“Not relevant at the moment,” Bones stated. “These new developments are.”
I said nothing while he brought them up to speed on Richard Trove’s being a demon and why he’d backed Madigan for nearly a decade. I still didn’t speak when Bones disclosed that Katie was my biological daughter, and how that was possible. Only after Ian asked, “If she’s the mother, who’s the father?” did I break my silence.
“The records Trove published never gave a name. Since the sperm donor was a hundred percent human, he was considered . . . unimportant.”
Then I paused. I’d gone back and forth over revealing this next part, but so much had been kept from me that I couldn’t do the same to someone else. Especially a friend.
“I asked Madigan, but all we got out of him was that it was one of the soldiers I was working with at the time,” I finished.
Tate let out a disgusted snort.
“That’s why they kept getting samples of every fluid in our bodies. Don said it was to make sure no one was drinking vampire blood on the side, so even he must not have known what it was really for . . .”
His voice trailed off as the dots connected. Then he sank to his knees as if buckling under the weight of the realization. I wasn’t as affected because I’d already done the math. About two dozen soldiers had been working with me during my first year. Some had been killed on missions, more had dropped out from the stress, and some had transferred to other divisions, but only one had been there the entire time.
“My God,” Tate breathed.
“It’s not definite,” I said softly. “It could have been one of the other guys, but Tate . . . even if we tested both of you, there’s no way to be sure. Since you became a vampire, every cell in your body changed. Katie’s would’ve, too, once they added ghoul DNA to her genetic makeup.”
Tate still looked shell-shocked at the possibility that the little girl he’d been trying to find might be his biological daughter. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and looked up at me.
“If tests are useless, she’ll never know who her father is.”
Bones slipped his hand into mine, his grip strong and sure.
“She will always know who her father is.”
That had Tate on his feet in a flash. Ian hauled him back when he lunged at Bones.
“You will not—” Tate began before his mouth froze along with the rest of him.
“That’s better,” Bones said in satisfaction.
I didn’t appreciate his method of stemming Tate’s argument, but in fairness, we were short on time.
I bridged the distance between them and touched Tate’s clenched fist, which had been frozen in place mid-swing.
“You have a one-in-twenty-something chance of being her biological father, so if you want to be part of Katie’s life, of course you can. Bones won’t stand in your way, but he’ll be there for her, too. As will I.”
Then I angled myself so Tate couldn’t avoid my gaze.
“But first, we have to get her out of here alive. That takes priority over everything else, doesn’t it?”
Tate blinked, which I took for a yes. Bones released him. The two men stared at each other while Tate shook his limbs as if to reassure himself that they were back under his control. Then his hands clenched, and a look of pure determination crossed his features.
Not again, I thought, expecting him to swing at Bones once more. Relief filled me when all Tate did was stick out his hand.
“I don’t like you, and I probably never will, but from this day forward, I’m willing to call a truce for Katie’s sake.”
Bones shook his hand with a brief, sardonic smile.
“Truce accepted, and while I feel the same way, just like Justina, seems now I’ll never be rid of you, either.”
Tate let out a bark of laughter. “I forgot this truce includes her mother. That’s some ugly karma the two of us are working off.”
Fabian flew onto the roof, stopping Bones from whatever his reply would have been.
“They’ve found her!” the ghost announced.
“That was bloody quick,” Ian muttered.
It was, but then again, no one could hide from the dead. Especially when they had you narrowed down to a small area. That’s why we’d dealt with Marie first instead of rushing here. She hadn’t known Katie was in Detroit, but with a little time, she would’ve found her.
I flashed a tight smile at the four men, feeling the vampire version of adrenaline surging through me.
“All right, boys. Let’s go get our girl.”
We landed on the roof of a large, square building with graffiti covering every inch of the safety ledge. Across the street, a far taller building blocked out the moonlight, its beautiful architecture in stark contrast to the rot I could smell within.
“Where are we?” I whispered.
“The Roosevelt Warehouse,” Bones said, also keeping his voice very low. “More commonly known as the Detroit book depository. Tunnels connect it to the old train station across the street. Perhaps that’s how Katie’s been traveling back and forth between the two.”