Atilla
I’d always wondered why parents let their kids run wild in stores. I now understood it was utter exhaustion. Although, our kids weren’t bad. They hadn’t pitched fits or fussed even a little. If anything, they were too damn quiet. I’d convinced Nora to walk once we reached the store, but she still held onto the bottom of my cut. Santiago stuck close to her, and Lena walked on my other side.
I knew it killed her to be so close yet feel so far away from Santiago. Part of me understood his attitude. It didn’t mean I had to like it. When Lena took Nora to the bathroom, I pulled Santiago aside for a moment.
Kneeling down, I made sure I had his attention. “I know you’re angry. You may not be ready to share everything you went through, and that’s okay, but what I can’t condone is the way you’re treating your mother. She loves you more than you’ll ever know. Can you try a little harder for me? Give her a chance to show you how much she wants to be part of your life?”
“Casey kept her baby.”
I nodded. “She did, and that’s because she had me standing in her corner. Your mom didn’t have anyone. The entire world was against her keeping that baby, or that’s how it felt to her at the time. Her parents wanted her to give you up. Your dad signed away his rights. If you want to blame someone for what happened to you, then be angry with them. If they’d given your mother even a little support, she’d have held onto you.”
“Are you Nora’s real dad?” he asked softly.
“No. Blood doesn’t make a family, though, Santi. The men who helped save you last night are my family. My brothers. We’re part of the same club, and we’ve chosen to live and die for one another. Same as I did with you, your mom, and Nora. As of last night, the three of you are officially mine, and I will never let anyone hurt any of you again.”
“What if she decides she likes Nora more?” he asked.
“She won’t. She can love you both equally, same as me.” I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the back of his neck. “You’re my boy, Santi. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different, okay? I love you and Nora the same amount. And I love Casey and little Becca the same too. I don’t favor one of you over the others. You’re all my family.”
“I understand,” he murmured.
“Do you sometimes need to vent your anger?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Hmm. Then I guess we’d better find a healthy outlet for it. We’ll get some sports equipment today and see if you like one more than another. Kicking a ball, throwing one, going for a run, or hitting a punching bag can all be good ways to let out your frustration and anger without the risk of hurting someone else.”
Lena and Nora came out of the bathroom, and I stood. Santiago held up his hand for Lena. For a brief moment, a startled expression crossed her face, but she smiled warmly as she clutched his hand in hers. Nora came back to me, grabbing hold of my hand.
We spent the next two hours buying clothes and shoes for both children, as well as toys for Nora. Even though we’d already picked out things for Santiago, I let him get a few things in the sports section. I’d also texted Spade and asked him to find a basketball net and have it installed by the street in the gap between my house and the one next door. Santiago could use it, or any other kids, as our club expanded.
Neither child seemed to know what foods they liked to eat and were hesitant to select snacks. I tossed in goldfish crackers, pretzel sticks, chocolate chip cookies, fruit cups, Jell-O cups, and fruit gummies. Even if they weren’t the healthiest options, I wanted the kids to have things they’d enjoy. I stocked up on frozen chicken breasts to put in my small freezer, and let Lena select fresh meat too.
I knew Casey liked macaroni and cheese, as well as spaghetti, so I made sure we had what we needed to make both. Lena tossed in some canned vegetables and two boxes of rice. I’d stock up more at the grocery store, but once we added bacon, eggs, and biscuits to the cart, we at least had the basics covered for the next few days.
I paid for what ended up being two shopping carts full of items and then loaded everything into the SUV. Lena set up the booster seats and buckled the kids in. I didn’t think Lena would feel like cooking when we got home, and it was nearly lunchtime. The kids hadn’t eaten a lot at breakfast, and I’d already heard Santiago’s stomach growling, even though he hadn’t said a word about being hungry.
I swung through the drive-thru of a local chicken place and ordered a bucket of fried chicken, two large containers of mashed potatoes with gravy, and two of mac and cheese, and a box of biscuits. When we got home, I’d let Lena put everything where she wanted it, and I’d make a quick call to Wire. I hadn’t heard anything yet, and since I knew he was looking into Nora’s past, I found it odd I hadn’t received an update of any sort. The man was typically quick when it came to this sort of thing.
