"Church? Really?" Michelle asked an hour later after they had left home.

"Hey, my girlfriend is a good influence," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "plus, there's someone I really want you to meet," Brook said with a furtive smile. Michelle's eyes narrowed.

"Brook, what are you planning?" She asked suspiciously. He grinned and pulled her along.

"Come on, just trust me," he said.

After attending the service, Brook led her to the back of the church where the priest was removing his cassock. He was an elderly man with a balding grey head and tanned features indicating his Hispanic origin.

"Padre Manuel?" Brook called to him. He turned around and on seeing Brook his face broke into a joyous smile.

"Brook! ¡Es tan bueno verte de nuevo!" He exclaimed in Spanish.

"Tú también padre. Ha pasado demasiado tiempo." Brook chattered in fluent Spanish. Michelle looked blank. Her second language in school had been French so she had no clue what he said. But hearing him talk in Spanish suddenly made her heart flutter. He sounded much more romantic and seductive... she had to shake herself out of the trance.

"What brings you here, mi hijo? I have missed your visits." The padre said.

"Well, I have missed you, padre. And I wanted to introduce you to a very special girl. Padre Manuel, this is Michelle Patterson, my fiancee," Brook said, guiding Michelle forward. The padre turned to Michelle and suddenly gasped. His eyes bulged out as he stared at her.

"Your – fiancee?" He asked as though he couldn't believe it. Brook nodded with a wide smile.

"Michelle, this is Padre Manuel, the priest who blessed my parents' marriage," he said. Michelle broke into a smile, finally understanding.

"It's so nice to meet you – Padre?" She looked unsure as the padre began to stare at her strangely.

"Yes... yes, of course, Miss Patterson," the Padre suddenly seemed to come to his senses and shook her hand vigorously. Michelle wondered why he had spaced out earlier.

"Padre Manuel was a newly ordained priest when he presided over my parents' wedding," Brook explained. The Padre tried visibly to compose himself as if trying to get over some major shock.

"Yes, yes, I told young Ripley Havens it was better to be a husband to Miss Brooklyn Sanchez before he became a father," he said, continuing to stare at Michelle. Michelle smiled.

"You must have known them well," she said.

"Oh yes, they were very good people, my best friends in fact. Blessing their marriage was the first of my priestly duties. Made me downright nervous, if I may say so myself," he said with a nervous laugh. His tone suddenly became serious.

"But I gave the same advice to Nick Patterson," he said suddenly. Both Michelle and Brook blinked.

"I'm sorry?" Brook asked. The Padre merely peered at Michelle.

"Nick Patterson wanted to rush into marriage as well. Happened soon after the Havens went off on their honeymoon. He didn't tell anyone, wanted it to be a quiet affair... Malorie Moreno... Such a sweet girl she was, always had a smile for everyone, knew how to cheer people up..." A tear escaped his eye.

"Made Ripley downright mad, he did, getting married without telling his best friend... but it all turned out well, didn't it?" the Padre said, glancing between Brook and Michelle. Both of them looked bewildered.

"Padre, I don't understand..." Brook began. The Padre held up his hand.

"Nine months after Ripley's wedding, they showed up with a little boy in their arms asking me to baptize their son," he said. "Eight months later, Nick Patterson and his wife showed up at my parish, asking me to baptize their baby girl." Michelle felt her breath leave her lungs, realizing where this was going.

"They invited me over several times for parties, and I've had the pleasure of watching both their children grow – even if it was only for a short time," the padre continued sadly. He raised knowing eyes at Michelle.

"You're his daughter, aren't you? Nick Patterson's Malorie's little girl." Michelle staggered back, Brook catching her by the elbow in support. She became pale and her hands shook.

"I - I... c-can't be." She stammered.

"It's undeniable, Miss Patterson. You bear the same name, even. But more than that, the resemblance to your late father is – uncanny."

"Padre, you don't – really think that?" Brook asked, his expression full of concern as he glanced at Michelle. The Padre nodded.

"Come with me. We have much to talk about," he said. Michelle felt dizzy. This was not what she expected; this news was like a punch in the gut. It was a lot to process and she had so many questions in her head. She remembered her conversation with Soriano last year. He had so assuredly told her that she might not have any ties with his old crew member. But if the Padre could easily point out her resemblance to Nick Patterson then... Was she really the daughter of the man who had once been in Soriano's crew?

Michelle stared at the photograph of a newly married couple from the nineties in her hand. Her eyes filled up and her hands began to shake. Brook noticed and immediately entwined his fingers with hers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Michelle glanced at him in acknowledgment before turning to the Padre sitting in front of them.

"These – these are really my parents?" She asked, her voice quavering a little. The padre nodded.

