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“With Olivia,” I add, piecing things together in my own way as he speaks.
“Yes,” he continues. “Titan reclaimed his life as Christopher, promising your father that he’d always be there for him when he needed him most. Over the years, Titan would show up for certain things, and then he’d disappear, but he got himself into trouble and your father refused to bail him out.”
“And Titan didn’t take that well.” My chest expands as I take a deep breath. “Did he kill my father?”
Bryson shakes his head. “Not with his own hands, but he set things in motion. Told this person that and another this. Before any of us knew what was happening, your dad was in over his head, trying to fix the chaos, even though he had no clue how any of it had transpired.
“The day your father died, Titan showed up at the compound to take his place as the new Monroe leader, but he’d forgotten about you. He didn’t realize how much respect you had with the men at such a young age. He had to change his plan—and quickly—before it all unraveled.”
Olivia lost her father the same day I did. I never put the timelines together, but now that I’m hearing all this, I don’t know how neither of us ever connected the two events.
He continues, “I was a little like Titan, and he knew it, except I was trying to have my cake and eat it too.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.
A wince escapes him as he tries to move as well. “I had a family. An incredible woman and a son.”
My head cocks to the side. “How would I not know about that?”
“Only your father did,” he answers. “I told him I wouldn’t leave like Titan so long as he kept my secret. I split my time, careful to keep my two lives separate, but someone found out.”
“Titan did.” That fucking bastard. “He killed your family.”
Bryson looks away and out the window behind me. “He killed my Gina and took my son. I don’t know if he was only trying to punish me or replace the family he left behind, but he gave me a choice. I could either come with him willingly or forfeit my son’s life.”
“Why you?” I ask. “How could you help whatever he was trying to accomplish?”
His gaze meets mine again. “Time after time, Titan underestimated you. He’s been trying to sabotage you since day one. His first attempt was taking me away, leaving you to rebuild an empire without a father figure.
“It took years,” Bryson continues. “It wasn’t until Monroe Investments became a Fortune 500 company that he realized he had to think smarter, playing the long game, and not just trying to take you down, but to ruin you.”
“So, you’ve been there all this time, raising your son, and working for him to do what?” I demand. “Why haven’t you stopped any of this?”
I’m two seconds from killing Bryson myself after hearing what he’s had to say. All of this could have been stopped years ago if he’d just been a man and taken care of the fucking problem.
Then, he says, “Titan kept his word when I went with him. He didn’t kill my son, but he has no clue I’m his father.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means that Jerod believes Titan is his dad. One slip up from me, and Titan will kill him,” Bryson says, a rumble to his words that matches my own ire. “My son has been dangled in front of me for years, being conditioned into a man he never should have been, and there’s been nothing I could do about it.”
“You could have come to me,” I seethe, wanting to yell the words and punch him in the face for his stupidity.
“It was too late,” he says, sounding more pathetic than the man I remember him to be. “I’ve done my best, Luc. I protected you as much as I could, but I’ve had to put my son first, even if he has no clue who I am. At least not in the way he should.”
Fucking hell. This is twisted in more ways than I could have ever thought, but he still hasn’t answered the most important question.
“What is Titan planning now?” I ask, trying to keep my rage in check before Bryson decides he should keep this information to himself.
He nods at the door. “Go close it. I’m sure it’s too late now and Titan already knows you’re here, but I’d rather be careful.”
I do as he asks, noticing Damon’s grim face as I do. He’s been listening, but I don’t mind. It will save me from having to repeat myself later.
When I return, I don’t bother to sit. I’m ready to get the hell out of here as soon as he answers my last question.
“Titan baited you into attacking the house today,” Bryson begins. “He wants to take everything from you, and since he knows he can’t kill you without an endless amount of men coming after him in retaliation, he’s going to ruin you publicly.”
“How does he hope to do that?” I ask. “The cops have yet to track me down for the explosion, and he has no proof.”
