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“No. Who?”
“Cruise Thorn.”
And there was another problem.
Raven felt a sense of…what? Panic? Disbelief? How the hell could they have a half-brother they knew little about? Raven couldn’t fathom why his Ma and Pa didn’t divulge the truth, but she’d taken the secret to her grave. When LB had told the family that Cruise was their brother, Raven had been overcome with a mixture of anger and betrayal. Then the explosion happened. Life certainly had been throwing some curve balls. “Why?”
“Heisour brother.” Rip didn’t show even the slightest sliver of discomfort in the statement.
Raven guessed he was the only brother who hadn’t come to terms with the idea.
“Half-brother,” he corrected.
“Same difference. He has the same DNA flowing through his veins as we do. That’s family, no matter how you look at it.” Rip managed to work his way through the entire basket of wings. “You didn’t want one, did you?”
“Nah, I’m good. So, you’re ready to forget all the strife between the Ryders and Thorns and start fresh?”
“Yeah, I am. That’s water under the bridge. Not to mention LB and Haisley are getting married.” Rip wiped his fingers on a napkin. “We better get used to being around the Thorns on holidays and special occasions. That’ll certainly make things more fun.”
In the bigger picture, Raven didn’t have anything against Cruise, or any of the Thorn brothers, and now that Haisley Thorn would be joining the Ryder family, Raven agreed that they needed to find common ground. He just didn’t like that the Ryder-Thorn feud had lasted for so long and should have been laid to rest years ago. “So, what did he want?”
“He wanted to see if Dean needed anything. Just your normal awkward brotherly visit.” Rip laughed.
Raven shrugged. “I guess it all has to start somewhere. I need to go.”
“Where are you going?”
“I just saw Bend walk in. I want to speak to him. I’ll see you later.” Raven strolled out of the back room and caught up to Bend at the bar. “Grabbing a drink?”
Bend had his elbows braced on the edge of the pockmarked wood and offered Raven a nod. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “Nope. Grabbing dinner. With the baby keeping us up all night, neither of us has the energy to cook.”
“How are Chosen and Charity?” Raven pulled over a stool and sat down.
“Great.” A grin tugged at his lips. “Amazing.”
“Fatherhood looks good on you, buddy.” Raven thumped him on the shoulder.
“I never thought I could love anything as much as I love Charity.” His eyes filled with moisture but he blinked and the dew was gone.
Raven couldn’t believe that his rough and tough brother was a daddy. He seemed comfortable in his new role. “I know you’ve been spread thin lately, but any news on the suspect?”
Running a hand over his whiskered jaw, he shrugged. “Every lead comes to a dead end.”
“Here’s your takeout order, Bend.” Shelby handed him the brown bag. “Make sure to tell your lovely wife I said hello.”
“Thanks, and I will,” Bend said, then turned back to Raven. “I still have a few things I’m checking out, but you know ATF had taken over the case because of the explosive.”
“They don’t think it’s a terrorist act though, right?”
“Nah, but they’re slow to rule it out. You know how fun paperwork can be.”
Raven swiped off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Mind if I look at the case file? I don’t want to step on any toes, but agents with ATF don’t know this town, and its people, like we do.”
Bend grunted. “Hell, Raven.”
“What?”
“You know as well as I do why we don’t get involved in personal cases. It’ll damn near take us to the edge of insanity.” Then the creases around his mouth softened some. “Stop by the office when I’m in. You can glance over the files and see what you think.” Bend patted Raven’s shoulder. “Are you leaving?”
