Chapter Two
I grabbed Garrick’s hand.
Navarro wants me. As his.
The sick feeling returned.
Garrick had lost patience with the situation. “Just lay it out, Hastings. Navarro is not coming near her.”
Hastings clenched his jaw. “I don’t like this any more than you do. But Navarro isn’t someone to fuck with. Once you see I’m telling the truth, we’ll talk again.”
“And then what? We align?” Garrick asked, trying to ascertain Hastings’ intentions.
Hastings’ eyes cut to Garrick, and I saw the lethalness behind them. “Yes. We’re going to need each other to get through this. A lot has changed since you were with the family. War is coming.”
War.
Mobs.
This wasn’t good.
Another member of the security team walked in the door with the requested kits. While Joe efficiently collected the DNA needed, the sounds of containers opening and papers shuffling filled the otherwise quiet room. After Joe properly boxed the samples, he set them on the table and resumed his stance next to Hastings. The men still didn’t trust him, regardless of how cooperative he’d been.
I kept staring at him, reliving the previous moments we’d had and adjusting my outlook on them.
Hastings stood and put his hands in his pockets. “Mom and Dad are anxious to meet you—once you’re ready.”
The gala. I remembered how intense they had been. If they’d thought I was their daughter, it now made sense. Still, I wasn’t ready to officially “meet” them. Not with all the questions in my head. How did I wind up with the couple I knew as my parents? Were they involved? Why would they do such a thing? I needed answers. Belatedly, I realized Hastings was waiting for a response. “Let’s see what the DNA test says first.”
“I remember you.” He said the words in such a quiet voice, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly.
“What?” I asked.
For a second, Hastings’ eyes had a faraway look. “I remember Mom bringing you home from the hospital. I swore I’d be the best big brother. You were a quiet baby. Then you were gone.”
A sense of sadness seeped from him and latched on to me. His shoulders slumped and his mouth turned down. The loss of a sibling affected him in ways I couldn’t imagine.
He turned to Garrick. “We need to stop the sale of Energy Sources.”
“No.” There was no pause, no considering; his answer was absolute.
Hastings refused to back down. “Garrick, you need to listen to me. It will keep Knoah safe. We may have gone our separate ways over the years, but have I ever lied to you?”
The muscle in Garrick’s jaw ticked. “Why do you want me to stop it?”
“Because it will keep Navarro at a distance for a bit longer. Delay the sale. Don’t tell any of the other board members. It was a dick move on my part—forcing my way in. I admit it.”
I moved a little closer into Garrick, but felt him relaxing some. Perhaps his resolve to sell the company was weakening. “You’re going to have to give me more than that if you want me to consider stopping the sale.”
“Navarro thinks I have some control over you because of the last incident. If you sell it, he will act sooner.”
“We’ll be ready for Navarro.”
Ready for Navarro? There was so much to think about. Where do even I begin?
As he leaned forward, Hastings’ mouth was a straight line, his green eyes sparking with fire. “No you won’t, Garrick. Navarro is powerful and well connected. We don’t need him any more on guard than he already is—at least until he can be dealt with. If you don’t listen to me, you’re putting Knoah at an unnecessary risk. We want her safe. It’s the one thing you and I agree on. It’s the only reason why I’m here tonight.”
Because Navarro now wants me.
Garrick nodded. “I’ll review my options.”
“You do that.” The irritation was obvious in his tone. “But don’t let your ego cloud the situation.”
Garrick stood while I remained on the couch. “Joe will escort you out of the building. We’ll be in touch.”
Before leaving, Hastings tipped his head my way. Then the men filed out behind him.
When I was alone with Garrick, devastation rolled through me.
“Knoah?”
My mind was on repeat.
Sister.
War.
Navarro.
Mob.
I jumped when I felt something on my shoulder. “Knoah, it’s only me.”
Garrick had sat beside me, and I climbed into his lap. It felt like an eternity since we’d come home, yet it was barely nine. The reality of the situation was beginning to set in. It was real, but it felt like a dream. In a sense, a fog had settled over my brain.
But I had to get something resolved tonight. Until I had answers, I wouldn’t be able to sleep or digest my new reality. “I need to talk to my parents.”
“Knoah.” Garrick’s anxious tone sent a clear signal to me.
My eyes filled with tears. “I need to know if what he’s saying is true. If I’m not their kid…What if they took me? What if…I don’t know what to think. How did I end up with them? None of it makes sense.”
The thought of my parents not being my parents hurt beyond belief. They were magnificent people. Yet if they took me from another family, where did that leave everything?
If I asked, I would know if they were lying. “We’re having dinner with them tomorrow. We’ll be able to talk to them then,” Garrick said.
“Tonight. I want to go tonight.” I needed to know. I placed my hand on Garrick’s chest. “I won’t be able to sleep at all. I have to know.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Let me contact Joe. We’ll go tonight, but I want to keep it an impromptu visit in case their phones have been tapped.”
Phones being tapped.
Mob rivalries.
My neighbor murdered.
Navarro wanted me.
And there was probably more…so much more.