The silence that followed my scream was deafening. Two dozen hardened soldiers stood like statues, their eyes darting between me and the man they feared most. Leo's hands remained frozen in mid-air, his small face crumpling with confusion and fear at the sound of my voice.
"Mommy?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
I didn't stop until I reached the ledge. I snatched Leo up, pulling his small body against mine with a fierce, protective grip. "Don't 'Mommy' me, Leo. We are going inside. Now."
"But Dad said—"
"I don't care what he said!" I snapped, my eyes locked onto Asher's.
Asher hadn't moved. He stood with his feet planted shoulder-width apart, his face a mask of cold stone. But I could see the muscle jumping in his jaw—the only sign that my public outburst had struck a nerve.
"Dismissed," Asher said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in my chest.
Without a word, the men turned and vanished toward the barracks, moving with a speed that proved they didn't want to be anywhere near the blast zone of our argument. Even Jupiter, who lingered for a second with a look of pure disdain toward me, disappeared after a sharp nod from Asher.
"You have a lot of nerve, Chloe," Asher said, stepping closer once we were alone in the vast courtyard. "Coming into my training grounds and screaming like a common—"
"Like a mother?" I cut him off, my voice shaking with rage. "You had him watching men beat each other bloody, Asher! He's five! He should be watching cartoons or playing with his blocks, not learning how to snap a man's windpipe by proxy."
"He was watching a demonstration of discipline," Asher countered, his eyes flashing. "This is his world now. Whether you like it or not, he is a Reed. People will come for him because of his name, and I will not have him grow up soft and defenseless."
"Defenseless? He's a child! It's your job to protect him so he doesn't have to be a soldier!" I shifted Leo's weight, my arms beginning to ache, but I refused to let him go. "I spent five years keeping him away from this. I worked double shifts, I moved us across the country, I did everything to ensure he would never know the smell of gunpowder. And you undo it all in one morning because of your ego?"
"It isn't ego, Chloe! It's survival!" Asher roared, finally losing his cool. He stepped into my personal space, his towering frame casting a long shadow over us. "The men who hit the hospital and came after you, the same men who bought out two of the security personnel you hired to protect you guys, are still out there. You think a 'No Trespassing' sign is going to keep them away? No. Only strength does that."
I looked up at him, my vision blurring with angry tears. "Then you're no better than the people chasing us. You're just a different kind of monster."
I turned on my heel and marched back toward the fortress, ignoring the way my heart hammered against my ribs. I could feel his gaze burning into my back, but I didn't stop until I reached Leo's room.
I set him down on his bed, my hands finally starting to shake. Leo looked up at me, his lip quivering. "Is Daddy a bad man, Mommy?"
The question hit me harder than any bullet could. I looked around the room—at the expensive toys, the celestial mural, the high-tech security—and realized I didn't have an answer.
"Daddy is... Daddy is complicated, Leo," I whispered, kneeling in front of him. "But you are my world. And I will never let anyone turn you into something you aren't."
"Did I do something wrong, Mommy?" he asked, his voice tiny.
"No, baby. Never," I said, smoothing his hair. "Go on and play for a bit, okay?"
A soft knock at the door made me jump. I expected Asher, ready for round two, but when the door opened, it was Julian. He looked uncomfortable, holding a tray with a glass of milk and some cookies.
"The Boss says the boy should eat," Julian said quietly. He wouldn't meet my eyes, focusing instead on setting the tray on the nightstand. "And he said to tell you... the car is ready. He wants to take you somewhere."
I narrowed my eyes, my protective instincts flaring again. "I'm not going anywhere with him. I just got my son away from his violence; I'm not stepping back into his orbit."
"It's about Silas, Ma'am," Julian replied, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "He is being interrogated. But he isn't saying anything useful And the Boss thinks you're the only one who can get him to talk before the people who hired him find a way to finish the job."
My heart skipped a beat. Silas. The man I had trusted with our lives—the man who had sold us out. The anger I felt toward Asher was suddenly rivaled by a cold, clinical need for justice. If Silas was talking, I needed to be there. I needed to know why.
"Fine," I said, standing up and straightening my blouse. "But tell whosoever that Asher will leaves in charge ,while we are gone not to even even think about bringing a weapon near my son if he doesn't want to 'find out just how dangerous a surgeon can be."