Page 20 of Iggy

“It is now,” he smirked. “I’ve been called Luca for so long I wouldn’t have a clue how to respond to any other name.” Rush nodded.

“Well, we’re not firing you but you will tell Olive.”

“Tell Olive what?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Tell Olive what?” she asked again staring at everyone. She was soaked to the skin, her hair plastered against her head.

“Honey, take a seat,” said Ham.

“No. I think I’ll stand,” she said defiantly. “Tell me what?”

“Hi, Olive,” smiled Luca. She lifted her hand in a half-hearted wave, staring at him. “Olive. I’m your biological father.”

She stared at the men then at the others around the room. Looking back at Luca, she stepped up and stared at his face.

“We don’t look anything alike,” she whispered.

“He’s been in witness protection,” said Ham. “They’ve given him a new identity, new face, all of it.”

“You look just like me. The real me,” he said with a half-grin.

“Why? Why wouldn’t you tell me? All these years you were right here and you never once said a word to me? Why?” she yelled, tears streaming down her face. Iggy tried to reach for her but she pulled back. Finley stared at the men, standing beside Olive in solidarity. Winter, Keegan, and Sadie stood behind her as well.

“Telling you who I was would have put you in more danger,” he said softly. “I was ordered by the bureau to keep my identity hidden. Even here, with men who do this for a living, my background was fabricated so well, they didn’t know.”

“Which brings me to another point,” said Ham turning to look at AJ and Hiro. “How? How was it hidden?”

“Mama Irene,” they said in unison.

“She hired me and gave the boys all the information they needed, except it was provided by the bureau. I don’t know how she did it. I didn’t ask, nor did I care. I was able to see my daughter almost every day.”

Olive was still crying, shaking her head.

“I needed you!” she yelled. “I needed a father, someone who was actually my father! I needed to know that I was never abandoned.”

“Baby, you weren’t abandoned,” said Iggy. “He risked everything just be near you, just to be close enough to watch over you. That’s what a father does. He was protecting you right up until this very minute.”

“He’s right, honey,” said Winter. “I prayed for one person to care enough about me to do what he did. Someone to take me out of that clubhouse. Someone to care enough to risk their life for me.”

Olive sat down in the closest chair, nearly falling into it. Iggy kneeled beside her and she let her head fall against his shoulder.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness, Olive. I just did what I thought was right. I was a kid. A kid who’d left his home, his university, his friends and family, all of it because all I could think about was protecting you.”

The room was silent, only the sounds of rain and thunder breaking the haunting emptiness. The clock ticked on the wall. Three minutes. Five minutes. Six minutes.

Finally, she stood staring at Luca. She walked toward him slowly, standing just inches from him. She looked up into his eyes. Her eyes. It was the only thing left of who he’s once been.

“I’m sorry, Olive,” he said with tears filling his eyes.

“I know,” she nodded. “Me too.” She reached out and hugged him, Luca exhaling twenty-five years of held breath.

“It’s not over,” said Ham. “We need to figure out who the mole is on the inside. If we can’t figure that out, we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

“We have another problem,” said Finley. “The barriers aren’t holding. The water is coming in too fast. I need help encouraging the barriers to rise.”

“Encouraging?” frowned Moose.