I see Shayne ditched his sneakers by the side of the door, managing to think of it before me, like he also did with locking the door.
“When do I get to interrogate Owen?” Jay asks, giving me a wry smile when I give him a look of despair. “Last question, I promise.”
I sigh as I haul my boots off.
Setting them next to Shayne’s sneakers, I think about it.
“When the fence is done, I’ll look after Harper and Robin. You can spend the day with him then. I’m sure he’ll be delighted by that.”
He snorts. “The guy has no idea what’s about to hit him.”
I take off my jeans and T-shirt and ditch them next to my boots.
Finally, I’m clean enough to sit down on something soft.
“I’m doing an all-nighter tonight, right?” Jay asks.
“Looks like it,” I tell him with a yawn.
“Cool,” he murmurs. “Now I know I shouldn’t trust anyone who isn’t one of us. It’s good to know.”
“Don’t use it as an excuse to knock out any doctors.”
“What? How? Shayne told you, didn’t he?” Jay scowls at me. “It was nothing. I wouldn’t have touched him.”
“Corvina can only possess people he’s brainwashed. That’s a small group of people, okay? Don’t forget that.” I walk over to the couch and sit down, sighing as I lay back.
“I assume Owen can give us a list?”
“No more questions, Jay. I’m way too tired.”
He goes quiet, and then he clears his throat.
I groan softly as he comes to the couch and sits down on the other side.
“There’s something I should tell you.”
“Uh huh?” I ask, resting my head and closing my eyes.
“Robin’s father has been in contact with her. It sounded like he wanted her to talk with her sister. He mentioned something about her sister having an eating disorder.”
I open my eyes and sit up straight in my seat, now totally awake.
“Robin’s father? What do you mean, her father? Her mother was owned by Ivan Hamilton.”
“This guy,” he says, passing me his phone.
“Steve Barrister?” I ask, seeing the name before I focus on the image.
It’s clear the second I look at the guy that there’s a family resemblance there.
“How is this possible?”
Jay takes his phone back. “He gave her a story about meeting her mother at a party and not knowing she was with Ivan Hamilton. He woke up alone, and he couldn’t find her again.”
“Seems unlikely,” I mutter. “Where was the party?”
“Robin didn’t know. She knows it’s a bit suss, but it’s pretty obvious she’s hoping he’s not a lying piece of shit, or worse.”
