Page 18 of Culmination
Seemingly uncaring of my impatience, she takes a seat on the edge of the bed before she looks up at me. Her expression is now pained, and tears brim in her eyes. “You must do whatever it takes to stop him, Raphael. If you love Gabriella and your unborn baby, you cannot allow him to win.”
I take step closer and peer down at her. She’s telling me nothing I don’t already know. “Who are you?”
Her shoulders push back, and she lifts her chin. “Who I am now doesn’t matter. Who I once was? Well…I was a naïve fool who thought she could change a man. I gave up that life long ago to save myself, to save my son, and to save my unborn child. Adrian, unfortunately, was lost to me.”
My brow furrows, and I fold my arms across my chest, studying the woman claiming to be Adrian’s mother. Now that she’s outed herself, the resemblance is there. “Not that I give a damn about Adrian’s history, but what the hell does this have to do with me?”
“He’s your brother.”
“You’re a liar. I don’t have time for this,” I bite out, trying not to reel at her revelation.
Yet something in the back of my mind nags at me.
She opens and shuts her mouth a couple times, as if trying to determine what to say next.
I try not to make it apparent she’s just sent my world spinning out of control. The woman tilts her head, studying me. I squirm under her scrutiny.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why your hair’s as dark as a raven while your mother is a fiery redhead and your father’s blond mop could pass for white, even when you were a young child? Why you’re half a foot taller than your father and your brother? How you could always get a tan easily, yet the rest of your family seemed to nurse a sunburn the first day you went to the lake every summer?”
I lift my chin in response, even though I’m unnerved at the knowledge she seems to possess about my family, my childhood.
The woman’s eyes suddenly sparkle with tears as she takes a step forward. A soft hand reaches up to caress my cheek. There’s something there, something she wants me to see.
And when I do, I step back, shaking my head. “No. It’s not possible.”
“It’s true, Raphael.Youare my son. You are Adrian’s little brother. And what Theo Morningstar wants more than anything is proof.”
She continues, not allowing me to respond to such a startling revelation. “He wants an heir he can shape and mold into his own image. There was too much of me in Adrian for that. You’re far too good to become him. So that leaves one more player on the board, doesn’t it?”
Her words chill my bones, an ache twisting around my heart at the implication they bear.
“That’s why he wants Brie. He wants the baby.”
My mother’s lips form a tight line as she nods. “Yes, Rafe. He doesn’t want you. He doesn’t care what happens to Brie after he gets what he believes is his. Theo Morningstar wants the one thing he believes he’s owed: his grandchild.”
I don’t normally drink on the job. Yet I find myself doing a lot of damn firsts on this one. After that bombshell, I cross straight to the mini bar, pull out two tiny bottles on whiskey. Fire burns in my chest after I down one then the other, but the sensation dissipates all too quickly.
“Lady,” I start, but the wince on her face has my words trailing off.
She tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Dark hair that…fuck, mirrors my own. She moistens her lips then clears her throat. “My name… My name is—”
“Look, I don’t want to be an asshole here.” I rake a hand through my hair, quickly yanking it away as not to draw more attention to our similarities. “Truthfully, I have a million fucking questions that I want answers to immediately, but I can’t do this. Not now. In any other circumstance, maybe I’d be interested in your back story. Right now? My girlfriend—mypregnantgirlfriend—is who knows where, possibly with a madman.”
She sighs. “Rafe, I know what you must think of your brother—”
My jaw tenses. “That man isnotmy brother.”
“He won’t hurt her. I know it.”
My arms tighten across my torso. “Oh yeah? And you know that how? According to you, you walked out on him when he was a toddler and he’s been lost to you ever since.”
Her jaw tightens, and I can tell I’ve struck a nerve. She remains steadfast in her gaze. “I may have left Adrian, but I never stopped caring for him. Or protecting him. From the day I escaped, I’ve had people watching. I know more about my son than I probably would if I’d remained in Theo’s grasp. I know you despise Adrian, but you needn’t fear. The way he is with Gabriella? I’ve never seen that before.”
Fury courses through my blood, venom spilling out with my words. “How can you say that? He nearly killed her! Jesus Christ, you’re as delusional as your damned son!”
She starts to reach a hand out but quickly withdraws it back to her side. “Rafe…”
I ball my hands into fists, barely resisting the urge to decorate the room with holes. “No. I’m done. This is getting me nowhere. When all is said and done, maybe, just maybe we can have the reunion that I never knew was in store for me. Until then, you’ll excuse me while I pursue more important things. Like ensuring the safety of my future wife and my child.”
