Insatiable (Steel Brothers Saga #12) - Helen Hardt Page 0,74

the hell did you learn about Justin Valente?”

Ted’s lips trembled. “To be honest, he came to me.”

“Bull,” Joe said.

“Wait a minute, Joe. He might actually be telling the truth.”

“Of course I’m telling the truth.”

“You can stop talking now. I have a million more questions for you, but right now, I’m talking to Joe. This actually makes sense. Marjorie and I were talking about it. I think, in some warped way, Booker was jealous of Colin.”

Joe raised his eyebrows. “Say what?”

“Yeah. Think about it.”

Then I stopped speaking abruptly. I had learned that my father had taken Justin as a protégé from Brad Steel. I still hadn’t told Joe that his father was alive. Now wasn’t really the right time to have that conversation, but I didn’t have a choice. I put my gun down and grabbed the roll of duct tape. Quickly, I taped Ted Morse’s chest around the back of the chair and then also stuck a strip of tape over his mouth.

“We need to talk,” I said to Joe. “Alone.”

Chapter Fifty-Four

Marjorie

“I told you everything was fine,” Jade said, once we got home.

“How was I supposed to know that pain was normal?”

“Because I told you it was.”

“My brother would’ve never forgiven me if you’d had any issue while you were with me,” I said. “He was really glad I called.”

“It took me a long time to talk him into not cutting his trip with the boys short,” Jade said. “And he only agreed if I went straight home and went to bed. I don’t like lying to Talon, so I guess that’s what I should do.”

“Absolutely. Get to bed. I won’t be leaving your side until Tal gets home tomorrow.”

“What about Bryce and Joe?”

“They’ll have to get along without me this time.” I smiled.

Jade returned my smile. “The two of them can certainly handle Ted Morse. Do you think Colin is really missing?”

“I wish I knew. I don’t trust Ted Morse as far as I can throw him, but after all Colin has been through, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to take off.”

“Or for Cade Booker… Honestly, Marj, I’ve given up trying to understand anyone in this whole situation anymore. Oh!” She clasped her hand to her mouth. “I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay. Why would anyone understand why a person would cut herself open to relieve emotional pain? It made sense to me. It worked for me. But it was self-indulgent. Counterproductive. The physical doesn’t take away the emotional. You have to work through all of it.”

Jade smiled. “Melanie is a wise woman.”

“Do you need anything? Water? Herb tea? A grilled cheese and tomato sandwich?” I smiled.

“Actually, a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich sounds great.”

“I’m on it.”

Chapter Fifty-Five

Bryce

Joe stared through me as though I were invisible.

Not the reaction I expected from my hotheaded best friend.

Of course, it wasn’t every day you learned your father had faked his own death.

Again.

I’d been ready to take a punch for not telling Joe as soon as I found out about his father.

“You okay?” I said.

He shook his head slowly. “Not even fucking slightly.”

“I know.”

“You don’t. I appreciate it, man. I do. But you don’t know.”

I nodded. No use restating the obvious. He didn’t know what it was like to find out your father was a psycho pedophilic rapist, and I didn’t know what it was like to find out your father had faked his own death. Twice.

“When I saw him on the island, found out he was alive the first time, I nearly fucked him up good I was so mad. Then I found out he’d been keeping our mother from us. At that point, fucking him up was too good for him.”

“Honestly, I think he was doing all of it to protect your mother.”

“From her own kids?”

“From Wendy and the others, the first time.”

“What’s his excuse now?”

“Cade Booker. He’s known about him all along. Dominic and Alex have been working for him for years.”

“Why didn’t he just tell us?” Joe demanded. “We’re strong. We’re financially independent. We could have dealt with Cade Booker.”

“He knew we didn’t remember,” I said. “He didn’t want to traumatize us.”

“Unbelievable.” Joe rubbed his forehead. “Un-fucking-believable. As if finding out our father faked his own death again isn’t traumatic.”

“The way he put it to me was that you and your siblings could take care of yourselves, but your mother couldn’t. His first loyalty was to protect her above all else.”

“Fucker,” Joe said again. “We could have protected her.”

Except that Brad took her from the facility without Joe’s or his