Page 28 of Facet

I dropped it on the table in front of Chains. In a way, I felt like I was acting deranged.This isn’t me. I’m calm. I’m collected. I’m analytical. I’m not this frazzled, fucked up mess.

Chains heaved a sigh and removed the thin leather gloves he’s rarely without. “Man, what if she brushed against a bunch of people tonight?” He groaned. With an audible swallow, he reached for the shirt. His fingertips brushed it and his eyes glazed over. His face went a bit ashen, and he seemed to be breathing too fast.

Venom snagged the shirt and jerked it away. Chains seemed to wilt, but his gaze cleared, and he looked at me with something akin to horror.

“Jesus fucking Christ. I don’t know who that dude is, but he’s fucking evil. That guy is”—he shuddered—“I don’t even know. But what I can tell you is that he’s been watching Willow for a while.”

“What?” I snapped, and my jaw dropped.

“So you saw what he’s up to?” Kicker asked.

Chains shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. Thatguydidn’t own the shirt. I could only see what Willow saw, whether she remembered it or not. In this case, I saw through like an almost overlay or something. Probably because she’s seen him several times but didn’t realize it.”

“So that’s all you saw?” Venom asked.

“That’s all that was useful,” Chains replied with a remorseful shrug. “There was another guy, but I couldn’t see him because he was out of her vision. Their conversation was of a complexity that was above the small child she was at the time. If I had to guess, she was extremely young.”

If he could see all that from touching a shirt Willow had worn, my guess is he could see who stole her and what her parents looked like. In a way, it made me mad because he could end this guessing game with one touch. However, the rational side of me understood that to do so was highly traumatizing.

“I really appreciate you trying,” I told him.

He lifted his chin slightly.

“Whatever you need me to do, I’m in. I’ll reach out to Granmé to see if she knows anything or can get a read on anything with this new information,” Voodoo offered.

“Thanks,” I choked out. Closing my eyes, I buried my face in my hands and forced myself to breathe slowly.

“Where are your… parents?” Venom asked, his hesitation at what to call my mother and father not going unnoticed.

“My mother is in Willow’s room. My father was outside on his phone dealing with something that he needed to settle. Disappearing from your home office while you’re just sitting down to have a stiff brandy is a bit disruptive. Who knew?” I muttered.

Angel cocked a brow and tried to hide his smirk. Finally, he laughed. “Can you imagine what that would be like?”

Squirrel chuckled and shot Angel a devious grin. “I can kind of show you what it’s like.”

My brothers all stared at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths before they said, practically in unison, “No!”

“So you said your mom is a succubus?” Voodoo finally asked me.

“Yeah, I guess,” I huffed.

“So like she uhh,” Kicker’s face actually went beet red and I knew where his mind had gone.

I glowered at him, then practically growled, “Yes.”

He pursed his lips and his eyes darted off to the side.

I was fully aware that the “powerful magic” my mother always said she had that kept her looking young was the life-force she sucked out of her victims when she fucked them. It wasn’t a pretty visual that I wanted to linger on. Nor did I want to think about what really happened to all of her exes.

“Which means you could… with Willow,” Squirrel somberly chimed in.

“I don’t think that’s the side I inherited.”

“But it could be and maybe you’ve just gotten lucky,” he countered.

Trying to center myself, I closed my eyes and took a fortifying breath. Then I slowly shook my head. “When we were at that last job in Kansas City, one of the gang members caught us. Well, caught me.”

“Huh? There weren’t any extra bodies,” Ghost reasoned as he leaned forward on the table. He braced his weight on his forearms.

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