Page 258 of The Tempted

Chapter Twenty-Four

Happiness.

It’s a nightmare disguised as one of the most beautiful dreams. We all wake up eventually—we’re all robbed of the lie, the false pretense of believing we can be happy. I didn’t know what Jack was about to tell me but I knew whatever it was threatened to ruin what we were building. I knew this because it was right there in the depths of his eyes, the fear that his words, his last scar, would destroy us.

I found him standing in the living room, his hands on his hips, every cord in his arms on display. He was shirtless and all his tattoos that covered his tan skin told his story. I studied the ink, wondering which of the masterpieces was the missing link that would end us. He frowned as he stared at the holes decorating the walls of the room. He diverted his eyes to me, his lips forming a straight line as he stared at me thoughtfully.

How do you share the truth you know is about to ruin everything? Where do you begin when you’re delivering the end?

“You see these holes?” he asked, tipping his chin toward the Sheetrock, keeping his eyes locked on mine as he did. “They’re a reminder of the day Junior died. I never patched them, just hung photos, art, whatever worked, so that when I need to remember what I’m capable of, they’re there. After today they’ll be a reminder of the lies,” he said, turning his body to mine holding out a hand for me to take.

“You’re scaring me,” I admitted, stepping toward him and placing my hand in his. He bent down and kissed my hand before giving it a squeeze. “Jack, whatever it is, just say it. It won’t change anything,” I said, swallowing.

He smiled sadly. “It changes everything, Sunshine,” he whispered, dropping my hand and running his fingers through his hair angrily.

“I lost my fucking mind the day my son died and not the way you think. Yeah, I had a breakdown, I guess they’re all the same after a while so you can imagine the state I was in,” he said, struggling to get the words out. “But that day, there was a trigger, something set me off,” he scratched at the stubble lining his jaw. “That was the day I found out my brother was going to be a federal agent,” he said, his eyes searching my face.

I leaned against the back of the couch and looked at him, waiting for him to continue, prepping myself for the blow as I held onto the back of the couch. He cocked his head to the side, a flicker of surprise flashed across his features before he licked his lips and continued.

“It was my weekend with the kids and I paid no mind, no attention to their scared faces as I tore this house apart. I ignored Lacey’s cries, forgot they were even there, I was crazed and determined to find the wire taps I was sure he hid in my house. Why else would my brother become an agent if not to put me away? He knew what the patch that read one percent on my cut meant. I was an outlaw, and he was disgusted by it. He never minded the money though. Money, I earned illegally is what got him that fancy degree he used to get into the bureau,” he sneered, sucking in a harsh breath.

“I’m sorry your brother went against you like that,” I offered, reaching out and running my hand along his arm.

“He never showed up to my kid’s funeral, never saw his sorry ass until I was in Ryker’s doing some bullshit bid. The minute I saw him in the visitor’s room I thought he was there to gloat, but it wasn’t the case. He was never out to get me or bring my club to its knees like I thought. He came to tell me they assigned him to some RICO case or unit, I don’t even remember, to be honest. Anyway, little brother had bigger fish to fry and wanted to bring the mob down. He came to Ryker’s to tell me he was changing his last name. He didn’t want to risk his career by being associated with me,” he said, pausing for a moment. He reached out, wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger and watched as it slowly unraveled.

He leaned into me, cupped my face in the palms of his hands and bent his head a fraction so his lips could glide over mine. It was a soft kiss, just a test of how my lips felt against his. He pulled back slightly and his eyes darkened as they stared into mine.

“Daniel Parrish became Daniel Gregorio,” he said finally.

I watched his lips as he said the words but even as I read his lips, my ears played tricks on me because what I heard couldn’t be true. I lifted my eyes to his, and the truth slammed into me, punching me in the gut, stopping my heart for a moment.

His eyes exposed his truth.

“I’m Danny’s brother,” he whispered. “I’m your Danny’s brother.”

“You’re lying,” I accused, shaking my head in disbelief.

“No more lies, Sunshine,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Stop it,” I demanded, retreating backward. “You’re lying because my Danny didn’t have a brother. His parents died, and he was an only child.”

“Our parents died and he might as well have been an only child because we didn’t have much of a relationship after they passed.”

I shook my head adamantly, wondering why he’d do this. Why would he bring up Danny, and in such a way?

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, feeling my eyes fill with tears.

“I didn’t speak to him after that day. Three years and not a word then Victor Pastore asked me for a favor. The Fed’s dug up a body and threatened to take Vic and his organization down. Victor asked me to take care of the Fed and I agreed because that Fed he was gunning for was Danny. I had no doubt that if I didn’t agree to help Victor, he’d have someone else do it and I was the only person who could save Danny. He sent Bianci with me to do the job and I confessed the truth to him. I told him Danny was my brother and I wasn’t going to kill him. My plan was to get him to shut down his investigation,” he said, pausing to give me a moment to process his words.

My head was spinning, still processing Jack was Danny’s brother and trying to comprehend that Danny was a Fed.

“He was a financial investor,” I whispered.

“He was a federal agent,” he insisted.

“You were going to kill your own brother?” I questioned. Even if what he said was true, and Danny was his brother, he was going to kill him. What kind of monster was I in love with?

“No, I wasn’t. I swear on my son; I would never kill Danny. I struck a deal with Bianci, he would tell Victor I took care of the problem,” he explained. “But I was too fucking late. I was too late because when I got there his house was already up in flames.”

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