Christ’s sake, Jonah, do you really think I’d be here, rotting in prison for the rest of my life, if I still had any lies left in me? I’m paying the price for my sins, and it’s no less than I deserve. But I did it all—”
“For us. Spare me.”
“Think what you want. I have no control over you. I haven’t since that bastard Tom Simpson first taught you how to handle a gun.”
“I’m no fan of Tom Simpson. He was a psycho degenerate, but at least he taught me. It’s been a useful skill over the years. For the life of me, I never understood why you wouldn’t.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Reasons that are no longer relevant. Come clean, why don’t you?”
I sighed. “I once taught someone, and it was the worst thing I ever did.”
“Worst thing? To teach someone how to shoot? That was worse than faking your own death not once but twice?”
“It was one of the first dominoes to fall. Teaching her had disastrous consequences.”
“Her? Fuck. You’re talking about Wendy Madigan.”
“If I hadn’t taught her how to handle a gun, she wouldn’t have—”
“Save it, Dad. Wendy Madigan was a psychopath. She would have still been a psychopath if you hadn’t taught her to shoot a gun.”
“Everything she did can be traced back to me teaching her.”
He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but give yourself a break. You didn’t turn her psycho.”
Maybe I hadn’t, but I’d had more than a hand in it. Jonah didn’t know all that had transpired between Wendy and me, and now was not the time to get into it. I’d lied when I told him and his siblings about Wendy moving away after sophomore year.
I hadn’t been able to bear telling them I’d stayed with her during high school, that I’d been at her side when she’d miscarried. Instead, I’d fabricated a story about her almost dying from a ruptured fallopian tube due to an ectopic pregnancy. Had I been trying to gain sympathy?
No one was more unworthy of sympathy than I was, yet I couldn’t resist trying to get a little from my children.
I’d admitted to them that I’d sold my soul, but I hadn’t been able to admit that I’d stayed willingly and returned to her again and again. That hadn’t changed until I’d met Daphne.
When had lying become so easy?
Many, many years ago.
I said nothing for another minute, and then, “How’s my grandson?”
“He’s good.”
“And Melanie?”
“She’s good as well.”
“Your brothers and sister? Spouses and kids?”
“We’re all fine, Dad. We’re dealing with everything.” He shook his head. “This was a waste of time.”
Again I said nothing. It hadn’t been a waste of my time. I’d seen my firstborn—the child for whom I’d begun creating my legacy—and I was thankful. I gazed at his handsome face now beginning to show some signs of age. Gray at his temples, crow’s feet in the outer corners of his dark eyes. Silver lacing his stubble.
I memorized every inch.
For I knew, deep in my soul, that this was the last time I’d ever gaze upon it.
Continue reading the Steel Brothers Saga with Book Fifteen
Coming October 20, 2020!
* * *
Enjoy Steel Brothers: Legacy?
Please leave a review.
Message from Helen Hardt
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Legacy. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page and join my mailing list: http://helenhardt.com/signup/. I often do giveaways. If you’re a fan and would like to join my street team to help spread the word about my books, you can do so here. I regularly do awesome giveaways for my street team members.
If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to leave a review on a site like Amazon or Goodreads. I welcome all feedback.
I wish you all the best!
Helen
Also By Helen Hardt
The Steel Brothers Saga:
Craving
Obsession
Possession
Melt
Burn
Surrender
Shattered
Twisted
Unraveled
Breathless
Ravenous
Insatiable
Fate
Legacy
Descent
* * *
Blood Bond Saga:
Unchained: Volume One
Unhinged: Volume Two
Undaunted: Volume Three
Unmasked: Volume Four
Undefeated: Volume Five
* * *
Misadventures:
Misadventures of a Good Wife (with Meredith Wild)
Misadventures with a Rock Star
* * *
The Temptation Saga:
Tempting Dusty
Teasing Annie
Taking Catie
Taming Angelina
Treasuring Amber
Trusting Sydney
Tantalizing Maria
* * *
The Sex and the Season Series:
Lily and the Duke
Rose in Bloom
Lady Alexandra’s Lover
Sophie’s Voice
* * *
Daughters of the Prairie:
The Outlaw’s Angel
Lessons of the Heart
Song of the Raven
* * *
The Cougar Chronicles:
The Cowboy and the Cougar
Calendar Boy
* * *
Collections:
Destination Desire
Her Two Lovers
* * *
Non-Fiction:
got style?
Acknowledgments
I did something in Legacy that I’ve never done before as a writer.
I began the descent of Brad Steel from hero to anti-hero. It was a challenge, and I thought a lot about other famous anti-heroes as I wrote—Walter White, Jaime Lannister, even Scarlett O’Hara. Brad’s true Descent will happen in the next book, of course, but I’ve sowed the seeds in Legacy. Like Walter, Jaime, and Scarlett, Brad will do anything to protect those he loves—and that protection sometimes comes at a tragic cost.
Huge thanks to the following individuals whose effort and belief made this book shine: Jennifer Becker, Audrey Bobak, Haley Boudreaux, Keli Jo Chen, Yvonne Ellis, Jesse Kench, Robyn Lee, Jon Mac, Amber Maxwell, Dave McInerney, Michele Hamner Moore, Chrissie Saunders, Scott Saunders, Celina Summers, Kurt Vachon, and Meredith Wild.
Thanks also to the women and men of Hardt and Soul. Your endless and unwavering support keeps me going.
To my family and friends, thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you most of all to my readers. Without you, none of this would be possible.
Descent will be here soon!
About Helen Hardt
#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of romantic fiction, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.
* * *
For more information, please follow Helen Hardt at: