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“No. Water is fine,” she says, kissing his cheek and getting to her feet. “Show me to the kitchen, will you, sis?”
Gray reluctantly lets me get off his lap, but I feel his eyes following my every step.
“I get it now,” Layla says when we’re out of earshot of our men.
“You do?” I retort expectantly.
“Yes.” She smiles. “I always knew there was a darkness in you, Zoey, and maybe that’s why I tried to give you as much of a normal life as I could. Maybe that’s why I wanted you to have the college experience and get your degree. I was afraid that if you didn’t, you might lose yourself in the shadows, but now I see it so clearly.”
“What do you see?” I question nervously.
“That the darkness is what has kept you sane and safe all along. It’s where you thrive, where you shine. I thought I was protecting you, but in reality, I was only keeping you from becoming this fierce woman that stands before me now. Maybe I haven’t said it enough, but I’m so proud of you, Zoey. So, so proud of you.”
Hot tears start to stream down my cheeks at the look of pride on my sister’s face.
“If ridding the world of bad men, whose only purpose is to wreak havoc and cause suffering, is where your talents are best served, then I’m all for it. I could not be prouder of you and will support you every step of the way, and so will your father,” she promises sincerely.
I launch myself at my sister, wrapping my arms around her while we silently sob in each other’s embrace.
“Thank you,” I manage to say through my tears.
“Don’t thank me. It’s our fault you felt you needed to hide this part of you for so long. I’m just glad Gray came into our lives to give us the wake-up call we needed. He really is special, isn’t he?”
“So special. He’s everything,” I confess as I let my big sister wipe the tears off my face.
“I can see that.” She offers me a genuine smile, but then her lips thin and her expression turns almost as deadly as my father’s. “Now, what are we going to do about finding out who is behind Mercy Village and the horrors that happen in there?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, feeling frustrated. “We’ve been trying to get a name out of these assholes, but no one seems to know who is running the show. They are a ghost.”
Layla chews her bottom lip, her gaze still fixed on mine. “Well, if there is anyone here who can capture a ghost, it’s you. You’ve done it once, and you can do it again. Think, Zoey. Think long and hard on who could profit from such a thing?”
It’s the wordprofitthat causes the bells in my head to ring.
Shit.
Why didn’t I think of that before? I was so wrapped up in joining forces with my wolf and killing his demons one by one that I totally forgot the number one rule in any investigation—always follow the money.
A gold watch.
A diamond bracelet.
An expensive Escalade.
Those are all things someone would buy if their bank account was nice and flush.
And I missed it.
“I know that look in your eye,” Layla says excitedly. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? You know who is behind this, don’t you?”
“I think I do.” I nod, my nostrils flaring. “And before the day is done, she will rue the day she ever met me.”
CHAPTER28
Gray
“I-I think you’re right,” I murmur as I sit back and blow out a breath. Zoey stops pacing before me, biting her lip, her eyes bright with hope.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
