Chapter 16 Eli #2
Vin raises his gun, and fear coats Tony’s face as he aims straight at his temple and pulls the trigger. “Don’t worry, we’re leaving.”
Boom. Blood splatters the back wall as Tony’s head slumps to the side, his vacant eyes staring straight ahead.
“You got the letter?” Vin asks Alex as he reaches his glove-covered hand inside Tony’s drawer to retrieve his gun. He places it in Tony’s hand, wrapping his fingers around it before dropping his hand and letting them fall haphazardously over the desk.
Alex reaches inside his pocket and retrieves the fabricated suicide note. “Got it.” He places it beneath Tony’s other hand and steps back, inspecting the scene for anything that might indicate this wasn’t a suicide.
My mind races a hundred miles a minute. “Vin?” He glances my way. “We need to speak with the Vasiliev brothers.”
He sighs. “I know.” He takes a seat, dragging a hand down his face. “I was hoping to avoid them, but it seems like it’s time we meet with them. I’ll reach out to Enzio when we leave here to arrange a meeting.”
I nod, staring at the floor as my mind races with questions.
“What the fuck did she get herself into?” Reaching for my phone, I check the last text I sent Madeleine an hour ago, only to see that it hasn’t been delivered.
My chest tightens, and panic sets in. “Something’s wrong.
My texts aren’t going through to Madeleine’s phone. ”
Alex shakes his head. “Nothing’s wrong.” He glances at Vin. “She probably just wants to be alone now.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because of what day it is.” Vin leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low. “This day never gets any easier for her. For any of us, really.”
I look between them, frustrated that I’m missing something. “Will someone tell me what fucking day it is?”
Vin looks up, his eyes catching mine. “It’s our father’s birthday.”
As I walk through the doorway of Madeleine’s house, an eerie calm greets me through the darkened space. I climb the stairs, taking two steps at a time, feeling a growing unease as I approach her bedroom. The door is ajar, and when I step inside, I look around and find it empty.
I pull my phone from my back pocket, prepared to call her for what feels like the hundredth time, when movement outside her window catches my attention.
Stepping closer to the partially frosted glass, I see her standing at the end of the dock.
Her arms are wrapped around herself as she gazes up at the sky, small snowflakes dusting the ground around her.
I grab a blanket from her bed and quickly head downstairs, walking through her backyard and down to the dock. I approach her carefully like I would an injured animal, afraid of startling her.
She doesn’t acknowledge me as I stand behind her; she merely continues to stare at the night sky.
And I find myself wishing I could know every thought flashing through her mind.
Seconds or perhaps minutes pass before she finally speaks, her voice soft against the wind whipping past us.
“It’s his birthday today.” She looks down, her arms wrapping a little tighter around her abdomen. “He would have been sixty.”
I take a step closer, my chest only inches from her back. She turns slowly to face me, and my heart breaks at what I see. Her usually bright blue eyes are red and downcast, filled with fresh tears ready to spill. The tip of her nose and her cheeks are flushed, and her entire demeanor is somber.
I place the blanket around her, wrapping it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” She grips the edge with her slender fingers, giving me a tiny smile, but it quickly fades as her gaze returns to the lake.
“He always took me out on the lake in his boat when he sensed that something was bothering me or when he needed a break from work.” She gives a slight shrug.
“I feel like he’s with me when I’m here. ”
“He is,” I affirm, reaching out to rest my hand on her cold cheek, my thumb brushing away the last traces of her tears. She exhales softly, her eyes closing as she leans into my touch.
“Did you know we designed my house together? It was one of the last things we did before he died.” Her eyes open, and a sad smile appears on her lips.
“I know. You mentioned in one of your letters how you two were working on the plans.” My lips attempt to curve up. “I think he mentioned something about his daughter having expensive taste.”
She looks up, a single tear escaping down her cheek. “You remember that?”
“I remember every one of your letters,” I answer.
She rolls in her bottom lip, gazing off to the side. “I miss him so much it hurts,” she whispers.
I can’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest. Holding her like this feels like everything I’ve been missing in my life—everything I’ve needed since the day I returned home.
