“You really thought that was going to work?” Marco asks her. “Shit must be bad in NML.”

“They were close.” Mom shrugs. “And as we made our way here, I got more intel. That's why I let them go up.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill them over this little game you’re playing.”

“It’s no game,” Mom snaps back, letting her emotions peek out for once. This is a side of her that I don’t see often. “We would do anything to keep Eve safe.”

“Wait, how do you know I haven’t been home?” Everyone is speaking a different language than me. “What’s NML?”

“No Man’s Land. What they call it,” Marco answers.

“Oh, I thought MIB,” I mutter.

“MIB?” Marco asks. I can tell from his expression he is really trying to place what MIB might be.

“Men in Black. It’s a movie with aliens. And of course none of you know it.” I roll my eyes.

“I didn’t name it.” Marco’s hand presses firmer against my stomach. “Your parents keep a better eye on you than you knew.”

“Seriously? They once forgot me at boarding school, but they keep tabs on me now.”

“My guess is they’re either connected up and work for NML or they use their services.” Okay, I’m putting together Marco worked for this NML. I still need to buy a vowel here.

“We didn’t forget you. Things came up.” She actually looks apologetic. “We’ve always checked in.” Her shoulders drop.

“Carol.” My dad puts his hand on Mom's back, moving into her. Growing up, I always wondered how they worked. I never saw a ton of romance, but I didn’t see a lot of shit, clearly. They were always a team, though. Whatever it is, it works for them. My mom nods, answering whatever unspoken thing my father is saying to her.

“We didn’t know—"

“That doing your job would get that deep so quickly. Like quicksand.” Marco cuts her off.

“Yes, it’s messy.”

“Messy.” Marco chuckles. “A polite way to say it, I suppose.”

“We didn’t want it touching you. A lot of the things we’ve done over the years were for your protection.” The corners of her mouth turn down as her eyes cut to Marco. “It hadn’t.”

Marco’s whole body goes solid for half a second at my mom's insinuation. If I wasn’t pressed against him, I don’t think I would have noticed.

“What’s touching me is a man that loves me. One I’m not leaving because of what my parents think of him. You don’t have that privilege in my life.”

“You’re right,” she says.

“Did she say I was right?” I whisper under my breath. This must be a Christmas miracle. Marco kisses the top of my head. The room grows quiet, and I think for once, my mother isn’t sure what to do. “So I’m not kidnapped or whatever.” I wave my hand. “Marco isn’t going to kill anyone.”

“I didn’t agree to that.” I elbow him.

“Jesus, big guy. You’re like hitting a brick wall,” I tease him.