Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Shine sat in the hotel room staring into space, beside her was her mother, catatonic as she'd been when they found her and Granger looking murderous as he sat silently. Ebony and Lark sat cuddled together, tears streaming down Ebony's face off and on. The television was on a news channel talking about the explosion and the assumption that the great Senator Buchanan was inside at the time and perished in the explosion.

"I will have to make a statement," Shine said quietly as she clung to her mother.

"You don't have to do anything, you can still disappear," Granger said gently.

Shine shook her head. "I think I need to stay present. I think it's important that I keep an eye out for his research popping back up in his circles. There are people out there who know what he was doing, even if they aren't willing to talk openly about it and they may try to continue it. There has to be a lot of evidence in his office at home and downtown DC too. I'm sure I can use it to help. I want to find all of the babies that I can, I want them to know where they came from," she whispered and looked at Granger. "They deserve to know what it might mean for them in this life."

She didn't have to say that it was a likely sentence to lifelong loneliness, no soulmate waiting for a fullsoul that was developed in a lab. But Shine was right, they deserved to know. They could make the decision to find happiness where they could instead of waiting for something that was impossible. She grabbed Granger's hand. She'd found something incredible that didn't involve her soul and she was sure others could too, given the chance.

"I'll help you," Granger said softly and kissed her.

"I think it matters," Ebony agreed. "I'm glad you'll tell them. It doesn't have to change anything, but it is a piece of who they are."

"Just a small piece," Lark said. "We are more than the cursed souls we were given."

A knock at the door had them all jumping.

"Open up, fuckers," Stone yelled through the closed door.

"Oh my god," Ebony whispered as Lark rushed over and opened the door. "Oh my god," she squealed at the sight of her friend standing there with Stone. "Taylor."

Ebony rushed to Taylor, embracing her tightly. "Are you okay, how did you get out, what the hell happened?" She led her friend to the couch and Stone followed with a frown.

"I found her tied up in the lower level. We were only a few steps from the facility when it blew. Threw us out into a field. We had a hell of a time getting back here. No one wants to pick up a couple dirty street walkers in the middle of the night. Even in Vegas it's weird."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Taylor. This is all my fault," Ebony said with tears in her voice.

"No," Taylor said with a frown. "It's all Senator Buchanan's fault."

"At least he's dead," Granger said.

"And you're Shine Buchanan," Taylor gasped, finally seeing everyone else in the room.

"I am," Shine agreed.

"You're a bitch," Taylor said, then put a hand to her mouth as if she hadn't meant to say that aloud. "Sorry, I guess facing death does something to your filter."

Shine laughed, she liked this woman. "It's okay. I imagine most halflings feel that way about me."

"She's my soulsister," Ebony said and before Taylor could ask a million questions, she told her that Lark was her soulmate too.

"Okay, did I die in that explosion?" Taylor said with a laugh.

"I died once," Shine's mother said softly, making everyone stop and stare. She just turned her head to look at a wall and didn't say anything more.

"I think we should take her back to DC," Shine said, looking pleadingly at Granger. "I can get her help, undo some of what Buchanan did, hopefully," she said, biting back tears. She was so glad to have her mother, a woman she'd only ever seen pictures of, but she hurt for what Buchanan must have put the woman through.

Granger nodded, "We can go now. Lark, I'm taking the big plane."

Lark nodded. "Go ahead, we'll be heading to Texas in the morning. Ebony needs to see the doctor as soon as possible."

"That all sounds great, but I want to go home," Taylor said. "The new guy who took over for Glick is less of an asshole but if I miss any more days he's going to fire me for sure."

"I can handle that one, we'll rent a car and drive," Stone said. "If your boss fires you, I'll have a little chat with him," Stone said, cracking his knuckles.

Taylor rolled her eyes at his macho display. "Okay, but in the morning, okay? I need sleep first and a shower."

"Sure," Stone said and stood, holding out his hand to her.

It looked like Ebony was about to disagree with that arrangement, but then she snapped her mouth shut. Taylor looked delighted by the offer and that made Shine happy. Shine stood then and Ebony embraced her, they both whispered promises to talk soon and meet up again when it seemed safe. They didn't want to be apart, but they both had things that they needed to do.

"I'm glad I found you," Ebony said as a tear slid down her cheek.

