You still live in the silence between my thoughts.

The bed shifts uncomfortably beneath me, the mattress dipping as Archer rolls his shoulders.

"Stop it." Nelle snaps half-heartedly, slapping at the air. "You're making this so much more difficult than it has to be."

"A child." Liam's unmistakeable voice echoes.

Archer's head snaps up to glare at the boy before he groans and rests his shoulders, letting her examine it.

She winces, "It'll have to be reset."

"Ouchie."

"You're commentary is making it worse." Archer mumbles.

"Stop being dramatic, that's my job. I specifically remember it being in my contract."

"You added it in." Cleo inserts.

"There was no clause saying you couldn't write on it."

Archer breathes roughly through his nose, but I see the smile peeking through at their banter.

"I'm going to need some help." Nelle says suddenly, distracted with her dark eyes pinched together.

Clay moves, wandering closer to Archer.

Liam perks up, following. He rubs his hands together smoothly with a diabolical smile.

Each man takes a spot on Archer's sides, holding him still as Nelle reaches for his injured arm.

She looks at each man and nods before looking at Archer.

"Ready?"

"Just do it."

"On three."

"One,"

Liam chuckles.

"Two,"

Archer glares.

"Three,"

She pulls, a colourful string of swears leaving Archer's lips.

"That's ten dollars in the swear jar." Liam admonishes, dusting his hands off.

Archer only groans in reply, hand reaching for his injured shoulder. Nelle slowly shakes her head, and he stops as she reaches for the bag at her feet.

She pulls a sling out, making quick work of placing it correctly on him.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't want the prescription drugs?" Nelle hums, raising a brow.

Archer clear his throat. "I need to have a clear head."

Nelle rolls her eyes but doesn't push, collecting her stuff.

She turns to me, and I smile tiredly. She grins back, reaching in for a hug.

"It was good seeing you again, even under the circumstances." She whispers, releasing me.

She steps back and rights her bag, "I'll see Gary on my way out. Don't go doing any strenuous activity-"

"Does that include sex?" Liam cuts in, eyes twinkling devilishly.

Nelle sighs. "Yes, including sex."

"Damn, sorry Arch."

"Shut up."

"I advise bedrest for at least two weeks and constant check-ups on the healing of the scars. If they start to look infected, go to a doctor or call me. Apply this topical cream every few hours and try to keep them uncovered so they can breathe." She hands me a tube and I take it, resting it beside me on the bed.

"Thanks, Renelle."

She smiles in reply, turning for the door and sauntering out, shutting it softly behind her.

A voice clears softly, and my eyes snap to Clay, seeing his gaze on me.

"I found a box in Archer's car." It's all he says but it has my nerves rising.

"Clay-"

"Who are you really and why are you keeping information on my father's businesses?"

"Clay, this isn't the time." Archer says, standing up, walking over to Clay with a hand raised.

"No, Archer. I want to know."

I swallow, standing up as Clay walks around Archer.

Archer moves in front of him again, whispering to Clay, his voice too low for me to hear.

"We have no idea who she really is-"

"My names Holland." I swallow. "I'm your sister."

Their bickering silences, the room so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I don't have a sister." Clay replies, narrowing his green eyes on mine.

"Actually, you have two."

"Oh shit." Liam says softly, eyes bouncing between Clay and I.

I look towards the two other parts on our team, seeing Cleo looking between Clay and I, analysing us.

"How would I even know you're telling the truth, you could be lying-"

"Clay." Archer cuts him off, voice hard. His hand lands on Clays shoulders and my brother rips his body away from Archer's, green eyes narrowed accusingly.

"You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth."

He blinks, eyes not looking away from me, staring at me as if just looking will give him the answers he seeks.

The door opens behind us, Gary entering, Ray and Lukas behind him. Their eyes go straight to Clay, finally seeing the man up close before they look to me, checking over me to make sure I'm okay.

"Why is everybody standing around like idiots?" Gary asks, eyes bouncing between the five of us.

Clays eyes narrow on Gary, before he looks to Ray and Lukas, staring at them hard.

"The eyes." Cleo whispers, lifting her hand as if she didn't meant to say the words out loud.

Gary looks to me as if I can give him an answer to his question.

"I told him the truth." I hush, looking Clay.

Gary's eyes widen, swinging to Clay.

