Chp32 rise of prodigal son.

I stare at the wall. Ignore the asshole staring at me. I am not restrained. I ready myself for a fight. I have to get Shawnee out. I have to escape. The old man smiles "Tell me about your mother?" I balk, out of everything he could ask, about the bitch. I shake my head. "Tell me about Carla? She is your mother." I look to Shawnee, she nods. How to proceed? I feel a hand on my shoulder. Love seeps into my soul. I look up, the girl, my sister with blue eyes, is touching me. I look for the bitch. I can't find any trace. How? I mean how can she hide such darkness. She leans down kisses my forehead. The doubts and fear disappear. Only Shawnee has ever been able to chase away the darkness. I sit stunned, shaken.

Shawnee holds me. I don't know what happen. I'm on the floor. I feel my wet face. I've been crying. I let the emotions wash thru me. how have I come to this point? My sister is rubbing my hand has she hold it. I feel? I feel loved. Safe, cared for. I try to think but the reality forces my preconceived notions to the garbage can in my mind's eye. I for only the third time in my life trust a stranger with my life.

"I'm sorry! I said those things. I was just_" she smiles. "I understand, you thought I was like Carla. Or Judith." I shake "yea, I only had those two for reference. You don't feel like either of them. How?" she smiles, petting my hand. She nods towards the old guy. "My Daddy raised me, not Carla and I never knew Judith. An I have Christian, my fiancée, to support me and cherish me." I nod.

"So tell me your story brother, starting with your name." I stand up and pace.

"Most of what I know comes from talking to Samantha, you know her as Carla, is Georgia, a year ago. When I was seventeen. I found a postcard in Judith safe, don't ask. I traced it to the lawyer, a little persuasion. An I had a name in Texas, an asshole in jail for bank robbery. I little bribery got a name in Georgia. The first time I saw her I knew who she was."

"I followed her for a couple of days, till she when to a party one morning. I soon found out it was a sex and drug party. I found her pulling a train, stoned on coke. I waited and then interrogated her while she was high. She spilled everything. Me, you, the other sister. I tried to find you two, but I hit a wall. So I concentrated on the witch, Judith."

"Till my contacts showed the other one in Portland. I was out of the country." The old guy "Iraq?" "yea, I work for a private contractor. How did you know?" "The Tan, and Sawyer recognized you. Caged Thomas". I smile Sawyer is a good friend. I don't have many friends. "Sawyer a good man, he wouldn't work for scum." "Yes, he is a good man" my sister chirps in. I relax a little. "So I came home. I was told about a contract on the other one's head. She" "Brother, stop right there. We have names. I am Anna, she is Mary and you are?" I stare at eyes hard, unyielding, the girl has iron behind the innocent naïve face. "Luke, Luke Thomas. Anna!" I return the stare, and watch the love and caring return to deep blue eyes. I feel part of a team. Not just my team. "As I was saying Mary has a price on her head, we need to protect her" I look at Steele. He smiles "I already did. The contract is canceled, and a counter bounty is issued."

"Could you take care of Luke's bounty like that, please" Shawnee ask. I cringe. I can deal with it myself. I start to protest. "Give me the detail later, I'll get it lifted." Says the old guy. "continue?" "I start to shadow you guys. Called in some favors. The witch was planning something. I thought the park was it, but she planning something Easter service. I don't have details but she is going to try to eliminate Mary and anyone else who threats her." "Luke how do we threaten her, she didn't know we existed" Anna ask.

"Money, greed, you two are a direct threat to her empire. Your dad's company is a family trust inc." She looks lost. I see Christian on a phone. He talks to someone. "Dad says the company can only go to blood relatives, marriage doesn't count. So legally you kids own the company, the bitch is stealing your birth right."

"You're the oldest, why can't you inherit?" "Anna, we don't have the same father, although I'm the reason you're here." I watch the confusion. "When Samantha was 13 she had me. I was dumped in an orphanage; she never saw or touched me. she didn't even know who the father was. Judith was married to Townsend, he wanted an heir, a male heir. But Judith couldn't have kids after Samantha. So he worked on Samantha. She cut a deal, millions for an heir."

I watch the crowd. Shawnee hugs me tighter. "She found out late in the pregnancy that it was a girl. She escaped to Norfolk, Virginia. Reinvent herself as Carla Mae Wilkes. I suspect another runaway that died there. She took over the identity. She met a couple who had just suffered a miscarriage. She sold the baby to them. She never looked back. The couple died five years later, the girl disappeared. She turned up in Portland at the shooting. The witch found her, my moles told me. I started following you guys. Then I saw the pictures yesterday at our hotel. I realized you are the other sister."

"How did I come about?" she asks. "Samantha returned to NY. She got beaten pretty bad. She also got pregnant again. This time she escaped early to North Carolina, met a soldier. She conned into marriage." "Frank?" "Yea, Frank Lambert. She was waiting for the ultra sound to show sex. Then she would plan her next move. Return to Townsend with heir or terminate the baby. Unfortunately for her Frank found the papers. He forced her to have you. He died. She disappeared with you. She found another guy to con. A then she split when the money ended. She really hates us. She believes that once mommy's dead, she will use you to get the Townsend fortune. She believes her soulmate Stephen will keep you in line." Anna looks broken, then mad, then scary, really scary. Christian holds her as she stomps her foot. The old guy Steele looks ready to kill. I feel a hand on my shoulder, Sawyer, looking grim, he has that "Kill'em all" look in his eyes.

"Well, that explains everything" says a disjoint voice from the floor. I look a cell phone is on. I've been broadcasting. To who? "Who are you?" the disjoined voice "DJ Welch, late Colonel USRA, Centcom S2, Mr. Thomas, your boss use to work for me, he might have mentioned me." I remember my boss in Iraq talking about DJ Welch, not a man to fuck with. Ever. "Yes Sir, he did." "Good you are now on team Grey. You take your orders from Major Steele, your new father." "my what!"

"I, I mean We (he nods to the tall black woman standing silently behind him) adopted the girls, we will adopt you to. You are family, both of you. A family counts, for everything. Am I clear Luke!" I look too Shawnee she smiles. "well I guess we have to change your name to Steele. Luke Thomas Steele. I like it, now you have a surname. You can be proud of." She kisses me. I feel elated, happy, part of a team. I smile as she lets the space widen. My better half, my wife. I can shout it from the empire state building. My wife.

"Well, Mrs. Shawnee Steele, how do you like your new name." A scream, jars me. "Your married! OMG your married! Wait till Mary finds out! I can't wait, let go to the hotel. Your married!" as Anna jumps up and down like a manic. Christian is smiling and holding her. she is infectious as the room's negative mood runs for its life, as the good happy mood explodes in the room. We happily make are way to their hotel. My little sister is so frigging cool. All my previous thought about Princess Anastasia were false and bullshit. She is so, so frigging good. Good natured, caring, she brightens my world. I have a family. I have a caring, loving family. I feel Shawnee love. She is happy we can come out of the closet. And start our family. I just wish I could have kids. Another strike against Judith. Another nail in the coffin. But we can adopt, Anna was adopted, Mary is newly adopted, hell I was just adopted. The Major and Kaylee are a shining example of how to be a parent, how to cherish and love your kids. I bask in the light.