Page 464 of Once Upon a Fable

My nostrils flared as truth soured my tongue.

They’re exactly where they deserve to be.

Rotting in hell.

Gemma put her hand over mine, squeezing gently, prompting me to force a grimace and answer, “I don’t.” I swallowed hard. Fuck, it was hard not to tell them everything. Not to give them explicit details of those bastards. Every birthmark, every fetish, every sick, twisted, and depraved piece of them. I wanted the families of the guests to be named and shamed. I wanted to speak out so my loved ones could be vindicated and found.

I didn’t want anyone else to go through what we had.

I wanted men and women like the Fables members to be yanked from their homes, molested, tortured, and hung in a public setting.

But...I had to swallow every sour truth down because Gem was right. I had been fully within my right to kill those motherfuckers—I would do it all over again if I could—but the law would never see it that way.

And I would not go to prison for them.

Ever.

“And why did you stay after they left? What was the purpose of living all alone?”

I tried to keep my voice level. “After what they’d done to me, I had no trust toward my own kind. I felt safest alone...in a place that I knew.”

Not an exact lie. Not the truth either.

The cops made a note. The woman looked up first. “An open investigation is ongoing. We’ll continue combing the valley for answers and will schedule more interviews with you as and when we find more evidence. For now, though, we have passed your file onto the proper departments to ensure you’ll be given the documentation you need to begin a new life. We’re also pursuing leads and going through missing children reports from when you were taken to see if we can reunite you with the family you were stolen from.”

Gemma interrupted. “And if he was a foster kid?”

“There should still be mention of him going missing.”

“But if he was placed into the foster system, then why would his biological family care if he’s alive and well?”

“He might’ve been adopted. He might’ve been loved.”

Gemma looked at me over her shoulder. “Heisloved. Hehasa family.” She glowered at the cops. “I’mhis family.”

The female officer nodded. “I meant no disrespect.”

“It’s fine,” I said quietly, my mind locked on what she said previously. They were combing over the valley? Would they have cadaver dogs? Diggers? How soon before they found the graveyard?

“Ms. Ashford?” the policewoman focused on Gem. “You said you were stuck in the valley for a while due to a climbing expedition? Our officers found your car. The battery does indeed seem to be dead, but we can arrange to have it hauled if you have your keys handy.”

Gem flicked me a look before shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, but I lost my keys.”

“Spare set?”

She shook her head again. “I always meant to get another key cut when I bought it secondhand but never got around to it.”

“Ah, well, that’s going to be tricky.” The bald guy smiled. “But if we can be of any assistance in that area, please just let us know.”

“It was rather convenient that you stumbled upon the same house that Mr. Sands was occupying.” The woman cop suddenly sniffed, her eyes narrowed on Gem. “Considering the size of the national park, some might say it was serendipitous.”

My hackles rose.

Gemma tensed beneath my hand. “It was.”

“And very convenient that you were there to help him when he fell off the cliff,” the woman added.

“What are you getting at?” I barked.