"I'm glad you did, too," Shine said, and wiped Ebony's tear away. "Take good care of her," Shine said to Lark then Granger picked up Shine's mother and they left the room.

Shine sat on the airplane once again with Granger, only this time instead of Stone keeping them from laying a cabin seat back and joining the mile high club in style, her mother was there, staring off into the distance blankly.

"What do you think he did to her?" she asked Granger.

Granger shook his head and grabbed Shine's hands. "It's hard to say, but we will find her the best care once we land. Even without her records, a doctor should be able to evaluate her. I'm sure we can do it all very hush hush, no one needs to know she's alive and back."

"Why?"

"I just figured?—"

"That I'd want to cover up for that horrid man? Oh no. I plan to out so much of what he was doing," she said with satisfaction. "I have been thinking about it for the last hour and I think what we should do is call a press conference at my house for the morning. I think we should confirm that the senator is dead, that my mother is alive and what he was doing in that facility." Shine knew she was angry, knew her voice showed it, but she didn't care. She was angry, for herself, her mother, Ebony and everyone who had fled that facility. "The world deserves to know what he did, they shouldn't mourn him."

"Babe," Granger said softly. "I don't think you're seeing things clearly."

"What?" she snapped and pulled her hands out of his grip, feeling betrayed.

"You're not his daughter. If you reveal that bit to the world, then someone is going to come after you for everything he owned. You can't inherit it; you're not really related. Not only that but halflings can't inherit from parents anyway so unless he put you in his will, which I doubt, you'd get nothing. The only way to fight what his will might say is if the world continues to believe you are his fullsoul legitimate daughter."

"I don't give a shit about his money."

"I know, but how well can you take care of her without it? How well can you track down the orphans, the mothers, everyone affected by his dirty work without money and the power it brings? I'll give you every penny I have, and I still don't think it will be enough to do what I know you want to do for them all."

Shine sat back and frowned. "Damnit, I hate that you're right."

Granger nodded. "So here's my plan. We sneak back in much like we snuck out. You do call a press conference as the grieving daughter. You confirm he had a meeting at the facility late last night and was likely in the explosion. You don't introduce your mother, at least not until we know what he did to her and what we can undo. Then we get to work. We search every file and every computer and find every one of the children he created with synthetic souls. Let them decide what to do with that information. It is better that it's their decision and they can keep it hidden if they want."

"We need to find the women and children who were taken out tonight. I don't want them used anymore."

"Yes, I think that's at the top of the list. Once word is out that your father is dead, they'll be scrambling. We need to know who would step in if he died, there has to be some kind of second in command and I doubt it was Marty."

Shine shook her head and thought of all her father's associates. There were a couple who might be primed to take over. She'd invite them over for a discussion. A few threats would hopefully be enough to get them to back off and keep their knowledge to themselves.

"How do we keep anyone else from doing what he did?"

"We can't."

"So we can't keep it a secret, can we? At least not forever," Shine said.

"I guess not," Granger admitted. "So, back to plan A? Press conference and reveal all? The good, the bad and the ugly?"

"Hey, who you calling ugly," Shine teased and slid across to Granger's lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and let him hold her close, comforting. "We don't have to reveal what I am, or my mother. But we can talk about his research, we can reveal all he did wrong to those people."

"It's a brave path," Granger said as he stroked her back gently.

"I think it's what Ebony would do," she said with a sigh. "I miss her already."

"Do you need something I can give you?"

She shook her head. "No, and that's another thing. If there is a way to at least partially heal nosouls with a shot, that needs to be knowledge, that needs to be shared around the world. Think of all the people we could save." She sat up straight in his lap and her mind spun around the possibilities. They could save so many from suffering, they could open up the world to those who cowered in darkness.

"You truly are a good soul, Shine."

"Better than what the gods designed, I'd say. I never once wanted to kill my soulsister."

"Not even a little?" he asked.

"Not even when she wore the same outfit as me," Shine said with a laugh.

"Do you envy her having a soulmate, the soulspark is supposed to be great."

"I don't envy her anything. She has everything she deserves, and I have everything I want," she said and slipped onto his lap, kissing him passionately.

A shocked sound from her mother had her crawling off with a laugh. "Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes," she whispered and shook her ass down the aisle.