Page 32 of Tracing Her Stolen Identity
“He felt guilty, right?”
Skylar made the so-so hand. “Guilty in the respect that he worried letting Silas out in the world unmanaged meant—”
“He might hurt someone.”
She nodded for a long time before she spoke. “Silas had real issues, and leaving home wouldn’t fix them. Staying on his meds and going to therapy would help him, but it’s doubtful that happened.”
“You always use past tense with Silas. Why?”
“Because whether he’s alive or not, he’s dead to me, Reece. We were never siblings. We were two people who lived in the same house. By the time I was born, he was way too old for us to bond with any meaningful kind of relationship.”
“The age difference was there, but that can work in a family’s favor sometimes,” Reece pointed out.
“Sure, if everyone is mentally stable, but we both know Silas was never that. Now we know why. It was no one’s fault, but we had to protect ourselves. The therapist finally convinced my parents that they weren’t responsible for the choices Silas made once he left their house.”
“But you think he’s dead and buried?”
“Definitely dead. Don’t know about buried. It’s been thirteen years since he left, and we haven’t heard anything from him. The fact that you’re wasting time looking for him is like watching someone spin their wheels in the mud. Walk away, Reece. Not only is Silas not behind whatever is going on, but we’re wasting time and energy that could be better used.”
“Sweetheart, it’s my job to cover every angle of a case. Pretending Silas is dead works for you, and that’s okay, given the history you share, but it doesn’t work in a case like this. We have to look under every rock for anyone who wants to do you harm.”
“He’s dead, Land. And even if he isn’t, he—”
“Isn’t capable of carrying out a plot like this. I know,”he said, holding up his hand to her. “I want you to know I agree with you, but I have to do my job. The last thing I want to do is bring him back into your life, but we have to know if he has anything to do with this. Right?”
This time, she held his gaze, and what she saw in those eyes of heaven and earth said he meant every word. His search for Silas wasn’t to hurt her. It was to help her. “You’re right,” she admitted. “As much as I want to pretend that he’s dead and buried, until we have proof of that, it would be foolish not to consider his involvement.”
“Did you come up with anything on the videos to help us yet?” he asked, motioning at the laptop.
“No, but I’m not giving up. I will watch them ten times if I have to. Reading the comments on the petition page propped me up. There wasn’t one comment that agreed with whoever this is about me being responsible for these gallery crimes.”
Reece squeezed her hand and smiled. “Hang on to that. Remember that when you return to your normal life, you won’t be shunned in the art world. No one believes you’re responsible for this.”
“It might be better if they did,” she said slowly, her brow going up.
“I don’t follow,” he said, leaning back on the couch.
“Hear me out,” she said, turning on her side a bit to see him better. “If Binate thinks people are buying his story, it might benefit us. If suddenly he sees the tide turning against me, he might ride that wave.”
“Embolden this Binate guy to do or say something that tips us off to his real identity?” Reece asked, following her train of thought.
“That’s what I’m starting to wonder, Land. Should webe feeding his ego rather than fighting it? Can we do that without him knowing it’s a setup?”
“Fake comments on a Facebook page? Mina could do that in her sleep. It would have to be gradual, though, so he doesn’t suspect it’s a ruse. You might be on to something here, angel. Let’s call Mina and get her opinion. If there’s a way, she will know it.”
Angel.
That new nickname was far more dangerous to her heart thanSkywould ever be. Sky was a throwback to their childhood. It was easy and filled her with the warmth of yesteryear.Angelfilled her with a different kind of warmth—the kind of warmth that she’d experienced this morning when his lips were on hers. It was also the kind of warmth that would break her heart night after night the moment she was alone again.
She couldn’t help but wonder why now. Why tonight? After what he had witnessed this morning, he should have been walking away. Then again, maybe it had everything to do with what had happened this morning. He wasn’t using it as a term of endearment as much as a way to coddle her now that he saw the truth about her fragility.
Her mind wandered back to the look in his eyes this morning when he held her face in his hands and kept her calm as Selina saved her life. That didn’t feel like coddling. That felt like love.
Chapter Sixteen
The cursor sat blinking, a reminder that he hadn’t found his man. How did a person live in the world for thirteen years without any identification? He glanced at the woman asleep in the recliner and sighed. He couldn’t give up. Reece had never wanted to be a hero for anyone until today, when he was so hopelessly useless that he would have traded his life for hers. He couldn’t do that physically, but he would work through the night if it meant finding the jerk who was tormenting her.
Frustrated, Reece flicked to the Facebook tab and checked the comments on the petition page. The first planted comment had arrived.