"Now why would you go and do something like that?" Gary says, shaking his head, rubbing his temples. Lukas and Ray take the chance to run, rushing from the room, not wanting to be in the middle of this.

"He needed to know the truth."

"How do you even know you can trust him, he is his father's son."

Clays eyes swing to Gary, glaring. Cleo and Liam watch Gary and him like a tennis match, their eyes wide.

"And am I not his daughter?" I lift a brow.

Gary breathes out harshly, looking away from Clay. "You luckily took after my sister."

Clay looks to me, "We share a mother?"

"You shared a womb." Gary mutters and I snap my head to him,

"You're making it worse."

All the man does is lift his hands in mock surrender.

Clay breathes out and Archer approaches him.

Clays eyes swing to Archer. "You knew?"

Archer close his eyes, "I only found out after we were taken."

Clay looks to me, eyes sweeping down my body, looking for something familiar and he breathes. "Is that why it feels likes I know you from somewhere?"

I shrug, unable to answer that.

"This is so dramatic." Liam says, "I thought this was going to be a cute little reunion and instead it's a soap opera."

"If you're telling the truth, where is my other sister?"

I breathe out, heart tightening. "She's dead."

Clay looks like he was just shot, so much information being thrown at him, and he takes a seat on the bed, Cleo moving to sit beside him, taking his hand in hers.

"How?" He asks.

"We'll, since we're spilling secrets," Gary says, "You're father killed her."

"Stop making it worse." I hiss at Gary, and he shrugs, leaving the room but I can see the grin on his face.

"He killed his own daughter?"

I shrug, "I don't have proof, I was trying to find it."

"The box." Clay breathes out.

I nod, "I don't know if it's proof of her death, but it's something."

Archer walks over to me, taking my hand in his and squeezing, I squeeze back, grateful for his strength right now.

"What have you been looking for?" Clay asks, looking up at me.

"I don't know. Anything that gives me any information on what he could have done."

"I read the files in the box, Daphne Jefferson was experimenting on human beings, drugging them."

I nod, squeezing Archer's hand, he rubs a thumb along my knuckles.

"What was her name?" Clay asks after a second of silence, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Lilac."

"How old was she?"

"Twenty-four. She was younger than us. She had a different mother."

Clay runs a hand through his hair, shoulders dropping. "Why did he separate us?" He looks up to me.

"He only needed one child to succeed," I whisper, "He chose his only son."

"What happened to you?"

"I grew up with Gary and Ray and Lukas, they're my family."

Clays eyes go to the door they'd left out of. "They're my cousins."

I nod and he breathes out. "Why the fuck did he do this?" He asks the question, but I don't think he really wants to know the answer.

The silence in the room is weighted, everyone lost in their own thought before Liam speaks up.

"Who took you guys? Was it Dimitri?"

I look to Archer, and his eyes go to Cleo and Clay.

He lets go of my hand before walking closer to them. They notice his attention and narrow their eyes.

"What now?" Clay asks.

Archer breathes out, running a hand through his hair.
"Dimitri did take us, but he wasn't working alone or for his own agenda."

"Who?" Cleo asks, voice soft.

"The person targeting the division is doing so to punish Director, they want him to suffer and so they took Holland, knowing who she was to Director. I just happened to be there when they did."

"Why aren't you saying who it is?" Clay says, his fists clenching, eyes moving between Archer and I. "What don't you want to say?"

"It's Scarlett. She's not dead."

"What?" Cleo says softly, the word choked. "What are you saying?"

"Scarlett is the one targeting Director, she's been killing all the Agents, stalking us, all to get at Director."

Clay blinks, eyes hard. "Why?"

"We don't know, but I think it has something to do with those files. She had people going after the Doctor for them and we found more on the ship."

"Ship?" Liam asks.

"She kept us on a ship, that's where we were taken." Archer explains.

Clay rubs his temples. "She's alive?"

"She faked her own death."

"Why?"

"That what we have to figure out." Archer says, watching his two teammates. "Before she comes after us again."

Clay looks to me before he looks back at Clay, "Then we can't tell Director. He'll stop the investigation before we even start."

"You're really going to go against him?" I breathe out.

"You are."

"That's different. I didn't grow up with him as a parent."

"That's all the more reason to go after him." Clay replies.