"You look so much like them... it was not hard to figure it out," he said. Michelle studied the photo again. The young couple looked nice together. The woman had dark red hair and brown eyes while the man next to her had brown hair the exact shade as her own and grey eyes. She saw many of her own features in his face – the same nose, the same cheekbones, the same lips... and yet, she also saw traces of herself in the woman's soft beauty.

"Mom... and Dad..." The tears spilled out as she held the photo to her heart and cried silently. Brook put his arms around her.

"Broke me up, it did, hearing what happened to Nick Patterson," the padre said, his voice breaking a little. "Poor Malorie. Kid died of a broken heart."

"Are you saying—" Michelle began, trying to piece together a question. She bit her lip. "I was adopted when I was three... is that the reason why?"

"Your mother..." The padre cleared his throat, the emotions proving too overwhelming for him. "Brooklyn and I tried to find out what happened to Nick and Malorie's child. After they passed, I heard the child was put in an orphanage, but we didn't know which one. Took me a while to track you down. By the time I found the right orphanage, it was too late. You had already been adopted and they wouldn't tell me by whom."

"My mother had tried to find Michelle?" Brook asked in surprise. "If you had found her—"

"I would have been able to inform you about your real parents," the padre said, speaking directly to Michelle. "And Brooklyn would have taken you in as her own child." She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her feelings under control.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this, Padre?" Brook asked.

"The memories were too painful for me, mi hijo. There was so much loss and sorrow in the past... I thought it best to leave it buried. There was no use bringing it back, not when I'd thought I'd never be able to find the Pattersons' child again. And Brooklyn gave up the search after several futile attempts. She could only hope that the Pattersons' daughter was living a decent life, wherever she was," the padre explained. Michelle thought about her foster mother. Yes, she had been raised well; her foster mom had given her all the love, care, and guidance she needed to grow into a strong, good-hearted young woman. But she wished she could have found out about her real parents sooner. Her expression suddenly hardened.

"Soriano lied to me," she said getting up. Brook also stood up, grim-faced.

"Believe me, Michelle, we will confront him with this," he said, taking her hand.

The crew was packed and waiting for Brook and Michelle to return so that they could all set off for Carson City together. They all intended to leave in their own cars but drive together, deciding it was best not to travel alone with a target on their backs. Jett and Reece were getting some last-minute coding done on their computers before hitting the road, Payton and Paige were lounging idly on the couch, Payton's head resting on Paige's lap while she stroked his hair. Leslie had retreated to the kitchen to give them some privacy while drinking coffee with Soriano.

"Hmm... that's so good," Payton said, smiling up at Paige, enjoying the feeling of her hands through his hair. She smirked.

"Such a sop... " she teased, but she continued to massage him.

"I should get beat up more often. It brings out a whole new side of you," Payton said. Paige scoffed.

"You get beat up again and I swear you'll lose me from your bed forever," she said. Payton chuckled softly.

"Well I don't want that so I'll be a good boy and not get into any more fights," he said.

"Good. However, I'm not sure if I want you to be a good boy..." she replied, bending down and kissing his lips with heavy desire in her eyes. He groaned softly.

"Paige, we're not in our room..." he mumbled against her lips.

"Want me to stop?" She asked smoothly. "Or we could steal a few moments alone in our room..." He caught her chin and held her closer.

"Hell no, I'm not getting up." He said, kissing her back fervently right there. They had just begun to get into an all-out tongue tangle when the sound of the front door suddenly banging open startled them.

"Talk about no privacy..." Payton grumbled. He and Paige looked up and saw Brook and Michelle enter, stormy-faced.

"You guys wanna ring the bell next time?" Paige asked them with arched eyebrows. Payton noticed their expressions and sat up more alert.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Where's the chief?" Brook asked, disregarding his question.

"Kitchen... why, what happened?" Paige asked, scrutinizing their faces. Michelle didn't waste any time but marched towards the kitchen, Brook in her wake. Payton and Paige followed immediately.

"Think he did it again?" Paige asked him, her own expression hardening.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Payton said darkly. "Chief's in trouble for something, alright."

Leslie and Soriano looked up as they saw the four of them enter.

"Brook, Michelle, you're here—" Soriano began, but was cut off by Brook.

"Cut the niceties, chief, we want some answers," he snapped. Michelle placed a photograph in front of him on the kitchen island. Soriano glanced at it and his eyes softened as he lifted them to Michelle's face.

"You found out," he said quietly. Michelle nodded.

"You lied to me, didn't you, chief?" She asked.

"Chief, what's going on?" Leslie asked. Brook folded his arms.

"Go on, chief. Tell us exactly what's going on. How you can't stop lying to us – to Michelle," he said in a hard voice. Soriano sighed.

"I knew I'd have to pay the price for my mistakes someday... but I didn't want you kids to get hurt in the process," he said. Michelle's chin quivered.

"Well, it's too late for that. I already found out that Nick Patterson was my father – and a member of your crew." She glared at Soriano with tear-filled eyes.

