Page 13

Jake

T alk about an unexpected eye-opener from Megan. We all suspected that Micah had to be related to Flash in some way, but I don’t think any of us suspected Megan to drop the bomb that Flash’s father was not only his and Wyatt’s but also her own and Micah’s, making her Flash’s younger sister. I think that she would fall between Flash and Wyatt in age, meaning that Flash’s father has been living a double life for a very long time.

The information is going to be easy enough to confirm; all we need is to access a copy of Megan and Micah’s birth certificates. I can’t see Flash’s father not being named on either of them. Even though he’s more than likely been living a double life for a very long time, he’s never been caught; he wouldn’t have felt the need to not have his name on those birth certificates. He’s been getting away with everything for so long, he’s got to have believed he was free and clear. That he had nothing to worry about being named on his other children’s birth certificates.

As we close the door on the sound of Megan’s shouting as she is still trying to gain Flash’s attention, we’re faced with all three of my brothers waiting for us with grim expressions on their faces, but the one who really grabs my attention is Seth, who’s holding his laptop in one hand with the screen open. Each of my brothers has their own specialties, and one of Seth’s is information gathering and analysis; he’s a wizard with a computer, much like Tech is for Devil’s Inferno. It isn’t hard to come to the conclusion that he’s standing there with his laptop open because after they heard what Megan had to say, he immediately went to work on discovering whether or not she’s telling the truth.

“What’ve you found, Seth?” Flash asks, and we all wait to hear just what Seth has found so far. There’s no way he wouldn’t have already found something, even only having a few minutes to search. Not only is he good with technology, he’s also in The Khaos Group’s systems, and there’s nothing that can’t be found when using that. Yes, some things take more time than others, but Seth would have been pulling birth records, and that’s fucking child’s play around here. He could probably do something that simple in his sleep.

“I’m sorry, man, she’s not lying. Raymond Anderson is listed as the father on all of your birth certificates, and when I looked a little closer, I saw that there were also DNA tests done at your father’s request for both Megan and Micah. He came back as the biological father for them both.”

Fucking hell. She really wasn’t lying. I was hoping for at least Flash’s sake that Megan was spouting off her normal shit, but deep down I knew she wasn’t. I’ve seen her lie and shit throughout the years; I find it easier than most to read her after watching the way she’s acted over the years, and I saw it the moment she said that they all shared a father. She wasn’t lying. As much as I really wanted her to be.

“I’ll fucking deal with my sperm donor later. His life as he knows it is about to come crashing down around him, and I’ll be the one swinging the sledgehammer.” Flash snarls, and it’s not hard to figure out he’s more than a little angry learning about his father’s double life. Anyone would be in his shoes. I can’t even imagine learning that sort of news. Realizing everything you’ve ever believed about the person who raised you is a lie, hell, that your entire life has been a lie, “First, I need a plan on how to deal with Micah’s mother, because there’s no way now that I know he’s my brother that I don’t want him in my life. It also means that I have a reason to ask questions about the way he was acting earlier.”

“You mean his nervousness? I just assumed that was because of being at The Compound and what he needed to talk about.”

“It’s more than that. He was super timid and quiet, which, yeah, could have easily been written off because of the situation, but that doesn’t explain the tension that took over his body the closer we got to Point Park for me to drop him off. This isn’t just me being an overprotective brother; I have a feeling there’s something going on in Micah’s home life that needs dealing with.”

“I’m not going to write off what you’re feeling, Flash. You spent the most time with him today, and if anyone was going to pay the most attention to him, it was you. You had more than enough reason to. Let’s head back to The Clubhouse; you can fill Piston in on what we’ve found out, because if you don’t, he’ll probably kill you, then we can talk to Shadow. He’s been around Micah at home; he might have some answers for you. It can’t hurt to ask him.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan, J. Thank you.” He says before reaching out and squeezing my hand. He doesn’t let go as fast as I expect him to; no, he’s clinging to my hand like I’m all that’s keeping him grounded right now.

As we walk out of the building, Flash keeps hold of my hand, and I’m more than happy to keep hold of his hand this way. It feels like more; it feels like a step in the right direction for us. We might not have talked about everything yet, but the way he’s holding onto my hand, the way his thumb is stroking the back of it, it gives me hope. He wouldn’t be doing something like that if he didn’t have feelings that matched mine.

