“Riddles …”
“No, seriously.” Her voice grew higher in pitch and took on a wobbly quality, but she fought the tears back. “Maybe it made sense when I was little, but now? Dad, I’ll be eighteen soon. I’m not a child anymore.” She faced him again. “Were you ever planning to tell me the truth?”
Instead of answering, Dad stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Ridley. She stood there, her back rigid, her arms pinned to her sides, pressing her lips tightly together as she refused to cry. “I’m so sorry,” Dad said. “I didn’t really have a plan. I just wanted to keep you away from all of this for as long as possible. It’s dangerous. Extremely dangerous.”
“I know,” Ridley murmured against his shoulder. “It’s life-and-death kind of dangerous. But knowing there are others like me wouldn’t have c
