Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
He paused, cleared his throat, took a drink of coffee, and I waited, holding my breath. He was telling me about not only my mother, but also my grandfather. I’d never had a name for anyone, except my immediate family.
“The family can be referred to as many things. Some call it the mob, others the Mafia. We just call it the family because that is what it is. Not all are blood, but once they are family, that is the only thing that matters. Blood can’t always be trusted. The family can.
“Now, Etta knew because her mother, Yvonne, had told her just enough so she understood things. Yvonne hadn’t wanted to be a part of the family, and she gave Eli a choice. It was her or the family. He chose the family. Your mother’s birth wasn’t something he knew about at first, but once he did, she was protected. He demanded a relationship with her.
“Etta loved Eli, and she enjoyed being with the horses. The track was her favorite place to be. She accepted this life and lived it to the fullest. Until she met a boy at one of the races, who she fell in love with. She kept it hidden for a while, but eventually, Eli found out about him. Being who we are, he checked things out, and the boy, Liam, was the son of a group that we do not associate with. Their form of organization and ours are not the same. They have no standards. No guidelines.” He stopped then and took another drink of coffee.
Blaise’s hand found mine under the table and squeezed it gently. I needed that. I knew more was coming, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I hadn’t known this was going to be my family history. The one I never thought I’d truly know.
“When Eli told Etta what he’d found out and that Liam had singled her out on purpose because of who she was, she was devastated. She was also pregnant. With you. I had taken over as the boss at this point. Eli thought she wanted to abort it, but he struggled with that option. Etta didn’t want an abortion, but she never talked to me or Eli about her decision.
“One day, she was just gone. Of course, I sent out the best, and we found her. Etta, however, knew us. She knew how we worked. She got better at running. Until, one day, we couldn’t find her. It took years.
“Eli died, not knowing where she was, where you were. If either of you was alive. I’d sworn to him I’d find you both. He had a heart attack and never recovered fully. He never made it home from the hospital. With his last breath, he had made me promise that when I found you, I would keep Etta’s wishes. Let you live your life but protect you.”
My dad wasn’t my father. That news kept reeling through my head. Over and over. Cole wasn’t my brother. No. I didn’t believe that. They had been my family. All I’d known.
“How do you know I’m that baby? I had an older brother, Cole,” I said, thinking that made more sense.
“It was Blaise who found you. Living in Texas with a man you believed was your father and a brother. We sent someone into the apartment you lived in to take hair from your brush and test your DNA. It was a match. You are also an exact replica of Etta. I have pictures, when you want to see them,” he said, looking at me pointedly.
“Blaise was nineteen when he got the lead that sent him to you. Eli was like a grandfather to him. He adored the man and was determined to find Etta and you. What Blaise found instead was that Etta had been gone for sixteen years, which was why finding her had been so difficult.
“Luke Reese had lost his first wife and was raising his son alone. We know that he met Etta at a bar, where she was waitressing. They married, she became the mother of his son, and he became your father. The death of your mother, however, placed him with two kids to take care of. He was a weak man and eventually turned to a few addictions, as you know. You were the one who kept them fed, cleaned the house, made sure they made it home at night. What Blaise found infuriated him, and he was ready to charge in and take you out of that life. But I steered him away from that. You appeared to love Luke and Cole. I agreed that Blaise could keep an eye on things and check in to make sure you were safe. He did for six years. The time you were living in a shelter and the man appeared giving your dad a job wasn’t luck. It was on Blaise’s order. When food arrived at your apartment with no explanation, that again was Blaise making sure you were fed.” He paused and looked at Blaise. “So, it wasn’t until you were left alone that we sent Melanie, your mother’s closest friend, to come get you.”