Ivan faltered. His heart thrashed with confusion… Now that he was taking the time to look properly, he could see that Jake did bear a striking resemblance to Dylan. And his grin was just like Joseph’s. And his eyes were definitely like Adam’s… But surely this was impossible. “This is bullshit. I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but I…”
Ivan shook his head, feeling a loss of power that he wasn’t accustomed to. He stood tall and clenched his fists.
Jake nodded. “Yeah, you’re thinking about Clara’s twin brother that died, right? The one your mom was heartbroken over? Well, that’s me.”
“You’re lying. How did you get this information about my family?”
“Because I am your family.”
Samira stared at Jake quizzically. “Can you prove what you’re saying?”
Jake shrugged. “You’re welcome to see my birth records, ma’am. One good thing about being an ex-cop is that I–”
“You’re an ex-cop?” Ivan asked.
“Hey, don’t say it like I’m scum. It was what my dad did so I just followed in his footsteps.”
“Your dad?” Samira asked.
“My adoptive dad.”
The world shifted around Ivan like a surreal fairground carousel. He considered himself a good judge of character – he wasn’t someone who was easily duped. And this guy seemed sincere. But… did long-lost brothers just show up like this?
“Bit of a coincidence isn’t it? Us both being in Texas – on the same ranch?”
He shrugged. “I guess fate has a sick sense of humor. So… you want to know what happened?”
Ivan turned away from Jake and ran his fingers through his hair. Samira could see he was shaken. Ivan had mentioned Clara’s dead twin to her – it had been a huge upheaval to the family, and even as a child Ivan had found himself comforting his mom. It would be amazing if this really was a long-lost brother. But what if this guy was just using their family’s background information to… to what?
Ivan stepped over to Samira and pulled her close. He was tense and distracted, but even in the heat and confusion she felt proud to know he wanted to extract comfort from her. She gazed at Jake. He’d clearly had a tough life – he was more rugged and rougher around the edges than the other brothers.
But he was definitely a Quinlan…
“I’ll show you my birth records,” Jake said. “I’ve got all the proof you need. Ivan… this is really true.”
Ivan spun to face him. “This is fucking insane. Why the fuck would my mom and dad separate Clara from her twin? They’d never do that. They’re good people.”
Jake held up his hands. “Okay, here’s what happened. Your dad – my biological father – was involved with a drugs cartel just after he left the army. I assume you know about that, right?”
Ivan shrugged. “I’m not saying anything. You tell me what happened.”
“Sure, okay. Well, he was gunrunning for them – but he got caught and arrested. Arrested by my dad. Some of the money’s still stashed somewhere – I’ve been trying to find it ever since my mom told me the full story just before she died. Does your dad still know where the money is?”
Ivan restrained himself from punching Jake. “I don’t give a shit about money – I’m asking the questions here… Is your adoptive dad still alive?”
“Nah, he passed away ten years ago. My parents were older when they adopted me. All they’d ever wanted was a child, but they were too old to adopt… that’s why my dad offered our biological parents a deal…”
“What the fuck are you saying?”
“Basically, I was the bargaining tool. I kept your dad out of jail. If I hadn’t been adopted, Quinlan Senior would probably still be behind bars now. You surely know the penalty for smuggling drugs and guns?” He glanced at Samira. “You know that, right, ma’am?”
Samira glanced down at the ground. The intense sun pounded down on the three of them – out here in the middle of nowhere. Ivan wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her close, refusing to let Jake derail them. “You’re saying your parents… your adoptive parents… blackmailed my mom out of a child? Out of you?”
Jake nodded slowly. “Yeah… I was devastated when my mom told me all this, of course. I always knew I was adopted, but I couldn’t believe even my old man would do something like that.”
“Does my mom know you exist?”
Jake grinned like the shimmering heat haze. “Well, she gave birth to me then handed me over, so I presume so. I’ve been trying to pluck up the courage to contact her – I know her address because being a private investigator and ex-cop gives me certain, you know, info. But it’s pretty hard.” His face lit up. “Hey, I can’t believe Joseph’s a rockstar! How about that? My little brother’s a rockstar. And Adam and Dylan are –”