Free See How She Dies by Lisa Jackson

had been sired by Polidori. A bitter taste filled his mouth at the very thought. It was possible, but, no, he wouldn’t believe that the boy he’d considered his second son for all these years wasn’t his. But he wasn’t going to argue the point with Kat. There was no reasoning with her now and he had to keep a clam head, no matter what else.
    Nelson, his youngest son, looked scared. Witt had never much cared for the boy; at fourteen he was still a scrawny kid who seemed to take after him, but always reminded Witt of his first wife, Eunice. There was something about Nelson that was…odd. Unsettling. “Why didn’t you tell me Zach didn’t come upstairs?” he asked the boy, and Nelson swallowed hard, avoiding his father’s eyes. “You were supposed to be sharing a room.”
    â€œDunno.”
    â€œWhere is he?”
    â€œDunno.”
    Witt let out a sigh and stared at Nelson with an intensity that had made loggers with inch-thick hides squirm. “You know where he is.”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œBut you know something,” Witt prodded, sensing that the boy was holding back. Hell, what a bunch of headstrong kids he was raising.
    â€œI, uh, saw him leave the party,” Nelson admitted sullenly, looking as if he thought he was Benedict Arnold, for Christ’s sake!
    Witt didn’t move. “Leave? When?”
    Katherine walked over to Nelson. “It must have been after Witt cut the cake, because I saw him earlier.”
    Nelson nodded mutely.
    So Kat had kept her eye on Zach. “Was London with him?” Witt demanded, already knowing the answer.
    Nelson shook his head furiously, his long blond hair brushing the back of his shoulders. “He left alone, didn’t want to be bothered.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell us this earlier?” Katherine seemed tense enough to slap the boy.
    â€œI didn’t want to get him in trouble.”
    â€œLondon’s missing!” she screamed. She was at the breaking point, nearly hysterical, not making a lot of sense. “I don’t give a damn about your brother getting his ass in trouble again!”
    Witt stepped between his son and young wife. “We don’t know anything. Not yet. Let’s not go jumping to conclusions.”
    â€œThat kid’s always had a mean streak,” Katherine said. “I didn’t want to believe it, but I wouldn’t put it past him to—”
    â€œEnough!” Witt turned his attention on his oldest son, who had watched the exchange with a hint of amusement on his lips. “You think this is funny?” he roared.
    â€œNo.”
    A muscle ticked in Witt’s jaw. “You act as if you know where your brother is.”
    â€œProbably meeting a girl,” Jason replied, then shrugged indifferently. “He’s always horny. My guess is he’s spending the night with someone he picked up.”
    Katherine looked stricken.
    â€œCome on, Dad. Don’t pretend you don’t remember how it was when you were seventeen and horny as hell. Zach just wanted to get laid.”
    Witt could barely remember, but he didn’t give a damn. Not now. Not when London was missing.
    Â 
    Sirens.
    Somewhere in the distance sirens screamed through the night. Horns honked, people shouted, and the pounding in his head wouldn’t fade. Slowly Zach opened an eye. The floor tilted and for a second he didn’t know where he was. He tried to move and pain ricocheted down his arm. He was woozy and his head felt as if it weighed a ton.
    Gritting his teeth, he got to his knees and saw the dark stain of blood—his blood—on the cheap carpet. The room swayed. He was dizzy, his mind a blur, until he saw his bloody reflection in the mirror over the bureau. The Orion Hotel. Room 307. Sophia. All at once he remembered everything—the pretty girl, the hoodlums barging in and nearly killing him.
    Why?
    Because the thugs had thought he was