by C. C. Bolick
“I tried drinking and I didn’t like it.”
Erin laughed as she took several drags from the cigarette, which sounded like a series of nervous bursts. “I never told you the results of your DNA test.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket.
“It’s not necessary. I know which one was my father.”
She balled the paper in her hand. “I spent two weeks on this test. Are you sure you don’t want to read the results?”
Coughing, I reached for the paper. “Glad I never smoked.” I unfolded the crinkled paper. “There is a ninety-nine-point nine percent chance… I didn’t think doctors really used those terms. I thought it was made up for TV.”
“The percentage is a crucial part of the test.”
I looked lower on the paper. “Subject number one is subject number two’s biological father.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Wait.” I couldn’t breathe as I read the result again. “This can’t be right. He’s not my dad.”
“There is no right or wrong when it comes to genetics. DNA doesn’t lie.”
I glanced over the words again and again. Donald Mason was my father. “This has to be a trick. The agency fixed the lab results.”
She shook her head. “I ran the test myself and no one touched the samples. There’s no issue with the test.”
If that was true, why did Mama tell me it was Louis?
As I watched the smoke curl and rise from Erin’s cigarette, I realized my life had changed again with my time at the agency. I was a different person.
A person determined to get Travis back.
I pulled the card with the gold numbers from my pocket. I’d tried this the agency’s way. The only thing I’d learned from that experience is I couldn’t do this alone.
I was drowning in lies and it was time to reach out for help.
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Please look for Rena’s next story, Fear Darkness, in February of 2020.
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If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads. It’s the nicest thing you could do for me since reviews are what helps me sell more books. Selling more books means I can afford to keep writing. Thanks in advance.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to:
Everyone who has read this book. Please feel free to contact me anytime with your feedback since I love to hear from readers. And please take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. I do read these and I appreciate the time and effort that goes into each one of them.
The people who read this story in pieces and offered suggestions: Larry, Barbara, Cindy, Robin, Jennifer, and Pete
Christie for showing me how to make this story better
Fiona for a cover I love, love, love
My family for allowing me to continue to follow my dreams, especially my husband who says he understands my obsession with writing these stories when I know he probably thinks I’m crazy. It makes me love him even more.
About the Author
C.C. Bolick grew up in south Alabama, where she’s happy to still reside. She’s an engineer by day and a writer by night—too bad she could never do one without the other.
Camping, fishing… she loves the outdoors and the warm Alabama weather. For years she thought up stories to write and finally started putting them on paper back in 2006. If you hear her talking with no one to answer, don’t think she’s crazy. Since talking through her stories works best, a library is her worst place to write… even though it’s her favorite!
C.C. loves to mix sci-fi and paranormal—throw in a little romance and adventure and you’ve got her kind of story. She’s written eleven books including the Leftover Girl series, The Agency series, and The Fear Chronicles.
Please visit her website at www.ccbolick.com for updates on future releases.