Page 33 of Twisted Truths (The Sunburnt Hearts #4)

“You broke your rules or whatever when you announced my sister was pregnant with your child, didn’t you?

Maybe when Tanner rocked up asking about her, your mother put two and two together.

” I drag a hand through my hair. “If she knew Franklin wasn’t really yours, she might have wanted to remove Zara from the equation before anyone found out the truth. ”

“You think she orchestrated it all?” Hadley asks.

I shrug. “Why not?”

“What would Tanner get out of it?” Gabriel asks.

“He’s a manipulative, abusive bastard. If he was searching for Zara, he’d want to punish her for leaving him.”

Hadley picks up the photo from my high school graduation. “And the rest of your family was just collateral damage?”

Bile rises in my throat, and I stumble to the couch and sink onto it.

Were my family really killed because Zara was trying to escape an abusive relationship?

Why didn’t she tell me? I would have found a way to help her.

Hell, Levi would have gotten her out. Instead, she was forced to ask Gabriel for help, and now she’s dead.

“Was he at the funeral?” Gabriel asks.

I shrug. The day was a blur. I couldn’t tell you who was or wasn’t there. “So, Tanner assaults my sister, and maybe helps have her killed, and now my nephew is trapped with people who see him as … what? A weapon?”

Gabriel shakes his head. “Not a weapon. Franklin is their Divine Light. ”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

He exchanges a look with Hadley before releasing a heavy exhale.

“The Sunfire Circle’s core beliefs centre around history moving in divine circles, times of darkness that are followed by illumination brought by a chosen vessel.

This pureblood child, born under the light of the ring of fire, is seen as the Divine Light.

They are a child prophesised to purify the Circle and lead it into a new era. ”

I scoff. “What a load of bullshit.”

Hadley winces.

Gabriel runs a hand over his face. “Before my parents started the Circle, we went through a really dark time. When my youngest brother, Ezekial, was eight, he got really sick. My parents spent all of their money taking him to specialists and trying to find answers, but nothing worked. No one could tell them what was wrong with him, and he kept getting worse. He would scream at night, hallucinate, and lose time. My mother was convinced it wasn’t physical. She believed it was spiritual .”

He spits the last word as if it tastes like acid in his mouth.

“She started researching. Old mystic texts, fringe theologies, folk healing. My father followed her blindly. Then they came across a healer who told them Ezekial wasn’t sick, he was ‘misaligned with the Light’. She convinced them his suffering meant he was spiritually chosen.”

Suddenly, I understand. This isn’t just a cult they founded; it’s their own personal and twisted salvation story.

Gabriel goes on, his voice lower now. “Ezekial died two months later, on the night of an eclipse. Instead of grieving, my mother said Ezekial’s death was a message, and we were meant to guide others to the Light so no child would ever be lost again.”

A shiver runs down my spine .

“They sold everything, and we went from town to town, gathering followers along the way.”

“Why did you stop in Barrenridge?” I ask. “Why didn’t you keep going? Maybe then my family would still be alive. Tom would be okay.”

Hadley sniffs, and I look over to see her brush a tear from her cheek. Guilt twists in my stomach. If it weren’t for the Solomons’ cult, she never would have come into my life, but I’d give up anything to have my family back.

“So, a child born of pure bloodlines is the Divine Light?” I swallow around the lump in my throat before voicing my biggest fear aloud. “What will they do if they suspect he’s not your son?”

“They won’t hurt him,” Gabriel says confidently.

I narrow my eyes. “How do you know?”

Pain flashes over his face. “When I lost Madeline and Annie, the first thing my mother said to me was the child was not meant to be as she wasn’t born under an eclipse. I had just lost the love of my life and my daughter, and that was how she comforted me.”

My stomach drops. While I may not like the guy, the poor bastard has been through something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. “I’m sorry for your loss, but?—”

“They won’t hurt Franklin,” Gabriel interrupts.

“He was born on the first annular eclipse in thirty-five years. He was the first child born under the ring of fire, and the entire congregation believes him to be my heir. Even if my mother knows or suspects the truth, she won’t hurt him.

