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She couldn’t reconcile his version of who English was with what she knew her father to be like. The conversation wasn’t going as she had played out in her mind, and she didn’t know where to go from here.

“I want to know the truth.” She wasn’t even aware she said the words out loud until Jackson sat down across from her.

“I get it. I have a lot of questions too.”

“He never told you about me.”

Jackson stood back up suddenly and paced the room. She could sense his inner struggle because she felt it was oddly similar to hers. They were both deceived by the same man, a man they considered a father. But they weren’t the same. The English he knew was not the man who abandoned her and her mother. So which version was the real man? And why did only one of them know who English really was?

A strange beeping shattered the intense moment. Jackson withdrew his phone from his pocket, checked the screen and answered. His voice had lowered enough to make his words indistinguishable. Reagan tried to hide her frustration. Jackson had only just started talking to her, and the interruption shattered the moment. He would likely shut down and retreat from her.

He turned around, and she met his gaze, already guarded and unreadable. Extending his arm, he waved the phone at her.

“Take it.”

Thinking Becky must be calling from the hospital, Reagan snatched the phone from his hand. “Hello?”

“Reagan.”

The soft lift of her mother’s voice brought tears to her eyes. “Mom. Are you alright?”

“Oh, honey, we’re fine. Are you alright?”

She turned her back to Jackson, not wanting him to see her so emotional. She heard the sound of his boots against the floor as he crossed the room. The sound of a door closing told her he had stepped outside.

“I don’t know,” she finally responded. “I can hardly believe what’s happening.”

“Your friend, Easton, explained to us. I’m sorry, honey. I can’t believe you have to see English again under these circumstances. How is he?”

“Not good. He’s in surgery. They’re trying to relieve pressure to his brain. They hope it’ll be enough for him to regain consciousness, but they can’t be sure he won’t have permanent damage. I don’t understand any of this. Mom, did you know he has this whole other family here? Easton is not my friend, Mom. He’s English’s son. Sort of. He has four of them. I don't think he's ever adopted them, but he claims them as his sons.”

“No, I had no idea. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this, but you don’t have to do this alone. Your father and I are coming to Fire Creek. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

Reagan sighed. “You don’t have to. Hearing your voice is all I needed. These guys have me scared that whoever put English in the hospital is coming after you guys too. You’re probably safer there.”

Traci Dunlap paused for longer than was appropriate, and Reagan tensed, recognizing her mother’s sign that she was about to deliver unpleasant news.

“Randall doesn’t think so. It seems he’s noticed a strange car parked in the neighborhood, and he’s seen the car following us a couple of times. Nothing has happened, but with what Easton told us, he thinks it’s better if we’re all together. He wanted me to tell you to trust English’s boys to keep you safe. We figured you were being stubborn and giving them a hard time, but this is one time you don’t need to be so independent. We want you to stay safe.”

“Dad trusts them? Does he know them? Does he know what’s going on?”

With Randall Dunlap’s career as a cop, he had connections and instincts which had served as inspiration for many characters in her novels. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had known about English’s secret life all along, but she would be surprised if he had known and not said a word to them.

“No, honey. I promise you we didn’t know where English was or that he’d taken in the boys, but Reagan, he’s not the monster you believe him to be. Easton said you’re with one of his brothers. You should ask him about English.”

“I tried. He told me a little bit, but he’s not exactly into sharing. He’s more interested in finding English’s attacker. But, Mom, there’s something else. We were at this bar English owns. We had to sneak out because these guys came for me. They were bad news, according to what the boys said, but I got a good look at one of them. Mom…”

The door opened, and Jackson stomped back inside. Reagan stopped talking. She'd decided not to tell him what she saw until she had a chance to ask her parents about it. Randall may trust the boys, and though she trusted Randall’s judgment, she couldn’t bring herself to let her guard down around Jackson and the others.

“Maybe we should talk later,” Reagan ended up telling her mother.

“We will. Stay safe. I love you, honey. Stay strong.”

“Love you, too, mom.”

She ended the call and handed the phone back to Jackson. “Your brother is escorting my parents to Fire Creek tomorrow. Looks like you’re going to have all of us here to protect.”

He shrugged. “Alex’s guys will help us out with that. There’s plenty of room here for everyone.”