I understood Ravage’s confusion. I wasn’t sure I understood it all either, but I would do my best to explain it. While Ravage got dressed, I gathered up the supplies and moved back behind my desk.
“The club that’s here? The Gods of Mayhem—they’re from Athens, Texas. Kronos is Lucas Cooper. He and his wife are the parents of one of my brother’s old ladies. And the grandparents of my enforcer, and another old lady. Remember I said you weren’t the only one with a fucked-up family? I’ve got family drama coming out of my ass here.
“All I fucking wanted was to live a quiet life in the Midwest with my brothers. I got out of the one percent shit, but it seems to have found me. I blame my father. My biological father is Braesal O’Malley. Head of the Irish Mob in Boston.”
Ravage’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead, and I smiled.
“My mother was Darcy Murphy. His childhood girlfriend. She was sixteen when she got pregnant with me, and in order to keep me safe from my grandfather, she moved to Arkansas with my grandparents and my uncle. Declan is Sal’s little brother; they have the same mother but different fathers. Darcy gave birth and moved on. My grandparents raised me as their son. They passed away when I was ten, and Declan took over. He was twelve years older than me and a beat cop, so there was no issue with him becoming my guardian.”
“Your father didn’t want you either?” Ravage asked, and I saw the pain he tried to hide. I felt it. It was all I’d felt since I learned the truth. That and anger. Ravage had that in spades. I wished there was some way I could ease that for him, but I hadn’t figured out how to ease it for myself yet.
“He didn’t know I was his son. He didn’t want the little brother he thought he had. Once he found out I was his son, he’s become like a piece of fucking gum I’ve tried to scrape off my shoe but just keeps hanging on.”
“At least he’s trying.”
“Yeah, well, he’s the only one I have to be angry at, so I’m not ready to let him off the hook, despite his not being to blame.”
Chapter Eleven
King
“Now that my story is done, I have another one for you.”
Ravage rolled his eyes at me. “Get to the fucking point.”
“I’m trying, but if I just blurt it out, you’re gonna have fifteen million questions. So just shut up and listen.”
He waved his hand for me to continue, and I wanted to slap him upside the head. There was barely a year between us in age, but he had the fucking little brother personality down already.
“Kane Baudelaire had a twin sister who disappeared when she was sixteen. No one knew what happened to her. She was there, and then one day she was gone. Kane took off looking for her. His uncle Kalden didn’t like that very much, because Kane was supposed to marry Jane Craven.”
I had Ravage’s attention now. His interest was piqued. He sat forward in his seat, waiting for me to continue.
“While looking for his sister, who to this day he has never found, he met Gretchen Foster and fell in love. She got pregnant, and they planned a life together. On the day his son was born, Kane was right by Gretchen’s side. He watched his son come into the world, and then he was snatched away from him.”
“How?”
“Kalden sent a man after Kane, a man we know as Zephyr. What we recently learned was that Zephyr killed Nav’s mom. And Kane’s sister Gabriella saw it happen. It was the reason she ran.”
Ravage ran his hands over his face. “Does Nav know?”
“He does.”
“How did you find out?”
“Rhea Cooper. Kronos’ wife is Gabriella Baudelaire.”
Ravage launched from his seat and slammed his hands on my desk. “WHAT?”
“You have an aunt right here in my clubhouse. You have three cousins, and one of them has two children. The kid you beat the shit out of in my clubhouse just now, is your cousin’s son. Morpheus doesn’t know anything about them, or that she’s here.” When Ravage grinned, I growled, “And you won’t fucking tell him. Her disappearance was the catalyst, and having you ripped away from him was the reason he became who he is.”
Ravage walked away from me. He paced my office silently. I waited for him to process everything I’d told him. I needed him to catch up to where I was before I told him the rest.
The envelope in front of me mocked me. I hadn’t opened it since the day Amber put the pictures inside. She’d sealed it up so the pictures wouldn’t fall out, and it was still sealed now.
I didn’t know what my mother looked like. This was something my little brother and I would learn together.
“So, my aunt witnessed Nav’s mother’s death and ran away. My father went after her, met a woman and fell in love. Only, his uncle pulled him back to the Brotherhood. Am I supposed to believe that Morpheus is the asshole he is because he lost his woman and child? The all-powerful fucking scary man the entire Biker Federation is afraid of couldn’t find and protect his woman and child? BULLSHIT!”
