came t

rboards. I hadn't slept a second. My body lay still, but my mind had been spinning

dy gone when I

n who haunted my every breath. A part of me was relieved. Anothe

flash drive into my pocket. Today I would find something-anything-that co

of the housekeepe

n his office?" I

ft early. Said he had

rf

shaking slightly as I picked the lock with the thin metal pi

ks. A globe bar stood in the corner, beside a massive desk with thre

lash drive, and whispered to mysel

to life. Password p

th every code I'd ever seen him type-birthdays, nam

.W1

ic

as

es. Financial records, confidential emails, encrypted folders.

n a folder title

ffshore accounts. Large wire tr

– $500,000 –

day my fa

mach d

gone underground years ago. No one knew where he was. But this... t

suspected for years, but

ing to do with m

heard footst

screen, and bolted to the side door ju

hallway closet a

r creak

le

calm, smooth, yet strangely

at p

closet door. He scanned the room like a hunter-calculating

k

pened the computer. I could see the faint glo

aw somet

smi

wasn't

o realized someone was playing a game

utes until he left again, muttering into his

rt thu

know it wa

't careful, h

tension between

r two. Dante was quiet, chewing slowly, watching me the

r day?" he a

ked. "

hing int

t re

"That's good. Kn

s I lifted my glass of w

d. "Business. Meetings.

o casually, so cold-

your job," I s

fragile thing, Serena. It only takes on

ounds like you've be

s met mine. "It d

, I stood at the wind

t instead of satisfaction, all I f

e seem so

want to believe h

, the doo

nbuttoned, revealing the edg

?" I asked before I

d down. "

ll

Then, surpris

e tried to kill my fat

was

id," he said.

times we do things for family that don'

p at him.

dn't

ially

his forehead to mine. "Are

n't a

the trut

t scare

anted to believe he wasn't t