My Brother's Brother (Book I of the Brother Series)

Chapter 75

*Author's Note: Another one in the beginning, peeps, and you know what that means...let's just say that after everything that has been discovered, nothing will ever be the same again. With that being said, don't say I didn't warn you. Let the action-packed drama begin! :)* 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        I see Matt pulling up towards me with five minutes to spare and although I can't show him any signs of weakness, I'm beyond glad that he's made it back in one piece. I may be pissed, but I like to believe that I'm still not a complete monster. He gets out his car and walks over to me.

"Five minutes to spare," I tell him as I carefully lift his lapel up, "not bad." If it was under any other circumstance, Matt would have probably chuckled at my remark right now, and I would have followed close by. But it's not. We've been in a situation that's been anything but funny this entire time, and we're both fully aware of this. I look down to my phone while hovering my thumb over the small, ticking bomb attached to his suit. Then, simultaneously, I push down on both the device and the 'stop' button located on the tracking app. The device detaches itself from Matt and falls onto the floor, immediately disintegrating at contact to deactivate completely. Once it has entirely disappeared into the air, I look back up to Matt, who still hasn't said a word to me since he's gotten back. I mean, what's the point of saying anything anyway, right? He's done everything I needed, there's no reason to keep stretching this little reunion of ours out further. "Well, that concludes what all I needed from you. Congratulations, you get to live," I tell him confidently as I turn around to walk towards the airport's Delta Air Lines entrance.

"María!" He calls to me when I make it halfway, but I refuse to stop. "María, wait! You may have fake ID's to get you places, but what good will that do if you don't even know where to go?" I keep walking. "You're intelligent enough to find the locations in a matter of days, no doubt, but wouldn't you rather just have someone who has full access to whatever information you may need along the way?" With these words, he gets me to stop in my tracks just as I'm about to walk through the doors. "I promise not to question any of your orders, María, but please just let me go with you. I'll just be your source of knowledge, nothing more, nothing less."

"What's in it for you?" I ask in frustration, turning around to face him. "Why risk your reputation and life now when it was such a problem for you to even consider doing so when it was most important?" 

        He only takes a brief second to answer. If his eyes didn't show the regret that they did, one would give him an Oscar for best actor.

"Consider it my tribute to Matías for everything he's ever done for me," he breathes out desperately and then pauses before saying, "and my way of truly showing the both of you how sorry I am, although it's completely understandable and clear that I will never be forgiven."

"And what makes you think I'd trust you all of a sudden? After everything? Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?" 

        If people in the neighboring parking lots wouldn't be able to hear me, I'd scream at him at the top of my lungs. Matt sighs at my question.

"No one said you had to trust me, María. Instead, let me show you that I'm still the Matt you kind of had to trust with your life not so long ago. That I'm still the same Matt that you've known all this time, just one who made a terrible mistake. Let me do this, María. Please. For both your sake and mine because God knows that if I couldn't help protect Matías that day, I wouldn't want the same to happen to you."

         Aside from, what may or may not be, a majority of the bullshit that just left his mouth, I hate to admit that he does have a point: I could use the unlimited access of information that the CIA holds at its fingertips. Given that my flight is about to leave any minute, I seem to have no other choice but to quickly make the decision that just might help cost me my life.