Page 96 of Stone
My hackles were raised. “Interesting. What did your parents say?”
“Not much. They, um… I think they were worried I’d be angry. They said the source was anonymous and a close family friend had helped with the legal documents. I kept digging by myself. Finally, the same friend of my dad’s came clean. He managed to find my original birth certificate.”
“It was a private adoption,” Dani said as she choked. Her hand was shaking as she reached for the drink and Tyler was immediately on edge, ready to take action if necessary. She looked at me and all I could do was nod.
This had all the markings of Bradford Vale. A great big secret. How many more were there hiding in the darkest crevices of the man’s soul?
I held my hand out in a gesture telling him no. “Yeah, private.” If Dani had been told her child had died, Bradford had paid off the doctors to lie to her. Then he’d likely paid big money to Tyler’s family to take the child, or to a private handler. I wouldn’t put the blame on Tyler’s parents just yet. They could have been conned just as easily.
Plus, he seemed like a good kid, raised to be a gentleman. God, what the fuck did I know about kids?
“I’m sorry I came.”
Tyler’s voice held as much despair as Dani’s. “Don’t be sorry,” she whispered. Once again, she couldn’t look at me. Hell, I wasn’t any different. I couldn’t look at her either because I had no idea what to say to her.
“So how did you make the final connection?”
“My dad confessed he knew and had your address. After that, my parents gave me money to fly here and said it was important.”
Tyler was clearly distraught, uncertain he’d done the right thing.
“Didn’t you think that was a bunch of shit?” My voice was too harsh. “I’m sorry, kid. As you might imagine, this isn’t how I planned on spending my evening.”
“Nah, I get it,” he said. “You don’t know me.”
I threw back half the goddamn glass of liquor, wishing I could feel a harsh burn to allow me to feel anything but the twisted emptiness that was all consuming. “Who are your parents, Tyler?”
“Trisha and Mike Warren.”
Never heard of them.
“And where do you live?”
“Virginia. Um, Richmond. We have a place in Goochland. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it?” The kid was nervous, more so than when I’d had a gun in his face.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” Goochland. Horse country. A small suburb of Richmond where the wealth was high and the political connections noteworthy. My hatred of Bradford increased. “What does your father do?”
“He’s a doctor.”
“And your mom?” I sensed Dani was irritated with me for grilling the kid. Well, I was irritated as hell.
Tyler shrugged. “She’s a senator in Congress.”
Well, bingo. If her road in politics was anything like Bradford’s had been, he’d known Tyler’s mother for years. What a goddamn cover-up.
I laughed, although it was the wrong emotion. “You’ll need to excuse me, Tyler, because until tonight, I didn’t know you existed.”
“That’s what Mom told me.”
Dani exhaled and rose to her feet, walking closer to her son. “You’ll need to excuse me. Both of you. I don’t feel very well. I hope you’ll stay the night, Tyler. I’d like to… talk to you, but I’ll understand if you are too uncomfortable.”
The kid was constantly darting his eyes back and forth between the two of us. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I mean I have a hotel.”
“What hotel?” I was still barking out questions like a drill sergeant. Fuck. What was I thinking? The kid staying here? With us? I had to be out of my mind.
“The Island Getaway.”
Snorting, I shook my head. “That’s a fucking fleabag. I have plenty of room here. Stay the night so we can sort this out. Okay?”
