I took all her words in, hearing her for what felt like the first time in a long time. I’d shut her out over the last year, but it was time to let her back in. Mum had suffered at the hands of my father for so long; she didn’t need to keep hurting.

It’s time to put our family back together.

Reaching for her hand, I murmured, “When you know better, you do better, right?”

Tears slid down her face as she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.

We sat in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. A man who only cared about himself had screwed up our family from the beginning. I would build us back up and give us the opportunity to be the strong family we always should have been.

Mum eventually wiped her tears and squeezed my hand. Smiling, she said softly, “I’ve got someone who wants to see you.”

I frowned as she stood and left the room. When she returned a minute later with a red-headed man, I stood and jerked my chin at him. “Blue.” Uncle Dan. The key to understanding so damn much that we’d struggled with for so long.

He nodded. “Scott.”

“You’re finally coming home? Or, just visiting?”

Blue smiled at Mum before turning back to me. “I’m moving back to Brisbane. Finally.”

I watched their interaction closely, and anger at my father roared through me again. He’d done this – he’d broken a brother and sister apart, all for his own gain. Not that I knew the full story, but I knew enough to know that.

Regret, nostalgia and hope circled the three of us as the significance of this day was acknowledged. “What happened all those years ago, Blue? How the hell did my father force you to agree to leave town?”

His chest rose and fell hard before he exhaled a long breath. Nodding at the couch, he suggested, “Take a seat, son, this is a long story.”

Son.

I had good memories of Blue. He’d always been a strong male presence in my life. Dad hadn’t wanted us to spend a lot of time with him, but Mum had snuck visits in when she could. Looking back now, I realised it was thanks to Blue that I’d learnt how to treat a woman right. He’d had a long-time girlfriend who he’d cherished, and I’d watched them for years, taking in the way he showed his love for her.

“Your father and I always had a hard relationship. I chose not to join Storm even though our family had a long history of membership with my father and his father before him. Dad supported my decision not to join, but Marcus belittled me for it. I had little respect for Marcus, but Sharon wanted him in her life, so I stood by her choice and watched out for her. Then I met Miranda and I knew she’d be the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. We never married, but we didn’t need that. What we did need, though, was for Marcus to leave her alone…” He stopped talking and swallowed hard as his hands clenched.

My gut churned. I sensed he was about to tell me something ugly about my father. As if there weren’t enough ugly truths about him already.

I was right.

Blue’s eyes met mine and the pain I saw there hit me in the chest. When I flicked my gaze to Mum, I took in her ashen face. This wasn’t going to be easy to hear, but it had to be said. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but the understanding sat deep in my soul that we needed this out on the table in order for us all to move forward.

Blue cleared his throat. “I’ve already told your mother, so she already knows this.” He paused and I nodded. Tell me . “Marcus wanted a relationship with Miranda, but she said no. She never told me because she didn’t want to hurt your mother or me with the revelation. He tried to sleep with her a few times and she continued to say no, but one night when I was out of town, he forced himself on her. He raped her and then threatened her so she wouldn’t ever tell anyone.”

My mouth turned dry and nausea rolled through my stomach.

My father had more evil inside him than I’d ever realised.

Mum wept beside me while I balled my fists. The need to lash out was strong. I wanted to punch my anger at my father out of my body, but I controlled that need, and waited to hear what else Blue had to say.

“I never knew all this until very recently when I went through her journals. I kept them all these years after her death, but never worked up the courage to read them until now.”

“She died of a drug overdose, right?” I said.

“Yes. After she was raped, she turned to drugs to deal with the pain. I could never understand what led her to the drugs, but it all makes sense now.”

“How does this all fit in with you leaving town?”

“I never knew why she did drugs, but I always knew she was getting them off Storm. Off your father. After she overdosed, I went to the police to try and help them bring Marcus down. I worked with them for a while, and in the course of that, I stumbled across the fact your father killed a cop who had blackmailed him into snitching on Sydney Storm. Apparently, the cop discovered Marcus had killed a biker from another club and used that information to force him to give them details on drug deals Sydney was involved in. The VP of Sydney and two other members ended up doing time after Marcus gave the cop details of their activities. When the VP went to jail, Marcus panicked and killed the cop so Sydney would never know it was him. After I discovered this, I blackmailed him myself – told him to get Storm out of drugs altogether, or I would tell Sydney what he’d done. I didn’t want you kids to deal in drugs, and neither did your grandfather. This was my one opportunity to put an end to that era of Storm.”