Chapter 70
We satin silence for a moment as Kaylee stared at me. Questions sparked in her eyes, but she probably didn’t know how or what to ask first.
“Are you sure?” she asked, trying her best to hold back tears.
I laughed. “I grew up with him.”
“Will you get a DNA test to prove it?” she eyed me. “I . . . just want to be certain.”
“If it’s important to you, sure.”
“Do you . . . do you want me as a sister?” Her lips twisted, showing how nervous she was. If only she knew how nervous I was.
“If I could pick anyone to be a little sister, it would be you.”
She cried and gave me a big hug. Tears filled my eyes too.
“Okay, kiddo, we’ll celebrate this later. Let’s go home and share this news with Vivian. She’s got a party planned for you.”
Wiping her eyes, she glanced at the back seat. “The food smells delicious. She said we’re celebrating me, but I didn’t know what she was talking about.”
With what we’d learned today, I could share the reason for the party now.
“She wanted to let you know she has officially adopted you.”
Kaylee smiled. “Really?”
“All the legal documents were taken care of a while ago. She wanted to give you a celebration, but things got crazy about finding Aimee. She already considers you part of her family, so the party slipped her mind. Don’t be mad at her, okay?”
“I’m not.” Kaylee nodded. “I love her.”
“Me too.”
* * *
When we arrived home, we didn’t see Vivian’s car. Unease settled in me again.
“She’s not here,” Kaylee said.
Fuck.I checked my phone. No messages from her. I called her again, and it went straight to voicemail.
“Kaylee, help me bring the food and cake into the house. Then we’ll go find her.”
Once we set the food and cake on the counter, I checked the tracker, and my heart dropped.
Fuck.
My chest constricted as though my heart detached and dropped from my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Terror sucked the life out of me. I’d been through all kinds of horror when I was in the Navy, but the fear that overwhelmed me right now was much worse.
What if I lost her?
Don’t think like that!
I’d never loved anyone the way I loved her. We were planning a future together. She was the only woman who made me want to commit. She spoke to my heart, my soul, my dreams, all the things no one could do. Without her, my life had no purpose.
What was wine without its fermentation or distillation? Nothing.
“Are you okay?” Kaylee asked me.
Remembering that I was the adult with a teenage girl beside me, I inhaled and said, “Yeah. I’m just worried about Vivian.”
“Where is she?” Kaylee asked.
“At the hospital.”
We hopped into the car and rushed over. Now I understood what Forrest had gone through when Kiera was in danger. The mind and body seemed detached. My body felt like it was floating. My mind settled elsewhere, trying desperately to connect.
I wanted to kill Ghost for hurting her. Wanted to rip his body apart, limb by limb. But concern for her stirred me up too much. Kaylee’s presence forced me to concentrate. I honed in on the survival skills I’d learned from the military. Remaining cool and calm during chaos ensured my survival.
Though Kaylee stayed quiet, I knew she was terrified. She clasped her hands on her lap and stared straight ahead. I could hear her heavy breathing.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be okay.” I tried my best to sound calm.
Kaylee looked at me, and a mutual understanding passed between us. “She’ll be okay,” Kaylee repeated.
My little sister was wiser than most kids her age. I was proud to be her brother.
We arrived at the emergency entrance, and I rushed up to the receptionist, asking for anyone with the name Vivian Vo.
She showed us down the hallway where Vivian was sleeping.
What the fuck had happened to her?
An officer was talking to a nurse near the waiting area. He spotted Kaylee and me.
“Officer, is Vivian okay?” I gestured to the room. “What happened?”
“Who are you?” asked the officer with the short blond hair.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
“She’s my sister,” Kaylee said.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m Officer O’Dell. Vivian was attacked in the parking lot of Party Supply. Two customers spotted the man who attacked her. We’re still looking for him.”
I knew it was Ghost.
“Will she be okay?’ Kaylee asked, tears brimming in her eyes.
The nurse with the curly hair patted Kaylee’s shoulder. “I’m Molly. Your sister lost a lot of blood from the stab wounds. She needed stitches, but she’ll be okay.”
The tension in my stomach relaxed a bit. I’m going to fucking kill Ghost!
