Page 21 of Sins of the Fathers

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JASPER HAD BEEN KEEPING his promise. He hadn’t been asking around to find out if anyone knew about Kester being back in town. It wasn’t like the first time he’d been here. He wasn’t going around killing people, but rather, hiding, which meant no one had seen him. Kester might be a monster, but he was a smart monster. If he didn’t want people to know he was around, they wouldn’t, and that included Jasper.

But Jasper was pretty sure that Kester did want him to know he was around. For some reason, he was fascinated by Jasper, and Jasper was planning on taking advantage of that just like Kester was trying to take advantage of Jasper’s curiosity about his past.

It was thanks to Kester that he knew about his past at all. If it wasn’t for the monster, Jasper would still think he was biologically related to Leroy and Camille. He would still believe they were his parents. He still wouldn’t know much about the sanctuary—not that he knew a lot even now. But his conversation with Sarah had told him a lot about his biological parents. They were all details that wouldn’t matter to anyone else, like his mother’s favorite song and how they’d met. It did matter to him, though. It made him feel like he knew them a little bit, even though he probably would never remember them.

And Jasper was sure that whatever Kester wanted to offer him, it wasn’t enough for the price that Kester would ask for. That was something Jasper had made his peace with, but now, as he stood in the middle of the garage at work, looking at Kester standing at the open door, he wondered. Maybe he could get answers, after all. It would depend on what Kester wanted. It also depended on whether or not Jasper would be able to manipulate him. Kester was smart, but even smart people made mistakes. Even smart people had blind spots when it came to some things.

“What do you want?” he asked. Luckily, his boss wasn’t here. He’d left about fifteen minutes ago with the tow truck, and it would take him at least an hour to come back. Kester needed to be gone by then. Jasper’s boss was an ex-hunter, and he wouldn’t take it kindly if he found Kester standing in the middle of his garage.

Kester grinned. “Hi, Jasper.”

“I’m not in the mood for games. I have work to do.”

Kester looked around. “I see. The son of one of the most powerful hunters in the organization, playing at mechanic. I bet your father isn’t happy with you.”

“He’s not my father, is he?”

That seemed to amuse Kester. “He’s not. Are you ready to help me?”

“No. No information you have on me is important enough for the price you’re demanding.”

“I only need help to get into the sanctuary.”

“We both know that’s a lie. That’s what you’re saying now, but you won’t hesitate to move the goalpost once it’s over. Besides, I can’t help you with the sanctuary. I’m not a hunter anymore, and as far as I know, it’s not forbidden to go there.”

“You might not be a hunter anymore, but they’re still keeping an eye on the place.”

“How is that my problem? If you want something that’s there, it’s your problem, and you should try to fix it.” It was a risk to talk to Kester that way, but even though Jasper hadn’t talked to him often, he’d come to realize that Kester valued people standing up to him. If he was in a bad mood, he might kill them anyway, but he didn’t seem to be today. In fact, he seemed amused by Jasper’s answers. That gave Jasper a little leeway, but he still needed to be careful.

“I will fix it,” Kester drawled, still smiling. “I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to help me. You might find out information about your parents that you didn’t expect.”

“Leroy and Camille aren’t my parents, as you told me already. I don’t care what they did. They won’t talk to me, and I’m happy not talking to them.”

“Are you sure that you don’t care about what they did? Because there’s a reason they ended up with you.”

Jasper knew that. He’d always known that his father hadn’t just picked up the first kid he’d found, or that he’d been trying to help. Leroy didn’t help anyone but himself. He hadn’t taken Jasper in because he felt sorry for an orphan. He had to have had another reason, and Jasper would probably never find out.

That was okay. What had happened twenty years ago didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. It wouldn’t give him back what he’d lost.

“Do whatever you want about the sanctuary. It’s not my place to tell you yes or no. You don’t need my help. We both know that. You just want to see me suffer.”

“Is it working, little hunter?”

“I’m not a hunter anymore, and I haven’t been in a long time. Nothing you can say will hurt me, Kester. I don’t care what Leroy did. It won’t change what happened.”

“Maybe not, but revenge would be so sweet.”

Jasper shook his head. “I’m not like you. I’m not seeking revenge. I’m seeking knowledge, and knowing isn’t worth whatever you want from me.”

“You say that, and yet if you find out more about that mess, will you? Maybe you’d regret it.”

“Maybe I will, but if I do, that’ll be on me.” And Jasper really didn’t think he would regret it. He wanted nothing to do with Kester. He was even more dangerous than Leroy and the hunters, and that was saying something. For some reason, he’d taken an interest in Jasper, and Jasper knew it couldn’t be good. He also knew that whatever Kester was trying to obtain, he hadn’t gotten it yet, and he wouldn’t stop until he did. That meant that he wasn’t out of Jasper’s life, even as he was walking out of the garage.

Jasper suspected that Kester would never be out of his life until he died. That might take some encouragement for him to do, and Jasper was more than willing to give it to him.

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