Page 40 of Patching Over

I need to know why Banshee said what he did and also who the hell I really am. I’m confused and have a feeling things are fixing to come to light that will change my future forevermore.

“Pops, trust me on this one,” Brick replies, placing a gentle, yet firm hand on his pops’ shoulders as he passes by, finally reaching my side and taking my hand in his, guiding me down the hallway.

CHAPTER

ONE

Rayleigh

Once we make our way into Brick’s office, he immediately sits on the leather couch that takes up one side of the room and pulls me into his lap, kissing my temple. Yep, I’m positive he’s gearing up to tell me something that’ll have my world tilting on its axis.

“Gonna need you to keep your cool, brother,” he says to Banshee, who sits on the opposite end of the couch, turned sideways facing us.

Banshee continues to stare at me, a myriad of emotions flowing across his face until eventually, he gives in and nods at Brick. “I’m good, Brick,” he states, his face now devoid of any expression at all.

“Okay, so while you were gone, Pops said something one day while we were in Church. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up in case what I was suspecting was wrong, so I went into your room and grabbed your toothbrush, then took a drink Rayleigh had and got the DNA from both of y’all ran to have my suspicions confirmed. Ban, I know what we were all led to believe all those years ago, but those fuckersliedto us.”

“I don’t understand,” I whisper, my head volleying between the two men as they speak. “Who lied about what?” My mind’s spinning right now and I can’t stop the sensation of feeling as though I’m falling down a deep, dark, black hole.

“When we were kids, some members of the Demon Devils MC came by one day and kidnapped a little girl,” Brick quietly informs me. “All the brothers were in Church, but after Banshee woke up from being knocked out, he ran inside bellowing frantically for help. The brothers scoured the area but came up with nothing and of course, the fuckers taunted the club with pictures they sent. Those pictures made it appear as though the little girl was dead, sweetheart.”

“Who was she?” I ask, waving my hand vicariously through the air wanting him to continue instead of stalling. I need him to get on with it and stop worrying about how I’m going to take whatever news it is he’s hesitant to share.

“You,” he spits out.

One word.

One damn word that changes everything I thought I knew about myself.

The black abyss I am currently on the edge of embraces me like a long-lost friend, and for the first time, I welcome the darkness as it enfolds me, the words I’ve heard resounding in my brain.

Long minutes pass until I come to only to find both Brick and Banshee standing sentry over me, peering down at me with worry written all over their faces.

While Brick is obviously concerned, Banshee has tears freely flowing down his face which now has me contemplating what that means.

Why is someone I’ve only just met overwrought with such intense emotions?

“Ryleigh? You’re saying she’s Ryleigh, Brother?” he queries. “But how? How is this possible? Explain this to me, I saw the pictures.”

Brick’s expression turns to one of molten rage as he rounds on his brother. “What the fuck? Who thought it would be a good idea for a kid to see those?” he thunders, his fists clenched.

I’m stuck wondering about these pictures Banshee is talking about. I honestly feel as though I’ve been dropped in the middle of an episode of a reality television show or something; nothing makes any sense and the feeling of being overwhelmed has me fighting the urge to completely shut down emotionally.

“It wasn’t like that, Brick,” Banshee advises. “I overheard my parents talking after RiffRaff left and my dad mentioned pictures floating around the clubhouse that he had gathered up and brought home. Since my mom was hysterically crying, he was focused on her, so he never saw me sneak down and look at the folder sitting open on the kitchen table. Fuck!” he bellows out, pulling at his hair. A look of guilt crosses his face before he crouches next to me. “I’m so fucking sorry, Ry. I tried to keep them from taking you.”

“You were a kid, Ban,” Brick says, trying to soothe him. “Not much a kid can do against a grown ass adult. The thing is, whydidthey do that? Why the fuck would they want us to believe she was dead?”

“Probably to traffic her,” Banshee spits out, the veins in his neck visibly bulging. “They were into that shit, remember? Our fathers were always talking about it around us, even though I’msure they didn’t realize how much we were listening in on their conversations.”

“Traffic?” I weakly whisper, my tone wheezy.

“But that obviously didn’t happen. There’s more we don’t know about what happened.” Brick’s fists clench and unclench as he speaks.

“Sounds like Church to me,” Banshee retorts. “Because if any of those fuckers are still out there, alive and breathing, they need to fucking pay for their sins.”

A brother.

I have a brother.

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