"What's this about, Harry?" Rohan sat on the couch in Harry's house with Annie by his side. She gripped his hand tighter to ease his tension. Rohan smiled at her and couldn't believe how well she knew him.

"You know how Mal helped with the investigation, Rohan."

"Yes. I really want to thank him but he hasn't been into Ruby's lately."

"He's tied up on a big job with the defence forces." Harry reached beside him and lifted a folder. "Rohan. During the investigation some information came to light. Information about your family, your past."

Rohan backed up against the couch. He stood up, walked away, and then turned to face Harry. "I don't need to read about my past, Harry. I lived it." As yet he hadn't told Annie anything. He hadn't had to. She was clever enough to have worked it out and sensitive enough to know words couldn't explain the pain and anguish that comes from torture and abuse.

"There are things in this report, Rohan, which I think you might like to know about." Harry looked up at him forlornly and added, "Things about your family."

"I know all I need to know." Rohan looked at Annie's face. She was all the family he needed. She smiled at him. It gave him courage. "My mother was a drunk and my father a sadistic bastard. A pair of soulless human beings who's fucked up parenting skills sentenced me to hell. I don't need to know more than that, Harry."

"You have a sister, Rohan."

Annie gasped. She watched Rohan's face screw up in pain. She stood up, took him by the hand and led him back to the couch. He squeezed her hand and smiled. "I'm okay, Annie." He looked over at Harry. "Tell me. I can't read it. Just tell me."

"She was born after you were put into foster care." Harry sucked in a breath. "It's weird how the world works and this isn't going to be easy for you to listen to, Rohan, but you need to know, for her sake and yours. Okay?"

Rohan gripped Annie's hand again and dragged in a huge breath of air. "I'm ready."

Harry nodded. "When she was six your father raped her. He nearly killed her. Sid was one of the Ambulance Officers on call that night and I sent your father to prison because of it. He was killed by some of the other prisoners. They tortured him not long after he went in. I call it justice." Harry saw the stunned looks on their faces. He sighed. "It really is bizarre how it's all come together like this. It's as if we were all meant to connect. To put a seal on it so the wound can finally heal." Harry reached over and gripped Rohan's hand. "She was adopted. Had a better upbringing than you but the trauma of what happened to her left her with some psychological scars. It was very hard for her adoptive family. It tore them apart. But your sister's been in therapy and has got her life together. She's reunited with her family. They're working it out." Harry looked into Rohan's eyes. "She would like to meet you. Get to know you better."

Rohan cocked his head. "Get to know me better?"

"Yes." Harry smiled. "She's in the other room if you'd like to meet her properly."

Rohan drew in a breath. He had a sister; a sister who had suffered just like he had, a person who would understand his pain completely. He smiled at Annie and nodded his head again. "Yes, Harry. I'd like to meet my sister."

Rohan stood as Mercer Kennedy stepped into the room.

Did anyone guess that Rohan and Mercer would turn out to be brother and sister?

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