Page 96 of Scorched

“I met your mistress and your daughters,” Declan said, trying to turn the conversation. He doubted he could convince him to turn himself in, but maybe he could get Cole to let them go.

“I know.” He smiled. “They’re good girls. Denise did a wonderful job with them. I wish I could have been there more.”

“You talked to her?” He didn’t think they had any regular contact.

“No. Michael told me after she told him you came calling.”

“Oh. I’d like to meet him, too. She said he was an oil field worker up north.”

Jameson laughed. “That’s what I wanted her to think.”

Declan paused, frowning. He ran the kid’s words back. What?

Jameson laughed harder. “All these months and you never suspected. I guess I can understand. We don’t look much alike. You look more like your mom. I’m a good mix of my parents, though, don’t you think?” He turned his head and ran a finger along his jaw, arching a brow, then turned back to grin at Declan.

“You’re Michael?”

The kid nodded.

“How did you pass the background check to get your job?”

He shrugged. “Dad knew the right people to get the right papers. With those in hand, it was easy.”

Declan stumbled over to the chair and sat. He propped his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair as utter disbelief stole his voice.

“Why are you part of his vendetta?” Maggie asked. “You’ve never met any of us.”

“Because I heard all my life how the Archers ruined our lives. I just wanted what was rightfully ours. This whole thing was my idea.”

Declan’s head shot up to glare at Cole. “You’re so concerned about your kids’ lives, but you used me to get to the Archers?” He snorted. “I feel really loved, Dad.”

“I used you because you turned traitor. You and Macy both did. It was just easier to find an in with you than her.”

“Well, what the fuck did you expect? You abandoned us. First by committing crimes and going to prison, then later when you just up and fucking left. Mom was high or wasted all the damn time. The Archers practically raised us. Maybe if you’d owned up to your mistakes and tried to be a better man, we wouldn’t have looked to them for guidance. I would have loved to have a dad who was there.”

Michael walked forward and before Declan could react, slugged him in the jaw, knocking him from the chair.

“Show our dad some respect. You have no idea what his life was like. What my life was like. You had your precious Archers to fall back on. We had no safety net.”

Declan rubbed his jaw and glared up at his younger half-brother. He rose to his feet, looming over the kid. Michael didn’t quite have his height, and Declan had about thirty pounds of muscle on him. “You touch me again, and we’re going to have a problem.”

Michael grinned and backed up, taking hold of Maggie’s arm again. “Not so long as I have her.”

“He’s not the one you should be worried about,” Maggie said. “Uncuff me. Let’s see what happens.”

“There’s that feistiness again,” Cole said. “So spunky.” He looked at Declan. “I bet she’s spicy in bed. Trust me when I tell you, you want a more timid woman.” He shook his head. “It’ll come back to bite you later if you don’t.”

“He killed your mother, Deck,” Maggie said. “I’m guessing Jed Stafford, too.”

“What? Is that true?” He turned away from Michael to face his father. “Why?”

“She learned of my plans for the Archers and was going to warn them. Seems she had a soft spot for them as well. Jed stumbled over Michael and me together, and he recognized me. Michael followed him and killed him. When I realized who he was, well, it seemed like the perfect start to toying with the Archers.”

“You bastard,” Declan bit out through his teeth.

“Why do you care? It’s not like you cared about her.”

“At least she stuck around.”

---