Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
The other man who entered beside him moved with contained power, like he was on edge and anyone thinking to approach him should think twice. His gaze swept the room in what I recognized as a threat assessment. He wasn’t comfortable with this place at all.
His expression revealed nothing, blank as a concrete wall, but his eyes missed nothing. Prison-pale skin contrasted sharply with dark tattoos that climbed his neck. This had to be Jagger Kross, the man Knight had mentioned was being released after thirty-seven years inside.
The door behind the bar opened, and Knight emerged. My brother looked tired, the lines around his eyes deeper than when I’d seen him last week. His eyes lit up when he spotted me, though, and he crossed the room with long strides.
“Ada.” I stood and Knight wrapped me in a bear hug that lifted me slightly off my feet. “Wasn’t expecting you today.”
“Hence the surprise part of surprise visits,” I said, returning his embrace. When he set me down, I held up the folder. “We need to talk.”
His smile faded as he glanced at the folder. “Business or personal?”
“Both, maybe.” I kept my voice low. “Can we use your office?”
Knight nodded, placing his hand lightly on my back as he guided me toward the hallway. His office was small but private. He shut and locked the door, then sat behind his desk and slumped back, turning his full attention to me.
“What’s going on?”
I handed him the folder. “I submitted my DNA to three different ancestry websites.”
“OK…” He looked confused. “Why would you do that?”
“You cut Lavender out of your life less than a week after you were arrested.”
Instantly, my brother’s gaze focused and hardened. “I don’t talk about Lavender, Ada. Ever. You know that.”
“Yes. I do. Which is why I took the steps I did.”
“Ada --”
“No. You listen to me!”
He took a breath and opened his mouth like he might argue, but sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Christ, Ada,” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m listening.”
“Something was wrong. That day you told her not to come back.” Did I imagine he winced? “She was so upset the last time I saw her. I tried to keep in touch, but she changed her number. So, after thinking about it for a few months, I decided to put my DNA profile out there in case there was ever a need.”
“What are you sayin’, Ada?” I could see the moment he saw what I was throwing at him but tried hard to pretend it wasn’t glaring at him in the face.
“I’m saying, I think she was upset about more than you going to prison.”
“You think she was pregnant with my kid?”
I didn’t hesitate. “I do. Last time I saw her, she was sick with what she said was a puking bug. She laughed it off, but she also kept rubbing her lower belly. She was distracted. Nervous.” I paused for effect. “Hurt. Angry. Maybe even more than a little scared.”
He shook his head. “No.” He kept shaking his head. “No fuckin’ way. She’d have told me.”
“Would she?” I leaned forward, needing to make my point. “What did she say to you the last day you saw her?”
“I -- she was -- she was hurt. I didn’t mean to hurt her.” Knight, through all the tattoos covering his face, looked all kinds of miserable and pained. “But I wasn’t getting out for a decade. I didn’t want her waste her life waiting for me.”
“I didn’t ask what you said to her. Not my business. What did she say to you?”
Knight stared at me for a long time. I saw the exact moment my suspicions were confirmed. “She told me she had something to tell me.” He paused. “And I told her I had nothing else to say. Then I left.”
I sighed. “That’s what I thought. You were too stubborn to ask for help, so I helped you out the only way I knew how.”
Knight ran a hand through his shaggy hair, those freaky tattooed eyes of his making him look like something out of a horror movie. Ink covered much of his face, adding to the eerie effect. “I know, but fuck, Ada. There are privacy issues. The club --”
“I used a fake name and a burner email,” I assured him. “Nothing traces back to you or the club. This is our best, quickest shot at finding any child you have. Sure, we could do it all by hand, but that’s like finding a needle in a haystack. At least this way we might have a good starting point.”
The fight went out of him. He slumped in his chair, opening the folder to scan the printouts. “So what now? We just wait for relatives to pop up?”
“Pretty much. I set alerts if anyone with significant DNA matches creates an account.” I leaned forward. “Knight, if you have a child out there, like I believe you do, you won’t be able to stand not knowing. I can tell by looking at you right now you’re worrying about it.”