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I remember feeling that before I closed up my heart but never expected to have it again. Serenity is essential to me. She is my family. She wants to have my children if we are so blessed. I saw it in her eyes. What once filled me with dread no longer does. I would rather be at home practicing baby-making instead of waiting for Bash to get here.

Would I be a good father? I have no experience with children. Shouldn’t you be a good example to them? Probably shouldn’t have an obsession with knives or killed so many people. I could teach them the best way to drain blood from the body and how to make money.

An uneasy feeling settles inside me, and I frown.

“What’s with the long face?” River asks. He strolls in with Kerian and Bash. I was not expecting them.

“Do you think I would be a good father?” I direct my question to Bash.

He stops abruptly, shocked. “Uh. . . why?”

“Serenity and I were talking about it. I thought I would love having one or two, but it just occurred to me I would have to be a good example.” I look around the room at them. An awkward silence ensues. “It’s not that weird of a question,” I growl.

“Anyone can be a father. Maybe not a good one. If you had a kid, they would be the most protected out of all the kids. You could teach them to kill anyone that hurts Serenity. It’s such a shame how weak the society has become.” River shakes his head sadly. He makes himself at home, pulls out a chair, and lounges back. He takes a bite of a piece of pizza. We look at him in confusion. Where the fuck did he get it from? “What?” he asks around a mouthful of food.

“That is the worst answer you could have given,” Kerian says, looking at him with disgust.

“Actually, it did make me feel better,” I muse. I look at River curiously. “Do you have any children?”

“Fuck, no. I would be a terrible father,” he says.

“He would. He’s too crazy,” Kerian says.

“Look who’s talking,” River says, waving his half-eaten pizza at him.

“I’m not as bad as you.” Kerian scowls. He looks back at me. “Don’t let the easy-going attitude fool you. He’s the worst of all of us.”

“That’s usually how it works,” I say.

“As entertaining as this is, I came to show you the video. These two followed me up,” Bash says dryly.

“This is you being entertained?” River raises his eyebrows.

Bash ignores him and comes around the desk. “I’ll pull it up. This is the night right before the first body was left here.”

With a few clicks, the bar shows up on the screen. The dance floor is packed. I don’t see anything unusual, and I’m about to ask Bash what he saw when Serenity’s mom comes on the screen. She is dressed completely differently than when we saw her. She has on tight jeans and a sleeveless shirt. Her posture is confident and athletic. She transformed into a different person.

She looks around before walking up to the bar and talking with the bartender, John. They have a quick conversation, and she heads to the end of the bar. It only takes a minute, and then the bartender follows her. This time, the conversation is intense and longer. She pokes him in the chest and gets in his face. The shocking thing is, he takes it. He bows his head as if shamed and scolded. Serenity’s mom pushes him and walks out angrily.

What the hell?

I meet Bash’s intense look. “It looks like we have a bartender to interrogate,” I say.

“Oh, can I come?” River asks gleefully. “I’m good at that. I had this guy hanging this one time—” Kerian slaps him, cutting him off.

“They don’t need to hear about your crazy,” he says.

“When is the bartender coming in?” I ask Bash.

“Should be here in a few hours,” Bash answers.

“Good. Let’s get the room prepared,” I instruct.

“Oh, goody—there’s a room?” River sits forward eagerly.

“Why do I bring you anywhere?” Kerian rolls his eyes.

“Because it’s better to keep me close. Who knows what kind of trouble I could get into if unsupervised? Plus, you love me.” River pastes an innocent look on his face, batting his eyes.