“Do you want her belongings?” Nurse Molly asked me. “I was trying to search her purse for an emergency contact but couldn’t find anything. I couldn’t access her phone either.”
“Yes, please.” Kaylee followed the nurse.
I requested a larger room for Vivian and didn’t give a damn how much it cost. Kaylee had a sleeping cot, and I had mine. I wouldn’t leave Vivian unattended. Ghost could return to finish the job if he knew she was still alive, and I didn’t trust anyone.
Knowing that Vivian would recover lifted a tremendous burden from me. Still, it would take her time to recover.
Where the fuck was Ghost?
While Kaylee slept in the visitor cot, I was still awake. I sat in the chair beside Vivian’s bed, looking at her. Losing blood had exhausted my baby. She looked so pale. The doctor had come in to check on her an hour ago and said all her vitals looked good. She should wake up tomorrow.
I sent Orion a message.
Arrow:Need your help locating Ghost.
Orion: Everything okay?
Arrow: He stabbed Vivian.
Orion: She okay?
Arrow: She’ll recover.
Orion: I’m on it. He’s probably heading to Europe.
Ghost had been working with people overseas. That could be his next hideout.
Arrow: Thanks.
Orion: You ready for Monaco?
Fucking hell.I scrubbed a hand down my face. The wine competition was in two weeks. CheckMate Red and CheckMate Black from my Bambooze Series were all set to go. But I’d recently started a new wine that needed one final touch. It wasn’t for the convention. It was for something more important, and I couldn’t wait for the world to see it.
I looked at Vivian, wondering if she would be well enough to attend the event with me.
Arrow: Yup. All set.
Orion: Three elite members confirmed their attendance.
Arrow: Who?
Orion: Governor Fenner, Judge Oliver Patterson, and Prince Allard.
What the fuck? I had wondered about their presence at the wine convention in Providence.
It turned out that Orion had been the anonymous person who had nominated my Bambooze wine for the competition.
Arrow: You wanted me in Monaco.
Orion: It’s the place for elites. They love wine.
Once the chat ended, I researched the three members. Governor Fenner described himself as a family man with three grown children. Supreme Court Judge Patterson was in his late seventies with grandchildren. As for Prince Allard, he was the adopted son of Prince Garnier, who was the current ruler of Monaco. Prince Allard didn’t get along with his brother, Prince Garnier II, who was the biological son of the present leader. Perhaps this conflict had sent him down the wrong path. Prince Allard had recently married a Hollywood actress and begun calling himself a family man.
Lies. All lies. These fuckers were hiding behind the fa?ade of a loving family man while committing evil crimes behind it. I wanted the world to know their shit.
My mind swirled at how to bring their dirty laundry out to the public.
Vivian made a noise, and I turned to see her looking at me.
“Hey . . . You feeling okay, beautiful?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah. Where’s my phone?”
“You should rest, Tulip. It’s past midnight.”
“No, it’s important. I’ve got a tracker on Ghost.”
I got her phone from her purse and gave it to her. By the time my love finished telling me the story of how she had implanted an entirely new type of crown in his mouth, I couldn’t be prouder of her. She could’ve killed her enemy, but she kept Ghost alive because he was more useful that way. I loved her so much.
“The Department of Defense should think about hiring my dangerous dentist as a contractor,” I teased, then kissed her forehead. “You’ve got fabulous ideas that could benefit them.”
She just smiled and looked over at Kaylee. “She doing okay?”
“Yeah. She’s a strong girl.” I shared the news about Kaylee being my half-sister.
Vivian squeezed my hand as she teared up with joy. Wanting to make her even happier, I told her about her role in my video game.
“I’m The Dentist in your game?”
“The coolest player with a spectacular fishing rod.”
She laughed. “I love that Tark’s teeth have healing abilities. I want to play it whenever it’s ready.”
“Get well soon, and you can play the demo.”
She clasped my hand tight. “Thank you for including me.”
“If I don’t include the woman I love, then who should I include?” I kissed her hand.
I let her talk for a few more minutes until fatigue dragged her back to sleep.
Though exhausted, I was energized by the information Vivian had given me. A plan solidified in my head as I prepared for my visit to Monaco.