Page 127 of Power of Shadow

I don’t want to make any decisions right now. As I barely knew him, perhaps his brother would be better suited to make those decisions. We only spoke for a short time.

I didn’t know what kind of coffee he drank, what his laugh sounded like, or if he would have had a silly nickname for me. And yet something inside me is breaking. He was my father. Still, I feel a twinge inside.

Zoe isn’t the only one who’s losing him, although her loss will be felt a little differently. She wasn’t his biological child, so her real father may be out there somewhere, alive, wondering about her life. She may still hold out hope. Hope that I can no longer have. Apart from Zoe, I’m completely alone in this world.

“That’s not true,” Ryker whispers and kisses my forehead again. “You’re not alone, and you never will be. I’m here for you.”

Again, I was saying my thoughts out loud.

The back of my hand wipes my cheeks, but they’re almost completely dry.

“Who could have done this, Ryker? Do you have any suspicions? Ismael? Your father?”

Ryker shakes his head before answering, “I can’t be sure. You said yourself it was someone connected to me. Someone wanted me to find him. Maybe they even want me to look guilty.”

“Guilty to whom? To the police?”

“The police?” He snorts with an ominous laugh. “No. But maybe someone wants you to think that?”

“Who is your greatest enemy, Ryker? Who would gain the most if you were left completely alone?”

Ryker doesn’t have to think long before answering. “My father.”

Chapter 30

Ryker

Ash’s eyes widen when she understands what I mean.

“Do you think your father would go that far?”

“I don’t think there’s anything my father wouldn’t do,” I reply truthfully. “After what he did to you just to teach me a lesson, I think it’s more than likely.”

Ash looks away for a moment and thinks. “But that doesn’t make sense,” she finally says. “You were ordered to bring Charles to the red room alive. If he killed him, that means he’s deliberately sabotaging your assignment.”

“You really don’t know my father, baby. Look what he did to Aisling just to keep me and Mom in line. You know what he did to my mom when he found out about her affair. Think about what he did to you as soon as he figured out you were my weakness. And that’s just a fraction of what I’ve had to endure from him my whole life.”

My girl jumps up and starts pacing around the living room. She looks like a wild animal. Her hands are clenched, and her eyes are filled with rage. Pink from crying, her cheeks turn an even deeper red.

At this moment, Ash is a force unto herself, a beautiful tornado, an exciting hurricane.

“I hate him!” Her voice’s frosty. “I hate him so fucking much for what he did to you, what he did to your family, to your mom. But that’s not all. He’s like fucking poison that contaminates everything it touches. The drugs he brings into the country kill thousands, millions of people, or turns them into zombies. Maybe he didn’t sell drugs directly to my mother, but it’s because of people like him that mothers, fathers, teenagers die. And now he may have killed my father? I hate him—he deserves the worst possible death I can think of. He deserves—”

Ash’s trembling voice trails off as I get up and walk over to her. She doesn’t notice me until I wrap my arms around her again and pull her close. Not only was her voice shaking, but she was shaking too.

“Calm down, Ash. I’m meeting him in two days, so I’ll know. If it’s his doing, he won’t be able to hide it.”

“How can you be so sure?” she whispers directly into my chest.

“Because that’s the person he is. If this is aimed at me, he’ll want to brag about it, revel in his victory. Showing his dominance comes naturally to him.”

Ash pulls her head back and looks deep into my eyes. “Will you tell me the truth if it was him?”

I nod without hesitation. “I won’t hide anything from you.”

“But what about your job, Ryker? Someone paid for my father. At best, they’ll want their money back; at worst, they’ll seek revenge on you.”

My girl is right, but there’s something even worse. “I can handle that. I’m more worried about what your client will do. If the information comes out that it wasn’t you—”