Burn (Steel Brothers Saga 5)

“We saw her father today,” Jonah said. “He denies having anything to do with Melanie’s attack, of course, and apparently he has an ironclad alibi because the police questioned him and then let him go.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean anything,” Talon said.

“Right now, I just want to find out if Gina did indeed kill herself. So many things don’t add up. Like her being in love with me. I never got any kind of vibe like that. And I’m good at recognizing signs if a person was suicidal. She didn’t have any. You were in worse shape when you came to see me, Talon.” I clamped my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Talon laughed. “Everyone here knows exactly the kind of shape I was in when I went to see you.”

“Well, I’m still sorry. My point is, you were in worse shape than she was, and you weren’t suicidal.”

“No, I was never suicidal. Many times I’d wished I were dead, but somehow, my will to live always surfaced at the right time.”

Jade smiled. “All of us here are really glad it did.”

I nodded, choking up. I had grown fond of Talon.

“Anyway, she always told me that the uncle who abused her was dead, but she could never tell me how or when. So today, we went to talk to her father. It turns out the uncle is not only alive but has been known to use a lot of aliases.”

“Why would anyone use aliases?” Marj asked.

“Most likely because he was doing something he shouldn’t have been doing,” Jonah said. “His name was Theodore Mathias. He went by several aliases, and Cates couldn’t remember all of them.” Jonah pulled his wallet out, taking out the piece of paper Dr. Cates had given him. “John Smith. Nicholas Castle. Milo Sanchez.”

Talon jolted. “What? Read those again.”

“John Smith. Nicholas Castle. Milo Sanchez.”

“Milo Sanchez. Where have I heard that name before?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never heard it before.”

Marjorie and Jade shook their heads as well.

“Okay, now that’s bugging me.” Talon got up from the table and began to pace.

These Steel men loved to pace.

And then he shot from the kitchen.

I looked at Jonah, who shrugged.

“Talon?” Jade rose.

Before she could leave the kitchen, though, Talon came back, carrying a file folder. “It’s all in here,” he said.

“What?” Jonah asked.

“Remember when I told you that Biker Bob had found the records of the guys he did the phoenix tattoo on between twenty-five and thirty years ago?”

Jonah nodded.

Talon pulled out a piece of paper and set it in front of Jonah. “Read it and weep.”

He scanned the document. “Christopher Headley. Declan Stevens.” He cleared his throat. “And Milo Sanchez.”

Ice filled my veins as I suppressed a shudder. “Could it be possible?”

“Doc, did Gina ever mention to you that her uncle had a tattoo?”

I thought back through our sessions. “No, she never mentioned it.”