Luckily for my brothers, who follow us out of the facility, they choose to keep their mouths shut about what they’re witnessing between us. It wouldn’t have ended well for any of them if they’d made a stupid comment and ruined this moment for me. I’ve had more than one conversation with each of them about the things they’ve picked up on when it comes to the way I feel about Flash. I know none of them would risk saying something that could cause an issue for whatever this is between us. They know they’d highly regret their actions if they did. They know I would make them pay.

* * *

The ride back to The Clubhouse doesn’t take long. It’s late at night, and there is no traffic in Devil’s Point this late. We’re a small town; we don’t get lots of traffic during daylight hours, but at night there are never many people on the roads. When we pull up outside, I spot Piston’s bike parked up in his spot, which means he should be about somewhere inside. I’m not sure how he’s going to react to the news about Raymond and his double life. I know he grew up with Flash and that their families are close.

I hop off my ride, standing and waiting for Flash to do the same. Now that he’s had more time to think, I can see how angry and hurt he is by what he’s learned. I can’t imagine what it must feel like learning that your father has been living two lives, that he has two families who are actually living really close together. How the fuck hasn’t he been found out sooner?

“I still can’t actually believe this. I never thought he’d do something like this to my Mom. They’ve always seemed so happy and in love. I guess I know where Megan gets her fucking acting skills from now, though, huh?”

“It’s just a fucking horrible situation, Flash, but you’re not alone. Come on, let’s go find Piston so you can fill him in. I know you want to, and if anyone is going to understand what you’re saying, it’s him. He’s the only other person here who’s spent a decent amount of time with your parents.”

“Yeah, you’re right. He’s going to be pissed; he loves my Mom. To him, she’s Momma Iz.”

Flash just shakes his head in disbelief before striding towards the doors to The Clubhouse, pushing them open hard enough that they actually slam into the walls, causing a very loud bang that grabs the attention of everyone inside.

“Shit, sorry.” Flash apologizes, but those who know about Micah’s resemblance to Wyatt stay staring at Flash.

Piston is the first one to move, heading towards his best friend with determination in his steps and eyes. He doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of him. Their noses almost touching.

“Here or in private?” He asks; he knows we’ve found something out; he can tell by just looking at Flash. That’s how close they are and how well they know one another. One glance and Piston knows Flash has answers, and they’re not good.

“Doesn’t matter either way; everyone is going to find out eventually.”

“Come on then, let’s head over to the bar, and you can fill me in.” Piston says before spinning on his heel and waving for us to follow him.

He heads towards the end of the bar that is mostly empty; the only people standing there are Shadow and Wreck, which works out well as we need to speak to Shadow too. We need to see what he might have picked up on in Micah’s family home. God, I really hope the feeling Flash had is wrong, but I very much doubt it. No, it would be far too simple to think that other than Micah being Flash’s secret brother, that everything else would be hunky-dory in his life.

Without anyone saying a word, Whiskey, who is currently working behind the bar, passes over a bottle of rum and glasses before walking back down the bar to the other end, offering us a measure of privacy. Piston pours everyone a drink and waits until Flash has drunk his first one before refilling it and looking at him, waiting for him to start talking.

“Seriously fucking needed that.” Flash says, and I can’t exactly argue with him there; this is certainly a reason to need a drink.

“I’m guessing you found some answers then?” Piston asks.

“Oh, we sure did, and they’re a fucking doozy.”

“Go on then, tell us; you can’t just leave us all here in suspense, man.” Piston says.

“Well, J here arranged for me to speak to Megan,” Flash starts, which earns groaning sounds from both Shadow and Wreck, which we all can’t help but laugh at. “Yeah, don’t even get me started on how much fun that was, but anyway, not only did she drop my given name, which she shouldn’t have known, she was more than a little bit shocked and worried when I said I’d met Micah. She tried to play it off, but she’d already reacted. She ended up telling us that Micah and Wyatt look so much alike because they have the same father.”

“Man, you can’t just believe what she has to say.” Shadow, says interrupting Flash.

“We never planned on it; Seth looked up Micah and Megan’s birth certificates. Want to take a wild fucking guess at who’s listed as their father and also had a DNA test done to be sure?”

“No. Fucking. Way.” Piston says, shocked. His eyes are growing wide, and his mouth is opening and closing as he tries to accept what Flash is telling him.

“Yep. So I will be blowing up my father’s world shortly. No way am I going to allow him to continue treating my Mom this way, but first I need to ask you something, Shadow. Did you ever see or even feel anything was off with Micah and his home life?”