Mission Impossibile: Rouge Nation

°•°|CHAPTER 8|°•°

My heart sank. Would he really consider leaving with her? Would he choose her over me, over his own daughter?

I tried to shake off the fear, but the anxiety gnawed at me. I purposely avoided looking in his direction, too afraid of what I might see in his eyes. The thought of him leaving was like a weight on my chest, something I didn't want to face.

"Oh boy," Uncle Luther muttered under his breath. I noticed Benji's jaw drop, and Will glance uneasily at Dad. The tension in the air was palpable.

I could feel Dad's gaze burning into me, silently pleading for me to look at him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I focused on Luther, who tried to give me a reassuring look. I mustered up the best smile I could manage, but it was weak, barely holding together.

Seconds passed, dragging on like hours, and still, Dad didn't answer. The silence was suffocating

Finally, his voice broke through the comms, "I can't go alone," he said, and a small spark of relief ignited in me. The idea of leaving the spy world behind, of starting fresh, wasn't as terrifying as I'd imagined. I knew I'd have to forgive Ilsa for her double play, and I'd have to get used to the idea of someone else being part of our lives. It had always been just Dad and me, but maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad after all.

But then another thought hit me—I would have to leave Uncle Luther, Uncle Benji, and Will behind. The idea of never seeing them again, of losing the makeshift family we had, made my heart ache.

"You don't have to. It can be the three of us," Ilsa reassured Dad softly. Despite the grudge I still held against her, her words warmed my heart. She cared enough to understand that Dad wouldn't leave me behind, that he couldn't just abandon his daughter.

I decided to look at Dad, and when our eyes met, I saw exactly what I had hoped to see—a reassurance in his gaze that calmed my racing heart. His expression was soft, filled with the promise that he wouldn't leave me behind. A small, relieved smile tugged at my lips, and I nodded slightly, showing him that I believed him, that I trusted him.

"What about Lane?" I whispered into the comms, my eyes locked on Dad's. The weight of the decision hung in the air, and I knew this was his moment to choose. Whatever path he decided to take, I would follow—no hesitation, no doubts.

If he chose to finish this mission, to continue the life of a spy, I would be right there beside him, ready to face whatever came our way. And if he decided to leave with Ilsa, to walk away from this dangerous world, I would go too. As much as it would hurt to leave behind my uncles and my new friends, I would accept his choice and stand by him, no matter what.

His decision would be ours, and in that moment, I was ready to follow him wherever he led.

Dad echoed my question, his voice heavy with contemplation. "And what about Lane?"

"Forget about Lane," Ilsa replied, her tone resolute. "There will always be another Lane. There will always be people like us to face him. We've done our part, and we've been cast away." She paused briefly, letting the weight of her words sink in before continuing, "We can be anyone. We can do anything. It's only a matter of going."

Then, in a move that caught me completely off guard, Ilsa turned to me. She smiled softly, her eyes shining with something I couldn't quite decipher. It was a look filled with an emotion I had never seen from her before, and for a moment, I felt something stir within me—something unfamiliar, something I couldn't fully understand. She didn't need to say a word; her gaze spoke volumes. She was inviting me, directly, to join her and Dad on this new path.

In that moment, I realized it wasn't just about Dad's choice—it was about mine too. And as I looked back at her, I knew she understood that as well.

Dad stared at Ilsa, his gaze unwavering. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before his eyes shifted to the distance, staring blankly ahead. He shifted his position, sinking a bit deeper into the chair. "Lane sent you a message, didn't he?" he asked, his voice firm and direct.