Page 56 of Moros

As we ate in silence, Ryanne kept fingering the pendant of her newly found necklace. I could only imagine what that felt like for her, to have a piece of her parents with her—if only it held a picture of her father as well.

I found it strange they didn’t get any news coverage after their deaths. To others, they may believe there weren’t any coverage because the parents were your typical Joes. Others could make an argument they didn’t have any coverage because of the colour of their skin.

But someone with a military brain would think different.

We would think a muzzle was placed on the media—someone had gone out of their way to make sure the story was buried that not even a picture of the family got out.

Glancing out the front of the truck, the water was pooling down from the sky, lightening streaking across the sky followed by the harsh rumble of thunder.

“Do you have any family?” Ryanne asked.

“Mm.” I replied around a sip of my coffee. “Some. My parents died in a freak accident when I was about sixteen. The rest of the family who were barely around, suddenly descended on me, trying to get guardianship of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I replied. “By the time the case ended, I was legally an adult and was on my way.”

“Where did you stay while that was happening?”

“In my home.” I replied. “I was old enough to live on my own. My lawyer was able to argue that I could live alone—a social worker would check on me from time to time. Made sure I was going to school, that sort of thing. Since I was doing well in classes and wasn’t a problem child—I kind of just flew under the radar.”

“Your family was rich, then?”

I nodded.

“I see.”

“Stop judging me.” I chuckled.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s on your face.”

“Damn it.” Ryanne shoved a timbit into her mouth. “Sorry. I don’t mean to judge you.”

“Just so you know, I didn’t have access to the bulk of my inheritance until I turned twenty-five.” I explained.

The thought of her thinking of me as some spoiled, rich kid hurt.

“My parents made sure I had enough to live—and if I was in university my tuition would be paid and my living expenses.” I paused to finish my sandwich and chewed. “So, I joined the military to get an education and find a new kind of family, I supposed.”

“And what about other family?”

“None of them speak to me since I won the case against them.” I replied. “They didn’t really want me. They wanted what my parents left me.”

“But your parents left it to you.” Ryanne pointed a strawberry gel covered finger at me. “If your parents wanted them to have anything, they would have left something to the others. And what makes them think they’re entitled to anything your parents had? They were your parents.”’

She was indignant for me.

Damn you’re sexy when angry.

Leaning forward, I sucked the gel from her finger.

She giggled. “Stop that!”

Wiggling my brows at her, I lifted my drink to my lips.

We finished eating and I used the lever beside my seat to ease it all the way into the back. I then lifted her from where she’d been sitting and brought her into my lap.

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