Chapter 53

(**Rayne’s POV**)

Rayne gripped Parker’s hand when Frank sat down at the bar. The look in Frank’s eyes made something loosen in the pit of her stomach. Now that they were going to get answers from him, the knot of tension that has been in her stomach, suddenly dissipated. Yet, the tension in Parker’s body remained. She understood why and hoped they got the answers soon.

“I don’t believe for one second that you are my son!” Declan barked out as soon as Frank sat down on a stool.

“How do you want me to prove it to you, old man?”

“What I want to know more than anything else is where the fuck is Owen! Where the hell is my brother? What did you do to him?” Parker yelled as he stepped away from Rayne to get into Frank’s face.

“I am your brother,” Frank’s face was calm as he spoke, but his eyes were anything but calm.

“Alright, I can see there are a lot of question from both of you to Frank. Anger isn’t helping either of you. How about we let Frank tell his story first and then you can ask questions?” Edmund filled three glasses, passed them to Parker, Declan, and Frank.

Rayne suppressed a laugh as her father took charge of diffusing the situation. Her father is a natural mediator. He will make an outstanding leader. “I have an idea. How about some coffee instead of booze? Then maybe if we feel the need, I can make us all some burgers.”

“Bacon cheeseburgers,” three voices piped up in unison. Frank looked at Parker with a sheepish smile while Declan looked at them in surprise. Guess their love for bacon is a family trait.

“Why am I not surprised?” Edmund shakes his head. “ I will go make those burgers and fries.”

Rayne laughs as she watches her father walk away. She turns to the coffeepot behind the bar to start a pot for them all. Once the pot starts brewing, she turns back to look at Parker. His eyes are focused on Frank, but he leaned back against the wall so he is no longer in Frank’s face. The tension is still thick in the air, but it is calmer now.

“Three concrete walls with the fourth one made of bulletproof glass comprised the room I lived in until I was seventeen. A man with a milky white eye and a scar through it was my only contact with the outside world. Occasionally the man behind my prison would come visit to see how I was growing. He wanted to observe how I was growing in captivity. His words exactly.”

“Gyles.” Declan’s voice was suddenly thick with emotion as his eyes glazed over in anger.

“Then man who brought my food, clothes, books, and all a growing boy needed. He brought me everything but the outside world. He would laugh each time I would ask to go outside.”

“He is dead now. He was killed the day I was rescued. Now tell us how you escaped.”

“That took me a year to plan out. I went through my first transformation when I turned sixteen and was so scared. Gyles laughed at me when he told me what I was. How could I have known when there was no one to teach me? I was so angry. That was when I began to plan a way out of that hell.”

“What did you do?” Rayne asked as she put four cups on the counter. She put the pot on a matt, then grabbed the sugar and cream for Parker’s sweet tooth.

“I starved myself to the point Gyles actually got worried. I was weak, but I knew if I could pass myself off as dead, they would dispose of my body. So, I took what I read from one of my books on how to regulate my breathing and heart rate to look like I was dead. I practiced for a year. When Gyles called for the doctor one day, I put my plan into action.”

“What the fuck?” Parker’s eyes hardened as his anger returned to the surface.

“They pronounced me dead, covered me with a sheet, then loaded me into a van to take me somewhere to dispose of my corpse. That is what I assumed happened when I woke up in the back of a van later that night.”

“That sounds cold and callous of them. That is Gerald Finkman in a nutshell,” Declan made a cup of coffee as he spoke.

“What did you do then?” Parker asked as he did the same. Rayne pushed the sugar dish closer to him since she knew he would add it first.

Parker turned to her with a soft smile at her gesture. “Thank you, my love.”

“That is cute. The two of you,” Frank stated with bitter sarcasm in his voice.

“I have had enough of your dirty, hungry looks directed at me and my mate. What the fuck is your problem, Frank?”

“The whole mate thing is a joke. You two are a joke. Have either of you not learned that destiny isn’t real? That nothing lasts forever?”

“Who hurt you, Frank? What soured you on the notion of love? Kerri isn’t your true mate, but your chosen one. What happened to you?” Rayne glared at him as her anger spiked.

“Calm down, Ray.” Parker moved to stand next to her and placed his hand on her back, drawing her against him.

“The woman I thought would be my mate turned to another. Turns out they are true mates.”

“Finish your story, Frank.” Declan interrupted their exchange. “How did you escape?”

“I woke up in the back of a van as Gyles and his companion were driving to get rid of me. I was thinking of how I was going to deal with them when they got to where ever they were taking me. Gyles actually inspired me with talk about rats. He was bickering with his friend on wanting to stop for dinner, but the friend wanted to get done and back to base before the rats started nesting in my room.”

“You shifted into a rat?” Declan laughed as he looked at Frank.

“Yes, but I waited until they stopped for dinner like Gyles wanted. Then I shifted, crawled out of the van through an open window in the front seat. I blended with some actual rats to hide. Those idiots drove away after they ate and never looked in the van. I waited around for a few hours to make sure I was in the clear. They came back and searched around the diner for me. Gyles was on the phone with the boss while the other guy looked around.”

“Alright hungry people, here are the burgers.” Edmund came back into the room with a large tray in his hands. He placed the tray of burgers on the bar, then went back to the kitchen for the rest.

Once all the food was served, hunger took over everyone in the bar. Frank’s story ground to a halt as all conversation stopped. No words were spoken other than to ask for napkins or salt for the fries. That suited Rayne just fine, as she was worried for Parker. His eyes kept going from his father’s face to his brother’s. It was like he was comparing the two men.

Frank looked at his watch after he finished his meal. “I waited three days at that diner until Gyles stopped coming back. I ate food from the garbage like my little rat buddies. Then I fled the area in the back of someone’s station wagon as a snake. I hitched a ride from a rest stop in clothes I pilfered from a suitcase while the family stopped at a park to rest. Then I found myself on a boat on its way to Europe.”

“That is how you met Owen, isn’t it?” Parker wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up from his stool.

Rayne didn’t like the look that came over his face as he looked at Frank. Before she could say anything to stop him, the bell above the door rang to signal someone entering the bar. She had forgotten to lock it when she let Declan and Parker in. That was how Frank walked right in.

“Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you would finally get here.” Frank stood up from his stool as he spoke.

A grin appeared on his face, making him look much younger than he acted. It also made Rayne see the family resemblance between him and Parker that much clearer. Rayne looked towards the door to see who has joined them. Her mouth dropped open in shock. The man in the doorway was the very man who Parker had believed was dead all these years.

The same man that Frank pretended to be since he came to Bodega Bay.

“Owen,” Parker’s voice was so quiet that no one but Rayne heard him. She placed her hand over his to lend him strength.

As if he sensed Parker’s stare, Owen turned to look at Parker. His eyes focused on him for a moment as he looked Parker over. “Hello, my little sparrow.”