Stay Dead (7 page)

“I thought he was obsessed with me because we were closing in on the Organ Thief murders.” That’s what they’d all thought. But no
. . .

Many times she’d fantasized about moving to another part of the country where nobody knew her history. Take up a new name. Create a new identity, an identity that had nothing to do with Jackson Sweet, the man who seemed forever tied to her.

But what about David?

He’d have a new partner. Or maybe he’d just work alone, with the help of Mason and Avery.

“I don’t want to be thought of as a conjurer’s daughter. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Nothing to do with who I am.” She could feel her mind shift from where it had been ever since her kidnapping, to this. And this was anger.

Over the years, she’d felt a slow-boiling anger directed at her father, an anger she felt was somewhat unjustified. Recently she’d begun to accept what he’d done, and had begun to come to terms with her heritage. But apparently she was fooling herself, because now, realizing that the kidnapping might have been due to her connection to Jackson Sweet, the man who’d abandoned her, the man who’d never seen her or called her or said one word to her
. . .
now she was once again filled with resentment and rage.

She was an adult. She had a teenage daughter. How could she still harbor these feelings toward a man she’d never known? A man who wasn’t even alive any longer? And maybe that was part of the problem. He’d died. He’d slipped awayAnd now
. . .
If what David was theorizing was right, then her legacy had drawn a madman to her. And she’d done nothing. Absolutely nothing in her life to earn such negative attention other than deny, deny, deny root magic and conjuring.

“I thought he was obsessed with me because we were closing in on the Organ Thief murders.” That’s what they’d all thought. But no
. . .

Many times she’d fantasized about moving to another part of the country where nobody knew her history. Take up a new name. Create a new identity, an identity that had nothing to do with Jackson Sweet, the man who seemed forever tied to her.

But what about David?

He’d have a new partner. Or maybe he’d just work alone, with the help of Mason and Avery.

“I don’t want to be thought of as a conjurer’s daughter. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Nothing to do with who I am.” She could feel her mind shift from where it had been ever since her kidnapping, to this. And this was anger.

Over the years, she’d felt a slow-boiling anger directed at her father, an anger she felt was somewhat unjustified. Recently she’d begun to accept what he’d done, and had begun to come to terms with her heritage. But apparently she was fooling herself, because now, realizing that the kidnapping might have been due to her connection to Jackson Sweet, the man who’d abandoned her, the man who’d never seen her or called her or said one word to her
. . .
now she was once again filled with resentment and rage.

She was an adult. She had a teenage daughter. How could she still harbor these feelings toward a man she’d never known? A man who wasn’t even alive any longer? And maybe that was part of the problem. He’d died. He’d slipped awayAnd now
. . .
If what David was theorizing was right, then her legacy had drawn a madman to her. And she’d done nothing. Absolutely nothing in her life to earn such negative attention other than deny, deny, deny root magic and conjuring.

“I thought he was obsessed with me because we were closing in on the Organ Thief murders.” That’s what they’d all thought. But no
. . .

Many times she’d fantasized about moving to another part of the country where nobody knew her history. Take up a new name. Create a new identity, an identity that had nothing to do with Jackson Sweet, the man who seemed forever tied to her.

But what about David?

He’d have a new partner. Or maybe he’d just work alone, with the help of Mason and Avery.

“I don’t want to be thought of as a conjurer’s daughter. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. Nothing to do with who I am.” She could feel her mind shift from where it had been ever since her kidnapping, to this. And this was anger.

Over the years, she’d fe