Read The BlackBurne Legacy (The Bloodlines Legacy Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

old man nods. “Knew you looked familiar.”
    “How do you know her?” Jason demands.
    “I knew her from when she lived here with y’all.”
    Jason and I share a look. What is he talking about? We’ve never lived here.
    “Them’s Alisha’s young’uns?” Another scrawny old man joins him. “Well, I’ll be.”
    “I think it’s time to leave.” Jason signals for Beth Anne to bring the bill.
    “I’m Hooter,” the skinny one introduces himself, “and this here old fart is Rush.”
    “You two get on outta here,” Beth Anne scolds. “Curtis finds you bothering the customers again, he’ll not let you play your checkers outside later.”
    They grumble, but amble outside. Beth Anne gives us an apologetic smile. “Don’t mind those two. They mean well.”
    “They weren’t bothering us,” Jason assures her, pulling out his wallet. He lays some bills down on the table. “Come on, Sis. I think we need to go have a talk with Dad.”
    Nodding, I follow Jason out to his car, my mind whirling with questions. Had we lived here before, and why hadn’t Daddy told us?

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    “Dad!”
    Jason’s bellow echoes throughout the house. I wince at the angry tone. While I’m curious about us having lived here before, Jason is plain old mad. It was the strangest, most fascinating thing to watch. His mood changed rapidly in the car on the way over here. He’d gone from curious to upset to something akin to full-on rage in less than five minutes.
    Emma expressed her concern over his rapid mood changes when she found out I was going to live with him. After seeing it firsthand, she might have reason to be concerned. Something is definitely off with him.
    Emma comes running down the stairs in her pajamas and slippers, looking scared. “What is it? What’s wrong? Did something happen with Alex?”
    Jason rolls his eyes. “She’s perfectly fine. See for yourself.”
    Emma’s eyes sweep over me, and relief floods her face. I want to kick Jason for making her worry for no reason. She’d been through as much as I had over the years. It might be my illness, but my entire family suffers because of it.
    “Explain to me, then, Jason Michael Reed, why you are screaming at the top of your lungs in my house at eight in the morning and scaring me to death?”
    She has that mom look leveled at him that always made us feel ashamed of our behavior when we were little. Jason has the good grace to blush.
    “I’m sorry, Mama Emma,” he says softly. “I’m just mad. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
    Her lips forming into a tight line, Emma turns and walks to the kitchen, Jason on her heels. I can feel the anger in him begin to dissipate. I still have no idea why or even how he got so angry so quickly. It’s just bizarre.
    “Where’s Dad?” I grab a glass of orange juice before sitting down.
    “He went in to work early this morning.” Emma pours herself a cup of coffee and takes a seat at the kitchen island. “What has you so upset?”
    “We were at the diner and some old guy said he recognized us. He said we’d lived here before.” Emma’s eyes widen as she listens.
    “I thought you both knew,” she murmurs. “Your parents lived here when you were little. Alesha loved this place. They only moved because John took a job in Raleigh that paid three times what he made here.”
    “So that’s why he suggested it.” Jason pours himself a cup of coffee and I grimace. Straight black coffee is nasty.
    “Speaking of your mother…” Emma trails off and leaves the room.
    Jason and I exchange curious looks. We never talk about our mother. Emma respects that. Usually.
    She comes back carrying a box. “I forgot about these until I found them tucked away in the attic of the old house. Your mother asked each of you receive them on your eighteenth birthday. John wasn’t too keen on giving them to you, but I think you should have them. He threw a fit when I wouldn’t throw them