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I understood what it was like to lose a parent. But I couldn’t begin to guess what she was going through since she’d been lied to all her life.
In a way they were strangers, yet she had a connection to them anyway.
Maybe that was why I still allowed my father in my life on a limited basis. Because we were family. By blood. DNA only.
That seemed like a stupid reason.
What if I’d never known him? What if I never had the chance to know him?
Would I be the same person?
It was impossible to view life without him in it. He had this looming presence that never went away.
Had Pepper’s parents been tucked away in a back corner of her mind? Could she miss someone she’d only seen pictures of?
I stroked her back in jerky movements. What was I supposed to say?I’m sorry your aunt was murdered and my father probably had something to do with it.
This was a nightmare. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse . . . it did.
“I don’t understand.” Pepper reached for Sadie. “How did they end up here? Is this because of me?”
I thought carefully before I spoke. “We don’t know the motivation.”
“My circle is so small,” she said as if she hadn’t heard me.
In the shock of the news, maybe she hadn’t come to the same conclusion I had about my father. The more we learned, the more likely it seemed he was involved. Which meant these deaths weren’t just a message to her.
They were a message to me.
I was responsible for the loss of Pepper’s family.
And then it hit me. That was why he’d had them put in the park. Because it was a special place to her.
He’d set it all on fire.
So I’d fall in line.
These deaths would hurt her, but he’d started with her outer orbit. He was getting closer and closer, which meant his next move would be more painful.
“I—” I cleared my throat. “I think this confirms my father’s involvement.” My voice was ragged. He was a monster. I didn’t want to believe he was capable of this.
“How?” She rubbed Sadie behind her ears.
“He has the motivation. To get me to do what he wants, he targeted you.” I hadn’t pieced together how Cassano or Ash’s owners fit, but they did. My gut screamed that it was all connected to me.
I’d caused death and destruction even if I hadn’t struck the match.
“We didn’t know who they were until now. How does that get you to do what he wants?” She sounded far away, like she couldn’t think clearly.
“He knew we’d figure it out.”
Her hand fell back to her side. Sadie pawed at her head, and Pepper petted her again.
“I’m numb.” She begged me with her eyes to make sense of the situation. “I should feel more.”
“These past few weeks have been a shock to take in.”
She snorted bitterly. “When does it stop?” Pain twisted her features. “I’m not sure I wanted to meet my parents, but now I’ll never have the chance. I’m angry at all of them, but I didn’t want them to die.”
