Page 73 of Darkness of Mine

“Is there anyone he might go to? A friend from school or someone he was close with?” I ask Hannah.

She rubs her hand against her thigh again. “He liked to be alone. He didn’t make friends so much as fixate on people. Like your father.”

Like me.

I run a hand over my hair. Zach may be a loner, but it doesn’t make sense for him to be working entirely by himself. He had a limo when he kidnapped Layla, and he gave Allie money. A PA job at the FBI doesn’t pay enough for that.

“Did you give him money before he left home?” I ask.

Hannah stares at her lap. “No. I had nothing to give him. The money we needed was sent by your father each month.”

Then how did he afford to hire Marcus Briggs to help kidnap Layla? How did he have a limo?

The word ‘father’ echoes in my head. Zach didn’t consider Maxwell his father. He knew they weren’t blood related.

I stand up and look at Hannah. “Does Zach know who his real father is? Does he know about Jeremiah?”

Hannah nods. “Since he was a child. I told him when Arthur revealed Zach wasn’t his real son.” She picks at her nails. “I thought it would help.”

I run a hand over my face and turn to River. Jeremiah may preach all that’s holy but leading the Dying Angels has let him accumulate a huge amount of wealth. It’s part of the reason he’s managed to stay mostly off the FBI’s radar. Money talks and dirty money bribes.

“Jeremiah’s bankrolling him,” I say.

River curses.

It makes so much sense I’m pissed we didn’t think of it earlier, but we don’t waste any time now. We ask Hannah a few more questions while River steps outside to organize getting us to L.A. so we can pay Jeremiah another visit. Ten minutes later, we’re all cramped in the hallway about to leave when Allie, who’s gone unnervingly quiet, speaks up.

“I want to stay.”

I go still before turning to face her.

“I want to stay here, with our mom. Please.” Her hair is twisted into two braids resting on her shoulders and she looks so innocent right now. But three people in this room have scars because of her.

“Allie, it’s not safe.”

Our mom looks between me and Allie. “We have a protection detail,” she says.

Something fizzes in my heart. “You want her to stay?”

Hannah swallows but it’s Peter who answers in the end. “She’s welcome to. We have a spare room.”

I look over at River expecting him to give me a flat out ‘no’ but he just watches me. “It’s your call. She can’t come to L.A. with us. Right now, she’s listed as an FBI asset. We have her in witness protection.” He lifts his shoulder a touch. “This is a safehouse so technically we could make it work.”

I grind my back teeth, for once wishing River would pull his usual domineering act, but I know why he’s leaving this decisionup to me. I know my sister better than anyone. I just need to figure out which version of Allie I’m dealing with.

“Wait here,” I say to her. “I need to talk to Hannah.” I head into the kitchen not looking back to see if my mom is following or not, I know she will.

The door closes softly, and I spin to face her.

“Let her stay,” she says before I can speak.

I screw up my face and open and close my mouth before finding the right words. “She’s not always of sound mind. She can be dangerous.” The freshest scars on my chest ache and I blink back images of the warehouse Allie tortured me in.

“She’s my daughter.”

“She might hurt you,” I say, my voice firm as I spell it out for her.

“She’s my daughter,” my mother repeats, power behind each word.