BK 4 - Chapter 51 - Connections
Valerie couldn't believe what Adelma had said. She slowly put her cup on the table and steadied her hands before she spoke.
"Are you sure that man's Lisa's birth father?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'll never forget Derrick. We were together for a few weeks until I found out I was pregnant; then he disappeared. He'd shown me his lion and everything. I did think it was strange that he only had one leg. He told me he'd lost it when he was attacked by multiple diseased lions. Do you know him?" Adelma asked hopefully. Valerie nodded.
"I never met him, but I know of him. Give me just a second. I'm going to have the others explain." Valerie stood up and walked out of the room. When she reached the others, Lisa came over and looked at her with concern.
"Is everything okay?" She asked.
"I need you and Jayce to come with me. I also want Cat, Trey, Melanie, and Saxon to come. Adelma just revealed something to me, and I think you all need to hear it." Valerie replied with a tight smile. She didn't want Lisa to find out that her birth father was most likely the reason she was taken from Adelma or that he was involved in what happened in Rio. However, it was better for it to come out now rather than later.
Once everyone was gathered, Valerie led them down the hall. When they went into the room, Adelma was wringing her hands nervously. She was worried she'd done something wrong. Were they going to make her leave? Where would she go? Valerie walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, helping her to relax slightly.
"Can you please tell them what you just told me?" Valerie asked softly, watching Lisa.
"I asked Valerie if you could help me find Lisa's birth father. His name is Derrick Klausen." Lisa looked at her family in confusion when she heard them gasp in surprise.
"Who is he?" Lisa asked her grandparents. Cat put her arm around her shoulders and led her over to a small couch. She now understood why Valerie wanted them all there to explain.
"He was your grandpa Trey's brother-in-law. Derrick was mated to Trey's sister, Sonya. I met them right before Trey marked me. Sonya had Derrick and another man kidnap me. Saira removed his leg when he tried to stop us from leaving. Trey's mother was also trying to have me kidnapped because I'm part caladrius. When we went to confront her, the family attacked us. Derrick walked away after we killed Sonya. He said he wanted nothing to do with her. We didn't see him again until years later in Rio when we found out he was involved with selling and experimenting on shifters and vampires. He's dead now. I'm sorry, Lisa." Cat hugged her granddaughter as tears ran down both of their faces.
"Don't apologize, grandma, he sounds like he was a piece of shit. How did he end up with you?" Lisa asked, looking at Adelma.
"I was twenty and living on the streets near Humboldt County. He took me in and gave me a small apartment. We were in a relationship for several weeks when I got pregnant. He seemed happy, but a few days later, he disappeared. I never saw him again, but the apartment and utilities were still getting paid. The day they took Lisa from me, I was walking home from the store when the van pulled up and asked if I wanted a ride. I was tired and hot, so I accepted. I should have never gotten into that van. I had hoped Derrick would return and help me look for our cub, but he never did." Adelma couldn't stop the tears that fell thinking of that day. The others in the room exchanged a look.
"Do you think he set this all up?" Lisa asked, looking at her grandparents and parents. "Is he the reason they took me from her and the scientist had me?"
"What do you mean the scientist had you?" Adelma asked. Melanie sat at the table next to her, taking her hand.
"When we found Lisa and Alex, they were being kept in cages in a lab. A scientist kept them to experiment on as he did with other vampires and shifters. They had been there since they were infants. He told them they had impregnated shifter sperm into human women, forcing them to have shifter cubs. Lisa and Alex didn't know they were taken from mothers who wanted them." Melanie explained. Adelma rested her head on Melanie's shoulder. She was getting a headache from all this information.
"So I wasn't the only one who had my cub cut from my body?" Adelma asked.
"No, they took my brother Alex from his birth mother the same way on the same day, not far from where they picked you up. The doctor that cut you both is here and helped us find you." Lisa answered. She didn't know what to think. Everything seemed to be a big tangled web.
"That's why he stayed until I got pregnant. He was setting me up. If he wasn't already dead, I would kill him myself." Adelma said through her tears. Lisa silently agreed as Jayce wrapped his arms around her. How could Derrick be so heartless as to get a young woman pregnant and have her left for dead, knowing his cub would be experimented on? Lisa could tell Adelma was exhausted, so she figured it was best for them to leave her alone.
"Why don't you get some rest, and then we can talk more later, okay?" Lisa asked. Adelma smiled at her gratefully.
"Thank you. This has been a lot of information to take in all at once." She said, standing up and looking at Lisa with uncertainty. Lisa slowly approached her and gave her a light hug. They both needed it after the day they'd had.
Everyone cleared out of the room except Valerie, who wanted to help get Adelma settled. Lisa appreciated her grandmother taking care of her, even though she was still grieving.
"How are you holding up?" Cat asked Lisa as they walked down the hallway.
"I never knew him, and now I'm glad our paths never crossed. I'm still numb from finding Adelma and adding him into the mix; it's just a lot to take in. I think I need to lie down. We're going to stay here because Alex and Kiersten are in the pool house." Lisa said with a small smile. She and Jayce started walking to one of the empty rooms.
*"Wow, this is like watching a real soap opera. I keep waiting for the next bomb to drop. Do you think we can have some dramatic music playing in the background next time something is revealed?"* Ace asked Jayce excitedly.
*"Good grief. Does everything have to be theatrical with you? Lisa just found out her dad set her and her birth mother up to be killed."* Jayce mindlinked him back. He wondered if he could return his lion and ask for a newer model.
*"I heard that, and no, you can't return me. Who would want to return perfection? I know what our mate just heard, but imagine how it would have been with dramatic music. Like the theme from Jaws."* Jayce groaned as they walked into the bedroom, causing Lisa to turn to him with a funny look.
"Is everything okay?" She asked.
"Everything is fine; it's just the bozo in my head making stupid comments. Ace said the next time something new is revealed, we need dramatic music playing in the background." Despite everything she was feeling, Lisa started laughing. She knew Ace got on Jayce's nerves, but she loved him already. He was always making her laugh with the things he said to Jayce.
"I love that crazy lion," Lisa said before crawling onto the bed. Jayce shook his head as he lay beside her, pulling her over so her head rested on his chest.
*"See, she likes me. Now, let's start putting together a playlist for the next drama. We both know it's coming."* Jayce ignored Ace because he knew he was right. There was too much going on for there not to be more drama. Suddenly, Lisa sat straight up in the bed with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" Jayce asked frantically, sitting up next to her.
"If Derrick did that to Adelma, I'm sure she's not the only one. What if I have brothers and sisters out there?" She looked at Jayce, and they both jumped out of bed. They ran to Gerard's room and knocked on the door. He opened it, looking around anxiously, thinking something was wrong.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, seeing how worked up Lisa was.
"Can you run a DNA test or something on me? I want to see if I have any siblings out there." She asked.
"I can't run the tests, but I know someone who can. Let me make a call." Gerard opened the door for them and called the person he knew who did lab work on shifters in the area. Lisa sat on the couch with Jayce while her mind went a mile a minute. Did she have any brothers and sisters? Hopefully, their family was about to get bigger.
