Page 218 of Marked

Biting down hard on the inside of my cheek, I forced the emotions back. Itwouldspill out, but I didn’t want it happening now.

The door opened, and JC stepped out with Ollie and Alec. Standing, I blinked the tears away.

The alphas filed out, each glancing at Cameron and me in turn. To my surprise, none of them looked upset or angry. Some looked dubious, sure, but there was none of the disdain I’d come to know from most pack wolves. Most nodded respectfully as they passed.

JC grinned when we were alone. “Well, it looks like we have more information for you two.”

“What’s that?” Cameron asked. “Good news or bad?”

JC glanced at Alec, then back to her. “Did your mother ever saywhyshe chose to move you all to Toronto?”

Cameron blinked back at him in confusion. I probably had the same look on my face. What the hell was he getting at?

Cameron shook her head, narrowing her eyes at JC. “My mom? She, uh… no, she only said it wasn’t safe anymore in Zamora. That part of Mexico was pretty sketchy. She wanted a better life for me after my father vanished.” She narrowed her eyes even more. “Why are you asking about this?”

Ollie cleared his throat. “I got off the phone with Anita a little while ago. She’s sent me some more info on the stuff thathappened back in Detroit.” There was an excited gleam in his eye. “Cameron, did Anita tell you anything about a pathologist being brought in to help her partner analyze the drugs?”

“Yeah,” Cameron said. “Why?”

“That specialist was a Canadian national. His family immigrated to Canada from Britain when he was a child. He grew up right here. In Toronto. After he graduated from college, he worked in several research facilities in Canada, the US, and…” he paused, his smile widening a bit, “… Mexico.”

“I don’t understand,” Cameron said with a frown. “What does this have to do with my mother?”

“Perhaps you should sit down,” JC suggested.

“What thehellare you guys talking about?” Cameron demanded. “I’m not sitting down until you tell me what all this has to do with me and my mother.”

I put my arms around her shoulders, hoping it would steady her.

“We’ve already seized most of Lincoln’s tech,” Ollie explained. “A few shifter cops I know went to his place and found his laptops and files. It’s part of why Lincoln was pissed off when he got here. Anita told me her old partner was convinced that the pathologist was still alive. If Lincoln had the guy killed, they had no reason to hide the body. In fact, they’d have wanted him found. Sow more fear and confusion on the streets. So Lincoln must have threatened him—not with bodily harm, but with his family.

“Anita didn’t mention this to you guys, because it had no bearing on what you were asking about, but the records show this man had been living and working in Zamora for several years.”

Cameron trembled and inched closer to me. My heart lurched in my chest. Were they saying what I thought they were saying?

“The record shows that at the time of his disappearance, he had a fiancée and a baby daughter,” Ollie explained. “We’re only now digging into Lincoln’s files, but we found an old email from Lincoln to one of his men. In the email, they discuss a man named Callum Donaldson, and how to get rid of him.” Ollie leaned forward, staring with fervent hope at Cameron. “This man is your birth father, Cameron. I’ve already checked the birth records in Mexico. His name is on your birth certificate. I think the reason your mother moved to Toronto is because it was your father’s hometown.” He shook his head sadly. “Maybe she hoped to find him here. That, or she wanted to live near the place he grew up or something.”

Cameron shook her head slowly. “My father?”

JC nodded. “Alec and Ollie are going to try to find out where he vanished off to.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “He didn’t abandon you or leave because he didn’t love you and your mother. We’re certain he left to keep you safe. If he’s out there, I promise we will find him.”

Cameron tore her eyes from JC and gazed up at me. Horror, shock, hope, and excitement flitted across her face in quick succession. Neither of us had been abandoned. My parents and her father hadn’t left us willingly. It sealed the connection between us.

A sob burst free from her throat, and she buried her face in my chest. I rubbed her back as she cried. Her hiccupping and gasping cries echoed through the hallway. JC stared at her with a compassionate understanding. Alec and Ollie excused themselves.

“We have work to do,” Ollie said. “We’re going to dig into those files and emails on Lincoln’s computers. See if we can find anything more.”

“I’ll give you guys some time,” JC said, then followed after Ollie and Alec.

Cameron’s cries slowed, but her body still hitched and spasmed against mine. My chest and stomach were wet with her tears as they soaked into my shirt. Looking down, I noticed my forearm. My hash mark tattoos were slashed through and ruined where Rick had bitten me.

Maybe it wasn’t ruined, though. Maybe it was a sign. I’d inked those marks on my skin to count the years I’d spent alone. There would never be another mark to draw.

I would never be alone again.

59

Nate

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