She buries her head into my chest, and for the second time since I’ve known her, she breaks in my arms. A violent sob wracks her body as she lets her tears flow freely. My hold on her tightens as I keep her steady, never letting her fall.
Minutes pass, and the tremor in her body slowly fades before she finally speaks.
“I always wanted to get married here so that it felt like he would be with me on my wedding day,” she says softly, her voice a little hoarse.
I pull back to look down at her. “Then why aren’t you getting married here?”
She bites her bottom lip as her gaze drifts down. “Because my father would never approve of Alastor.” She shakes her head, appearing lost in thought. “He wasn’t the one he wanted me to end up with.”
“Then who is?” I ask, my heart quickening with each passing second.
Her lips part, and I can see her walls crumbling. But just as quickly, she shakes her head dismissively, clears her throat, and steps out of my hold.
“I’m pretty cold. I’m going to head inside. Thanks for the blanket,” she voices as she sidesteps me and walks down the dock, the blanket dragging behind her, creating a trail in the snow.
And as I watch her enter her house, I’m hit with a memory from the day that everything changed between us. A day when she was no longer just my best friend’s little sister but the woman I would protect with my last breath.
The day of her father’s funeral.
I nod to the guard on duty as I drive through the Alarie Estate, noticing an increased presence of security—more than usual. But given the recent death of the head of the Alarie family, it seems that life on the estate will never feel the same again.
I stop at the private cemetery and park at the end of a long line of opulent cars. As I step out into the dry, humid air and adjust my suit sleeves, I scan the massive crowd for my second family, immediately spotting them at the top of the hill: Cecilia, Vin, Alex, Mauro, Leo, and Madeleine.
They all stand strong and resilient in the face of death as the casket is carried from the back of a vehicle, making its way to its final resting place. My throat tightens with emotion at the sight of the black casket, knowing who resides inside.
A man I was lucky enough to look up to as a second father figure in my life while studying in the States, thousands of miles away from my actual family overseas. It was Leo who introduced me to his family, but it was Charles Alarie who welcomed me with open arms.
I approach the family as the priest begins to speak, positioning myself behind Madeleine. The brothers all nod in a polite greeting, their eyes telling me how lost they feel.
As the casket is lowered, Cecilia’s cries echo across the vast expanse of land. Vin wraps a supportive arm around her, and she clings to him like a lifeline while he appears unaffected by the events happening around us.
But as the new head of the Alarie family, it’s his job not to display fear or sadness in front of others, even as his father’s remains are being laid to rest.
Nearby, other women let out soft sobs and dab at their faces with tissues. However, when I glance down at Madeleine, who fixates coldly on her father’s casket, there’s no trace of a single tear. Her face appears uninterested. Cold. Unnerving.
Always wearing her mask for the world to see.
After the burial, everyone heads to Charles’s, or rather, Cecilia’s home. So many powerful yet unfamiliar faces who will try to get a glimpse into the Alarie world.
In the open living room, I find the brothers and step toward them, but I don’t see a girl walking before me, and I clumsily knock right into her. Quickly, I grab her by her arms to keep her standing upright. “Apologies. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?”
The girl nods, appearing a little startled. I offer her a slight smile as I release her.
“Eli,” Leo calls from the other side of the room, gaining my attention.
I dip my chin to the girl and apologize again before moving around her to approach him.
“I’m so sorry, Leo,” I say, gripping his shoulder as he clasps mine in return. “I should have been here.”
He shakes his head. “You’ve been off saving the world.” One side of his lips slightly lift before altogether falling. “Besides, there’s nothing you could have done. It all happened so fast.” His eyes glaze over as he clears his throat, running his fingers through his hair.
“Thank you for coming, Eli,” Vin greets me, patting a strong hand on my back. “We appreciate your support during this time.”
Alex shakes hands with a couple nearby before turning to us. His hand rests on my shoulder. “How long did they allow you?”
“Two days,” I respond. “Took most of that time for traveling, so I’ll be heading back on a flight tomorrow morning.”
They look downcast at my words, and I wish there were a way I could stay longer, but when you’re in the military, your life is no longer in your own hands.
“How’s Mauro doing?” I ask, hoping for good news.
