“I’ve been looking for you both for a long time. Imagine my surprise when I find you’ve been running a daycare here in Arizona. And to name it Sweet Haven Tykes, no less.”
That tidbit of information that was in the envelope that Judge gave me that day almost a month ago damn near made me lose it. The only thing that kept me from going after them the moment I read the report was knowing Eden needed me. She knew of the information Judge gave me because I told her. She tried a couple of times to force me to go take care of things—she saw how much it bothered me—but I refused until I knew she would be okay.
“And to make it worse, you’re playing husband and wife?” I spit that last part out in disgust. That piece of information almost made me vomit. “I thought you both were sick back then, but that’s just fucking repulsive. Are you two actually sleeping together?”
“We love each other,” Trey states simply, sitting up more in his seat.
I bark out an incredulous laugh. “Like you loved me?”
“We did you love, Liam,” Mom inserts.
“You didn’t love me. You loved the sickness that resided in you. If you loved me you wouldn’t have let those twisted fucks touch me. You wouldn’t have let my own brother rape me.”
My mother opens her mouth to response, but Trey cuts her off.
“You don’t have a brother,” he says, his voice gaining strength. I cast my eyes his way. A slow smile creeps across his face.
“What in the fuck are you talking about?” I demand.
His teeth shine from the light in the room as his grin grows. “I’m not your brother.” Before I can order him to explain, he does so on his own, revealing my family is more fucked-up than I thought. “I’m your father.”
I can’t hide the shock from my face, and from the expression on his, that was his intention. I cast a glance at my mother and see dismay mixed with a hint of resignation. I look back to Trey.
“You’re fuckin’ lying,” I snarl.
He sits back against the cushions and throws an arm over the back, pulling my mother to his side. It turns my stomach when she actually lays her hand on his lower stomach and leans into him.
“Actually, I’m not,” he states, looking smug as fuck. He kisses the top of my mother’s head before continuing. “Due to an accident, dear old Dad couldn’t have any more kids and Mom was desperate for one more. Being the stand-up son that I was, I volunteered.”
“You people disgust me.”
As disturbing as this revelation is, some small part in the back of my mind suspected this. From the records Emo found, I knew Robert wasn’t my father. I also remembered a few times when I was little walking in on my mother and brother in a position that a mother and son should never be in. At that young age, I assumed it was them showing each other their “love”, like the adults did to the kids during Hell Night.
Even so, the thought is sickening to say the least. What in the fuck is wrong with these people?
Trey shrugs, like it’s every bit normal for a mother and son to have sex, have a child, and pretend to be husband and wife.
I look at my mother. “Why in the fuck wasn’t I ever told?”
She sniffs, her chin jutting up stubbornly. “Because The Council didn’t allow incest babies.”
Members of the same family are not permitted to create a child together.
Rule number six in the laws of The Gathering. No doubt, if anyone knew of their deception, the Council would find out and they would be punished. It wouldn’t matter that Robert and Annette were part of the Council.
“How many kids have you touched at the day care?” I ask, changing the subject.
My mother shifts uncomfortably and adverts her eyes away from mine. Trey just sits there, his expression still amused.
“The better question is, how many have we not touched. The older ones you have to be careful with because they may go blabbing. It’s the wee little ones who give the most satisfaction.”
One minute he’s sitting on the couch, and the next he’s dangling with my hand wrapped around his throat. My fist plows into his gut and he tries to double over, but I don’t let him go.
“Liam,” my mother screams, jumping up from the couch and grabbing my arm.
I look down at her hand with contempt then lift my eyes to hers. “Get your filthy fucking hands off me.” The growled words are deep and filled with hate.
Her eyes widen and she quickly releases me to take a step back. Judge steps forward to make sure she doesn’t go anywhere. Her eyes fill with tears as she clutches her chest.