“How did he die?”
Xavier stood by the fireplace, the glow painting sharp, cruel shadows across his face. He didn’t answer right away. He just stared into the flames, his phone gripped tight in his hand.
“It was a car accident.”
I stared at him. “That’s it?”
His jaw tightened. “That’s what the report says.”
The report. The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. The man connected to my birth records had been alive three days ago. Now, he was gone. Just like that.
“Do you think it was natural?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Xavier’s eyes locked onto mine. “Natural?”
“You know what I mean. Do you think somebody did it?”
A dark, volatile flicker crossed his expression. “I don’t know.”
The answer wasn’t meant to reassure me, and it didn’t. Rylan was investigating, but the more he
