Page 57 of Power of Shadow

My words stop her as she turns and is about to leave. “One day, I’m going to marry you.”

“We’ll see.”

“How do you know who I am?”

She peeks over her shoulder. Before she winks at me and disappears into the darkness where she belongs, she says, “A shadow never reveals its secrets.”

Chapter 12

Ashley

Meeting with Alex a few days earlier had completely thrown me off balance. I didn’t mention to Zoe the picture I received from him. I should have, of course. But I didn’t know whether I should protect her from the truth.

I didn’t want to get her hopes up. If our father turned out to be a worthless piece of trash, she would be crushed. I could handle it somehow, but she... She’s not like me.

Before our mother died, well, she wouldn’t have won any awards for being the parent of the year. With or without her, our lives were a mess. And now, our father...

For the first time in my life, I’m sure he knew about us. I used to doubt it because every time I asked about him, my mother would respond with silence or change the subject. She never said a word about him, never broke down.

Zoe was too young to understand anything, but I should have remembered. There’s a five-year age difference between us, so why didn’t I see a father in my childhood memories? He must have been in the picture before Zoe was born.

Now he doesn’t have to care about us at all. We expect nothing from him either. All I want is to know the truth.

I look at the picture for the thousandth time. They both look happy, excited about the family that lies ahead of them.

What the hell happened?

Where did fate screw up their lives so much that everything was swept away into the abyss?

A knock on the bedroom door interrupts my thoughts. Before I call Zoe to come in, I hide the photo in my pocket.

“What are you up to?” she asks, kissing me on the cheek.

“Better question, what are you up to?”

Zoe rolls her eyes, looking apologetic. “I didn’t want to. It was that damn Elijah who led me to it,” she says with accusation.

I laugh, even though the situation isn’t funny at all. “Are you telling me it’s his fault that you followed the trail to hack into a member of the Pact’s computer, stole his files, and handed them over to the FBI?”

“Kind of.” She shrugs. “Oh, come on. It’s like putting donuts in front of a starving man. You can’t expect him not to crack.”

“Be serious, Zoe. We still have to talk about this, and I have a lot to tell you, but that was a really stupid move. These people... they’re not people you want to mess with. I just want nothing to happen to you, and they’re capable of anything.”

“How was I supposed to know there was some damn secret society and that it was one of their computers?”

“You couldn’t.” I sigh. “And it wasn’t just anyone’s computer, but one of the most dangerous people on the planet.”

And you still don’t even know a sliver of the truth.

My phone vibrates, and I reach into my pocket. A message from Alex is waiting for me.

Alex

I have a gift for you. It’s waiting for you in the basement. I’ll send you the address.

I frown.

Another gift from Alex?