“I’m going to get someone to come help you unload. The kids saw General last night, so he might be the safer bet,” I said. “I’ll be in the bedroom on the phone if you need me.”
I kissed Lena’s cheek and got out of the car. After a quick text to General, asking him to come help my woman and kids, I hurried into the house. Everything was quiet in Casey’s room, and she had the door shut, so I didn’t disturb her. I hoped she was sleeping. The bottles she’d requested had been out of stock, but I’d ordered some for a two-day delivery online. The breast pump was in the back of the car. I’d let Lena pick it since I didn’t know a damn thing about them. I knew she didn’t either, but she’d seemed excited about helping.
After I shut the bedroom door, I took out my phone and dialed Wire’s number. The fucker didn’t even so much as say hello when the call connected. He answered and hung up. I called again, but the same thing happened. The hairs on my nape stood up, so I checked in with Outlaw to see if he’d heard anything.
“This is Outlaw.”
“It’s Atilla. Have you heard from Wire? I tried calling. He picked up and immediately hung up. Twice.”
“He’s busy.”
Uh-huh. Now I knew something was up. Outlaw was never this short with me. Not in all the years I’d known him.
“Talk to me. Does this have to do with my kids?” I asked.
“Did you really need to know where Nora came from?” he asked. “Because it’s opened a can of worms no one should have touched.”
“He said her mom was in and out of jail and the father was unknown. What’s the problem?” I asked.
“I’ve known you a long time, right?” Outlaw asked.
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve always been up front with me. Anything you think we should know? Maybe, like, say, a brother? A fucking identical twin, to be precise?” Outlaw asked, fury in every word.
“My brother is dead,” I said. “He died in 1987 while fighting in a war.”
“Ever see the body?” Outlaw asked.
“What the fuck kind of question is that? They shot his plane down over Iran. Government told me the Iranians blew it to pieces. There wasn’t anything left of him to send home, except his dog tags. What the hell does this have to do with anything?”
“You really don’t know?” Outlaw asked, his tone softer than before. “Atilla, I don’t know how to say this. Your brother didn’t die in 1987. He died three years ago.”
What the fuck was he saying? There was no way my brother had been alive all that time and he hadn’t reached out to me. As he’d said, we were twins. John wouldn’t have left me grieving all these years. He hadn’t been gone a year before our parents died in a car crash. I’d been alone ever since until I’d started this club.
“Atilla, your brother was a secret government operative. Wire couldn’t take your call because he was getting his ass chewed by some government person he works with sometimes. He poked his nose where it didn’t belong, all because you’d asked him to. Thankfully, he’s too valuable for them to lock him up.”
“Are you telling me that Nora is my brother’s kid?” I asked.
“I am. John Cutler met Nora’s mother at a bar. They had a one-week fling before he left to go overseas on a mission, and he never got in touch with her again. You can do a DNA test if you want, but it’s the only thing Wire could find that would explain why Nora thinks you’re her dad.”
“Back up because that didn’t make sense,” I said. “If he never knew about Nora, then…”
“Nora’s mom had a picture of him. A few, actually. We think she showed those to Nora, telling her the man was her daddy. Wire sent me everything he could find before the government shut him down.”
“And Su and Mark? The trafficking ring? What’s happening with that?” I asked.
“The FBI has stepped in. Wire had to turn over all the evidence he’d found so far, and everyone implicated. However, he made sure Nora and Santiago wouldn’t be taken from you. Basically, he made a deal with them. He’s going to help them with a few cases they haven’t been able to crack by using his hacking skills, and they’re going to look the other way regarding the four children you took to your compound. He assured them those children would be well taken care of.”
Shit. I really owed him. But John had been alive all this time? I wanted to ask for more. How had he died? Where had he been living? Why the fuck hadn’t he ever reached out to me?
