Page 5 of Destiny

This man is Ava’s cousin.

Knowing what I know about him—what he did to Diana Steel and to Rory and Callie Pike—my sympathy for him is limited. But it does still exist. He didn’t have the best start in life for sure.

I have no idea what his adoptive parents were like, and since they’re both dead now, there’s no way to ever know.

But Iama bartender—a makeshift therapist.

“What else is troubling you?” I ask.

“Does there have to be something else?” He shoots the fourth drink. “My birth mother was raped by three masked men, all of whom are now dead, so there’s no—”

I hold up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait… How do you know they’re all dead? Does that mean…”

He shakes his head. “No. I don’t know who they are. My mother told me they’re dead. At least that’s whathermother told her.”

“Hmm…”

Wendy could have had them taken care of. It’s certainly on brand for her from what I know. Or…Wendy may know who they are, which means…

Fuck. I need to keep my head on straight.

“Hmm…what?” Pat lifts his eyebrows.

“Nothing. Go ahead.”

“Right. Anyway, there’s no way for me to know for sure which one fathered me.” He closes his eyes for a moment, exhales. “Does it really matter? Genetics are genetics, right? Maybe there’s a reason I’m a bad seed. Maybe there’s a reason why I got involved with the likes of Brittany Sheraton. Why I did what I did to Diana Steel and the Pike sisters.”

I scratch an itch on my temple. “What are you talking about? How are you involved with Brittany Sheraton?”

“So Ava hasn’t told you the whole story.”

“I’m not sure Avaknowsthe whole story.”

“Brittany Sheraton is kind of screwed up. Plus, her dad blames the Steels for the loss of his business. It’s a long story. Talk to Brock Steel. He knows all about it.”

“I see.” I wipe the bar down with a cloth. “How about you? Tell me about your adoptive parents.”

“What the hell business is that of yours?”

I hold up a hand. “Hey, man. I’m just trying to be a friend.”

“Right.” Pat narrows his eyes. “And I’m just that gullible, Murphy. I know you’re almost engaged to Ava Steel. You’ll be a Steel before I will.”

“I don’t know about that.” Though admittedly, the idea makes me happy. “Currently you’re already a Steel.”

“Descended from the bastard half brother. I don’t even know who his mother was.”

“I don’t think anyone does.”

“And there’s no way to find out, short of finding his grave, exhuming his body, and doing a DNA test.” He sighs, rubbing his forehead. “And even then, what would it yield? Without knowing who the DNA belongs to…”

“Nothing,” I say. “It would yield nothing. You’re going to have to get used to the fact that you’ll never know.”

“Just as well. I sure as hell wish I didn’t know about my birth father.”

“You don’t want to tell me about your adoptive parents, then?”

“Why the fuck do you care, Murphy?”

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