Page 40 of Claimed
“I just learned I have a twin sister, here, who used to live at a property where you placed our mom.”
“Beth,” she saidwithout hesitation. “I remember the triplets. Your father only needed two, a boy and a girl. Which one of you lived in the house in Chattanooga?”
Bryn and Katie looked at each other. The woman was so casual while talking about dastardly circumstances.
“I did,” Katie said in a small voice.
“You weren’t supposed to be messed with sexually. Were you ever touched?”
Katielooked as though answering that question made her soul ache. But she shook her head.
“But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re fucking scum,” Zach growled.
“Listen, y’all,” Martha said as if she’d already had enough of them. “I take it you came here because you want to find Beth. I’ll let you know where she is, and you get the hell out of my store.” She scratched the back of herhead, watching Bryn with raised eyebrows. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t try nothing funny. Spencer and Asher—well, they may not fare so well in a court of law.”
Zach aimed his finger at her. “There’s no way you’re getting away with running a whorehouse in—”
“Katie, shut him up, please,” Bryn said. She had little patience for Puritanical grandstanding.
Zach jerked his head,apparently surprised by Bryn’s iciness. When they returned to the SUV on their way to the motel where Beth McConnell worked, Bryn felt she had to apologize in order to keep the good energy flowing between her and Katie. She yielded with a sigh after watching Zach pout while driving. “Listen, Zach, I’m sorry for what I said back there.”
He didn’t respond.
“You’re a good guy, and I’mreally happy the sister I never knew found you. I believe both of you are good people, but the world isn’t fucking black and white. And what you saw in there was a shade of dark gray. Your girlfriend’s a Christmas, and there’s nothing she can do about it now.”
“Bryn, we don’t need a lecture in how fucked-up your family is. And my last name is not Christmas,” Katie said.
Bryn wasshocked her sister had spoken up. She cracked a smirk. “You sure are talking like one now.”
Katie glared at Bryn, and Bryn winked. Katie sniffed and chuckled. “Maybe it’s in the genes.”
“Oh, it is—believe me, it is,” Dale said.
Katie and Bryn’s laugh carried a bit of heaviness.
“But I want you two to understand something…” Bryn said after their laughter simmered down.“Don’t worry about madam soccer mom back there. She’ll get hers. You can count on it.”
“Shit, now I’m shaking in my boots,” Dale said.
Bryn punched him on the arm jokingly. Then she became distracted by a text from Asher. “Shit,” she hissed.
“What is it?” Dale asked.
“Jasper’s on our asses. We have to hurry up and get there.”
“What if we did what we talked about?”Dale asked.
She cocked her head and grimaced as she considered what Dale was proposing. “We’d have to move fast.”
“I know some people in Nashville.”
Katie turned to the back seat to look at them. “Now I’m curious. What are you talking about?”
Bryn’s eyes shifted from left to right as she considered the consequences of doing just what Dale had suggested. “We’re talkingabout telling the truth for once.”
