Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245

I sat on the edge of the bed. “How many children do you

The question seemed to surprise het. “Two boys, Silas and… She swallowed hard. “And Joh. He was taken when he was just a baby. We never found him.”

My pulse quickened. “How old would Job he now?”

“Twenty–five, if he’s alive

Two years

older than me. Same as Dusk.

“Does he have any distinguishing marks? A birthmark, maybe?” I asked. “Something that might help identify him.”

“A mole behind his left ear,” she replied. “Like a tiny dark star.”

1 nodded, processing this information. Dusk didn’t have a mole there, but Shadow Organization often removed identifying marks from their operatives. I’d never specifically checked for a removal scar.

“I hope he’s alive,” she whispered, “I hope someone was kind to him.”

“I’m sure they were.”

I stared at the wall for a long moment before answering.”

As I stood to leave, she caught my sleeve. “Are y

you Silas’s friend? From school?”

“He’s had it rough,” she said, her voice dropping to ensure Silas couldn’t hear from the other room. “His father used to beat him. The kids at his old school bullied him. He stopped talking much, never had friends. He’s new at your school. Could you talk to him sometimes? Please?

I glanced toward the door where Silas stood, clearly having heard every word.

“I can,” I said simply.

That night, I sat in my study, Captain curled at my feet as I hacked into Shadow Organization’s DNA database. It wasn’t easy–they d upgraded their security since my last intrusion–but nothing was impenetrable to me.

I found it within an hour: Job Murphy’s DNA profile and the genetic comparison to Tamara Murphy. 99.7% match–biological mother

confirmed.

I stared at the screen, memories flooding back. Dusk–or Job, as he’d been born–had been my only friend in that hellhole. We’d trained together since childhood, promised to escape together someday, live normal lives under new identities.

Instead, I’d buried him.

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12:27 Sat, Sep 27

Chapter 245

If Dusk had lived, Silas and his mother might have had a very different life. Perhaps with money for proper medical care, a decent place to

live.

I deleted the files and purged all traces of my search. Then I sat in the darkness, letting the weight of this knowledge settle over me.

Captain sensed my mood, whining softly as he laid his head on my lap,

Sunday afternoon, I found Silas at an auto repair shop, wearing oil–stained coveralls as he worked under the hood of a Chevrolet.

A well–dressed man stood nearby, gesturing angrily. “You haven’t fixed shit! I’m not paying for this!”

Silas wiped his hands on a rag. “I fixed the problem with your transmission. Test

drive it yourself.”

“Get out of my way,” the man snarled, reaching for the door.

Silas stepped in front of the car. “You need to pay first. The car’s fixed. I just tested it myself.”

“Move, or I’ll run you over,” the man

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