“I got a fuckin’ question, Kendall,” Outlaw said, skyrocketing Kendall’s unease again.
She couldn’t handle questions about her behavior or her husband. She was so close to cracking, it felt as if one small push and she’d crumble into a pile of nothingness.
“Yes?” she asked in as strong a voice as possible.
“Rack.” Outlaw pursed his lips. “That big-balled fuckhead was really my fuckin’ uncle?”
Kendall smiled at the outrage in his voice, and Bash and Celia’s chuckles. She nodded. “Yes. Half. Cee Cee and Rack were Related. Half-brothers. You know? Blood relatives.”
“What?” Mattie cried, too emotional to censor herself, the connection seeming to just dawn on her. “I’m going to be sick.”
“Matilda,” Johnnie started, then gritted his teeth. “Youdid nothing wrong. Wally, Jr. is dead and can’t ever hurt you again—”
That might’ve been part of Mattie’s problem, but Kendall knew she was thinking about Wally, Wally, Jr’s son. She looked at Abel. “Please explain DNA statistics.” He was better equipped.
“Of course, Mrs. Donovan.” Abel cleared his throat and smiled at everyone. He didn’t understand there was nothing amusing in this situation. Even if he was just being friendly, the gesture was out of place in this room of misery.
“The first cousins of half siblings share only about 6.25% DNA,” he explained. “You’ll share the same risks for recessive genetic disorders as the general population.”
“What does that mean in legal terms?” Johnnie asked, sounding like the intelligent man she’d once loved.
“Genetically speaking, shared DNA of 12.5% and under puts you in the safe zone in terms of inbreeding risks. The risks are still there and should be discussed.”
“And legally?” Johnnie pressed.
Diesel jerked away from Tabitha, ignoring her stumbling and raising his cell phone. “I will do more research, of course, but a quick search shows that most jurisdictions in the US don’tconsider sexual relationships illegal. They even allow these people to marry.”
“With 12.5% shared DNA?” Outlaw asked. “If 6.25% mean half first-cousin, do 12.5% mean full first cousins?”
Abel nodded. “Or ‘greats’. Great-grandparents, great-grandchildren, great aunts and uncles or great nieces and nephews.”
“And they can marry?” Rebel asked, sidling a glance at Diesel.
“Fuck,” Outlaw grunted.
“What does that mean for the children of half first-cousins?” Mattie asked woefully.
“You aren’t close blood relatives,” Abel responded. “Roughly 3.125% shared DNA. Very little to worry about legally or genetically.”
“Okay,” Mattie whispered.
Rebel and Harley, on each side of Mattie, each placed an arm around Mattie’s shoulders and hugged her.
“Any other questions regarding this test result?” Kendall asked, grateful to the girls for banding together and looking after Mattie.
“I think you can move on, gorgeous,” Bash called.
Johnnie stiffened and Bash smirked.
Kendall accepted a small stack of results from Abel and fluttered them. “Based on samples obtained from Bash, Outlaw, Cleaner, Mortician, and Digger, Cee Cee Caldwell and Sharper Banks were first cousins.”
“What?” Harley cried, having much the same reaction as Mattie.
CJ lost his color. “I’m related to Harley?”
“You her third cousin, boy,” Outlaw told her. He counted off on his fingers, silently calculating. “In that 6.25% range?” He lifted a brow at Abel. “Yeah?”
“Yes, Mr. Caldwell. Assuming we’re discussing full-blooded first cousins. They’d share 25% DNA, their offspring would be at 12.5% and the next generation would be at 6.25%.”
