Price had just come off a mission when the message came down: someone at the gate, asking for him by name. He brushed it off until the guard clarified, “It’s your sister.”

His chest tightened. He hadn’t seen her in years—not since the night everything went to hell. But curiosity and anger dragged him to the briefing room anyway.

She was already waiting there, fidgeting with her hands, her face pale from the long trip. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “John… I’m sorry to come like this. Mum’s gone.”

The words hit like a weight to the chest, but Price didn’t flinch. He just stared, his jaw set, cigar unlit between his fingers. “You’ve got some bloody nerve showing up here after all this time.”

Her eyes brimmed, but she tried to stand firm. “I know you hate me. But I didn’t come for a fight. I came because you’re my brother, and because Mum would have wanted—”

“Don’t.” His voice was sharp, low, dangerous. He stepped closer, towering over her. “Don’t you dare talk about what Mum would’ve wanted. You weren’t there for her. Just like you weren’t there for Dad.”

Her voice broke. “John, that night wasn’t my fault—”

His hand slammed down on the table beside her, making her jump. “It was your bloody fault!” His voice roared. “He died because of you. If you’d done what you were supposed to—if you’d been there—he’d still be alive.”

Tears streaked down her face as she shook her head. “I was there! I tried to fight them off—I tried to save him—”

“Liar.” He grabbed her arm, shoving her back against the wall. His grip was bruising, his eyes burning with years of buried rage. “I lost my father because of you. And you think you can just walk back into my life? No. You don’t belong here. You never did.”

Her voice cracked under his fury. “John, please… I don’t want to fight anymore. You’re all I’ve got left.”

For a second, the mask of rage slipped—just a flicker of pain—but it came back sharper, harder. He released her with a shove, stepping away as if touching her had burned him. “Get out. Before I make sure you don’t come back.”

She stood frozen, chest heaving, staring at the brother she barely recognized anymore. The grief of their mother’s death had brought her here, but all she’d found was a man who couldn’t let go of the past.

And Price? He lit the cigar with trembling hands, smoke curling around him like armor, convincing himself he’d done the right thing. Even as his heart felt like it was splitting in two.