The Fleece Job (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 23: A family affair

Brianna

"This is all my fault," Jesper is not at all okay right now. He and I checked into a hotel room to watch CNN while we wait to bail out our kids. I'm not overly concerned since Hugh is with them and it's not like they're actually attacking/kidnapping anyone they're just going to talk to her. I would have gone myself but---I'm well aware everybody else going is semi-immortal with trippy powers, including my own kid. I'd rather Hugh spend his time protecting Ev than worrying about me, which he would.

"I mean—," I shrug because his kid is less obedient than my kid and that's really saying something.

"I shouldn't have tried to make sure he was a good person. Now he's off doing something nobel and he'll get hurt," Jesper says, pacing. He's taken off  his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He's still wearing a vest and his long sleeved shirt which is like three layers too many for this California night. His ash hair is streaked elegantly with grey, and I can see his tattoo of a wolf on one arm. Not like a regular he-man wolf tattoo like an elegant one of some sick demented wolf with red eyes.  On the other arm there's a tattoo of a chain. He has a new scar on his left cheek that nearly matches the old-piercings on his lip. His arms also bear fresh scratches and bruises.

"Well, that wasn't where I was going with it but you know," I say, shrugging, "Look the kids aren't stupid—,"

"Speak for your own."

"I've known Hugh for a  while, he'll make sure they stay on track. And anyway, they're just sneaking into the house and talking to the girl, worst case scenario her daddy calls the Troopers again and we go pick them up," I say, shrugging, "Did Gale ever tell you that Ev's his kid?"

"No, of course he didn't. That would involve human speech and normal communication," Jesper sighs.

"I mean, now that I've seen what they get up to together I understand not wanting to introduce them; however, that didn't exactly work out," I mean, I don't think it's fair but admittedly the kids were enough trouble on their own.

"I don't! He might've warned us," Jesper groans.

"What happened to Jason's mom?" I ask, because he hasn't mentioned her and I feel like she's worried about her kid. I mean, she probably saw the news.

"I have no idea----sorry," he sighs, calming his tone, "I don't know. I have no idea who she even is. Gale showed up one day with Jason, he was a newborn."

"What, he just showed up with a random baby?" I almost laugh, but don't. It's kind a funny image. The thing is, Jesper should not be left alone to care for Jesper as evidenced by the tattoos and scars on his face that keep multiplying. Jesper is the last person anybody would trust to look after a house plant, let alone a child. I'm not saying I'm much better, don't get me wrong. I'm not. But I was actually pregnant with the child and had time to get my shit together.

"Yes! He just appeared one day, and left him with me, didn't say a word except his name, Jason," Jesper sighs.

"That sounds like him," I say, nodding, "What did you do?"

"I mean, I took care of him obviously---he had nannies until he was school age. Gale never elaborated on where the boy came from---just cheekily pointing at me when I asked who the child's biological mother was," he says, shaking his head. "That's why I never told you or anyone about him. I just naturally assumed Gale had kidnapped him from somewhere."

"Did you try to find his mother? I mean we're assuming Gale's the father but maybe not?" I ask.

"I did yes---I mean he'd told me he was with other people-----basically---—I didn't know he was with you obviously. But after he brought Jason—I assumed the mother had given him up?"

"You still never told anyone you were with Gale," I point out.

"No, Brianna, I did not. You are as far as I know the only person who, when asked who they are seeing, happily responds with 'I'm fucking the messenger of the dead'."

"That's true. That is what I said," I say, smiling at the memory. I was pregnant with Ev so it was pretty obvious I'd recently had a boyfriend. "I'm still glad the kid isn't actually part hellhound or something. Dodged a bullet there."

"Yes, lucky you."

"You never did a DNA test to see if Gale was his father even?" I ask, "Does he do anything—trippy?"

"Nothing beyond being insanely good at picking pockets and sneaking up on people and the like; he's rather lucky and has been remarkably light fingered, I don't know how much of that is genetics and how much of that is spending too much time around Gale, and me," Jesper says, shrugging.

"Yeah, same for Ev. They're rather faster and agile, I think more than most people but they hang out with their father a bit and my cousins and me more than a bit so," I say, leaning back on the bed.

"So far as a DNA test yes. I did think of that obviously. I waited until Jason was old enough to understand he ought to have a mother and not just two dads, we'd basically (by we I mean I), I'd basically said we'd adopted him since that was simpler when he was small. On his twelfth birthday, well, twelfth anniversary of me getting him, I told him that I didn't know who his biological parents were, but if he wanted to do an ancestry test then I would get him one. He did.  He was quite cross about it insisting I was his 'real dad' and needed to stop trying to prove I wasn't. He got angry with me about it, insisting on testing me as well even though I assured him in age appropriate language that he was, without a shadow of a doubt, not related to me as I'd never been with a  woman," Jesper sighs.

"Poor kid," I say.

"Not poor kid! He's a hellion at the best of times, that boy. He's stubborn as hell and not necessarily bright. I love him, but by the gods he gives me a headache. I'm sure it was to do with Gale telling him we were his  parents—which I mean we are ---but."

"Well what did the test come back?" I ask.

"It came back, because I was still trying to be a good parent I let Jason open and read it. He informed me that it came back showing him as being related to Gale and I both somehow."

"Like what-----? Do you have any family?" I ask.

"Ah. No. I am positive he is not any relative of mine, we'll leave that there for sake of time. I have no living relatives. Jason said the test came back showing both Gale and I as biological parents."

"What did you say?" I ask, not imagining this went well.

"I said 'let me see that' and he got cross, went on an entire tirade about me never believing him, and then left with it and I've never seen it since. I also didn't bring it up again," he says, shrugging.

"Weird, but honestly not the weirdest thing to happen to us," I say, shrugging.

"Does Gale like Ev?" he asks, looking at his hands.

"Yeah, I mean he doesn't live with us or anything. When they were little he'd show up and play with them, bring them presents now and then. They had a bit of a falling out when Ev died that time and they blamed their dad for not stopping it," I say.

"Don't elaborate on that sentence. I'm stressed enough right now."

"Okay," I say, nodding, "Why? Is he good dad to Jason?"

"He calls him 'the rat bastard demon hell child' and in turn gets annoyed with me when Jay acts like him and not me," Jesper growls.

"Damn, sorry. That's wrong. Jason seemed very polite."

"Oh he is. He's not a bad kid---yeah, yeah he is a bad kid. His heart's in the right place though, usually," Jesper sighs.

Gale chooses that moment to appear.