Adelle stood frozen, trembling all over.


    How did Dan know about what happened with Mervin Burton? She''d always been so careful-how could Dan have found out?


    He...


    She watched Dan''s back as he headed up the stairs. He didn''t even pause or look


    her way.


    As he walked, Dan called out, "Mervin Burton is an outsider too, isn''t he?"


    "So it''s fine for you to bring in outside help to give your Finch the upper hand, but when ites to me, suddenly everything has to be handled ''in the family''? Since when is that fair?"


    In the name of "handling things in the family"-now she wanted to close the doors? How convenient.


    But back when she was the one opening the doors and inviting outsiders in, did she ever think about what kind of disaster it could bring down on ck Gate?


    Adelle felt like her chest was caving in. "Is that why you brought Lacey back?" Lacey...


    That woman. That name. For years, Adelle had been haunted by her-by the fear that, even if Lacey wasn''t in Litamark, she''de back one day.


    So Adelle had been searching for Lacey all these years too... She''d wanted to wipe her out, once and for all.


    But no matter how many people she sent out, no one ever found Lacey. Some of them never even came back.


    She''d never understood why-until now. Thinking back, it had to be Dan, pulling strings behind the scenes.


    Dan had never bothered to hide his ambition. Whatever they did, it was probably impossible to keep secrets from him. Realizing just how deep his scheming went, Adelle''s chest felt even tighter.


    Dan stopped and nced over his shoulder at Adelle.


    Their eyes met midair, and she saw a ruthless coldness in Dan''s gaze-one that reminded her of how his mother had looked at her, thest time they saw each other.


    Adelle felt her heart stutter.


    Dan didn''t answer her question directly. Instead, he asked suddenly, "You and Derek-you met on a trip, didn''t you?"


    Adelle said nothing.


    Dan continued, "There was a storm, wasn''t there? You guys got caught in andslide. He got knocked out by a falling rock, and you carried him to the hospital right?  fo s


    At the mention of that day, Adelle''s fists clenched. "What are you getting at?"


    Dan pressed on, "As far as I know, you spent a month in the hospital afterward. Broken bones, right?"


    Adelle stayed silent.


    Dan''s voice was cold, relentless. "So if you had a fracture, how did you manage to carry Derek to the hospital?"


    Derek.


    That was what Dan called the man


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    now. He couldn''t remember when he''d stopped calling him "Dad." Maybe it was the day his mother died. Or maybe it was the d?y h? learned the truth. Either way that word had been left behind  s


    Dan''s questions came one after another, each one tightening the noose.


    Adelle was barely breathing. "What are you trying to say?"


    "Lacey was at that canyon too," Dan said, voice dangerously steady. "She walked out of that hospital the same day, not a scratch on her. What do you think she was doing there?"  s


    Adelle froze.


    She stared at Dan, her gaze growing darker and darker.


    Dan let out a lowugh. Before she could say anything, he''d already turned and started up the stairs again.


    As he climbed, he threw another line over his shoulder: "Sometimes, secrets you think are buried in the dark are actually the easiest to drag out into the light."


    Adelle''s knees almost buckled-she had to step back just to stay upright. Her face was drained of color, practically translucent.


    The study.


    Dan walked in and was met by Derek''s exhausted, bloodshot eyes.