Page 31 of Sins of the Fathers

“I need you to come to me,” Archie said.

His voice was tight, but he didn’t sound afraid or even alarmed. It sounded tense, though, which was a sign that something had happened. “I can do that. What’s going on?”

“I went through more of the documents from the box and found a name I thought was interesting. I went to the former hunter’s house, and the killer was there.”

Jasper sucked in a breath. He quickly stepped into the kitchen, not wanting to alarm his friends. If they knew what was going on, they’d want to be involved, and maybe it wasn’t a bad idea, but depending on who the killer was, Jasper would rather they not want to help.

“Where are you?” he asked, already moving to get ready to leave the apartment.

“We’re still at the hunter’s house, but I don’t think it’s going to be for much longer. Emric isn’t keen on talking to you or to me.”

Jasper frowned. “Should that name tell me something?”

“Apparently, the two of you played together as children.”

“That doesn’t help much. I’m sure I played with many children when I was a kid.”

“You were together at the sanctuary, Jasper. Emric knew your parents.”

It wasn’t a surprise. They’d both suspected that the killer had been involved in the sanctuary, possibly as a child. It was the only thing that explained why they’d waited so long to start getting revenge on the hunters who’d been present that day. Having confirmation made something twist in Jasper’s chest, though. Whoever Emric was, he’d been through what Jasper had been through. He’d probably lost his parents. He’d definitely lost the only home he’d ever known. Jasper didn’t know what had happened to him after the sanctuary had burned down, but maybe he was about to find out. Hell, even if Emric didn’t want to tell him anything about the murders, he was the only one who could tell Jasper about the sanctuary and what had happened that night. Sarah hadn’t been present.

Unfortunately for him, it sounded like Emric had.

“What’s the address?”

“Don’t come here. Johnson escaped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back with a bunch of hunters. We’re not going to stick around.”

“Where, then?”

“The office. I’ll see you there in twenty.”

He didn’t waste time hanging up, but Jasper wasn’t offended. If the hunters really were about to barge in through the door, Archie needed to get Emric away from wherever they were. Jasper couldn’t say that he wanted Archie to keep Emric safe, but he wanted answers, and with Leroy refusing to talk to him, the only one who could give them to him was Emric. Hopefully, he’d talk. Jasper wasn’t sure what he’d do if Emric refused to. Scream, maybe. Cry, definitely.

“I’m going to see Archie,” he declared as he rushed toward the front door.

“I thought this was our evening,” Corey complained.

“I promise we can watch another movie together soon, but Archie needs me.”

Corey wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh, he needs you.”

Jasper resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Not like that, at least not right now, but sure. Why not.”

But Kerry was on to him. He could feel it by the way she was watching him. Thankfully, she didn’t ask. She knew that Jasper would tell them when he was ready.

He wanted to tell them now, but he knew them. They’d insist on coming along, and he’d eventually say yes because he wanted them there. They were his family as much as Archie, maybe even more so because they’d grown up together.

But Emric didn’t even seem to want to talk to Jasper. What would he do if two more people he didn’t know were there? Especially ex-hunters? There was no way to know, and Jasper didn’t want to waste the opportunity. He’d be safe enough with Archie there. He could defend himself—in fact, he’d been trained to defend himself. No matter how trained Emric was, there was a good chance that Jasper could kick his ass without breaking a sweat. He hoped he wouldn’t have to do that, though. He didn’t think Emric would be happy about it.

The drive to the office was tense. Jasper didn’t put on any music, but maybe he should have because it left him too much time alone with his thoughts. He was spiraling, and for now, he didn’t have a reason to. He didn’t know what he’d find when he got to the office. He just knew what Archie had told him, which unfortunately wasn’t a lot. It was enough to worry him, but he told himself that it was too soon for that.

Luckily, at this time of night, it wasn’t hard for him to find a parking spot. He half-parked the car, knowing he’d get a ticket if someone was to see it but not caring one bit. He rushed to the building, his heart pounding, hoping that Archie was already there. If he had to wait one second longer to get his answers, he was going to scream.

The office was silent when Jasper went in, but the door wasn’t locked, which meant that Archie was already there. Since he wasn’t in the waiting area, that had to mean he was in his office, so Jasper opened the door, sucking in a breath as he stepped in.

The first person he saw was Archie, sitting behind his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look up at Jasper. Instead, he continued staring at the man sitting in front of him. The man was maybe a few years older than Jasper, with blond hair and mottled gray skin. He was obviously a monster, and for some reason, he was tied up. He was also smirking, as if he was having the time of his life.

Jasper couldn’t speak. He watched Emric, wondering what he was supposed to say. It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that Emric had actually played with him when they were children. Had they been best friends? If they had, why didn’t Jasper remember?