Page 180 of Renard's Deliverance

He glanced at Saxon who gave him a grim nod back. He knew he had help there.

“Fuck,” Eli said. “There is nothing you guys can do to shield her from this if it turns out to be true."

"Tell us,” Saxon said.

“We’re here to speak to Opal Meadows, whose name is actually Patricia Smith,” Eli said.

“What?” Alec asked.

“Yeah, Opal isn’t her real name. And whoever made her a new identity did a good job.”

Alec was confused. He knew that the girls had gotten new identities when they’d escaped Stefan, but Opal was meant to be her real name.

“I don’t get it. When did she start going by Opal?” Jake asked.

“As far as we can make out, about three years ago, when Patricia disappeared. It’s also likely that’s when Opal became the mistress of Stefan Masters. Can any of you confirm when Opal hooked up with Masters?”

“Nope,” Alec said easily. Although he thought that timing could be right.

“So you’re saying Masters created this new identity for her when she became his mistress?” Saxon asked. “So he could keep her hidden?”

“Maybe,” Kellan said. “Perhaps to make sure no one came looking for her. Who knows? Only Opal can help us with that.”

“Which means talking to her.” Eli scowled at Jake.

“She’s fragile at the moment,” Alec told them.

“Reading about her, she doesn’t seem that fragile,” Eli said.

“You can’t figure someone out by reading about them on a piece of paper,” Saxon drawled. “You should know that.”

Eli nodded. “Fine.”

“So why do you want to talk to Opal or Patricia?” Duncan asked. “What does it matter if she changed her identity?”

“Because Patricia Smith is wanted for questioning in a murder.”

Fuck.

Fucking fuck.

39

“No.” Renard stood over her, frowning and shaking his head.

“I have to.”

“Not happening.”

“It has to happen at some stage,” she argued.

“Don’t see why,” he said.

“You don’t see why? Renard, I live there! I have to go back there sometime.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Oh yeah? Then where am I going to live? Here?” She kind of regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. What was she doing? Just inviting herself to live with him?

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