Warrior (Relentless #4)(208)

Undaunted, Sara strode over and threw several old photos on the coffee table. “I could ask you the same question,” she said coldly as Adele leaned forward to peer at them.

Adele picked them up carefully, handling them like they were valuable heirlooms. “Where did you get these?”

“From a box of things my mother left behind,” Sara told her.

“Your mother? What would your mother be doing with…?” Adele’s mouth fell open, and she stared at Sara. “You are Madeline’s daughter.”

“Yes.”

I looked at Sara. She claimed she didn’t feel anything for her mother, but the trace of bitterness in her voice said otherwise. I wondered if she even knew it was there.

“You look nothing like her,” Adele commented, studying Sara’s face.

“I know.”

“Madeline’s daughter,” Adele breathed, settling back against the couch. “Pardon me for staring, but in all the years I’ve known her, she never once spoke of a daughter. I knew she was married to a human for a few years, but not that there was a child.”

Apparently, that part of Madeline’s life was something she’d kept from everyone, even her closest friends. And judging by the fondness in Adele’s voice, she and Madeline were very close.

“I’m not a child anymore.”

Adele’s shrewd eyes met mine. “So it would seem.”

Now that the introductions were over, it was time to get to the reason for our visit. I pointed to the photos Adele still held. “Tell us about your history with Madeline.”

She stared at the photos then looked at Sara. “The story I told you about Madeline saving my life from a vampire was true. That happened years after we met. It was nineteen seventy-one and I was living in San Diego when I met Madeline at a party. We were the only non-humans there, and we were drawn to each other’s company. We hit it off immediately and spent the next few months partying and having fun. It was the best summer of my life.”

Her story rang true and sounded exactly like the Madeline I knew. She’d always loved the beach and talked about California. San Diego would have been the ideal scene for her.

Adele’s brows drew together. “She surprised me when she said she was enrolling in college in Maine of all places. Madeline was more adventurous than academic, and she liked warm sunny places. It was around that time that I lost touch with her for a few years. She sent a few letters, but she stopped visiting altogether for about four years. One day she reappeared and told me she’d gotten married, but it hadn’t worked out. She never said his name.”

Adele stood and walked over to pour herself some wine. “Would you care for a drink?” she asked us.

When we declined, she went back to her couch. “Madeline was different after that, quieter. Sometimes she got a sad look in her eyes, but when I questioned her she never wanted to talk about it. I figured she still cared for her human ex-husband and I left it at that. She continued to travel and return here three or four times a year, until about ten years ago. I barely see her these days.”

“What did she tell you about the Master she was running from?” Sara asked in a hard voice.

Hearing about her parents had obviously upset her, though she was trying not to show it. I would have taken her hand, but I sensed she needed to be strong in front of Adele.

“Madeline told me she’d had a run-in with a Master, but she didn’t say more than that.” Adele’s eye twitched, belying her fear. No demon, not even a powerful succubus, wanted to talk about a Master, lest he find out and come asking questions.

“Were you selling Madeline glamours to hide her from the vampires?” Sara asked Orias.

Why hadn’t I made that connection? I’d known Adele and Orias were friends, and he was the one who’d sent Sara to Adele to look for Madeline. Which raised yet another question. Why would he help Sara if she’d upset him so much during her visit?

“My glamours are the best,” he replied haughtily. “Only Fae magic is better.”

I looked at Adele. “Our sources tell us that Madeline was on her way here to Los Angeles in December, around the time Sara paid you a visit.”

“She came to see me at my home that same night. I told her there was a faerie youngling asking after her on behalf of her daughter, and she asked me if I was joking. She left the next morning, and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”

Adele set her glass down and stood. “This has been lovely, but I’m afraid I must beg you to excuse me. I have a lot of work to do before the club opens in a few hours.”

I nodded. “Thank you for your time.”

“Anytime,” she replied smoothly.

Taking Sara’s arm, I turned her toward the door. My eyes met Chris’s, and he gave me a tiny nod.

“But…”

Sara started to protest, but I led her outside before she could call Adele out for lying to us.

We left the office, and Chris shut the door. I let go of Sara, and she spun to face me.

“What are you doing? She knows exactly where Madeline is.”

“Yes, and we are the last people she is going to tell,” I replied evenly. “It’s clear she and Madeline are very close, and she is not going to betray her friend.”

Sara’s face fell. “But she’s our only connection to Madeline.”