Page 2 of Destiny

“What did you find?”

“Nothing, because I never got that far. I ended up overhearing Pat Lamone and Jimmy Dawson bragging about it, so I had my answer.”

“Do you know anything else about the club?” I ask. “Was Pat Lamone a member?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t even know if the club still exists.”

“The question,” Donny says, “is whether the reincarnation of the club had anything to do with the club our grandfather belonged to. And I sure hope not.”

“I hope not as well,” I say, “but with everything else that seems to be reappearing…”

“So Brock told you.”

“He did. It made me sick. A lot of things have made me sick lately. It’s getting easier to stomach each time I learn something new…which in itself is disturbing.”

“I know. I hear you, Ava.”

“You know about…Wendy?” I ask.

Donny nods. “Yes.”

“So you know I’m not a full-blood Steel.”

Donny frowns slightly. “You’re more of a full-blood Steel than I am.”

“I didn’t mean—”

Donny nods, though he doesn’t smile. “I know you didn’t. Blood doesn’t matter. Dale and I were fathered by a man who sold us into slavery for five thousand dollars.”

I drop my jaw.

“I guess you don’t know everything,” Donny says.

“Donny, go easy on her,” Callie says. “This is difficult for all of us.”

“I know. I’m only saying that blood doesn’t matter. Our ancestors don’t matter. What matters is who we are. Who we want to be.”

I nod, swallowing. “I’m so sorry for everything you and Dale have been through.”

“It’s ancient history, Ava. It sucked. I won’t lie. But it was so long ago, and we’ve had amazing lives here on the ranch.”

“I know. So have I.”

“So our true parentage doesn’t matter. We’ve all got major skeletons in the closet.”

I take a drink of water. “How can we find out what this FLMC is up to now?”

“I don’t even know if they still exist,” Callie says. “I graduated eight years ago.”

“Our family doesn’t have anyone at that school anymore,” Donny says.

“True. Maybe it’s nothing.”

But even as I say the words, I don’t believe them. The FLMC, whether they’re related to the original or not, are still around.

The question is what they’re up to, and whether it’s good or bad.

Chapter One

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