“Has Max called yet?”
“No.”
Leo was sitting near the window, staring out into the quiet street when Malachi walked in. He felt restless. There was nothing to do in the city. Rhys was continuing his research at the archives, trying to track down the families and genealogies of other Irina who were known to have taken human mates. Gabriel was at his office, putting together more funds for their search, which Konrad had quietly approved. Leo and Malachi were stuck at the house with nothing to do and no Grigori to fight.
Malachi sat down across from him. “Ava was named after her grandmother,” he said. “It can’t be a coincidence that Jasper Reed named his daughter his biological mother’s name. He was put into the system when he was very young, but he must have known her name.”
“I’m surprised Ava’s mother allowed Reed to name her,” Leo said. “I thought she didn’t have much to do with him.”
“Lena Matheson might not have known the significance. And Ava is a common enough human name.”
“There’s no other record of the first Ava?”
“Not that Rhys has found. Or Konrad’s contact in America.”
Leo was silent for some time. Then he said, “If he knew her name, is it possible he knew more than that?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a very famous musician, isn’t he? He has a lot of money. Do we know if he was wealthy when Ava was born?”
Malachi said, “Rhys said Reed was already famous when Ava was born.”
“So he probably had money. And if he had money, he could have found his mother. Maybe as an adult, even. Reed might be the reason her records don’t exist.”
“Why would he make his own mother disappear? Especially if she was dead?”
Leo shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“But if he has her records, or knows where they are…” Malachi was starting to see where Leo was going. “There’s no way we could talk to him. He has bodyguards. Handlers.”
“But he only has one daughter.”
“He would tell Ava. Probably.”
“Maybe.”
The phone rang. The loud electronic buzz filled the silent library.
Leo picked it up. “Max?”
Malachi could hear his brother’s voice from across the room.
“Get to Oslo, Leo. Get Malachi and get on a plane now.”
Malachi’s heart raced. “Oslo?”
“I’ve found them,” Max said. “I’ve found Ava.”