A Destiny of Carnage (A Violent Agenda)

“So separately, we have all the data we need. Is there any way to link the two?”

She shakes her head. “Iskar wasn’t helpful. He doesn’t want to talk to you after Polina. I managed to get what we have with Saskia’s help.”

I raise a brow. “Saskia is helping you?”

“She’s good at yoga like you said,” Quinn says. “We got talking during Shavasana.”

I just look at her.

“Corpse Pose,” Quinn offers. I have no idea what she’s talking about. “Anyway, it seems she knows her way around a computer as well as where most of her adoptive father’s company files are kept. Or actually who to threaten to get those files,” she carries on.

I nod. That makes sense.

“It’s in Saskia’s interest to find out the truth,” I say to that.”

Quinn shrugs. “She thinks she and Lorcan could be part of this black market adoption ring.”

“For that to happen, they would have to have been adopted together, wouldn’t they?” I ask her.

She nods at me. “So, I was thinking that and highlighted the names of girls with more than one child adopted. This one had two—a boy and a girl over eighteen years ago. The dates and initials of the father are the exact same. Could be twins?”

I take a sip of my coffee, noting the mother’s name. And then the letters of the supposed father’s name…ES. I don’t recognize it, but Tatiana…where have I heard that name before?

Suddenly, it comes to me. “Jude’s aunt, Byron’s mother, is called Tatiana.”

“There’s also a girl who got pregnant by this mysterious ES seven years earlier.” She highlights a second entry on the list.

This name I don’t recognize—Ophelia. I say as much to Quinn.

She flattens her lips in response. “Do you think Polina was telling the truth? Lorcan’s and Saskia’s biological father is someone important? This ES person?”

I shake my head. “We still don’t know enough. We need to find out who ES is.” It might not mean anything, even if he is Lor’s birth father. I have to tread carefully.

“And Dante?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know how he fits into all of this.”

“Didn’t you say that you found his birth certificate? I could check if it’s real, or doctored in any way. If there’s a name on it, it might match the list?”

“Dante has it. He doesn’t want me digging into any of this.” I also don’t want to look for the files since they’ll be covered in Dino’s blood.

The last time I had them in my hands was after the church….

“That’s what people say when they’re hiding something,” Quinn says, interrupting my dark thoughts.

“Which is why I don’t trust him,” I sigh, rubbing my temple, tired all of a sudden. The itching under my skin is back and has been ever since we visited Dino. It’s been keeping me awake at night.

“I don’t disagree with you locking him up, but wouldn’t it be easier just to kill him?”

I shoot her a look. “It would, wouldn’t it?” But my current plan is to deal with my father while Dante is indisposed and then leave without a trace. Once Rebecca and I are far away from here, I’ll let him out. I’m not sure how possible that is, but it’s what I’ve got.

“Just be careful, V,” Quinn sighs, getting to her feet.

“Does Saskia know about her aunt’s name being on the list?” I ask her before she leaves.

She shakes her head. “No, I didn’t speak to her about that yet.”

“Let’s keep it that way for now. We don’t know for sure that it is Tatiana Duke.” It could be another girl who just happened to have the same first name.