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his house when Kella had run her fingers through the strands for the first time, and he’d halted the haircut. Crazy, since she’d been gone eight years.
    She’s dead, not gone. All evidence points to that.
    He’d sobbed like a baby the night his father had delivered the news of her death. Kella had meant everything to him. A new start, a future packed with hope, with his best friend and love at his side, he’d had plans for them.
    Pretty fucking sure that wasn’t love. More like lust or puppy love. Time had shown him he could love any woman that opened her legs to him.
    Kella is dead .
    No way a naïve girl of fourteen could’ve disappeared into the badlands, and survived, only to resurface eight hundred miles away almost a decade later. Wearing another face no less. He had a better chance of finding Sasquatch.
    They entered the tavern and chose a table in the back corner where the light was dimmest. Stone removed his black, leather jacket and slung it onto one of the empty seats. He grabbed the back of his chair, spun it around, and straddled it. James took the seat that backed up to the wall, and got comfy leaning back on two legs. His friend could keep an eye on those who entered with his placement.
    James ordered their drinks and eyed Stone as the waitress strolled away. “Tell me what’s on your mind, brother.”
    Stone rubbed at his temples with his fingertips. “It’s probably nothing. Just...it’s a coincidence that Mack Ellason is an archeologist and Mackella was interested in the same subject. Also can’t dismiss that Mark Evans claimed Mack has information on Kella.” He held his breath waiting for James to scoff at his insinuation.
    Instead, his friend nodded. “I noticed the similarities too. But don’t get your hopes up. Kella is dead . The DNA proved it, and I can’t figure out how she could survive an attack in the badlands, only to reappear hundreds of miles away eight years later.”
    “Yeah, that’s bothering me too.” Almost exactly what he’d been thinking too.
    James nodded. “I’m more inclined to believe Evans is leading you on a wild goose chase. Just haven’t figured out why yet.”
    Stone fell silent when the waitress returned. She set a pitcher on the table, along with two streaked glasses. “Names Missy if you need anything .”
    He watched James’s eyes alight with interest. “What’s the going rate?”
    The fiery redhead threw out a figure, and Stone zoned out of the conversation, his thoughts leading him right back to Kella. Mack Ellason had been sassy, surprising him with her spunk, the same attitude Kella often displayed. Despite Kella’s common birth, she’d back talked him from the day she moved into his home with her mother.
    The six-year-old flashed him a glare. Him ! The nerve of the girl. He was Stone Emmerson. The Regent-heir-apparent. His importance eclipsed everyone. He’d teach her to respect her superiors.
    “Stone, this is Mackella, the one I told you about.” His mother gave him a knowing stare, her silent way of commanding him to utilize his manners.
    Pfft...manners were for dregs. Regents could do anything they wanted without recourse. He’d learned that one from his dad.
    Last night his mom had imparted the news that Mackella’s father had died tragically in their mines while saving one of the Regent’s men. The miner’s lungs had burned out of his chest, and his eyes burned from his body. The man the miner saved had suffered severe wounds, but he’d live. A sacrifice they rewarded by offering the man’s wife employment in their home. Just one catch, she had a daughter that’d be tagging along. A nuisance in Stone’s opinion. He preferred being the only kid in the house. But when his mom asked a favor of him, he usually caved to her desires because he liked making her smile. This time he had to treat the new woman’s daughter kindly.
    Stone liked the friends he had, and getting the chore of entertaining a commoner was a waste of his