Page 104 of Fierce-Zander

Sloane frowned. “What did you ask Zander to do?”

Zander was grinning when she asked that question and then turned back to Dane. “I can answer you here or privately. Yourchoice.” He hadn’t planned on telling Dane anything because he’d been told to keep it quiet. Which surprised him that Dane would bring it up now.

“Here,” Dane said. “I asked Zander to look into the man that raped your mother. I’m not going to say father. He’s not that. He’s not even a sperm donor.”

“Why would you do that?” Sloane asked as she stood up and her voice rose, but then she sat down again.

“Because I wanted to know if there was a chance anyone would come after you since you said your mother stole money.”

“He’s still where he’s been,” Zander said. “Doing the same that he’s done for years.”

Finding that information out on Sloane’s father might have been one of the more disturbing things he’d discovered in his career.

“Raping more young girls,” Sloane said. “Can’t he be arrested?”

“No,” he said. “He’s on protected land and no one can get to him. I was able to talk to someone that left the cult. A man. He was actually kicked out. His father was a leader.”

“At least he’s no relation to me,” Sloane said. “They tried to never do that. If another leader was going to take a woman, it was not one that had any relation to Simon. You can say his name.”

“No,” he said. “No relation to you. Silas was his name. He was kicked out for wanting a relationship with another member that wasn’t approved. At least per him.”

“Lots of control going on there,” Sloane said. “Once Simon was done with a woman, he decided if someone else could have her and the answer was usually no.”

Zander nodded. “As I said, he’s doing the same as he always did. There was no talk of stolen money. I asked if those thingshappened when people left. He was willing to be chatty after a few beers. Didn’t even know why I was asking.”

“I don’t need to know anything more,” Sloane said. “He’s not a part of my life and never will be. I might have you try to find my sister at some point, but for now, it’s best she lives her life and I live mine.”

“You know where I am if you need anything else,” Zander said, then left.

There was a fight brewing in that home. He’d seen a woman ready to do battle in Sloane’s eyes.

Maybe it was what he’d seen in Regan’s last week when he confronted her about the letter.

He supposed that was what happened when you were in love. You did and said stupid shit and then had to find a way to clean up your mess.

Good thing he was getting good at cleaning. Just not always good at maintaining it.

31

SHE HAD IT

“Why did you knock?” Regan asked thirty minutes later. “Just come in.”

“Your door was unlocked?” he asked.

She sighed. “Yes. You said you were on the way.”

“Don’t do that again.”

She wanted to grind her teeth. They hadn’t talked much more about the letter last week and she was annoyed it was coming up now. So much for trying to push it off.

She didn’t want to have to change her entire life over these things.

And though she loved that he was concerned, she didn’t want to be thought of as not being able to care for herself or being an idiot either.

“I filled out the gun permit and filed it this morning before I started work. What more do you want me to do?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just had to see you tonight.”

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