AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Brice nodded. “I know what you mean. But it’s like any other business, it’s not who you are, just what you do.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Brice?” Dean asked puzzled.
Alex shot Brice a look. “All these years, you knew?”
“I may have seemed not to care, but I was always watching out for you guys. Had to make sure Dad didn’t reel any of you in.”
“Damn it, Brice. You could’ve told me.”
“I figured one day you’d tell us.”
Dean, aggravated with their banter, demanded, “Will one of you tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”
“We’re talking about what Alex does for a living,” Brice replied.
“Travel the world and vacation all the time from what I see.” Dean laughed. “Real hard work.”
“I do travel for business. I’m an author.”
“No way in hell,” Dean said, shaking his head. “You mean it. You wrote a book.”
“I’ve written twenty-two books so far.”
Dean ran his hand through his hair in total bewilderment. “What the fuck is wrong with me? Brice is a scientist. Logan, a neurosurgeon. Shaun, a financial wizard. Zoey, a self-taught pianist and composer. And now you’re a published author. Where the hell is my talent?”
Both Brice and Alex laughed. “When it comes to business, you know how to build them. None of us thought you could save Poly-Shyn, but you did. Hell, you not only saved it, you surpassed what Dad had been able to do. And legally, too. We all would’ve ditched the company for pennies. That would’ve been a huge mistake.”
Dean shook his head. “When I get home, I’m going to sit back and think about my talent. Maybe I’m a... singer or an actor. Fuck that. I’m a savvy businessman.”
“Oh, thank God. If you’d decided to become a singer, the Henderson name surely would never recover,” Alex joked.
It was refreshing to share a few laughs together. Especially after the ordeal they’d been through. Brice was right. None of them were alone. It was time to stop acting like they were. Although he didn’t want to spoil the mood, he needed to get back to why they were meeting in the first place.
“Getting back to the manager. Did they get anything good out of him when they interrogated him?”
“He detailed. We found a ledger that held every girl’s name, and also the bastards who paid for them,” Brice said. “We have the names of our mothers, but not their whereabouts. Bennett and Doug are working on that as we speak.”
Brice handed him the list. He scrolled to the name listed by his. Alex’s heart raced. All this time had passed, and he now had a name. Nikolet Maadi, my mother. He scrolled through all their mothers’ names. Zoey’s popped out at him. Teetta Maadi.
“Brice, did you—?”
“Notice the last names? Yeah. And it’s confirmed. Your mother and Zoey’s were sisters.” Brice replied nodding grimly.
“Guess we know where your artistic genes came from,” Dean added.
“Dean,” Brice growled. “It also means two sisters were taken from that family. Two. Can you fathom that?” No doubt this was more personal to Brice, given he also was a parent. When he met Brice’s eyes, it was confirmed. His jaw twitched and his fist clenched. Then his focus returned back to his mother and her parents. My grandparents. All their lives were hell. Nothing I ever say or do will change that. Or can ever repay the debt owed. Alex couldn’t stop staring at the list. It was what he’d wanted since he was a small child, old enough to know a piece of him was missing. Now he had the name. He was elated, but something seemed to be missing. Actually, someone. Ziva. I need to share this news with her. Celebrate with her.
He was used to being alone. Surely he didn’t need to share this with her. All he needed was to get back to Boston and settle right back into his normal way of living. Just need some time and distance.
“There’s more that you don’t know,” Dean said.
Alex wasn’t sure his head could handle anything else. “Make sure it’s good news.”
“We first thought Logan’s mother had died giving birth to him. The information was incorrect.”
He’d forgotten all about that. It would’ve been a blow to Logan. He’d always been so damn serious and uptight, but Alex hadn’t been fooled either. Out of all of them, he was driven the most by his emotions. Guess that’s why he’s the doctor and we’re not. You have to save everyone. “Have the others been told what we’re doing here?”
Brice shook his head. “Not yet. We wanted to get all the facts first. I’d like to ensure the women are still alive before we update them.”
