you need to stretch your legs and they obviously don't need our input right now. Raven or Dominic will let us know if they do," I told her, standing and holding my hand out to her. We walked into a large room with plush couches and towering windows overlooking the back of the compound.

She let out a soft sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her forehead pressed against the glass for a moment. "You know, the year I spent here was amazing," she started. "Winston and I were so in love and then we met Dominic later that year and things just fell into place. But even here, the Academy poisoned what I had. I had two missions that year. One took me to Spain with the Toma group, the other was a solo mission," her voice dropped to a whisper, "It was the first time I was ordered to kill someone." She continued to stare out the window for a moment before continuing. "I was so naive. I kept telling myself they trained everyone with weaponry - it was just a precaution. It wasn't until that mission that I knew I couldn't lie to myself anymore."

"Marissa, sweetheart, you can't blame yourself for the things they made you do," I said.

She shook her head and turned to face me. "How do I explain to our daughter that I've killed people, Sean?"

"Why do you have to? If we're lucky, this entire mess will be behind us soon and she won't ever have to know. And you didn't kill anyone - the Academy did." I told her.

"That's easy for you to say," she scoffed.

I stepped in front of her and put my hands on her hips, "No, it isn't. You don't know what each of us has experienced, or done in regard to the Academy, Marissa. Listening to Corey that day, and now hearing you and the others talk, I've been replaying some of our last missions and actions in my mind. I'm questioning everything I ever did with the Academy. How many lives did we take that may have actually been innocent? What crimes did we commit and never know? Hell, we were trained as children - children, Marissa! I was seven damn years old when my parents put me into Academy training. Owen and I were the youngest graduates ever to have our own team. We were eleven!" I needed her to understand that we were all lied to and we all did horrible things that may or may not have been justified. That was the truly sinister part - none of us really knew anymore.

She ran her hand down my face. "I'm sorry Sean, I didn't realize. But at least you have some positive memories of the Academy. I only have bad ones. The people they sent us after were bad, but they didn't want to help their victims. Instead, they were their competition or a political figure that stood against them or one of their operatives. It was like a light clicked in my brain that day Dominic mentioned Harold Roberts." Her whole body shivered when she spoke his name. "He wasn't a judge back then, only a high-profile lawyer, but he still came to my parent's parties. To think that people like him are running the Academy scares the daylights out of me." She leaned into my chest and began to cry again. "I don't care what happens to me, Sean, but if they get her...I don't want her to go through what I did."