I Regret Nothing - JB Trepagnier Page 0,48

lot of money into finding you and a lot of pressure on anyone who would listen. You’d be in here even if you weren’t really the Silver Fox. They found a silver fox hair at the scene and caught a silver fox at the scene of the crime. Even if your hair didn’t match, they would have fudged things, so it did. Some people in here had hits on them because people were angry with the wrong person. I dig into everyone. I can’t figure you out, but I can smell a frame job a mile away.”

“Figure me out? You know I did it, right?”

“Oh, you’re guilty as fuck. We can both agree with that. I meant I dug into you when I was on the hunt. For the life of me, I have no idea what you are or where you came from. Someone went through a lot of trouble to keep you a secret. You must be someone special.”

I’d never really thought of it that way. Every time Hauser and I hit a dead end, I always thought of it more that someone didn’t want me and never wanted me to find them. Someone was trying very hard to avoid me and keep me out of Hell with the rest of the demons.

“Or I’m defective, and someone doesn’t want me.”

“No, Rei. That’s not it at all. The only time I can’t find a paper trail on someone is when they are important, and the government is involved. People try to cover their tracks all the time. I can always find that. The only time I’ve ever hit a dead end is when it comes from the top. The supernatural and human government worked together on your adoption to keep you hidden. You lived in the bum fuck Midwest for gods’ sake. I’m betting you never ran into another supernatural until you moved away. Am I right? Let me guess. Your parents didn’t want you to leave for college.”

How the fuck was Faust reading me like an open book? The only other people who knew all this was Hauser. I grew up in a tiny town that didn’t even have a movie theater or mall. You had to drive forty minutes to the next city for both, and my parents never wanted me to go. I thought they were just trying to ruin my life at the time, but was the entire point of that to keep the risk of meeting other supernaturals to a minimum? Why couldn’t they just be honest with me?

“We got into this huge fight about me leaving for college. They only applied and would only pay for a college nearby. I was applying for scholarships and sending applications all over. It was pretty horrible. I was eighteen and wanted to see the world. I felt like they were trapping me, and they would never tell me anything about where I came from. I threw some things in their face, and they gave me an ultimatum. If I left, I was dead to them.

“I didn’t think they were serious. They wouldn’t speak to me while I was packing, and they wouldn’t help me move. I called them when I got there to tell them I’d arrived safely and how excited I was. I’ve tried calling them numerous times since then. I’ve tried emailing too. I really am dead to them because they haven’t spoken to me since.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this without upsetting you, Rei. I looked into them too. It’s not that they are ignoring you. They disappeared around the time you must have left. Your mentor didn’t find that?”

I sighed. Where the fuck were my parents? I told Hauser to leave it when he said he wanted to contact them because the fight before I left was so bad. I didn’t look into them further either, outside of calling and emailing. Honestly, I didn’t think they would have left their perfect house with the picket fence in a small town. I should have looked harder.

“I thought they hated me, so Hauser and I left them alone. I didn’t call or email a lot. Just when I was missing them and to apologize for the fight. Fuck. I should have just flown back to check on them. You don’t think they are dead, do you?”

“I don’t know, Rei. There’s no death certificate for either of them. You didn’t exist until they adopted you, and they ceased to exist after you moved