by K. C. Crowne
“Ever heard of affairs?” Elijah winked at me. He had a large sack filled to the brim.
“As in, my mom had an affair?” Not that I would put it past her. Her relationship with my father had been pretty shitty. “But when?”
“Dad told us he was in Vegas for a conference, and he ran into your mother. They spent a few days together, never leaving the hotel room apparently, and—”
I held my hand up. “Alright, I get it.”
My mom had a sister in Vegas, our aunt, Helen. We’d been to visit a few times when Helen paid for us to travel. But that didn’t prove anything.
“How did your dad find me?”
“He was in Salt Lake City recently, came across an article on your release from prison,” Graham said. “He recognized your mom’s name and photo, did some math, and realized the timing would have worked out. He even looked up your birthdate.” He shrugged. “It all adds up. Plus, you look just like him, man.”
“I look just like my dad too. Glen, I mean. Not—what’s his name?”
“Clifford Harvey. Cliff for short.”
“Right. But if I look like my dad, how could I look just like Cliff?”
“Maybe your mom has a type?” Elijah tossed out, shrugging as well.
“And sometimes, we see what we want to see. If someone tells you you look like someone, you’re more likely to see similarities. Because you’re looking for them,” Mason added.
There was one problem with me being my dad’s son - the size difference. Glen wasn’t a big man. No one in our family had my size. Madison and mom were petite. My father was average-sized. But we’d always assumed I took after a great-great-grandfather or something.
“But how can you be sure? Without a DNA test—”
“Give him the proof,” Graham said to Mason.
Mason pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I stared at it for a second before unfolding it.
“DNA results? How—”
“We’re private investigators on the side. Mason has a medical background. Jack, you literally leave traces of DNA everywhere you go,” Graham said with a laugh. “I managed to nab some hair from you during that brawl in the alley.”
“You what?” I pieced it together finally. He’d been in the alley who stepped in to help me. “You guys were following me?”
“We had to know for sure if you were our brother, and if so, what kind of person you are,” he said. “So yeah, we followed you a bit.” He smirked as he gathered a couple of bags together and walked toward the door with them. “Ready to go?”
I stared at the paper in my hand. According to this document, I was 99.9% certain to be related to their father, Cliff Harvey.
My father.
I still wasn’t sure if I believed any of it.
“Why didn’t you talk to me, tell me what was up?” I asked, following Graham out the door.
“Because we wanted to see what kind of guy you were. Your history isn’t that great, Jack, and it looks like you’re tied up in some criminal enterprise.”
“I’m not. I mean, not willingly. I was trying to—” I stopped short. I hadn’t told anyone what I was doing against whom. Could I trust these guys? They claimed to be my brothers, but I didn’t know them from Adam.
“We know now,” Graham said as his brothers packed up the truck. “We had to do some digging, ask about you around town, get the whole story. We know what we’re doing.”
“I thought you guys owned a security firm. So you do investigative work too?”
“Whatever pays the bills,” Graham said with a wink.
He hopped into the truck, and the others followed. I was the last one to climb inside, and they’d given me the passenger seat in the front.
“I know it’s weird. You don’t know the first thing about us,” Graham said. “But I can assure you that we’re here to help. You have a family you’re trying to protect? They’re our family too. We have a variety of experience,” he explained. “Samuel and I are ex-Marines. Mason is Army. And Elijah might not look like much, but he was an Army Ranger.”
Elijah flipped his brother off from the back seat.
“And now, we handle security and PI work. Been doing it for years. I think we can help you out of this mess.”
“Oh yeah? And why would you do that?” I asked.
Graham glanced at me with a serious expression on his face. “Because we’re family, and our dad’s last wish was to get to know you - and to help you if you needed it.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean like this.”
Graham shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn’t matter. We take care of our own in the Harvey clan.”
“I’m not a Harvey, though.”
“Not yet, you mean. But you will be.”
I gazed at these men, each in turn - all of them as large as me, all of them rough as me. But there was one key difference between us. They were ex-military and they lived clean lives free of crime. They were nothing like me.
And I wasn’t sure I would ever be like them.
Cassie
“Jack!” I rushed to the door, and Jack wrapped his arms around me. I let him hold me for a while, wishing he would never let me go again. Tears streamed down my face and onto his jacket. I almost didn’t notice the other men with him. Four large, stocky men towered behind us since we’d blocked the entry from the foyer into the rest of the house.
Madison and Teddy were with us. Madison held Owen, and Teddy held Zoey. We crowded into the tiny little entryway. Madison finally said, “Let’s get into the living room, where there’s more space.”
I didn’t want to let go of Jack, but I did. I was shaking and crying. He wiped the tears from my eyes, and we kissed quickly before following everyone else into the large living room.
“Now that we’re all here, I have to ask, what the hell is going on, Jack?” Madison asked, giving her brother a death glare.
“It’s a long story,” Jack muttered.
“Well, get to talking.”
