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“Did you take the payment of five million dollars?”
“It was no more than I deserved. I gave your father my only child!”
Talon stood. “You bitch!”
“Easy, Tal,” I said.
He sat back down.
“You told us before, Wendy, that you didn’t know where the five-million-dollar withdrawal had gone. Why did you lie to us? Or are you lying now?”
She giggled. “It was a secret. I couldn’t tell you.”
“Why now, then?”
“Because I want to see my son.”
“You stay away from Ryan,” Talon said through gritted teeth.
“She’s locked up here,” I said. “She can’t get to him.”
“She’d better not,” Talon said. Then, to Wendy, “You’re something, aren’t you? You got Jade to believe you. You got me to believe you. Only Joe here was skeptical, and turns out he was right.” He turned to me. “You were right, Joe.”
I shook my head. “I take no pleasure in being right. This is going to kill Ryan.”
“I’d never hurt my son,” Wendy said. “Why do you think I stayed quiet and away all these years? I didn’t want to screw up his life. But he’s a very special man. He’s a child conceived in love between two people who should have been together. He’s perfect in every way.”
Talon was still gripping the table, his knuckles white. “How could you? I was a fucking kid. Do you have any idea what they did to me? What they did to Luke Walker? And all for what? Because you told them to?”
“I had nothing to do with any of the other ones,” she said. “That was all them.”
“You fucking bitch!” Talon pounded his fist on the table.
As angry as I was, I needed to keep Wendy talking to get as much information as I could. “Tal, why don’t you wait outside for a while? Cool down a little. This isn’t helping.”
“No.” He sat down. “Not only no, but hell, no. This has as much to do with me as it does with anyone else.”
I sighed and nodded. He was right about that. “All right.”
Wendy yawned. “I’m tired. I don’t think I want to talk anymore right now anyway.”
“Oh, you’re going to keep talking, bitch,” Talon bit out.
She smiled—an eerie smile, like a clown in a horror movie. “I’m done. Take me back to my room, please,” she said to the orderlies.
“Sorry, guys,” one of the orderlies said. “Looks like she’s had enough.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go,” I said to Talon. I stood, walked around to where Wendy was still sitting, and, as stealthily as I could, plucked a few hairs from her head.
“Ow!”
“Sorry,” I said. “My watch got caught.” I flicked my wrist to show the guard standing to the right.
The orderlies led Wendy away.
Talon stood, his eyes glassy. “Jesus, Joe. What are we going to tell Ryan?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Nothing until we have solid proof. He’s gone thirty-two years without knowing. A little longer won’t hurt him. She can’t contact him, so we’re safe. And hopefully we’ll find out that the bitch is lying.”
