Page 68 of You're My Person - For Always

She checked the time. It was almost one o'clock.

Nausea hit her. Maybe she should eat something.

Downstairs, she walked into the kitchen and found River standing around the island with Kingsley. Both of them were quiet.

"Hey." She checked to make sure her sister was okay.

Neither one of them knew what today would bring. She was starting to wish for just one day of normalcy.

"Morning." River's voice failed to hide her anxiety.

Kingsley held out a cup of coffee for her. Though the last thing she wanted was something on her stomach, she took the drink. Maybe it would calm her nerves.

"I just told River that whatever happens today, we face it together." He kissed her forehead. "Just like we always have, right?"

"Mm." She inhaled, drawing strength from having him beside her.

The door at the front of the house opened and shut. Kenna stepped closer to Kingsley. He put his hand on her back, drawing light circles. Whatever was in the envelope from her dad couldn't be worse than learning he sat on death row.

Zane walked into the room, followed by Big John. "Sweetheart?"

"Right here." River stepped over to him.

"Can you get Big John a coffee?"

"Sure."

Zane moved to the table. Kingsley led Kenna into the attached dining room. She waited for someone to tell her why Big John was there.

They were all meeting to go through the envelope. It was an emotional and private matter.

River brought Big John and Zane coffee and then sat at the table her and Kingsley.

"Go ahead and sit down." Kingsley motioned for Big John to sit on the other side of the table.

The vice president was older than Kingsley—she guessed around fifty years old. He never talked much around her, but she was used to him popping in at the house to give messages to Kingsley or when he was looking for Zane.

"I'm sure River and Kenna are wondering why we've invited Big John to the house today." Zane looked around the table. "I'll get to that before we go through the envelope."

"Do you want us to give you some privacy?" River said, "We can come back when you're through."

"This isn't club business, sweetheart." Zane leaned back in the chair. "It has to do with you and Kenna."

Kingsley put his hand on her thigh underneath the table. At that point she was more confused than ever. Why was Kingsley trying to protect her?

Zane put his hand on the envelope without opening it. "At the cemetery yesterday, it came to our attention that River and Kenna's mom had a different last name than they remembered. Considering their dad also had an alias, it was no surprise that the deeper we got into their past, this would happen again. However, to have someone buried in a privately owned cemetery, they must be buried under their real name. The namethey were born with or, if they were married, their spouse's last name."

Kenna frowned at Kingsley. Couldn't he get his brother to jump to the point? They already knew about the change of names.

"I left the cemetery, remembering something I read in one of my dad's files." Zane looked at Big John. "That's why you're here. When you patched in with Gem Haven Motorcycle Club, Ridge Stafford did you a favor."

Big John's expression never changed. He never moved. He never broke eye contact with Zane.

Kenna grabbed Kingsley's hand. The vice president was freaking scary as he controlled his reaction. She had no idea what Big John had to do with her and River, but something significant was happening.

"Don't." Big John sat forward. "We'll have this conversation in private at the clubhouse."

Zane put his hand on the back of River's neck, met Big John's gaze, and continued. "We'll have the conversation here. As a favor to you, Dad took your sister and put her in the equivalent of the Witness Protection Program because of the danger surrounding you at the time. Dad gave your sister to Tom Pruitt AKA Burt Shay, who changed her identity—"

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