“What gave you the impression I was here to hurt you?”
“What other impression should I have?” I challenged.
“Babe, if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t have rung the bell.”
I shivered. “What do you want?”
“Just to talk. I need information in order to help you find Felix.”
“My brother—”
“Your brother is limited within the law, sweetheart. I am not.”
I closed my door and leaned against it. “I don’t have much, to be honest.”
“Give me your phone,” he said, and I pushed away from the door and made my way to my purse. Rummaging inside, I grabbed it, then handed it to him.
“I just sent myself a text,” he said. “So you have my number. I want you to send me pictures of Felix, then I want information about his teacher and the school.”
“You won’t hurt her, will you?”
“Jesus, what’s with you thinkin’ I’m gonna hurt everyone?” he lamented.
“Newsflash... you’re kind of terrifying.”
This made him smile and it scared me even more.
“Baby, quit lookin’ at me like that. I’m not gonna fuckin’ hurt you,” he said, his tone one of exasperation. “I’m not in the habit of hurtin’ women. No matter who they are or what they’ve done.”
“Even Maria?”
“Why the fuck would I want to hurt Maria, god rest her soul?”
I shrugged. “A lot of people were mad at her at the end. I just figured after the letter, you’d be pissed.”
“I’m more confused,” he admitted. “But we can sort that out once your nephew’s home safe, okay?”
I bit my lip and nodded.
“Now, send me that information,” he demanded, handing me back my phone.
It didn’t take me long, and I set my phone on my kitchen island. “What are you going to do?”
“Better you don’t know,” he said, his fingers flying over his phone. “How did your sister OD? Heroin?”
“Sort of,” I said. “She didn’t die of a heroin overdose, so much as a fentanyl overdose. By the time she’d gotten clean, not only had her tolerance gone down, but heroin itself had changed. The widespread use of fentanyl used to cut the heroin had made it not only more addictive, it made it more deadly. I don’t even think she got the high she was chasing. The dragon consumed her before she ever reached the castle.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I shrugged, wiping away tears. “It’s okay. I can’t do anything to change it.”
“I liked your sister. She was cool. Crazy, but cool.”
I nodded. “She was. She was amazing. When she was sober. But then the demons attacked and she... well, she needed to find an escape.”
Before I registered what was happening, Stoney’s arms were around me and I was engulfed in the strongest pair of arms I’d ever experienced.
And that’s when I broke down. Completely.