Since he was gone, I’d probably never know.
So, little Nora was my niece. Knowing she was the last remaining piece of John, it made me love her even more. I only wished he’d known about her. I knew he’d have given her a good life. It didn’t matter what path he’d chosen back then. Some things would never change, and I knew my brother had a soft spot for children.
“Can you tell me if Su, Mark, and Solena’s parents will be caught up in the FBI’s case for the human trafficking ring?” I asked. “My girls need some closure.”
“Su and Mark are already in custody. Wire found evidence of them selling children, in addition to the adoption scheme through their church. Solena’s parents are still free at the moment, but they are persons of interest. In other words, you can’t touch them. If you do, the FBI will come looking for them.”
“How likely is it they’ll face any prison time?” I asked.
“Their daughter’s baby isn’t the only one they helped adopt through the church’s program. Those children were placed in homes that hadn’t been vetted. In fact, the church sold them.”
“Santiago said they punished him when he didn’t do a good job. Not to mention it sounds like they had him bagging drugs as a fucking job.”
Outlaw growled. “Yeah, they did. Wire found that while he was digging. You aren’t going to like what I’m going to tell you. Santiago’s punishment was to stand in the center of the room, undressed, and take a belt across his ass every fifteen minutes. It would last for hours. They took a few videos and some pictures of what happened. Wire already scrubbed them, so no one will ever find those again.”
Son of a bitch!
“Before you get too pissed off, they didn’t molest him. They didn’t force him into anything sexual. Doesn’t mean he didn’t suffer. He’s going to need some help of the professional variety.”
“And Nora?” I asked.
“Wire couldn’t find anything on the two families she had before being placed in the same home as Santiago. He’d take her punishments at the last place, so no one laid a finger on Nora. But she saw what happened to him. It probably traumatized her.”
“Thanks for everything, Outlaw. Tell Wire I’m sorry this landed him in hot water. I’ll talk to Solena and Casey so they won’t worry about someone coming for the kids.”
“Glad we could help,” he said.
I ended the call and closed my eyes. I wanted to rip those fuckers to pieces, but I wouldn’t risk the FBI knocking on my door. Casey was in the hall when I opened the door. The look on her face told me she’d heard more than just a little of my conversation.
“So it’s over?” she asked. “And those people, they…”
“They were essentially selling kids. As to whether it’s over, for you, yes. Solena’s parents are probably going to be in trouble with the law, which means I can’t touch them. And Nora… is my niece.” Casey’s eyes went wide. “Had a twin brother. Thought he died when we were twenty-nine. Turns out he didn’t.”
“And now?” she asked.
I shook my head. She wouldn’t be meeting her Uncle John. Not in this lifetime. “Don’t say anything to her. We were identical twins. She really thinks I’m her dad. We share the same DNA, so there’s no reason to tell her otherwise.”
“Fine. I’ll go sit with the kids so you can talk to Solena.”
I waved her off. “I’ll tell her later, when everyone has gone to bed. How’s Becca?”
“She’s awake if you want to see her.”
I smiled and went into their room, lifting my granddaughter from her crib. I rocked her in my arms and marveled at how tiny she was. I wondered if Casey had looked like this when she’d been born. Since Casey rarely said anything about the baby’s father, I had no idea what he looked like. She’d not once mentioned what he looked like or his name. Of course, that was probably to keep him safe since she knew I was pissed at the little shit. If she ever wanted to talk to me about him, I’d listen. But I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t go rip his head off right afterward.
“Are you happy, Dad?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, honey. I am. Happiest I’ve ever been. Not taking away from what I had with your mom. There will always be a part of me that loves her, but you were right. She’d want me to be happy. I now have two daughters, a son, a precious granddaughter, and a woman to stand by me through all the ups and downs life throws our way.”
“Good. Then I think Mom can rest in peace.”
I hoped so. I thought Rebecca would have liked Solena if they’d had the chance to meet. The emptiness inside me was gone. My family had filled the space, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future would hold for all of us.