I'd driven roughly halfway to the police office when I realised that I hadn't told Caleb that Tris didn't know that Clara was her daughter, or that Clara didn't know that Tris was her mother. I cursed under my breath and considered turning around as I stopped at the traffic lights, but I decided against it. Even partly drunk, Caleb wasn't stupid. He would figure out soon enough what Tris could and couldn't remember. I just hoped that he wouldn't take it upon himself to fill in the blank spots in her memory.

I forced my worries about Caleb and what choices he would make in regards to Tris' memory out of my head – I didn't have the room in my head to worry about both Tris and Marcus at the same time. Both predicaments required clear head spaces so that they could take up every bit of my attention so that I could try to find a solution to them, which was both impossible and fatally dangerous while driving my old truck. Instead of allowing myself to fret over Tris and Caleb, I allowed myself to worry about Marcus for the first time as I pulled into the police station, switching the truck off and climbing out.

"Tobias!" Zeke called as I entered, leaning over the counter. I noticed Amar leaning over the table a few metres behind the counter, but my gaze snapped back to Zeke as he clapped me on the shoulder. "It's been a while. How's Clara?"

I shrugged. "Have you spoken to Christina at all?"

Zeke looked vaguely surprised, but he shook his head and shrugged. "No. Why?"

I gestured towards the door to my right and Zeke nodded, coming around the counter and unlocking the door. I walked inside and Zeke followed, locking the door behind him. "So, what's all this about?"

I told him about Tris and Marcus and by the time I had finished, Zeke had his arms folded over his chest and his eyes narrowed slightly. He was silent for a long time until he took a deep breath and shrugged, a slow rise and drop of his shoulders. "What do you want me to do?"

"Look into why Marcus is here. It's no coincidence that he's here, now, on the exact same day as Tris."

"You think there's a connection between him and Tris coming back?" Zeke asked.

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know what I think. It'd be so much easier to work this out if Tris didn't have so many holes in her memory, but she does, so I'm trying to figure why he'd be here."

"Do you think it has something to do with Clara?"

I shrugged, looking away. "It's possible. How would he even know about her?"

"Evelyn?"

I shook my head. "She wouldn't do that. My mother adores Clara. She wouldn't jeopardise her by alerting Marcus of her existence."

"So how would he know, then?"

Again, I shrugged. "I don't know, but I need to get back to Tris. I left her with Caleb and I need to get back – who knows what he'll tell if I don't."

"Hang on." Zeke said. "So Tris doesn't know that Clara's her daughter?"

"No."

"Does Clara know that Tris is her mother?"

I made a strangled noise. "No."

"You know you're going to have to tell her, don't you?"

"Yeah." I was well aware that my answers had become as short and quick as possible and from the furrowing of his brow, I could tell that Zeke had noticed as well.

"When do you plan on telling her?" Zeke asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It's not exactly something I can just come out and say, is it, Zeke?"

"She has a right – " he broke off as my phone rang and I answered it, but not before I'd checked the caller display. "Clara? Are you alright?"

Clara breaths were short and clipped, her voice low as if she was hiding form someone. "Dad. There's a man at the house."

My heart nearly stopped. "Describe him."

Clara then proceeded to give me an exact description of my father.

"Hold on," I told her. "I'll be there soon."

"What's wrong?" Zeke asked as I hung up the phone, unlocking the door.

"Marcus's turned up at the house and Clara's there." I said. "Are you coming?"

"Like you have to ask," Zeke replied, following me out to my truck.


When I pulled up to the house, there was no one hanging around, but I noticed that the blinds were drawn. I unlocked the house and stomped up the stairs, Zeke trailing behind me with one hand on the top of the gun holster resting on his hip.

I reached for Clara's bedroom door and found it locked. Frustrated and worried, I pounded on her bedroom door with my fist, ignoring the slight twinge of pain that shot up my arm at the harsh contact. "Clara? Clara!"

Suddenly the door was unlocked and swung open, and my daughter stood before me, her cheeks wet with tears. I hugged her tight and Clara seemed to sag against me, hugging me tighter than she had for a long time.

"What happened?" Zeke asked as Clara stepped away, leaning against the door frame.

"A man showed up here. I locked the doors and pulled all the blinds down. I don't know if he saw me or not, but he took off after five minutes."

I exchanged a glance with Zeke. "Marcus."

Zeke nodded and glanced over at Clara. "But he didn't get in?"

Clara shook her head. "It was weird. He banged on the door and looked like he was going to break in, but then he just took off."

Zeke sighed and let his hand drop from his gun. "Alright. Let me know if he turns up and starts harassing you, okay?"

Clara nodded and I gave him a pointed look, to which he nodded. "I'll look into that stuff, Tobias. I'd better get back to the station. See you both later."

He let himself out and Clara turned to me, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Where's Tris?"

"At Caleb's. Come on. We've got to go get her." I told Clara, gesturing for her to follow as I walked out of the house, locking the door once she'd followed me out.