Born of Fire

An alias?

Why hadn’t it been listed on his bounty page? But there hadn’t been a single alias there. Only C.I. Syn. It hadn’t even said what the C.I. stood for, which, while unusual, probably meant Syn had tampered with his records.

She studied the document more closely. By the birth date on the certificate, she knew Syn couldn’t be using it as an alias for himself. The boy listed would only be sixteen.

Retrieving the family picture, she held it beside the child’s birth certificate. The date of the fashions and the registration coincided. Paden must be the boy in the photo.

And Sheridan Belask must have been Syn’s name at some point, which would definitely make the child in the picture Syn’s son.

Where was the kid now?

Had he sent his wife and child into hiding to keep them safe from his enemies?

Were they dead?

Had Syn killed them? The thought chilled her.

Flipping through the documents, she didn’t see either a marriage registration or one for divorce.

What had happened to them?

She scanned through the rest of the documents more carefully. There was an advanced degree in chemistry from the Derridian University of Science also under the name Sheridan Belask—an impressive feat since only the smartest and brightest were allowed to attend. There were also four false IDs, and debit and credit cards with different names, as well as several school report sheets with the name Paden Belask on them.

How strange.

As she started to return the documents to the box, there was one more piece of paper she’d left in the bottom. Picking it up, she unfolded it. Shock jolting her, she scanned the paper twice just to make sure she’d read it correctly.

She had.

It was a doctor’s accreditation issued to Sheridan Belask to practice human, Kiati, and Andarion medicine throughout all of the Ichidian Universe.

And it held a surgeon’s seal . . .

No way.

“You’re a surgeon?” How was that possible? Why, if he’d had such a prestigious and high-paying career, would he have left it?

It had to be a forgery. Some scam he’d been working on. That made sense.

She examined the document carefully, trying to see if it was faked. If it was, it was the best one she’d ever seen. She held it up to the light. The orange and blue fibers intersected in a medical pattern. It was definitely real. But that didn’t make any sense.

Why would a surgeon with three specialties turn to murder and theft?

Why would he have to?

Stunned, Shahara placed the papers back inside the box, knowing she wouldn’t find an answer to her questions. Not that her answers mattered.

Regardless of the reasons Syn, or Sheridan Belask, or whatever his name, had turned into a criminal, it was her job to take him in to the authorities.

Tessa’s life hinged on her ability to complete this mission. And no amount of pity would stop her from doing what she must.

With that thought in mind, she returned the pack to the night stand, and opened the top drawer. She froze instantly. Inside was a stuffed lorina cat. The kind a child might have and, by the look of it, it’d been well loved by someone—one of its ears was even marked by a child having gnawed on it. And next to it was a photo frame. Turning it on, she scrolled through the photos of Syn and his wife and child. There were pictures from Paden’s birthday parties, pictures of the woman at home, and some of the boy that appeared fairly recent . . .

It showed the boy at ball games and one at a graduation ceremony. But none of the later ones had Syn in them and they were all taken from a distance.

She scrolled back through the earlier photos of Syn with his family and a painful knot of longing filled her stomach. It was the kind of family she’d always dreamed of having. A man who would look at her the way Syn looked at his wife and son—like he lived and died for them. You could plainly see how much he adored them.

Surely a man who could show that kind of dedication to his family couldn’t be all bad.

Could he?

Closing her eyes, she saw the life she’d always wanted. Her in a fine home with a decent man who loved her. Kids playing in the yard while she didn’t have to scrounge for every crumb they ate. A world where people didn’t harass her for money . . .

But that wasn’t her fate. She didn’t trust men to not lie to her. Betray her. Abuse her. And face it, in her occupation, it wasn’t like she met anyone who wasn’t a scam artist or convict. Yeah, the scum of the universe were the only men she ever dealt with.

Still, it didn’t stop her from dreaming. She looked down at the photos and sighed. “If I had a life like that, I’d never let it go.”

The fact that Syn had told her much about him. Only a conceited, selfish ass would walk out on a family like he’d had.