Jack quickly explained why he was in trouble, essentially telling them what he’d told me. He left out a lot of the same details - like who he was trying to catch - but Madison was quick to grill him.
“I can’t tell you everything,” Jack insisted.
“And why not? If our lives are in danger, we deserve to know who’s threatening us.”
“Because the less you know, the safer you’ll be. It’s me they want.” He looked at his sister. “They mentioned you too, Madison, but let’s face it - they want me. It was likely to get under my skin since you don’t know anything. Let’s keep it that way.”
Madison sat on the couch and scowled. I could feel her anger, and I understood it. She thought she and her family were safe until tonight, and now, they were once again in the crossfire.
“I think we need to call this in,” Teddy said.
Jack hurried to negate. “No, Teddy. Listen to me - the man at the top of this is more powerful than you’ll ever know. He likely has plants within the police departments. If we don’t have proof, we can’t take him down, and none of us will ever be safe with him walking around.”
I expected Teddy to fight it, but something shifted in his face. He and Madison had spoken of Dave before, but I had no idea how deep the mistrust went. Teddy was the sheriff; it seemed weird to me that someone in their department could have more power than him. Then again, as with anything, it all came down to proof. Which we were in short supply of these days.
Teddy didn’t say anything.
“And can you explain who these guys are?” Madison asked, pointing at the four men standing quietly at the back of the room.
I’d always thought Jack was large - but these men were all as large as him, all of them well over six feet. Likely more like 6’5” or above. And they all looked a hell of a lot like him.
All of them had the same dark hair - dark brown or almost black. Dark eyes too. Rough, rugged beards. Tattoos. They looked like older versions of
Jack.
Jack started to speak, but one of the other guys stepped forward and held up a hand to stop him. “I can explain. I’m Graham. This is Samuel, Mason, and Elijah. We’re brothers. And we recently found out that our father had another son in Liberty that he didn’t know about. We searched for him, and we found him.” He gestured to Jack.
“Your dad is Glen Wiley?” Madison exclaimed, her eyes wide as she tried to comprehend.
“No. You see, Glen isn’t Jack’s real dad,” Graham stated matter-of-factly. “Clifford Harvey is. Said he had a fling with your mother in Vegas right around the time Jack was conceived.”
Madison’s mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. She stared at Graham, then at Jack.
“Do you believe it?” I asked Jack, turning my gaze to him.
He hesitated, looking at the men, then nodded. “I do, actually.”
“You believe them? Just because they came into town and told you they’re your brothers?” Madison asked, her disbelief plain.
“It’s more than that, Mads. But yeah, I do,” he said, continuing as she stared skeptically at him. “Listen, you know Mom and Dad never had a great relationship. Dad cheated on Mom, and they split every other month when we were kids. Is it really so hard to believe that Mom snuck away and had an affair while visiting Aunt Helen at some point?”
Madison was getting visibly worked up, so I hurried over and took a sleeping Owen from her arms. I tried not to wake him, but his little eyes fluttered open, and he began to fuss. Jack was at my side in an instant.
“Need my help?”
“No, if he doesn’t fall back asleep, it’s almost time for him to eat anyway.”
“I can feed him.” Jack’s eagerness made my insides turn to goo.
I stroked his cheek, and we shared a smile. Even in the midst of chaos, being with him made me think everything would be alright.
“We need to talk about the next steps,” Graham interrupted.
“What next steps?” Teddy asked.
“Well, Jack has a target on his back. I don’t think it’s safe if we all stick together, just in case they come after him. Not with the kids and everything.”
My heart suddenly sank to the bottom of my feet. I looked at Jack, begging with my eyes. “You can’t leave again. If you think we’re in danger, then what does it matter?”
“Graham’s right. They want me. I don’t even think they know about you and Owen yet,” he said. “We need to be safe, Cassie.”
“What if they do come after us?”
“I’d say get the hell out of here. Go somewhere not connected to any of you, somewhere more public,” Graham said. “A hotel maybe, but under a different name.”
“Are you sure that’s the safest option?”
“Samuel and Elijah will go with you, while Mason and I stick with Jack.”
“Jack—” I tried to argue.
I could see the indecision on Jack’s face. He stared at Graham, seeming to contemplate his words carefully. “I think he’s right, Cassie. I am a target, and I think getting out of here is the safest option for all of you.”
“And what about you?”
“I trust Graham and the others,” he stated firmly.
“You hardly know them,” I countered.
“Yeah, well, they’ve saved my ass at least twice now.”
“Twice?”
“Once before, when a pickup went south. Graham stepped in, but I didn’t know who he was at the time.”
“And why do you care so much about Jack?” My eyes narrowed on Graham.
“Because he’s our brother,” Graham stated simply as if that was all the explanation that was needed. I wasn’t sure what to think or to believe, but Graham’s words felt sincere. His face softened. “Our dad regretted not protecting Jack. It’s our duty to make up for that.”
“I’m not even going to pretend I understand,” I said with a sigh. “But if you trust them, I guess I do too.”
