This city has one of the last populations of dragon shifters, as well as a stronghold of warrior angels who won’t take kindly to a hellhound’s presence. The dragon shifters are well hidden, so it’sdifficult to ascertain where I might step on their turf, but I steer clear of the angels’ stronghold near the center of the city.
Zara has already arranged a vehicle for us, and she instructs the driver to take us to a small park on the outskirts of Chesterbrook.
I wait with her on a park bench in the shadow of a tree as the mothers come out with their children to play on the playground set.
Finally, a blonde wearing old jeans, a banana-stained T-shirt, and scuffed sneakers appears, carrying a baby girl. She takes the baby to the sandpit and rests her in her lap so the little girl’s toes can dig into the sand while her mother builds a wonky sandcastle.
The girl looks maybe four months old. She wears a pink ribbon in the few wisps of hair at the top of her head. Judging by the way the ribbon keeps sliding out of place, her hair is as fine as her mother’s.
When the castle falls over, Kaitlyn scoops her daughter up and smothers her cheeks in kisses.
“They look happy,” I murmur.
Kaitlyn was Adrian Hadrix’s daughter. She was manipulated into believing that I had killed the only man she loved, a panther shifter named Jesse. Jesse was imprisoned in the forest outside the Academy’s electric fence.
I freed them both.
“Their life isn’t easy,” Zara replies. “Jesse works nights, and Kaitlyn temps as a waitress during the day—when she can get shifts. They look after their baby on their own. From what I’ve observed, they’re good parents. Their daughter’s needs come first.”
“You watched them for a while, then?”
“Just a week. I wanted to know what we were dealing with.” Zara gives me an apologetic smile. “Did I do the wrong thing not telling you right away?”
“I’m happy you were thorough.”
“What do you want to do now, Striker?”
When I first stayed at the Legion, I negotiated with Slade and Hunter to wipe Kaitlyn’s name from Slade’s ledger. They were reluctant at first, but I was persistent. I went through every piece of evidence against her and tied it all back to her parents and their dominance over her life.
In the end, the assassins agreed to wipe her slate clean with the warning that any future crimes wouldn’t be ignored.
Looking at Kaitlyn now, I know there won’t be any.
My answer to Zara is simple. “I want to buy Kaitlyn a house so they don’t have to worry about the roof over their heads. Not an extravagant place. Comfortable. In a location with good schools. But I don’t want it traced back to me.”
I had already, before I went into the maze, quietly leveraged my contacts in the security sector to make sure Jesse’s brother, Harrison—or Evan Anderson as his real name is—was now employed as a highly paid bodyguard. Buying a house for Kaitlyn will need to be done even more carefully.
“Do we have any charities that can front for it?” I ask Zara.
She nods. “One or two that might work.”
“Good. I also want you to set up an education fund for each of their children.”
“Each? They only have one.”
I snort. “They’re going to have more.”
This time, Zara hides her smile. “Sure. I’ll make sure I stay on top of that then.”
“Thank you.”
On the way back to the airport, Zara interrupts my thoughts. “You’re quiet.”
I guess she means more than I have been. I watch the passing cars, fully aware of the hole in my life and how much I want it filled by the only person who can.
“While you’re looking into houses for Kaitlyn, I’d like you to look for one for me,” I say.
Zara claps her hands on her knees. “Thank the ancients. I thought you’d never ask. You can’t keep living in your office. Where and how many rooms do you want?”
