“We’d need his blood or his saliva or a piece of his skin. Those are impossible to get without his cooperation. As for taking hair from a brush or comb, there’s no way to make sure that it’s actually his. Plus the root needs to be intact.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. This was rattling me. Really rattling me. I had a lot of respect for all the Steels, but what they were planning to do was wrong on so many levels. “How do you know the hair sample from Wendy is usable?”
“Jonah pulled it right out of her head. The roots are intact.”
“So you just need Ryan’s hair to compare?”
“Right.”
“You really want me to pull a strand of his hair off his head?”
She sighed once more. “It’s impossible, isn’t it? Please forgive me. I’m sorry I asked. I truly am. We’ll figure out another way. He’s just dealing with so much right now, with someone calling him, claiming to be his mother. Wendy isn’t supposed to have access to a phone.”
“Security is pretty lax in those psych units.”
“Not surprising. The phone calls have alerted him to something. I don’t blame you for wanting no part of it.”
“I get that you want to protect your brother.”
“We Steels take care of our own. I’m glad to be one of them.”
One of them.
Could I ever be one of them? Did I want to be?
The answer frightened me.
Yes.
I wanted to be a Steel.
I hardly knew Ryan Steel, but I was drawn to him like I’d never been drawn to anyone. Of course, I’d never let myself be drawn to anyone…
“You are all pretty amazing,” I said, though that didn’t convey at all what I wanted to say. Amazing wasn’t strong enough. Strong wasn’t strong enough. They’d fought battles that made mine look like mere schoolyard quarrels. But while I understood their need to protect their brother, I couldn’t go along. From what little I knew about Ryan so far, he would want to know what was going on.
“Who will tell Ryan?” I asked. “I mean, someone will have to tell him eventually…if you get a sample and the test is positive.”
“I imagine Talon and Jonah. They’re the closest to him. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
* * *
Ryan Steel had a dog—a gorgeous golden retriever named Ricky. I fell instantly in love. I loved dogs but had never had one of my own. I kept my life simple, and a dog didn’t fit into simple.
“Joe has one of his siblings. Her name is Lucy.”
“Ricky and Lucy.” I laughed. “Cute. He’s just gorgeous.”
“The whole litter was. There’s some champion blood running through his veins. A few of their littermates actually do shows. Ricky and Lucy weren’t considered show quality.”
“Really? I know nothing about showing dogs, but he’s beautiful. The most beautiful golden I’ve ever seen. How old is he?”
“Four.”
I sank my fingers into his soft yellow coat. “I love him already.”
“Looks like he loves you too. Lucy’s a little darker than he is. More golden. He’s more blond.”