My mother shook her head back and forth, and I could see the disgust in her eyes. She’d never loved me, not really. I’d been nothing more than a pawn in a much larger chessboard in her life, and I was disposable if she needed to move her Queen.

“I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you all this, but I thought you needed to know,” Cain said, and I looked between my mother and Peter and thought about how perfect they were for one another.

I took a deep breath, wrapped my arm around Cain’s waist, and looked up at him. He lowered his head and gave my lips a soft kiss.

“Ah, well, this explains it all. A money-grabbing mechanic seems about right for your taste. So how much money do you want?”

“No, not quite,” Cain said. “I took the liberty of cleaning out your account, so Kirby has all your money now. Never trust a hacker near a computer. Luckily for me, I have a few that owe me and like money.” He smiled, and I stifled a laugh. “The money you stole from her father as you clawed your way to the top is all gone. I felt it was only fitting that it would go to her since it should’ve been hers in the first place.” Cain shrugged.

“You what?” My mother screamed, her face turning tomato red. “I’ll fucking have you thrown in jail for this, you thief. That money is mine.”

“I think it’s time I formally introduced the two of you,” I said.

“I don’t want to meet this guy formally, I want you to untie me right now, and I’m having him arrested.”

A smile curled up at the corner of my mouth as all the emotions washed away and left me feeling empty and used.

“Well, I’m going to introduce you anyway, and I have to tell you this is going to be fucking ironic for you, and it brings so much fucking joy to my soul.” My mother’s face twisted into confusion, but I continued before she could spout off any more of her bullshit. “Mother, this is Cain Buchanan. You know him as the mechanic you interviewed, but you already know him. More specifically, you know his work. I want to introduce you to The Chameleon.”

My mother laughed and then stopped as she looked between our serious expressions, and hers slowly fell. Cain stepped forward, and the cold mask of the killer was pulled into place.

“It’s finally nice to meet you as the real me, Mrs. Lawson. I’ve enjoyed watching you very much as you chased your tail to find me.”