Page 68 of Wicked Deeds

“No. But I didn’t initiate a search, so that tracks.”

“You really don’t know anything about your dad?”

I shook my head but couldn’t stop myself from flinching slightly.

Gwen’s eyes narrowed. Short, blonde and gorgeous didn’t equal stupid. She’d seen my reaction. My cheeks went hot.

“What? Do you know who he might be?” Gwen demanded.

“Nothing concrete,” I said, voice a little too high.

“But you have an idea?”

I sighed. Rip off the Band-Aid time. “Yes. Do you remember why Damon and I were in the realm?” She’d been out of it when we’d reached Ljubljana. I had no idea what she remembered.

“You were chasing some guy. Jack something? He did something…er, bad?”

So Aubrey hadn’t provided her with any more details. Good. It was Damon’s business. Nothing to do with Gwen.

Except if he’s our father.

Still, I didn’t know how much was okay to tell her. So safer to stick to the basics for now. “Yeah, him. Ralph found a photo of him with my mom before I was born. Ten months before I was born.”

She blinked and I could see her doing the math. “So you think he might be your dad? Our dad?”

Her face fell, the color draining from it. “Oh. He’s not a good guy.”

I sympathized with the horror in her voice. I mean, she couldn’t have thought her father was a saint. He’d abandoned her. But there’s a difference between deadbeat and straight-out criminal.

“No,” I said. “So I think it would be better, for now, at least, if you don’t put in a contact request to your paternal match.”

“No.” She swallowed hard. “No chance we’re related on the maternal side?”

“No. My mom was a witch, not Fae. I’m sure of that. And Meredith said there are no Fae in the database. We have to share a father.”

“Right,” she said. “So, what do we do?”

“What do you do about what?” Damon asked from the doorway.

Chapter Seventeen

Damn it,I hadn’t heard him come in, and Madge hadn’t let me know he was home.

I stood, trying not to look guilty. “Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you had meetings all morning?”

“I decided to work from home. Wanted to make sure you’re both okay after last night.”

I smiled automatically, happy to see him. He wore dark jeans and a white shirt, far more pulled together than either of us.

He smiled at Gwen. “I’m so sorry about last night. How are you?”

She mumbled something like “good,” but she looked pretty shell-shocked, so I wasn’t sure it was that convincing.

“Alexei will cover your medical costs from last night. He wants to apologize in person when you’re up to it,” Damon said.

Gwen nodded, still looking distracted.

He shot me a glance, obviously wondering if she was okay.

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