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Thanks to the layers of makeup and her attempt at contouring, Penelope’s face didn’t look as bloated as usual, the dark smudges under her eyes were hidden, and the red blush-like patches on her cheeks were covered. She always cleaned up before leaving her house, as if she could somehow fool people—particularly Khloé and Ciaran—into thinking she had her shit together and that her alcoholism wasn’t really affecting her body.
“Enoch truly didn’t view them as ‘dead,’” said Khloé. “Or he just didn’t want to—one or the other.”
“Heidi heard what happened,” Richie told Khloé, referring to her youngest half-sibling. “Molly was her friend. She misses her. This shit has brought back all the grief and pain she’d worked through. I’d like to kick Enoch’s ass for that alone. I’d also happily rip out his guts for hitting you with that toxic gas.”
She knew her father wasn’t kidding. Though Richie was often described as a “fixer,” he was no innocent. When he wasn’t producing and selling counterfeit paintings, he was doing “odd jobs” for Jolene—most of which involved violence of some kind. Since he could break a person’s bones with the will of his mind alone, he was good at it.
“Jolene told me you intend to accompany her when she visits Enoch’s relatives,” Richie went on. “You’re strong, Khloé, but you don’t have Force-training.”
Khloé lifted her mug toward her mouth. Steam fanned her face, filling her senses with the scent of fresh coffee. “But I can cut through forcefields—something none of the others can do. Enoch’s likely to raise one to protect himself if any of us get near him.”
“True enough,” Richie grumbled.
Penelope bit her lip. “I don’t like it, Khloé.”
“Neither do I,” said Meredith. “But I can’t blame you for wanting to help track him. Just be careful. And maybe take your brother with you—he’s officially a member of the Force now, and he can teleport all of you out of danger in a blink.”
“It’s thanks to him that we know what cemeteries the other bodies were taken from.” Richie placed his mug on the glass coaster on her coffee table. “According to Jolene, Orrin and some of the Force will return the bodies tonight.”
Khloé gave a curt nod. “Good. I’m guessing Molly’s been returned to her grave.”
“She has,” Richie confirmed. “Jolene has people watching it, just in case Enoch turns up. It would be best for him if he disappears.”
“But he hasn’t been showing good judgement lately, so we can’t be sure what he’ll do,” said Khloé, paraphrasing the point that Keenan had earlier made.
Her father’s expression was grave. “That’s what worries me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
With Ciaran and Orrin hot on her heels, Khloé followed Jolene into the bakery the next day. Enoch’s sister apparently owned and lived above the shop, which was located in San Antonio. As they couldn’t simply appear in the middle of the bakery, Ciaran had teleported them to a local alleyway.
Two women stood behind the counter. One was cleaning a coffee machine while the other was adding more baked goods to the shelves in the glass case. The latter woman was a ringer for Enoch, so it was easy to guess which of the females was his sister.
Jolene smiled at her. “Abiela Cohen?”
The woman’s gaze took all four of the newcomers in. “Yes.”
“I’m Jolene Wallis. We spoke on the phone earlier.”
“Oh, of course. Come through.” Abiela led them into an empty breakroom. “You said you were looking for my brother? That he fled from your lair?” She didn’t sound terribly concerned for him.
“Yes. This is my sentinel, Orrin, and these are my grandchildren, Khloé and Ciaran. All have had … shall we say a close encounter with Enoch recently.”
A close encounter Khloé’s body hadn’t yet recovered from. Her throat and chest still hurt, her appetite had gone to shit, and she still felt drained a lot of the time.
“I’m not sure how much contact you have with him,” Jolene added.
“We’re not in contact at all,” said Abiela, not looking or sounding the slightest bit regretful about it. “As far as I’m aware, neither of my other siblings speak with him either. That may seem harsh to you, considering he’s our brother, but the things he’s done … they’re hard to forgive.”
“May I ask you what he did?” Jolene gently enquired.
Abiela folded her arms across her chest. “After our parents died, he resurrected their bodies. We were all devastated. He’d promised us that he wouldn’t do it. Promised that he’d let them rest in peace. But he didn’t. God, he treated them like playthings. Washed them, dressed them, forced them to sit at a table at mealtimes or on the sofa to watch TV with him. It was just … wrong.”
Khloé exchanged a look with Ciaran. Apparently, Enoch was more fucked up than they’d thought.
“When we confronted him about it, he refused to undo what he’d done. He even forced our parents’ bodies to attack us.” Abiela closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “You can’t imagine the pain of fighting people you love, even if those people are technically dead.”
