Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail(66)

"Is that what you wanted? Your life's destroyed so you wanted to destroy mine?"

"No." Kid let out a growl. "No, but I hated it. I hated seeing you being this stupid drunk party guy. You're better than that. You're smarter than that. You're not a frat guy, but that's how you act around here. Yeah—it pissed me off to see everything going so great for you."

"What are you talking about? Nothing's going good for me."

"Rayna was."

"Rayna is!" Brady snapped. "She's the best goddamn thing I've got going and that was something you wanted to screw up. You came here and you were all talk about getting with her. Don't try and act like you did that for my good or hers."

Kid reared back. “No. Okay? No. I wasn't thinking that through. I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to make you sweat a little. My only problem is that I was stupid enough to say it to your face. Of course you would do something about it before I could."

A corner of Brady's lip curled upwards in an ugly smirk. "The difference between you and me is that I'll punch someone in their face. You go behind their back. Someone comes at me square and fair, I'll respect that person. You, you're pathetic."

Kid's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't going to do anything with her."

"You called her."

"Yeah, I did, but that was it. When I saw her, I knew it was pointless. The girl is so stupidly in love with you, it makes me sick. Do you know how lucky you are? Girls aren't made like that. I haven't found anyone as nice as Rayna or as pure as her."

"You two make me sick," Frank's voice interrupted. Disdain dripped from his words. "She's a whore. She's nothing, but another weak-minded slut who will get on her knees for any guy who shows her attention."

Kid and Brady turned as one.

Frank continued from his bed, "I never slept with Leann Janke, but I wish I had. I wish I had used her, screwed her so hard she wouldn't walk for a week. I wished I had cu-"

"Shut up, dad!" Kid shouted and lunged for him. Before his hands could take hold of his father, he reared back and threw himself sideways into the wall. His chest heaved as he couldn't speak for a moment.

Brady had grown still, eerily still. He looked at his father and smirked before he took a step towards the bed.

"Brady, what are you doing?" Kid gasped as he tried to contain himself.

Frank turned his head and watched his older son in a similar fashion how a wolf might study a panther.

"I don't know Rayna's mom, but for the fact alone that she rejected you makes me think she's the exact opposite of everything you think Rayna is. And you're wrong about her. You're wrong about Rayna, so much that it makes you look like the weak-minded pu**y. You're old. You're losing your power in town. Everybody hates you. And the money you got, we both know someone who has more."

Frank paled and his eyes widened a fraction.

"I know that you're my biological father."

"What?" Kid jerked from the wall.

Brady never looked away from him. "My mother came looking for me a few years ago. When she asked you where I was and didn't get a response, she came herself. She told me that you raped her."

"She was nothing. The girl had the mind to demand money from me to take care of you. When I didn't, she deserted you. I found you in the trash can outside my house. What kind of a mother does that to her son? Don't believe her lies. Kristina was always good at lying. She came onto me that night. I was drinking and upset about Leann. I missed her so much that night and your mother came in. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted a rich baby daddy, but this baby daddy never paid. Who looked the fool then?"

Kid watched his halfbrother across the bed, tense.

Brady waited. He wanted Frank to think that he considered his words, but then he laughed shortly. Frank's small grin vanished and Brady leaned forward. "She went to her home and had me. She brought me back because her family disowned her. She couldn't raise me on her own. You said you'd take care of me. You said that you had a plan for me. She trusted you."

Frank's eyelid twitched.

"I grew up in foster care. Was that the plan?"

"I never wanted that," Frank objected, but clamped his mouth shut. A beat later, he was more controlled. "It doesn't matter. That's where you ended, but I've watched you the whole time. I would've stepped in if anything had happened to you."

"No." Brady's voice had grown somber. "I wouldn't have wanted you to. I don't want anything to do with you. I found out a long time ago. I've had time to adjust and the only thing I have a hard time taking is that a part of me is from you. I believe her when she said you raped her. I'm surprised you didn't rape Leann, but maybe that's why she left. Maybe that's why she couldn't come back."

Kid had been quiet, but he spoke now, "I came back because I found out about you. I found the letter your mom sent to him." He glanced at his father. "It was on your desk underneath your phone. My cell wasn't working and the house' land line was tied up. I tried using your business line, but I hit the phone. It moved a little and I saw the piece of paper underneath it. You had it taped in place for all those years." He looked back to Brady. "He had a hard plastic thing over it to protect it, but he never threw the paper away. I read it. She knew your name."