“What’s your grandfather’s first name?”
“Patton.” She set her mug down and gave him their address, too.
Too edgy to remain still, she walked around Nik’s private space as he worked on the computer, stopping at the shelves crammed with well-read paperbacks and hardbacks of thrillers and suspense. She glanced back to where he worked.
It still tore her up, reliving her anguish at her twin’s death. But deep down, she understood Nik wasn’t to blame. Despite his Guardian oath, he had decided to help Olivia. He had no way to know he was a day too late.
She sighed and stroked a finger along the worn spine of a paperback. If she had to fault anyone, it was her grandfather for insisting on this marriage, and Enzo for being a sadistic dickhead. The thought embedded itself into her soul that he was behind her sister’s death. Even if he wasn’t, he’d hurt her sister, and she wanted him to pay.
God, her poor brother, losing both his sisters. She prayed he was okay.
“Shadow?” At Nik’s quiet voice, she glanced back. “According to this article, your grandfather passed away two years ago.”
A twinge of sadness flashed through her, but she shut it out. He didn’t protect them when they needed him. “Liam?” He was all that mattered.
“He lives with—”
“Enzo,” she whispered, her heart thundering in her ears. “We have to get him away from that man.”
“We will. But we can’t rush in, we have to be careful.” Nik rested an arm on the desk, watching her. “I don’t want you involved in this.”
“No, I have to be. Liam thinks he’s all alone!”
“Shadow. This Enzo has your brother. If he somehow gets wind you survived your illness, he’ll know you’ll come looking for him. You don’t want to be in his sights. Let me dig up a little more about this bastard before we do anything.” Nik shook his head before she opened her mouth. “Yes, I could dematerialize and get your brother out of there, but then he’d be a missing person and the authorities would get involved, and that would create unnecessary trouble.”
Dammit, Nik was right. Shadow continued her pace-a-thon around the perimeter of the room.
After a few minutes, she trailed back to Nik and watched him as he worked, his brow furrowed, his fingers flying over the keyboard, unearthing more info. A headline caught her attention. She leaned over Nik’s shoulder, and her stomach flipped as she read.
Patton Montgomery, of Montgomery Ent., passed away last night from a sudden heart attack. He leaves behind a grandson, fifteen-year-old William Montgomery. The minor is now under the guardianship of Enzo Argo, of Argo Holdings…
Harsh laughter escaped her. “The jerk.”
Nik cut her a sharp stare.
“With Olivia and me not in the picture, he’s got Liam under his rotten thumb for the damn money. Do a search on my brother.”
Nik nodded, and a moment later, at the image of the brown-haired teen, tears burned her eyes. “He’s no longer the boy I left behind,” she whispered, reaching out to touch the monitor, gently tracing the lean bone structure of the man he was becoming. “Maybe it was selfish that I left, but I wasn’t strong like my sister. Enzo would have probably killed me before my time was up.”
“Don’t.” Nik’s fiery stare snapped to hers. “Despite being sick, what you did took great courage. You left. No one could blame you for that.”
Shadow dropped her hand from the screen. “Perhaps. But it hurt me not to explain anything to Liam. He was so young, just twelve. I didn’t want to burden him or put him in any danger. I thought I was dying, thought I could spare him…”
Her attention stalled on an added heading to the editorial, about an auto theft. A memory stirred of Darwin mentioning the same thing about…Liam. The boy in The Shelter?
Oh, dear lord. Blood rushed to her head. She’d been right there, in front of him.
“I know where he is,” she whispered, blinking to clear her tears. “The Shelter. I saw him there.”
Nik’s brow pulled in a frown. “The place you visit?”
She nodded, not bothering to correct him that she didn’t exactly visit, but helped relocate abused women and children. “He saw me. He didn’t recognize me. I mean, I know five years is a long time, and we both have changed. I hadn’t realized just how much I had transformed after Nate gave me the otherworldly blood. My face, my hair, even my eyes.”
Nik frowned, then said, “Tonight, during patrol, I’ll follow up on this—” he broke off, glancing at the door. “Echo approaches. Did you have anything going on with her?”
She blinked, finally remembering her agreement last night. “I said I’d train with her.”
“Okay. We’ll pick this up later—”
“No-no, I can cancel.”
“No, go. Some time away from this will help,” he said, his attention back on the computer screen. “I’ll be in a meeting with the other warriors in a short while, then a sword session out on the north side of the estate with Dagan.”
When she just stood there, he looked up, and his expression softened. “It’ll be okay, moró. We’ll get him out, I promise.”
With a little nod, she walked out. Yes, Nik would. She had to believe in that. More, she hoped he’d forgive her for lashing out at him.
Chapter 24
Laughter drifted to Shadow from the kitchen where the girls were having a midnight tea break. She’d excused herself a short while ago, her mind too chaotic to relax. Not even the grueling gym time with Echo then watching Shae and Ely duel it out with daggers managed to release the tension within her.
Bob waddled past her where she stood near the trellised walkway just past the kitchen terrace and entered the dark path. She returned to her wrought-iron chair and flopped on the cushioned seat, her mind back on Nik.
The day had been busy, mostly for him, and she hadn’t seen him.
When he said some time away from this would help, she didn’t think it was between them.
Yes, they had the evening meal together before he headed off on patrol, but he’d been silent…contemplative, and he’d just brushed her crown with a featherlight kiss before he departed.
She pressed her fingers to her burning cheeks, wishing he was here, so she could hold him and apologize for lashing out. God knew she wasn’t someone to deliberately hurt a person, but that she’d lost her mind in that moment and had done so with Nik, who always put her first—worried about her—weighed heavily on her.
She drew her feet on the chair, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her chin on them, watching the moths flitter around the garden lights.
“Hey there.” Kira walked out onto the terrace, carrying two tall glasses of grape juice. “Here you go.”
Shadow lifted her head as her friend set the frosty crystal in front of her. Kira dragged out an adjacent chair and sat. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, then shook her head, and pressed her lips together to stop them from trembling.
“Whatever it is, it will work out,” Kira said softly, reaching out to pat her raised knee.
“I got my memories back.”