“So, are we clear on what needs to be done?” Graham asked, looking at Teddy.
“Yeah, I think we are. Get out of town as soon as possible,” Teddy recounted. “Somewhere not connected to us.”
“Do you have a place like that?” Graham asked.
“I might,” I piped up. “I just need to contact my father.”
I cringed at the very thought of going to him for help, but it was likely the only choice. Jack kissed my forehead. “I need to speak to you, Cassie. Alone, please.”
He pulled me off to the side, out into the hallway. He held my hands in his, stroking my knuckles with his strong, rough fingers.
“If anything happens to me, Cassie, I want you to take your dad up on his offer. That way, you don’t have to work at a restaurant, and you can have the life you were always meant to have.”
I stepped back, feeling as if I’d been slapped. “Owen will know you’re his father, Jack. No matter what. And if my dad isn’t going to allow that, I’m not accepting his offer.”
“Please, Cassie,” he begged. “I want you to have a good life.”
“And I think Owen knowing you’re his dad is more important than all the money in the world.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I refuse to deny him the opportunity to know you - the real you, not my dad’s version of who he thinks you are.”
“Cassie…”
“No. Can we not spend our last few moments together arguing about this?”
Owen had previously fallen back asleep in my arms, but my crying had woken him again. I cursed to myself, feeling like a total failure at this point. Jack pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. He left plenty of space for Owen, who was fussing between us as Jack leaned down to kiss my forehead.
“Let’s feed him,” he murmured.
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?”
“After I help feed my son.”
Jack
The Harvey brothers took me back to their cabin. It hurt like hell to leave Cassie and Owen again, but it was for the best. I’d left them in good hands. Still didn’t make it any easier.
Graham handed me a beer, which I took. But I put it down on the table, having no interest in drinking. Mason hadn’t touched his either, and Graham didn’t even have one for himself. He took a seat across from me. I was in a leather chair facing a fireplace. Mason was on my right in a matching chair, while Graham took the couch, spreading out completely.
“So, how did you and Cassie meet?” Graham asked.
I gave him a weird look.
“What? I figured we’d be up for a while, might as well get to know my brother a bit more.”
I sighed. “Yeah, sorry. It’s just chaos right now. Not sure I’m really up for small talk.”
“It’s alright. It’s clear you love her, though,” he said.
“Yeah,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair and leaning back in the chair.
“She seems like a good mom too.”
“Yeah, thankfully so, since I haven’t been around as much as I should be,” I said, staring down at my hands.
“You’ve done everything you can. And I’m sure once this is all over, you’ll be there for your son.”
“Can we talk about something else?” It felt like a knife was stabbing me in the chest every time I thought about Cassie and Owen - how I’d fucked up their lives, how I couldn’t be the man they needed me to be. And how I might never see them again.
“Yeah, sure.” He paused briefly. “What do you want to know?”
It didn’t take me long to think of a suitable distraction. “Tell me about your father. I mean, well, you know…”
Graham nodded. “He was a good man. He worked too damned much, so we didn’t see him a whole lot. Mama always said he was married to his work first, that she always felt like the mistress in her own marriage. Which is why they split. They remained on good terms, though, and he was around when he could be. He said he was working toward leaving us a legacy. I had no idea what he meant by all
that until recently.”
“Graham…” Mason spoke for the first time since we sat down.
“What? Don’t you think Jack should know?”
“Know what?” I asked.
Mason and Graham shared a look; they weren’t telling me something. And from the looks of it, Mason didn’t want him to tell me.
“What are you keeping from me?” I asked.
“We said we’d talk about this as a group—”
“It’s not what Dad wanted. He didn’t say if we felt like Jack was deserving,” Graham countered.
“Deserving of what?”
Both men stared at each other in silence.
I repeated a little louder, “Deserving of what?”
“It’s just that Dad, well, he left us all with—”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and Graham went silent. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. Blocked number, but I answered anyway. “Hello?”
“You’ve fucked up this time, boy,” Hank’s voice was barely understandable. The reception out there was terrible, but I heard him plain as day.
I sat straight up.
“Who is it?” Mason asked, leaning closer.
I didn’t answer him. I focused on Hank instead.
“I mentioned going after your sister before, but I won’t stop there. Oh no, your entire family, including your son, will be at my mercy now.”
The hair stood up on the back of my neck, and it was like fire through my veins. “Leave them the fuck alone, you asshole,” I growled.
“I’ll have some fun with your girlfriend before I kill her too.” The line went dead.
I was squeezing my phone so tightly, it felt like it might break under the pressure from my hands. “They know about Cassie and Owen.” I barely got the words out before the glass window near the door exploded beside us.
All three of us fell to the floor. Mason and Graham had their guns out and ready. Mine was on the table next to me, and I grabbed it as gunshots filled the room.
We’d parked the truck in the garage, which meant we’d have to get through the kitchen to get out. From the hail of gunfire, it was obvious we were outnumbered.