"Why did you hide it from me, chief? What Jackson said last year... he must've figured it out. But you hid it from me. Why?" Payton and Paige also listened keenly.

"Knowing the truth won't bring them back, Michelle," Soriano said, clenching a fist. "I wanted you to move on, there was no use bringing up what happened—"

"I want to know what happened!" Michelle said shrilly. "Jackson said the reason Brook's father was dead was because of my father... Brook told me the crew had been betrayed twenty years ago... I have to know if that was because of my father!"

"Michelle..." Brook said, taking her shoulders, "No matter what the truth, it doesn't affect us, do you hear me?" Michelle barely heard his words.

"No," Soriano said suddenly, his voice hollow. "It wasn't because of your father. It was my fault." Everyone in the room stared at him like they couldn't believe what he just said. Soriano rested his head in his hands as though the weight of his next words was too heavy for him.

"Nick Patterson was a smart young man – too smart for his own safety. He went after the Inferno Ghosts one day on his own and managed to track them down to their hideout. That kid should've been a detective... He almost went head-on with them guns-blazing and nearly got himself killed. But I managed to find out what he did and went after him – Ripley and me. We barely got him out before they could kill him."

"What happened after that?" Paige asked with narrow eyes. Soriano swallowed heavily.

"I lost my temper. I couldn't afford to lose my best friend and his recklessness made me see red. Ripley was just as mad as I was but he stuck up for his friend. They cut me out of their plans after that."

"Then how—" Michelle began, but Soriano held up his hand.

"The next night both of them formed a plan to bring the Inferno Ghosts down once and for all, a plan that didn't involve me. If I hadn't meddled, it probably would've worked. But I was terrified of losing those boys – I didn't realize that my foolish efforts trying to save them would make me lose them both.

"Nick must've been hurt at the way I shouted at him. But I did it for his own good. I should've known he'd try to fix things by being the hero."

"What happened?" Payton asked, seeing Brook and Michelle too stunned to speak.

"I rallied the Night Blazers and rushed headlong into the Ghosts' hideout. It was a trap. They were expecting us, they anticipated that we were coming. Someone had tipped them off." Paige lowered his gaze at that. "If it wasn't for Ripley's quick thinking," Soriano went on, "the crew and I wouldn't have made it out of there."

"What happened to my father?" Michelle asked.

"He and Ripley locked me in his car, told me to get out. They created a distraction and made sure we could all get out safely... before..." Soriano sighed heavily, the grief still fresh and burning his heart as it did twenty years ago.

"So Nick Patterson was Michelle's father all along," Paige stated harshly. "And you lied to her and Brook all this time."

"You taught us trusting in our family was the most important thing, chief," Payton said, a bitter look on his face. "Guess you never trusted us that way."

"It's not that I don't trust you kids!" Soriano argued. "It was my fault for coming down hard on Nick! If I hadn't tried to dissuade them from their plan, he and Ripley might not have lost their lives! I didn't want to hurt you kids with the truth and what I'd done!"

"So you thought you could hide the truth from me when you knew I knew nothing about my real parents?" Michelle asked with a pained look. "And you led Brook to believe the crew was betrayed?"

"The only one betraying those closest to him is you, chief," Brook said in an icy tone. "I think we've heard enough." He took Michelle's hand and led her out. Jett and Reece appeared and were surprised to see everyone traipsing out of the kitchen, gloomy-faced.

"Hey, when did you guys arrive – what's wrong?" Jett asked. Reece glanced at Payton for answers with a knowing look.

"Later, we'll tell you on the road," Payton said.

"We're leaving for Carson City right now and the chief isn't coming," Paige said firmly. Soriano watched them all leave.

"Yeah, keep an eye on the dealership, chief. I don't think we need you on this trip." Payton said coldly to Soriano. Jett and Reece looked surprised but said nothing. Leslie lingered back by Soriano's side.

"Leslie, you coming?" Paige asked. She shook her head.

"Fine," Paige said and shut the door behind them. She caught up with Michelle.

"Hey angel face, you okay?" She asked unusually gently. Michelle shook her head.

"No... but I will be. I just need some space," she said. Brook threaded his fingers with hers.

"It's a good thing we're leaving – getting away is just what we need right now," he said, as they got into his car.

"Well, that went downhill real quick," Reece commented gloomily as they got into their cars. "So much for sticking together."

"Yeah. Next stop – Carson City." Jett said in a subdued tone, as they all pulled out of the driveway and onto the open road.

Dark day to be the chief... oh, how the sins of the past tend to catch up. Had he been honest with them sooner this might've been avoided. But will this rift threaten the safety of the Night Blazers again?  😰 Lot of shockers in this chapter, lemme know your thoughts. Also threw in a secret reveal in between, did you spot it? Hint: it catches Paige's attention. Keep in mind.

Read on to find out what happens next in: