Page 43 of The Long Game

“Yup,” Colton said before taking another sip of his coffee.

“Any conclusions?” Jack asked when it became clear Colton wasn’t going to volunteer anything else.

Colton stared fixedly at the water for a long moment. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Grady said.

“Can I tell people about you?”

Grady smiled, relieved it was an easy question. “Of course.”

“I mean members of our family,” Colton added. “People who think you’re dead.”

Grady kept his expression blank, trying not to show how much the question had thrown him. Colton was a bright kid, though, and Grady’s hesitation was clue enough.

“It’s okay, I get it,” Colton said, staring out at the ocean again.

“No, wait.” Grady took a deep breath and tried to put his thoughts in order. Jack slid a hand onto his knee, which helped. “I guess I’m surprised you’re still in touch with people back home.”

It had never crossed Grady’s mind to even try, but he shouldn’t have assumed it would be the same for Colton.

“Only a few who have been supportive,” Colton said. “I’m on Facebook with one of my brothers and both sisters. And, um…your brother.”

“Which one? Bartholomew Daniel?” Grady asked, surprised. Colton couldn’t possibly mean Brock David.

“No.” Colton gave Grady a funny look. “Sam. Samuel Grady.”

Grady cocked his head. “I don’t have a brother named Samuel.”

Unless his parents had had more children after he was gone?

It shouldn’t have been such an upsetting idea, but for some damn reason it was. He’d never fathomed that they’d move on and make another son to replace the one they’d thrown away, even giving him Grady’s names.

Which, honestly, seemed strange even for his fucked-up family.

Colton let out a sigh. “You do, actually. And he’s…like us.”

“Gay?”

“Disowned,” Colton clarified. “Well, kind of. The family—he had a really hard time. Worse than either of us. Your parentssent him to this awful doctor who fucked with his head. It was awful.”

“But…he can’t be more than, what? Twelve or thirteen, right?” Grady’s heart ached for the brother he’d never met.

“No, he’s twenty-one. He lives on his own now.”

Grady tried to make sense of what Colton was saying and came up blank.

Colton sighed. “You knew Sam when he was still called Rebecca.”

Grady didn’t remember rising to his feet, just suddenly was there, hands flexing helplessly while his brain raced to fill in the blanks. To understand.

But he just couldn’t. Because…

“Theyhurthim? They—No.No.Those motherfuckers sent him to some quack and—”Grady wavered on his feet. That beautiful child he remembered in the care of thosefucking monsters. His hands curled into fists.

Jack’s grip on his arm pulled Grady back to the present. Colton stared at him with wide eyes. Grady was obviously frightening him and he made a concerted effort to pull himself together.

“Sorry,” he said as he took a slow breath and returned to his seat. As soon as Jack sat beside him again, he pulled Jack’s hand into his lap and held it with both of his own before turning back to Colton. “You surprised me.”

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