“Better,” Alex replies. “He’s out of the hospital and just resting now at his place. The doctors…” He squeezes the back of his neck before pushing up his glasses. “They don’t think he’ll be able to speak again.”
“Shit,” I breathe, feeling the weight of that news.
“Yeah.” Vin lets out a deep sigh. “It will be an adjustment, that’s for sure. But he’s alive, and that’s all we could ask for.”
Leo looks out the window beside us, appearing lost in his head.
“Where’s Scarlett?” I ask, scanning the room for her and her father, who is Charles’s right-hand man.
“She’s gone,” Leo answers matter-of-factly.
“Gone?”
Leo turns his gaze toward me, and the look in his eyes conveys more than words ever could.
He’s hurting. Not just from losing his father but from losing his heart as well.
“Her father didn’t want to risk her safety by staying here, so he took her away.” He tugs a finger on the collar of his shirt. “It’s for the best. She’ll be safer away from here.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Safer away from here? The Alarie Estate is the safest place in the whole goddamn world.”
“Clearly, it’s not!” he shouts, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. He places his hands on his hips, lowers his head, and takes a deep breath. Shaking his head, he adds, “Sorry. I just… I can’t think about…”
I rest a hand on his shoulder. “I know, Leo.”
His eyes meet mine, and an understanding passes through us.
“Gentlemen.” A woman approaches, displaying a sad smile. “Mr. Fowler would like to see you in the study, please.”
They nod in acknowledgment.
“We’ll be there shortly.” Vin straightens his tie before fixing his attention on me. “We’ll see you tomorrow before you leave.”
The three of them stride down the hall, and just as they turn out of sight, I catch a glimpse of hair as black as night swaying over Madeleine’s shoulders as she walks up the stairs and disappears from view.
Taking a calming breath, I follow her, navigating through the crowd until I reach the stairs. My fingers wrap around the banister, and with each step upward, my heart pounds a little faster beneath my rib cage.
When I finally reach the top, I turn left and walk to the end of the hall, passing by all the other rooms until I arrive at hers. The door is slightly ajar, and as I step inside, I find her standing at the balcony entrance, her arms wrapped around her middle as her body shivers.
She turns to face me, tears pouring from her vibrant blue eyes, coating her porcelain cheeks. “I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
I quickly close the distance between us, reaching her in a few strides before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to my chest.
And the girl who has always hidden her tears from the world, fearing that she might appear weak…breaks in my arms.
A sob escapes her as her body trembles against me, her tears soaking my shirt. Her slender fingers clutch my jacket tightly as every overwhelming emotion washes over her.
Unrelenting and unyielding.
“It hurts…so much,” she chokes out, her chest heaving with so much force.
“I know, and I’m so fucking sorry that I can’t make it stop.” I cup a hand on the back of her head, my thumb tracing back and forth. I’ve never seen her this vulnerable before, and it’s making me wish I could take her pain away—all of it. Every single fucking piece of it. “Let it out, love.”
“I d-didn’t t-think you’d be here… I didn’t know…if I’d see you. But I…” She rubs her forehead against my chest as a tremor rushes through her. “I needed you.”
I needed you. Her admission makes my chest tighten. If I could have been here days ago, I would have, but there were protocols keeping me in place—time zones working against me and three different planes to board that could only get me here so fast.
“I’ll always be wherever you need me to be.” I smooth the palm of my hand down her back, up and down. My lips press against the top of her head as my arm locks around her, securing her to my body.
Hours pass as we stand in this embrace, neither of us able to let go. Eventually, the tears all but dry up from Madeleine’s eyes. As her eyelids begin to close, I carefully scoop her into my arms and tuck her into her four-poster bed, ensuring she’s properly covered beneath her blankets.
Looking down at her, it breaks my heart to know that I have only hours remaining to be in the same time zone as her. Not long after I board my first flight, we’ll be on entirely different continents, and it pains me to think that I won’t be there to keep her safe—to protect her.
But I know her brothers will.
They’ll do everything they can to keep their baby sister out of harm’s way.
This thought eases some of the tension coiling inside me.
Leaning forward, I press a kiss to her forehead, inhaling her scent one last time.
And as I stand straight, I retrieve a letter from my jacket pocket and leave it on her nightstand for her to find in the morning.