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What kind of agent did that make me that my own mother had pulled the wool over my eyes?
With a growl, I press two fingers to my temples and rub in slow, circular motions. Jen lapses into silence. The blood in my ears is replaced by a faint ringing sound, and my stomach lurches when Jen leans her head out of the window and is waved through the security gate. Slowly, she brings the car to a stop in front of the Slade family residence.
I’m out of the car before I even realize what I’m doing.
I bang on the door, harder and harder until I hear a creak.
Miles Slade appears in the doorway in a robe and slippers. His eyes are tight with worry as he ushers us in. As soon as we’re through the door, and I see some of my own features mirrored back at me, everything hits me all at once, and I snap to attention.
“Agent McCray, what can I help you with? I understand there’s something going on with Jen and the FBI, but I thought this would be contained to my sons and not brought to me.”
At once, all I can picture is my mother, coming home late after her second job and collapsing on the couch, struggling to raise me on her own. And all this time, Miles Slade lived comfortably and had a whole other family. I am the son of a billionaire and had to grow up dirt poor with a mother who would have slit her wrists for me.
And he didn’t even care!
Suddenly, I grab the head of the Slade family by the scruff of his neck and push him up against the wall.
“How could you?”
Jen places a hand on my arm and tugs. “Matthew, let him go. What are you doing?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Miles replies, pausing to look at something over his shoulders. Several pairs of footsteps rush down the stairs before I’m being pulled off of him. I buck and thrash, but with two of the Slade brothers holding me still, and the other two blocking my path, I go still.
“What the hell?” Mark runs a hand over his face and glances between the two of us. “What’s going on?”
“Ask your father,” I snap, spittle flying out of the side of my mouth.
All four of the Slade brothers exchange confused looks. From the corner of my eye, I see the brothers’ wives coming out of what appeared to be the dining room.
Owen hauls me to my feet and spins me around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
I shove Owen away and suck in a harsh breath. “Mr. High and Mighty here. He abandoned my mother when she was pregnant. He didn’t even try to help her out.”
“Matt, calm down,” Jen steps in front of me and frowns. “I don’t know what you and your mother talked about, but you’re not thinking straight.”
“Oh, I’m perfectly fine!” I bare my teeth at Miles, the anger and frustration of the last few days culminating in this one moment of betrayal and agony. I would tear through the whole Slade family just to snap the old man’s neck.
“No, you’re not,” Jen tries to reason with me. “You hung up on her mid-call, Matt. I don’t think you have the whole story.”
“Of course, I do!” I snap.
Miles Slade appears in my field of vision. “Look, I don’t know what your mother told you, Agent, but I’m sure she must have me confused for someone else—”
“Naomi McCray,” I yell. “Does the name ring a bell?”
Miles takes an involuntary step back, and all the blood drains from his face. “You’re…Naomi was pregnant?”
“You’re going to pretend you didn’t know?”
He shakes his head and swallows. “I didn’t.”
Silence stretches across the room as all four of the Slade brothers come to a stop next to each other, a united front against me. I want to grab my gun and shoot something.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall, sophisticated woman with dark hair and bright eyes standing at the top of the stairs.
“Becca,” Miles begins, his eyes tight with worry. “I didn’t know, I swear.”
Rebecca Slade climbs down the stairs. Bennett meets her at the last step and holds his arm out. She waves his hand away and beckons them all to her, leading them to the dining room.
