Page 31 of Protecting Gina

“We’re about to open it.”

Wave paused. “It could be nothing.”

“Maybe. But it could be something.”

He hoped this wasn’t anything that could hurt his sister. She seemed very hopeful, and he’d learned a long time ago that he couldn’t be hopeful as far as his mother was concerned.

He opened the box, seeing a bunch of files. Cass pulled one out and started leafing through it. He grabbed a file and opened it, seeing information for someone he didn’t know.

“What is this?” Cass asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know.” His stomach clenched as a weird feeling slid through him. “Wait. What if it’s something you don’t want to know about?”

Cass paused and looked up, meeting his gaze. “I don’t know, but I can face anything.”

He swallowed over the lump in his throat, wondering if he should look through the files on his own. Cass was an adult, and if he put his foot down, it would only cause problems between them.

“Okay, but if it’s something weird, we can stop and talk at any time.”

“Let’s take it to the kitchen and look through it in there.”

Wave carried the box to the kitchen and set it down hesitantly. He had the feeling that this was going to change things.

Cass pulled a file from the box and opened it. Wave grabbed another file, reading the information. It was a medical file for a woman he didn’t know.

“I think this is a medical file,” Wave said.

“Same for this,” Cass said.

Gina moved closer. “Can I look?”

Cass handed her the file. “Sure.”

Gina glanced at the file, then took the file Wave had been looking at. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was in the files. “These are charts for pregnant women.”

Wave picked up another file and browsed through it. “Same kind of information.”

“Why does Mom have so many files about pregnant women?” Cass asked.

Wave checked the date on the files, and his stomach tightened. The information made him nauseous. “They were all pregnant around the time you were born.”

“That’s weird,” Gina said. “Can I see the rest of the files?”

“Sure.”

Wave handed over the box, and Gina flipped through all the files. It only took her a short moment to look at everything.

“It’s ten women who were pregnant all around the same time.”

Cass looked at the files. “This is so odd.” She met his gaze. “Do you remember anything from that time?”

He shook his head. “I was ten. Mom didn’t pay much attention to me. She was busy getting stuff ready for you.”

Cass chewed on her thumbnail. “It’s weird.”

Gina nodded and then shrugged. “She could have the files for a totally innocent reason.”

Wave had the feeling it wasn’t innocent. His mom had been strange about stuff. She liked having guys pay for her lifestyle, and from what he remembered at the time, she really liked attention from Cass’s dad. He hadn’t stuck around for long. He’d been a little shit at that age, so he hadn’t really paid that much attention to his mom, but Cass’s dad had been around for at least two of his birthdays.