Page 30 of Accept Me (Fate’s Choice #4)

"But why wasn’t his money their joint property? If they were married? That would also mean the Slayer Rule would prevent Star from accessing it, even after reaching twenty-five."

"And here’s the kicker: in his will, Star’s father left all of his assets directly to Star, completely bypassing Star’s dad.

Apparently, there’d been some bad blood there, and he wanted to make sure his money went only to Star.

After his death, those funds were kept in the sub-account, and Star’s dad was simply the legal custodian because Star was still a minor.

The Slayer Rule has no bearing here. The total?

Nine million dollars. Star gets full access when he turns twenty-five. "

"Wow… And what about the apartment? If it was under ‘tenancy in common’ , half of it also is now Star’s!"

"Yes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Star never even knew about this, since they were renting it out and living at his granddad’s place in a small village.

So after he was sent to juvie, probably nobody told him he still had the legal right to one of the halves.

He had no family present in court. His dad’s half-brothers turned their backs on him, and anyway, they were excluded from Star’s dad’s will from the start. They all hated each other."

"But theoretically… that other half could pass to the stepfather if something happened to Star? And what about those nine million?"

"Exactly! And nine million also."

That uneasy feeling crept back in, and I cleared my throat.

"Wait, wait, Uncle! If Star’s stepfather, this… Nash used to be a cop, that means—"

Van coughed.

"Yes, he was. He was thrown off the force for aggressive behavior and abuse of authority. We’re talking serious stuff here, violence and sexual misconduct toward detainees.

But that’s not the bombshell I’m calling about, literally and figuratively.

The best lead is that, before he was a cop, he spent several years in the military, and…

guess what? He served in an explosives disposal unit! "

Silence settled between us.

I swallowed hard, feeling a tight knot in my throat. None of it made sense yet. After all, it was Dino who had planted that mechanical cat and used the opportunity to try to abduct Star. So what the hell?

"How is that even possible, Uncle Van? Is there any link between them? Dino wanted to abduct him, use him for his twisted goals, sure, but kill him? No. I’m absolutely certain of that."

"I couldn’t find any obvious link. A son of one of Nash’s brothers was a student at the same college as Star, but that’s a weak link."

"Dino would never have let Nash kill Star, Uncle."

"I agree. Which is why I think the only one who might know what really happened is Nash. And here’s another interesting part: back in the army, he had a nickname: Cat-A-Boom.

I called his former commander. Turns out he got into serious trouble for planting a plush cat stuffed with fireworks in the mess hall, injuring several privates. "

That sounded downright bizarre. I rubbed my forehead, staring at the crater in the ground. What the hell had happened here? What a strange set of facts.

Then I glanced around cautiously.

"About those two control units… What if they were working together, and Dino just wanted to use the cat to spy on us, but the stepfather had his own plan?

That would explain it. Nash could do whatever he wanted without Dino knowing.

And maybe the bigger question: is it possible he might try again?

This time making sure he succeeds? Kill Star, inherit his apartment, and the nine million? "

"Potentially."

"Be honest, what do you think? Could he have been behind the attack? Did he deceive Dino?"

"Well. Who knows. I have my doubts. Mostly because Nash isn’t stupid, and Dino clearly was.

He would have known that Dino could get caught, and if that happened, Dino might talk.

Yes, he made sure nothing directly linked them, but Dino could still spill if pressured.

That’s why I’m not certain about the details. "

"But no one else fits, Uncle! Maybe Dino didn’t even know who he was getting the explosives from. Maybe they never met in person? Maybe Nash acted as just some anonymous, helpful adviser."

Van made a small clicking sound, as if he were turning the idea over in his head.

"One thing is for sure, he has the training, and he once had access to remotely triggered explosives. Dino had no expertise to put together something like that. If Nash is determined, it’ll be nearly impossible to stop him.

Obviously, the way it was done was clever, no direct leads.

He knows police procedures, which is exactly what sets him apart from Dino. "

A long silence followed as I tried to figure out what to say next.

"I agree; if he were stupid, Arnold would already be on his trail using nothing but standard investigative methods. But if we can’t tie him directly to what happened… if Dino is still considered the main suspect in Arnold’s investigation, then we can’t arrest Nash. On what charge?"

