“Um, hi.” Wes frowned and moved close to Grace.
“Hi. So, who called the police? They came after Adrianaquickly, arresting her for baby trafficking.” Bren looked pensive.
I had the same thought. Sure, I’d planned on turning everything over to the police, but I hadn’t done so yet.
“I did.” Nate’s voice went quiet. “The others are angry with me for involving the law. They’re worried about what it will do to the pack. But I… I… I can’t believe that she just sat back and let me look for you all those years knowing that she sent you to live with someone else. She even came with me to meet some of the girls that I thought might be you.” Nate sniffed.
Grace put a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe she did that.”
How monstrous.
“How did you look for her?” Brennan asked.
“Mostly online. I’d reverse image search baby pictures of Creed, and my sister, hoping I’d get a hit. We got a few, but they were never you, though we found one of my brother Barrett’s kids that way. At one point Barrett hired a PI for me. We traced Rosalind all the way to Europe, and then she just… disappeared.” His look went wistful.
“Professor, you can sit down,” Grace said softly.
Oh. Obviously, they would have had to come to Greece if my father and Dr. K helped them. Where was the equipment? I explored the university thoroughly and found nothing odd and didn’t recall anything being off-limits. Maybe I should ask Mrs. K about it.
Nate sat down in a chair by the small table, moving the flowers and the omega lily so he could see it. “Did Verity visit? That looks like one of the flower pots she buys from her friend.”
“Yes, she came by last night,” Brennan said. “Rosalind got to Europe?”
“We’re not sure how. By then she was wanted. Even if she had a fake record made, she’d probably want to minimize contact with authorities. She might have been smuggled by boat,” he told us.
How did she know that they’d help her? Who got her there?
“You knew I was with her?” Grace asked.
He shook his head. “Not for certain. A woman fitting her description was seen with a baby at some points, though not at others. That’s why I wondered if she trafficked you. She smuggled you to Europe, sold you, then took the money and disappeared. But…” Nate frowned. “You weren’t raised abroad. Somehow she came back here and raised you off the grid? Or maybe there she got really good fake records made? None of it makes sense.”
No, not to him.
“We might never know what happened.” I gave Grace a squeeze.
Yes, I needed to talk to Mrs. K.
Nate sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry Rosalind was the one who raised you and hurt you. I… I haven’t told anyone other than the pack that I’ve found you. Is it okay if I tell my family?”
Grace thought for a moment. “I guess?”
“Thank you. They won’t reach out, but if you’d like to meet them sometime, they’d love it, I’m sure. Also, I won’t tell Thora’s mother. I don’t know if she’s even still alive. But if at some point you ever want to talk to her, I’ll help you make contact,” Nate offered.
“Thank you.” She leaned back into me. Wes squeezed her hand.
“Is Adriana still in jail? I worry that she’ll come after Grace.” Brennan asked.
“She’s in jail waiting for the judge. I cooperated fully. Not taking you in was one thing.PayingRosalind to whisk you away so that I’d never find you, then allowing me to look for you, is something else entirely. I… I’ve forgiven her for so much over the years. But I’m not sure I can forgive that.” Nate sighed again.
I felt a little sorry for the children in the pack. If Adriana went to jail, it would massively affect their family. At the same time,what she did was terrible and wrong. How could she simply sit back and let her mate hurt like that?
Grace eyed the doorway. “I understand. It’s a pretty horrible thing. Not to mention shestabbedmy mate. Are you here alone?”
“Pip’s here. But they wouldn’t let her past the nurses' station. They let me in because I’m on your record as being your father. I hope it’s not an overstep. I was worried when I heard what happened.” He clutched something to him. “I’m sorry she stabbed you.”
“It’s okay,” I assured. Okay, I’d be pressing charges, but it wasn’t his fault.
“Are Tru, Hale, and Mercy all right?” Grace added.
