Ice froze in my veins.

It wasn’t a new thought to me, but it was the first time any of us had voiced it.

Our father might be as psychopathic as the rest of these people.

Talon nodded. “Joe’s right.”

“I know he is,” I said. “I just don’t want to think about having two biological parents that are so mentally deficient. What the hell kind of DNA is floating around in my cells? I don’t get it. What happens to people to make them this way? To do these kinds of things?”

“Ry,” Joe said, “if we could identify what makes people do these kinds of things, we'd have fixed it by now.”

“Dad had a good life,” I continued. “Great parents who loved him. A good work ethic. All the money in the goddamned world.” I shook my head. “I just don’t get it.”

“Be glad you don’t get it,” Talon said. “That means you didn’t inherit whatever nutjob gene he was carrying. I’m thankful none of us did.”

“But he was a model citizen,” I said. “Everyone knew and respected him and the Steel operation.”

“Psychopaths often seem to have great lives to outsiders,” Joe said. “Look at Wendy. She was a respected newswoman. Tom Simpson was our mayor, for God’s sake, and Larry was the city attorney. We now know the secret lives all of them were leading.”

I winced. “Are you saying that Dad had a secret life too?”

Joe sighed. “I think that’s pretty clear at this point. I’ve talked to Melanie at length about this. Many psychopaths are never caught because they’re smart and they cover up their crimes. One thing about Dad, Tom, Larry, and Wendy. None of them are dummies.”

I scraped my fingers through my hair. “I want to know my story. How I came to be.”

“You know that,” Talon said.

“No, I don’t. I don’t know for sure if Dad fucked Wendy.” Ruby’s odd theory hadn’t left my mind, and even though I’d discounted it at first, I’d been ruminating on it. “I wouldn’t put it past her to get her hands on his sperm and have herself artificially inseminated.”

“Exactly how would she get her hands on his sperm? I doubt Dad ever deposited any specimens in a sperm bank. I know you don’t want to believe it, Ry, but Dad fucked Wendy.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to believe it.”

“None of us do,” Talon said. “We all thought more of Dad than that. But he did. You’re proof of that.”

“Still, I want to look into it. I’m going to call all the sperm banks in Colorado—” I couldn’t help a raucous laugh. “Good God, what am I thinking? Dad would never donate sperm, and those records are probably sealed anyway.”

“You’re thinking you deserve an explanation for what happened,” Joe said. “But it’s time for you to accept that there isn’t one—at least not one that makes sense to rational people.”

“Hence us questioning Dad’s mental state,” Talon agreed.

I couldn’t fault my brothers’ observations, but I just wasn’t ready to accept that I came from not one but two psychopaths. How the hell had all of this happened? Dad had loved Mom…er, Daphne. Yet my mother claimed he loved her and only her. “I don’t see any evidence that Dad loved Wendy as much as she claims,” I said.

“I don’t either,” Joe said. “I wondered that from the beginning. If they were so in love, why didn’t she come into the picture after Mom died? It doesn’t make any sense.”

I let out a sigh. “We may never get all the answers. None of these people can be trusted, including our own father.”

Talon nodded. “I’ve had to accept that as well, even though I’d love to know why I had to endure the hell I endured. But the most important thing is to find Mathias and bring him to justice. We got two of them, and Wendy’s in psych lockup. Only one to go.”

“Yeah, the most elusive one.” I regarded Talon—the brother I’d always considered my hero. I didn’t want to ask the next question, but I had to. “Tal…what do you remember about the day you were taken? What do you remember about how I got away?”

Talon closed his eyes.

“If you don’t want to talk about this, you don’t have to.”

He opened his eyes. “It’s okay. But first, why do you want to know?”

Wendy had already told Tal and Joe that I’d been spared because I was her son, and I didn’t want to confirm it. But I had no choice if I wanted Talon to answer my question. I quickly explained my conversation with Wendy.

“I’m overwhelmed with guilt, Tal,” I said. “To think that I was spared because I’m that psycho’s son. It should have been me.”

“Don’t say that,” Joe said.

“I can’t help it. I have to know. Is that how it happened, Tal? Because I remember a guy holding me and you somehow hitting him in the groin. He let me go, and you yelled at me to run.”

“Yes, that’s what I remember,” he said.

“So it was you. You saved me. Wendy is lying.”

“As much as I’d love to think it was all me,” Talon said, “the reality is that Simpson and Mathias could probably have easily handled two little boys. I was ten. I most likely didn’t do that much damage to his groin.”

An anvil settled in my gut. Talon had admitted it. He probably wasn’t the reason I’d gotten away.

“Don’t look so glum, Ry,” he said. “I’m glad you got away. I don’t hold any resentment toward you.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Look. I can’t change what happened, and if I could, do you think for a minute I’d have you go through that hell instead of me? Hell, no. If I’d had a choice between myself and either of you, I’d have chosen me.”

“Me too,” Joe said, sighing. “In a minute.”

I studied my two brothers. They looked so much alike. Even though all three of us resembled our father, Tal and Joe were so similar in appearance. Now we knew why. Would I have gone in their places if I’d had the choice?

The answer shot straight into my brain with no hesitation.

Yes.

I would have done anything to protect my brothers.

“Me too,” I agreed.

“That’s what brothers do,” Talon said.

And I realized it didn’t really matter whether Talon was the reason I got away or not. He’d tried to help me get away, and he’d told me to run.

He was still my hero—my true brother in all ways—and he always would be.

---

I was exhausted by the time I got to the hotel. I inserted the keycard and opened the door. Everything was dark. Ruby must have already gone to bed. As much as I would have loved a romp with her, I was also fatigued, so it was just as well she was already asleep. I wouldn’t wake her.

I poured myself half a glass of wine to unwind and sat down in the living area for a few minutes, reflecting on the conversation I’d had with my brothers. One thing was clear. We had to locate our father. That was the only way we’d get the answers we needed.

I sighed and downed the wine. Snuggling up to Ruby was the prescription I needed.

I set down the goblet and opened the door to the bedroom. It was dark. I undressed quickly and got into bed.

She wasn’t there.