Page 93 of Back In the Shadows

“After he got revenge on the wretched family that took him … in case you don’t know, he killed them, then stuffed them. They’re sitting at his kitchen table even now.”

“I saw.”

“He had a little help. I took him under my wing since he was all alone. You did, though. Unlike Xavier you had people in your life. Dope’s family was good to you and so were your friends. Xavier had no one. We spent a lot of long hours talking and preparing his parents and sister for the taxidermy. It was poetic justice if you ask me.” He sneered. “As he got older, I told him about you. He was so curious about who you were, that I included him as I kept tabs on you. It was rather fascinating when he became obsessed with everything about Sebastian and Death, though. He begged for a replica of the house so he could live there and feel close to you. I didn’t figure it would hurt anything, so I had it built for him. Unfortunately, he had spent so much time locked up in the dark, he still felt at home in that familiar environment. He decided to live in the basementinstead of the rest of the place. I figured whatever made him happy.”

“And why was Ella taken?” I had heard the answer from Ella and Xavier, but I needed to know from the Pied Piper.

“Just as bait to draw you away from your friends and family. I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time now.” He leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. “As I already mentioned, Xavier wanted to keep Ella instead of turning her over to me. Poor guy fell head over heels for your wife. You’ve got a smart girl by your side. She escaped and found her way back to you.”

I wanted to remind him that Ella wasn’t married to me, but I thought better of it.

“She’s very resourceful.” Inwardly, my heart swelled with pride. My queen had shown the world what she was made of.

“Why now? If you’ve kept tabs on me my entire life, then why am I here talking to you now?”

The Pied Piper rose from his seat and approached me. I towered over him by several inches, but he wasn’t intimidated.

“I’ve just learned that I have cancer. I’ll do my best to fight it, but if I don’t win, I want you to know the truth. Do what you want with it, but I do have one regret.”

I scoffed at the idea that this cold-blooded killer could experience remorse. It wasn’t in our nature. But then again, neither was love. Ella had been my weakness, the only person who made me feel something other than numbness in this life of violence and death. “What is that?”

He placed his hand on my arm. “You. I wish that I’d taken you as well as Xavier. I could have taught you everything I know to keep you from killing too many men at one time, to ditch the cops off your trail, to teach you the skills that I’ve developed. I wanted to be in your life, but I felt it best to leave you where you were. Sebastian needed that emotional nourishment that Icouldn’t provide. He’s a good man, and I didn’t think it wise to extinguish that part of who you are.”

My mind reeled as I studied his expression, trying to make sense of everything he had just revealed. Was anything he told me even true? But then again, if my real parents weren’t alive, why would he lie about that? My stomach churned with conflicting emotions, and I struggled to find the words to ask him about one thing that still bothered me.

“You said my real parents were killed in a train accident. Was that a lie?”

He chuckled as he stepped back and put some space in between us. His moves made me wonder if he thought I would lash out when he answered me.

“Are you ready to return to your friends and Xavier? I really would appreciate it if you showed some mercy and turned him over to me. He won’t be a problem for you any longer. You have my word. Besides, I would owe you.”

“Explain to me why I should make this worth your while.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

His dark chuckle filled the room. “Let me see if I can put this simply. Return Xavier to me, and I’ll make sure that you remain a free man. The FBI will never know you existed. Any DNA you accidentally left behind would vanish, and you would never be charged for anything you’ve ever done.If you kill Xavier, then I’ll lead the FBI to your door and not only see that you're charged with your crimes …” A vicious smile eased across his face. “But mine too. Believe me, there are a lot of bodies I’ve left around the country. You would see death row faster than most.”

If that happened, Ella and the kids would be a target of the Pied Piper and his people.

“How can you even guarantee my protection from the FBI?”

His smile held decades of secrets. “When you’ve spent thirty years consulting on their most gruesome cases, you learn whereall the bodies are buried—literally. Half their behavioral analysis unit owes me favors, and the other half would lose their careers if certain evidence came to light. I’ve built this network carefully, Death. Every case I helped them solve bought me more influence, more access, more power to safeguard my own interests. Why do you think no one’s caught you yet? I’ve been steering them away for a very long time.” He paused, allowing me a moment to think about what he’d said.

“When you’re dropped off at the warehouse, you’ll have three hours to contact me with a decision or the FBI will arrive shortly. You can run, but it won’t do you any good. I would think carefully about your next steps.” He reached in the front pocket of his dress shirt and removed a business card. “You can reach me here.” He extended his hand to me.

I took the card from him. “I’ll take it under consideration, but what about my real parents? Are they actually alive, or are you just trying to manipulate me? For all I knowyou’remy real father.”

He tilted his head and offered me a practiced, compassionate smile. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

48

ELLA

The door to the office banged open and sent me dropping to the floor, my body instinctively making itself smaller. A part of me realized I was safe in the office, but another part remembered being helpless, waiting for Xavier’s footsteps on the stairs, wondering if this would be the time he decided to hurt me. My heart thundered in my chest as I forced myself to look up to face whatever threat might be coming. Seeing Sebastian stumble into the room instead of Xavier made my knees weak with relief, but my legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Sebastian?” I hurried over to him as he held his head in his hand.

“The bastard drugged me, and my head fucking hurts like a son of a bitch.”

“What?” I grabbed him, led him to the office chair, and helped him sit down. I knelt before him. “Baby, what happened? Kip and I looked for you, but we just thought you might have left me because …” I clenched my jaw. “Because you couldn’t deal with Death and wanted to protect me.”

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