Page 53 of A Life Betrayed

“Tomorrow?” Truman was moving fast. Allen must really have lit a fire under his ass.

“Figured the sooner the better. What, prior commitments?”

“No, I’ll be there. This is personal.”

He hung up, pocketed his phone, and turned to find Rayan standing by the door to the balcony. Mathias hadn’t heard the man approach, but by the look on his face, he’d overheard the conversation with Truman.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Mathias brought the cigarette to his lips and took a drag.

“What are you doing?” Rayan asked, his voice rising in anger.

“Stopping some dumb cop from getting herself killed,” Mathias snapped, and Rayan’s expression changed as realization dawned on him.

Desperation had a way of simplifying complex decisions. When a person was in a panic to make a move, it was easy to lose sight of the larger picture. A decision like this, half-bakedand hastily executed, had the potential to lead to disastrous consequences. Mathias was not desperate—not yet.

“I’m coming with you,” Rayan said.

Mathias snorted and turned his gaze back to the flickering lights. “You’ll stay here.”

“You know as well as I do Truman won’t come alone. You’ll be outnumbered. I’m not letting you go without backup.”

Mathias’s eyes snapped to his. “Stay here,” he repeated sharply.

“You don’t give me orders anymore, remember?” Rayan countered, holding steady.

Mathias clicked his tongue in frustration. “I swear to God, Rayan—”

“That’s what this is now,” he cut in. “I don’t stand back and do what you say.”

Mathias took in the defiant jut of his jaw. He could still feel the sting along his neck where Rayan’s teeth had cut into his skin. “When did you get so fucking stubborn?”

“I learned from the best.” Rayan gave a shrewd smile and moved across the balcony to him. He placed his hand beside Mathias’s on the railing, the touch of his skin a shot of warmth in the cold night air. They stood like that while Mathias finished his cigarette, and then Rayan spoke.

“The file. Is it here?”

Mathias felt a twinge of unease. “And if it is…?”

“I want to see it.”

As far as Mathias was concerned, some things were better left buried. But who was he to try to protect him? If Rayan wanted to relive the turmoil of his past, fine. He was welcome to it.

Mathias stubbed out his smoke and pulled away from the railing. He strode into the apartment and down the hall to his study, aware of Rayan following silently behind. Mathias bent to open the lower drawer of the cabinet against the wall. Heremoved a thick manila folder and dropped it down onto the desk.

Rayan stood in the doorway, watching. Slowly, he made his way over to the desk. He remained standing, one palm resting against the desk’s surface as he flipped open the cover. He turned each page methodically, his face unmoving as his eyes scanned the contents. He didn’t look like a man uncovering the minutiae of a life riddled with abuse and neglect, all the painful details distilled into a case worker’s clinical notations.

Turning the next page, Rayan froze. “Christ…” he hissed and lurched back from the desk as though struck. He brought a clenched fist to his mouth, making Mathias wish he’d lied. Rayan shook his head in disbelief. “It’s been here all this time? I’ve spent years wondering what happened…” His face twisted in anger. “And you never thought to tell me?”

“This isn’t about me.” Mathias stepped forward, glancing at the report—a series of grisly images laid out on the page—before closing the folder.

When he looked up, Rayan was staring at him, his eyes hollow. “It doesn’t even say where she’s buried.”

“Laval or Longue-Pointe,” Mathias said. “That’s where the city takes them when there’s no family.”

“I’m her family,” Rayan whispered, slumping against the wall. “What kind of person lets his mother rot in an unmarked grave?”

“You were a kid.”

“I’m not a fucking kid anymore.”

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