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Talon had given Felicia a few weeks off, with pay, to deal with the new developments. So Marjorie was the resident cook. She made a delicious dinner of shrimp scampi.

Ryan was noticeably absent. I was fine with that because he and I hardly knew each other.

“He’d like to be here,” Jade said, “but he’s got so much work at the vineyards.”

“It’s okay.”

After I told them my sob story, Talon went rigid.

“Besides Jade and Marj here, you’re the most important woman in my life, Doc. I’d like to strangle anyone who tries to harm you.”

“You have to get in line behind me, bro,” Jonah said.

“I’m fine. My ankle is almost all the way healed. I only had to wear the boot for a few days. And my hands.” I held them up. “I suppose there will be some scarring, but otherwise, they still work. I guess it’s a good thing I went into psychotherapy and not surgery.”

“This isn’t any time for joking, Doc,” Talon said.

“Honestly, I’m fine. I…don’t even know how to explain it, but after this experience, I’m looking at things through a different lens. I’m kind of stepping out of the box, you know?”

“Do you have any idea who could have done this to you?”

“We have a few ideas.” This was the part I was truly dreading—telling them all about Gina. I had already told Talon during one of our sessions that I had lost a patient to suicide, and I’d also told him I had made my peace with it, which had been a bold-faced lie.

But I was beginning to make my peace with it now. Before I did, though, I had to find out if she had actually committed suicide.

I teared up a bit as I told them the story of Gina…including the letter.

“We saw her father today,” Jonah said. “He denies having anything to do with Melanie’s attack, of course, and apparently he has an ironclad alibi because the police questioned him and then let him go.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean anything,” Talon said.

“Right now, I just want to find out if Gina did indeed kill herself. So many things don’t add up. Like her being in love with me. I never got any kind of vibe like that. And I’m good at recognizing signs if a person was suicidal. She didn’t have any. You were in worse shape when you came to see me, Talon.” I clamped my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Talon laughed. “Everyone here knows exactly the kind of shape I was in when I went to see you.”

“Well, I’m still sorry. My point is, you were in worse shape than she was, and you weren’t suicidal.”

“No, I was never suicidal. Many times I’d wished I were dead, but somehow, my will to live always surfaced at the right time.”

Jade smiled. “All of us here are really glad it did.”

I nodded, choking up. I had grown fond of Talon.

“Anyway, she always told me that the uncle who abused her was dead, but she could never tell me how or when. So today, we went to talk to her father. It turns out the uncle is not only alive but has been known to use a lot of aliases.”

“Why would anyone use aliases?” Marj asked.

“Most likely because he was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing,” Jonah said. “His name was Theodore Mathias. He went by several aliases, and Cates couldn’t remember all of them.” Jonah pulled his wallet out, taking out the piece of paper Dr. Cates had given him. “John Smith. Nicholas Castle. Milo Sanchez.”

Talon jolted. “What? Read those again.”

“John Smith. Nicholas Castle. Milo Sanchez.”

“Milo Sanchez. Where have I heard that name before?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never heard it before.”

Marjorie and Jade shook their heads as well.

“Okay, now that’s bugging me.” Talon got up from the table and began to pace.

These Steel men loved to pace.

And then he shot from the kitchen.

I looked at Jonah, who shrugged.

“Talon?” Jade rose.

Before she could leave the kitchen, though, Talon came back, carrying a file folder. “It’s all in here,” he said.

“What?” Jonah asked.

“Remember when I told you that Biker Bob had found the records of the guys he did the phoenix tattoo on between twenty-five and thirty years ago?”

Jonah nodded.

Talon pulled out a piece of paper and set it in front of Jonah. “Read it and weep.”

He scanned the document. “Christopher Headley. Declan Stevens.” He cleared his throat. “And Milo Sanchez.”

Ice filled my veins as I suppressed a shudder. “Could it be possible?”

“Doc, did Gina ever mention to you that her uncle had a tattoo?”

I thought back through our sessions. “No, she never mentioned it.”

“How old was Gina?”

“Early twenties,” I said.

“Her abuse was well after mine.” Talon paced around the kitchen and threaded his fingers through his hair. “I can’t fucking believe it.”

“This is Colorado,” Jade said. “Hispanic surnames are common here. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything with regard to your case, Talon.”

Jonah rose. “This whole thing is just too close for comfort. What if Gina’s uncle and one of Talon’s abductors are the same man? It’s not that big of a stretch really. They’re both child molesters. Psychopaths. Killers.”

“Amazing,” I said, shaking my head. “When I first started thinking about this new theory—that maybe Gina didn’t kill herself but had been murdered instead—there was still part of me that didn’t believe it was possible. But now…” Now I was the one to rise, pacing around the large kitchen. “Jonah is right. All of this is too close for comfort.”

“But Gina died before you met Talon,” Jade said.

“True.” But there had to be more to this. There just had to be. I sat back down. “You mind if I look at this file?” I asked Talon.

“Of course not. Look at anything you want.”

I grabbed the file and riffled through the papers. Just dates that fit the time frame and names. The tattoo had been done on the left forearm in each case. And there was a photograph of the tattoo.