Coal and I walked to the clubhouse and if my son knew why I was being summoned, he didn’t let it show. He led me to Phoenix’s office, kissed me on the cheek, and disappeared down the hall.
Anxious to know what was up, I pushed the door open and stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes landed on a face I’d never seen before, but instantly recognized because he looked just like his sister. “Luke,” I whispered as tears welled in my eyes.
“Hello, Annabelle,” he said with a soft smile. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” He stood and extended his hand to me.
I pushed his hand away and pulled him in for a hug. The man saved me and my son from a horrible existence; a handshake wasn’t even on the table. “I never had the chance to thank you for everything you did for me and Nathan.”
He returned my embrace, despite the low rumble coming from Phoenix. “I was happy to help, but now, I wish I’d known more about your situation. If I did, I could have—”
“Don’t. If I’ve learned anything through this entire experience, it’s that the ‘what if’ game does more harm than good. You did what you thought was the right thing at the time and I will forever be grateful for your help,” I told him honestly.
Phoenix tugged me away from Luke and held me against his chest like a damn caveman. Luke snorted and I giggled. I tilted my head back to look at Phoenix. “Is this why you called me over here?”
He grimaced. “No, it’s not. Luke has some information to share.” Phoenix sat in the chair behind his desk and placed me on his lap.
“What information?”
Luke leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands together. “Phoenix asked me for help tracking down your parents. I haven’t been able to find anything on your father, but I may have something on your mother. Both of your parents went off the grid approximately 20 years ago, consistent with the time they would have started working off their debt with Octavius. Later that year, a significantly decomposed female body was found in a field on the outskirts of Croftridge. Efforts were made, but the body was never identified. It’s possible the body belongs to your mother. Would you be willing to provide a DNA sample for analysis?”
“Uh, sure, I think. I mean, how would that work exactly? For all intents and purposes, I’m Taylor Davis, not Annabelle Burnett.”
“Right, but your DNA is still your DNA. I can run the analysis under the radar if you prefer. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but this would basically be just for your knowledge. The body has long since been buried or cremated,” Luke explained.
“How did she die?” I asked.
“The medical examiner’s findings were inconclusive due to the advanced decomposition. I’ll spare you the details, but the report suggested she may have been beaten and died from her injuries or it could have been from a drug overdose. There were drugs in her system, but the technology at the time couldn’t produce accurate results based on the age and state of the tissue samples.”
“Okay, I’ll do it if you can keep it under the radar,” I finally decided.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Annabelle
The day after Luke’s visit to the clubhouse, Kathleen showed up to Phoenix’s house for a surprise visit. She immediately pulled me into her arms and we both burst into tears.
“Oh, my sweet friend, I’ve thought about you often over the years,” she said.
“Same here. I don’t even want to know what my life would’ve been like if it weren’t for you,” I confessed.
She waved her hand dismissively. “That was all you, sweetheart. I didn’t do anything other than call my brother and drive you to the hospital.”
I smiled at her modesty. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that.”
Phoenix entered the room to tell me he would be in his office at the clubhouse for most of the day. “Before you go,” Kathleen said as she stood and whispered something in Phoenix’s ear.
He smiled and nodded before walking out the front door. Kathleen turned back to me. “Just wait.”
Moments later, Phoenix reentered the house carrying two large boxes. He placed them on the floor by Kathleen’s feet, kissed me on the cheek, and left for the office.
Kathleen opened the box on top and said, “I know I shouldn’t have, but I kept the things you brought over the day you left.” She removed a much smaller box and handed it to me. “I never opened it, so if this isn’t a welcome surprise, I’ll take it back and never mention it again.”
I shook my head and fought back the tears. “It’s very welcome. Thank you,” I whispered.
She reached out and patted my hand. “If you want to save that one for later, it won’t hurt my feelings any.”
I sniffled and nodded. “If you don’t mind, I would like to look through it with Phoenix. It’s full of mementos and things from the year we were together,” I explained.
“I completely understand. There’s plenty more we can look through together, but let’s finish with this box first.”
