Page 24 of Darkwater Lane

Sam’s voice catches, and I know Rowan’s words struck him deep. I move around the desk and crouch in front of him, my hands on his knees. “Your sister was taken from you when you were kids. It wasn’t your decision to grow up apart from her. You can’t blame yourself for that. You’d have been there for all of those things, if you’d been allowed to stay together as a family.”

“I should have tried harder to find her. I shouldn’t have waited for her to find me.” There’s genuine guilt and regret in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. I wish there was something I could say to relieve his pain, but there isn’t.

He takes a deep breath, pressing his fingers against his eyes to stem any tears. “I told Rowan we were both Callie’s siblings and we both loved her. We were the only two people in the world who could claim Callie as a sister, and we should try to get along to honor her memory.”

“That’s a beautiful thought,” I tell him.

“Rowan didn’t think so. She told me she would take out a restraining order against me if I ever contacted her again.”

I knew Rowan had her issues with us, but I didn’t realize they were that extreme.

“Then she said something about natural consequences and that the Lost Angels weren’t backing down and we deserved everything coming our way.”

I rock back on my heels. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

He shakes his head ruefully. “It certainly doesn’t.”

“Do you think she’s planning more than the podcast?”

“She was angry, Gwen. As angry and bitter as I felt in the months after Callie died.”

He’s talking about the months when he hated me so much he wanted to see me dead. It sounds as though Rowan feels the same.

She should get in line. I have a whole folder on my computer dedicated to the legion of folks who would like to see me dead.

“I also asked her if she knew Leo Varrus was still alive.”

This surprises me. “Really? What did she say?”

His mouth twists. “That I was unhinged to ask her about a man I killed.”

“Great,” I groan. I stand, returning to my seat at the desk. “So, that confirms she thinks you’re a murderer.”

“Looks that way. It sounded like she viewed Leo as a father figure, even more so after her dad passed away a couple of years ago. They grew close while working on the podcast together. She said she viewed it as a legacy to continue his mission.”

“His mission to ruin our lives,” I clarify.

He nods. “She more or less took over the Lost Angels when he disappeared.”

I look down at my coffee mug, processing that information. I think about what I’d discovered about Rowan earlier—that she worked in cybersecurity and likely had the kind of skills necessary to help someone like Leo to live off-grid. “Do you think there’s any chance she helped Leo set you up? Maybe she’s in it with him?”

He shrugs. “If she did, she’s a hell of an actor. Her grief was pretty intense when I brought up Leo. I think she genuinely believes he’s dead and that I had something to do with it. But I’ve been wrong about people in the past.”

“I already asked Taylor from work to look into her. I guess we’ll see what she comes back with and go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sam says.

I’m just turning back to my computer when he adds, “That’s not all. I heard from work. They shifted the schedule around. I’m no longer on deck to fly to Syracuse later this week.”

I’d been expecting more bad news, but this is a pleasantsurprise. Not that I mind Sam’s job taking him away for days at a time, but I always prefer having him home. Unlike many couples our age, we actually like each other and enjoy spending time together. “Maybe we should set up a date night for Friday?” I suggest.

“They’ve taken me off the schedule completely,” he clarifies. “I’m effectively grounded. Indefinitely.”

I let out a breath like I’ve been socked in the gut. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

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