Page 128 of Fatal Pattern

Harlee gave a thumbs-up.

“They’ll be happy to make themselves available,” Blade said.

“Perfect. We’ll make sure Kiara gets cleared. I’ll coordinate with your people tomorrow—today, actually.”

This wouldn’t make up for everything Kiara was going through. The accusations, the betrayal she felt, the career uncertainty. But it was a start.

“What happens now?” Tori asked. “With the investigation?”

“We keep digging. There are still loose ends. Other victims, financial trails, accomplices we haven’t identified. But the core conspiracy is broken. Barclay and Wells were the architects.”

“And my brother? My real brother?”

“That’s still an open question. We know Nikos Jr. existed. We know he was taken that night. Finding him . . .” Garrison paused. “That’s going to be a different kind of investigation. One that might take time while we jump through the legal hoops.”

Tori nodded, even though Garrison couldn’t see her. Time. She’d waited her whole life already. She could wait a little longer.

“Get some rest,” Garrison continued. “All of you. We’ll reconvene in the morning with fresh eyes and clear heads.”

The call ended, leaving them standing outside the hospital. Harlee had her phone out, probably texting Jett about the digital forensics.

“You didn’t have to ask about Kiara,” Blade said quietly.

“Yes, I did.” Tori looked up at him. “She didn’t deserve what happened to her. None of us did, but her especially.”

The automatic doors whispered open behind them. A nurse emerged, her scrubs wrinkled after a long shift.

“Family of Stryker King?” she called.

They turned as one. Family. Not by blood, maybe, but by choice. By shared trauma and stubborn loyalty and the kind of love that survived bullets and betrayal.

“He’s awake,” the nurse said.

“Wait.” Harlee’s voice cut through the humid air before they could reach the automatic doors. “I didn’t get to finish before Garrison called.”

Tori stopped midstride and swung toward Harlee. The woman’s gaze snapped from her face to Blade’s and back again.

“I did something without asking.” Harlee’s fingers twisted around her helmet strap. “After we got your DNA sample, I ran it against genealogical databases. All of them. Looking for any biological matches.”

The blood drained from Tori’s face. “You should have asked.”

“I know. I’m sorry. But I took a shot, and it paid off.”

Tori’s heart stopped for a beat. Then slammed against her ribs so hard she could hear it in her ears. The parking lot tilted sideways. She gripped Blade’s arm to keep from falling.

“What did you find?”

Harlee’s voice went soft. “I found a full biological sibling.”

Real. Not Jeremy Hoult’s manufactured delusion. Not another lie from Barclay’s playbook. A real family somewhere out there, carrying the same DNA that had survived that horrible night.

“Where?” The word scraped out, and she wasn’t even sure it was the right one.

Harlee pulled an envelope from her jacket and held it out.

Tori took the envelope and stared at the thing like it might explode. Everything she’d wanted to know sat right there in her hands.

Blade’s smile reached his eyes for the first time in days.