To her, he is the miracle she’s been waiting for.

Regardless of his true parentage, he is the illumination who lit up the darkness. ”

I mutter a curse under my breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me. They won’t give a shit what bloodline he has?”

He shakes his head .

Another curse slips from my lips. This whole thing blows my fucking mind.

“How do we find out if it really was Tanner and Seraphina?” Hadley asks. “We have no proof.”

“There has to be something connecting them,” he says.

“I’ll call Grimshaw. He’ll know where to look.” He casts a quick glance at me. “Are you okay?”

My laugh is humourless. “Peachy-fucking-keen.”

He frowns and looks over at Hadley.

“Go,” she tells him. “See what you can find out.”

Gabriel exhales a heavy sigh before leaving the room. When it’s only the two of us, Hadley takes a couple of steps towards me, but then she hesitates, clearly remembering my request for space.

“When’s it all going to stop?” I ask her.

“What?” she asks softly.

“All of it,” I say, my voice cracking. “The bad news. I thought it was supposed to come in threes, but I feel like I keep taking hit after hit. My family’s dead, my sister was assaulted by her boyfriend, and now it looks like he might have been involved in her murders.

My nephew’s existence was hidden from me, and now I find out he’s been dragged into some insane prophecy cult that thinks he’s their divine light, whatever the fuck that means. ”

I ignore the pain in her expression over her part in keeping the truth from me. Deep down, I know she was only doing what she thought would keep him safe, but it doesn’t hurt any less and it doesn’t change the fact he’s now in more danger than before, with no one to look out for him.

When I continue, my voice is low. “He’s the only piece of my sister I have left, and he’s being held by psychopaths who see him as a symbol and not a person.”

Hadley steps closer. Not close enough to touch, but close enough to feel her presence. “I think Gabriel’s right. They won’t hurt Franklin because of that fact. They will do whatever it takes to keep him safe because he’s their salvation.”

“He’s a child!” I choke out, staring at her in bewilderment. How can she be so calm?

She smiles sadly. “I know, and we will get him back.”

I shake my head.

As much as I want to believe her, something in my gut isn’t sitting right. I’m terrified I’m going to lose even more than I already have. The worst thing is, I don’t know if I’ll survive anymore blows. How much more can one person take before it all becomes too much?

Sensing the internal chaos flowing through my mind, Hadley closes the distance between us, sinking to her knees in front of me and cupping my cheeks in her hands. My heart races as I meet her gaze.

“I promise you, Nash. Gabriel and I will help you get Franklin back and bring down the Circle for good. They need to be held accountable for all the atrocities they’ve done.”

We’re still locked in our intense moment when Gabriel returns, clearing his throat.

Hadley breaks the connection first, turning to look at him. Her hand drops to my thigh, dangerously close to my cock, and I draw in a deep inhale as it swells, despite being the most inappropriate time. I take a moment to get myself under control, then I force myself to meet Gabriel’s eye.

“Grimshaw is going to look into any connections between my mother and Tanner Crawley, but he thinks he’s found something with the money trail from your stepdad.”

With that one sentence, I sit up straighter. “What is it?”

Gabriel shakes his head. “He didn’t want to say anything over the phone. He wants to meet.”

“In Sydney? ”

He nods, and I sink back against the couch, running a hand through my hair.

On one hand, I’m desperate for any answers that might help us catch the arsehole who took my family from me, but on the other, I don’t want to leave Barrenridge and Franklin.

What happens if Ignatius and Seraphina catch wind that we’re onto them, and they disappear forever?

“I can go,” Gabriel offers. “But you can’t go doing anything reckless, like trying to sneak onto Circle property while I’m gone. You’re no good to Hadley or Franklin if you’re dead.”

I consider the option. Gabriel has done nothing to make me suspicious since I found them here, but do I trust him enough to let him go to Sydney? What if he simply takes off and leaves me here to figure out this mess on my own? He’s got no reason to hang around now he’s free from his parents.

