“I’m coming too,” he said. “Just so we’re clear.”
As Payne’s twin started shaking his head, Manny cut any protesting, be-reasonable shit off. “Sorry. That might be your sister out there . . . but she’s my woman. And that means I’m going to be a part of this.”
At that, the one with the baseball cap took off his hat and smoothed his hair. “Shit on a shingle—”
Manny froze in place, the rest of what the guy said not registering at all.
That face . . . that fucking face.
That—holy shit—face.
Manny had been wrong about where he’d seen the guy.
“What?” the guy said, glancing down at himself.
Manny was vaguely aware of Payne’s brother frowning and Jane looking worried. But his focus was on the other man. He searched those hazel eyes, that mouth, and that chin, trying to find something that didn’t fit, something out of place . . . something that disproved the two-plus-two-is-four he was rocking.
The only thing that was even slightly off was the nose—but that was just because it had been broken at least once.
The truth was in the bones.
And the connection was not the hospital or even St. Patrick’s Cathedral—because come to think of it, he had definitely seen this man, male . . . vampire, whatever . . . at church before.
“What the hell?” Butch muttered, looking at Vishous.
By way of explanation, Manny bent down and rifled through his bags. As he searched for what he hadn’t intentionally brought with him, he knew without a doubt he was going to find it. Fate had lined these dominos up too perfectly for this moment not to happen.
And yup, there it was.
As Manny straightened
, his hands were shaking so badly that the picture frame’s bracer flapped against the back of the matting.
Given that his voice was gone, all he could do was turn the glass around and give the three of them a chance to look at the black-and-white photograph.
Which was the spitting image of the male named Butch.
“This is my father,” Manny said roughly.
The guy’s expression went from yeah, whatever to bald, blanching shock, and his hands started trembling as well as he reached out and carefully took the old picture.
He didn’t bother denying anything. He couldn’t.
Payne’s brother exhaled a cloud of wonderful-smelling smoke. “Fucking. A.”
Well, didn’t that just sum it all up nicely.
Manny glanced at Jane and then eyed the man who might well be a half brother. “Do you recognize him?”
When the guy slowly shook his head, Manny looked over at Payne’s twin. “Can humans and vampires . . .”
“Yup.”
As he went back to staring at a face that shouldn’t have been so familiar, he thought, Shit, how did he put this. “So are you . . .”
“A half-breed?” the guy said. “Yeah. My mother was human.”
“Son of a bitch,” Manny breathed.