Page 25 of The Plunge

I turn to him, politely waiting until he's taken his last bite before I probe. "So?"

He returns my look, still chewing and taking his sweet time before deigning me with a response.

"I can't tell you who I work for," he begins. "But I can tell you that our mission that night was to eradicate the Abbott family, which meant killing your uncle and aunt, and three of their business associates."

I suck in a sharp breath of air as a cold shower of shock prickles down my spine. "And me? My last name is Abbott. I must have been on that list, too."

He shakes his head. "No, you weren't, which is why you're still alive."

"But why not?"

"Because no one knew you existed," he says, his eyes locking onto mine as a shadow of annoyance crosses his face. "We've never been lazy when it comes to research, but for some reason, your existence was a well-hidden secret."

After an ominous pause, he asks, "Care to tell me why that is?"

I bite my lower lip, trying to hold his gaze as I try to gather the right words.

It's been so long since I've had to face one of the darkest chapters of my young life. The one that changed everything for me.

The one chapter that possibly saved my life.

---