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“Oh.”

“Yeah, Dad, don’t oh me. Help me find him, or you can tell Willow something happened to our son,” I snapped. Dad had begun walking out of the study when he paused and stared at me.

“Your son.”

“Yes, Dad. Find him,” I growled out as I checked the morning room. It was unlikely they’d be in there as it was off-limits, but you never knew.

“Shit. Micah. Your son,” Dad said, and I turned in exasperation. There was a range of emotions spiralling across Dad’s face. I was unsure what was happening, but I guessed something was.

“You okay?” I asked, concerned.

Dad nodded and swallowed hard. “Carmine, Tye, and Harley all knocked up their women and had kids. But somehow, you’re different, being the eldest,” Dad answered.

“Well, I thought Harley was as he provided the first grandchild and then Carmine because he was first adopted. Then Tye because—”

“Shut up, you asshole,” Dad snapped, and I laughed.

“Shit’s fine now. The war is over, we made it. Get used to being a grandad,” I stated. Dad glowered, and the moment was over.

“You’re still the same bastard you were a decade ago,” he snarled.

“Yeah. Well, you just as slow, old man. Find my son!”

We found Danny watching Eddie with a fascinated gaze as she coached him on becoming a princess and not a legacy. Danny even had a crown on his head, and he wore a banner saying, ‘Legacies suck donkey balls.’ I snapped a photo and sent to Willow with the caption… ‘Now it starts.’

Willow

I smiled at the snap that came through of Danny, it looked like Fanatic had his hands full. I was heading back to Spearfish after giving a statement as RCPD about Hope and Morris. Funny enough, my attack on them never came up. Holmes was creating a fuss, and with the lawsuits, there were heads rolling. Luckily not Holmes, Lio, or Gold’s. But their higher-ups who’d made the call… yup, dead meat.

The insurance had finally paid up but sent the settlement letter to Spearfish, and I needed to sign it. I waved at Gladys as I pulled up and, glowered at Edna, and walked inside. There was a stack of mail, so I grabbed it all and placed it on the hallway table.

Deciding to grab a few more clothes for all of us, I headed upstairs and got that eerie feeling again. There was an awful smell up here, and I drew my weapon and yanked my phone out.

I recognised that stench and dialled Lio directly.

“Willow.”

“Come to my house. Someone broke in.”

“Get out and wait in the car,” Lio ordered. “And dial nine-one-one as well. Gold and I are coming.”

I hung up and phoned nine-one-one: it was worth having a record of the call. Calmly, I identified myself and explained I was armed and on scene. The operator assured me that police were on the way, and I informed her I was continuing my search of thehouse. She tried talking me down, but I shoved the phone in my pocket and cupped my gun.

Quickly, I searched each room, and as I approached mine, the smell got worse.

“There’s something dead in here,” I announced as I kept searching. By the time I reached my bedroom, I was gagging. I quickly checked and drew back. Had I really just seen that? Ignoring what laid on my bed, I searched for an intruder as I gagged again and covered my mouth and nose.

“Tell SPD I’ve found their missing woman,” I choked out. That bed would have to be burned.

April Brown lay on it. Her body was mottled, and she’d been dead a good few days. White eyes stared at me from where her head was placed on my pillow. There was a white fluid around her mouth. Her naked body was on the bed with legs splayed open. White fluid was between them, too. My mind rebelling what that was, I described what I’d seen and began backing out when I heard a noise.

I didn’t turn quick enough, and I barely got the word intruder out before somebody pistol-whipped me, and I collapsed to the floor hard.

Struggling to keep conscious, I failed as I was hit a second time.

???

“Willow, wake the fuck up,” someone slapped my face, and I groaned and opened my eyes.