Unforgivable Secrets | One Mistake Away Series Bk 1 [Mob Romance]

Chapter 27 - Are You Serious?

Harper's POV:

"Mom? Dad?" I gently pushed the door closed, setting my purse on the ground. My heart felt like it was beating in my throat, threatening to choke me. I didn't see any blood. There had been no forced entry through the front door. There was nothing that left me panicking.

A shuffling noise sent my hand spiraling to the small of my back. I gripped my revolver, but didn't move it from my waistband. Tiptoeing through the house, I looked for any signs of life. A gun cocking twisted me around, my own revolver in my hand and pointing at the perpetrator.

My eyes narrowed as I took in the tall, broad man standing in front of me. "Why the fuck do you have a gun pointing at me, Justin?"

Uncocking his weapon, the revolver slid back down to hang loosely at his side. I wasn't quite as ready to lay my weapon down.

"There's a lot you don't know, Harper." He breathed out. Nodding at my weapon, he looked back up at me. "Gonna put that down?"

"Where are my parents?" Lifting my chin higher, I watched him like my life depended on it. In this game you couldn't trust even the ones you thought you trusted. "Why are you in their house?"

"Like I said. There's a lot to explain." He held his one hand out, palm facing me as if he could calm me down.

"Start talking." I was too amped to feel the heaviness of the gun probably making my hand muscles stiff.

Staring at me, he slowly nodded.

A baby crying upstairs drew my pupils toward the ceiling. Shifting my gaze back to Justin, my eyes narrowed. "Drop your fucking gun. Now."

His jaw twisted back and forth in frustration. Slowly he set the gun down. "I'm not going to hurt you, Harp."

"Right now I'm questioning ever trusting you, Justin. Who else is in the house?" My eyes narrowed. If he was my rat, I swore to God I'd kill my cook. I wouldn't hesitate even if he was the best damn pancake flipper in town and I wouldn't bat a lash if he were dead for a reason as treacherous as that. It didn't matter what our history was. I didn't tolerate traitors.

"I'd never betray you." He slowly walked past me toward the stairs, his hands up in surrender. "I'd never betray our family."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I followed behind him, brows furrowed. His jabbering was making no sense.

"I didn't stumble into your café because I was lost, Harp. I came because you are my family." He explained slowly.

Grabbing his shoulder I tugged him back and into the wall. My revolver dug into his throat. "What are you talking about?"

"We're half siblings, Harp." He stared at me, his eyes slightly widening. "When your dad was killed, Connor Smitty's father took in our mother. His wife had been killed a year before and he was raising Connor on his own. I was born two years after you."

"You're lying." My fingers were damp from how tight I held onto the gun.

"I'm willing to do a dna test, Harp. I'm not lying." His eyes pleaded with mine to believe him. And to be honest, I did.

My gun slipped away from his throat as I stumbled back. My eyes couldn't get any wider as I stared at the floor, processing what had just been spoken to me. Shaking my head, I held my hands over the temples of my head. "She's not still alive. There's no way she would have abandoned me. Why would she leave me and keep you? Why the hell would she do that?"

I shook my head, my hands dropping as I stared at Justin. How did he know this and I didn't?

"I don't know, Harper." He shrugged, sympathy filling his eyes.