"Yup," Van agreed. "At this point, all we can do is watch him, though I doubt it’ll get us anywhere. He’s ex-military and ex-police, not an amateur. Kinda like you…"

Another pause.

"Do you know what a Matryoshka is?"

"Not really… something Russian?"

"Well, it might sound a little funny, but it’s just an association I had."

"Uncle Zenith is Russian, right?"

"Yeah. My dear husband has some Matryoshkas at home. It’s a traditional Russian wooden doll, and what makes it special is that it opens in the middle. Inside, there’s a smaller version of the same doll. And that one opens too, revealing another one, and so on…"

He paused for a moment. A small shiver ran down my back.

"You know, come to think of it, there are some strange similarities here," I whispered. "Dino called Star ‘kitten’. Star mentioned to me a few days ago that Dino once threw a kitten plush at him after finding out where he worked. And then Dino sent that mechanical cat to spy on us here. But Nash had that nickname… Cat-A-Boom! It’s really kind of eerie. It’s like peeling back layers, and underneath, there’s always another one.

As if, in some way, they were aspects of the same person. "

Thoughts spun in my head like a storm circling its eye, but they all led to one place, one conclusion.

"Van, I think… I’m going to have to—"

"Stop! Don’t finish that sentence. I’m giving you this information, but I’m not suggesting anything. I don’t want to know your decisions. I’m a former cop. I can only help you in ways that stay within the law."

"Understood. And I really appreciate everything you’ve done, Van. But you need to understand, Star is my True Mate—"

"Don’t explain anything. I know that a threat to him means a mortal threat to you too.

He dies, you die. That’s one of the reasons the law protects True Mates in cases involving the use of force in self-defense.

Some instincts are too strong to resist. But that’s exactly why I’m asking you to end this conversation here. "

I took a deep breath. Of course, there was no reason to burden him with my still-forming plans. Some things were better left unsaid.

"Thank you, Van. I truly appreciate your help."

A peculiar kind of silence followed, during which I bit my lower lip until it hurt.

I suddenly felt stupid for talking only about my problems when Van’s own son, Gabriel, was neck-deep in trouble after the attack on one of Malden Pharmaceuticals’ labs, accused of being an eco-terrorist. But I had a lot going on and couldn't concentrate, so I figured I'd call him when things started to settle down.

I heard a faint sound behind me, turned, and saw Star standing in the patio doorway, looking at me with slight surprise.

"I have to go, Uncle. We’ll be in touch!"

I quickly ended the call, and then Star started walking toward me.

His steps were determined, then he even sped up, and suddenly… he pressed himself to me and buried his face in my chest.

It was very nice, and so… natural, spontaneous. The way Star had opened up, thawed in the last few days, was a real breakthrough, and I truly appreciated it.

I hugged him tightly, feeling his solid body in my arms, a strong shiver of emotion went through me, along with a wave of warmth. I wrapped my arms around him protectively and kissed his temple.

"How are you, baby?" I whispered in his ear.

"Now I’m good, because I found you…" he whispered back.

My heart clenched. Even out here in the open air, I could smell that vanilla note coming from him. I thought about how wonderful our life could be together, if… I made sure that life was safe.

There remained the question of what I would have to do to keep this safe bubble around Star, around him and around our child…

Holding Star in my arms, I realized I was ready , one hundred percent, and I knew exactly what I had to undertake now. There had never been another option anyway.

I had always been a soldier. And one of my missions was to protect the innocent.

Once, I had failed badly at that. Once, I had made a mistake in judgment, believing that instead of turning back, driving behind another truck would mean the explosive load wouldn’t reach me and Olaf, that someone else would ‘take care’ of it, take it upon themselves.

And maybe now I couldn’t follow anyone anymore, maybe now I had to set the path myself.

My move. My initiative. My decision. Enough of being a sitting duck , waiting for others to make their moves.

Slowly, I took Star’s face in my hands and lifted it up.

"Something wonderful has happened, Star. Something that makes me look at our future with even more joy," I whispered.

Star’s eyes widened. I knew he didn’t yet know about his condition, it was still very early, and the scent was only the first sign.

Feeling the weight of a moment, I whispered,

"Star, we’re going to be parents."