“Why wouldn’t he tell you over the phone or via email?” I ask.

Gabriel shrugs. “He said he’s still following up a couple of things, but with information this sensitive, he wants to give it in person.

I don’t mind going. I have a couple of other things I want to check on myself.

We need something concrete on my parents to bring them down for good, so I want to go see some people while I’m in the city. ”

He makes a good point, and I can’t really deny his offer when he’s bankrolling the whole thing. A fact that still doesn’t sit right with me. “I want to help cover some of the costs for the investigation.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel says. “I have a feeling this runs deeper than we think, and your family’s isn’t the only blood on their hands.” His gaze drifts to Hadley, and my stomach clenches when I realise he thinks they might have had more to do with her sister’s death.

“Take my mum’s car, then. ”

“Thanks.” Gabriel’s gaze darts between Hadley and me, and I shift uncomfortably.

As if only just realising where she’s touching me, she removes her hand, swiping it over her dress.

“Are you okay to stay here with Nash?” he asks her. “You’re welcome to come with me if you’re worried about anyone finding you here.”

My fists clench at my sides. I want to snap at him, tell him I’m perfectly capable of keeping her safe, but at the same time, I don’t want to be another controlling arsehole in her life making decisions for her.

If she wants to stay, I won’t turn her away.

I’ll find a way to move past the betrayal.

But if she wants to go with him, I won’t stop her.

Hadley was caged inside that cult for three years.

I’m not about to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.

When she looks up at me with those innocent green eyes, my resolve falters. I want to tell her I forgive her, and I’ll do anything she wants if she’ll choose to stay with me, but somehow I keep my face impassive.

After a tense silence, she turns back to him. It kills me, and I have to physically stop myself from reaching over and wrenching her gaze back to mine. “How long will you be gone?”

“A day,” he says. “Two tops. I want to get these answers, then figure out a way to get Franklin out of there safely.”

“I’ll stay,” she tells him softly before asking me, “As long as it’s okay?”

“Yeah,” I say, my voice thick with relief. “It’s okay.”

“Nash?” Gabriel says, nodding towards the hallway.

Hadley moves out of my way as I rise to my feet and follow him out of the living room and into the kitchen.

“What is it?” I ask in a low voice when I come to a stop across from Gabriel. Whatever he wants to say, it’s clear he didn’t want Hadley overhearing.

He clears his throat, gripping the back of his neck in his hand. “Does your stepdad own a gun?”

My brows almost shoot off my forehead. “Yeah, why?”

“Don’t be afraid to use it. My family is dangerous.

If they come after her, I want you to protect her at all costs.

Madeline never wanted this life for Hadley.

I don’t know what manipulative games my mother was playing at by dragging her into our world when she was at her lowest, but she’s free now, and I want her to be safe. ”

He casts a glance over my shoulder to make sure we’re still alone.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you two, and I don’t need to know.

But if you’re only using her to fill the void of losing your family, then you need to keep your distance from her.

I know you plan to go back to the States when this is all over, so don’t give her false hope.

She has to start her life from scratch. It’s going to be hard enough without having to do it with a broken heart. Trust me, I know.”

He doesn’t give me a chance to reply, striding over to where the car keys are hanging on a hook by the back door.

I let him go, leaning back against the bench, my mind a whirling, chaotic mess, and my stomach in knots.

Since learning about Franklin, basketball hasn’t even crossed my mind, but Gabriel’s right.

I have ten days before the Shamrocks are expecting me at training.

Ten days to bring down my family’s true murderers and get my nephew back.

What the fuck am I going to do if I fail at either of those things?

Hadley doesn’t need my level of fucked up in her life. She’s already lost so much, and I’ve already proven I can’t give her what she needs. I’ve been so hot and cold towards her, even thinking about it gives me whiplash .

I’ll keep her safe until Gabriel returns from Sydney, hopefully with the answers we need to take down his family forever. Then I’ll let him help her start her new life while I take Franklin back to the States with me and figure out how to be a single dad while playing in the NBA.

I can do that.

I have to do that.

It’s the best thing for all of us.