Chapter 17
Vissarian
“What the fuck do you know?” I demanded.
Ludolf smiled. “Enough to know you’re still in pain from what happened.
Through an alliance with us, we can help provide the answers to end your nightmare.
However, in doing so, Pandora’s Box will be opened.
I’ll leave you with that for the day. Think about the offer.
So you understand, the moment I saw Ms. Zimmerman with you, I realized her appearance was meant to put us on notice. ”
“Of what?”
“That we’re being watched.”
Huffing, I couldn’t believe the anger that was at the boiling point, but now wasn’t the best time for me to allow an irrational reaction.
“You will find our alliance very beneficial,” Pierre added. “As will we.”
While it went against what I was feeling, I laughed. “You’re blackmailing not only me, but my entire family.”
“Call it what you will. You use resources as we do. As I said, think about it. We’ll talk further in the morning.
So you’re aware, we have a tropical storm warning.
You should do everything in your power to keep your companion safe.
I do mean everything. She is valuable to more than just this alliance. ”
Was he threatening Fallon?
It took every ounce of control not to pull out my weapon and shoot all three bastards between the eyes.
They backed away from me. They’d purposely tossed the carrot, knowing I wouldn’t accept it initially.
I fisted my hand, glaring at them.
Without hesitation, I flew at them, grabbing Ludolf around the throat. The moment I slammed him against a tree, both Pierre and Emilio were there, fighting to pull me off.
With my hand wrapped around Ludolf’s windpipe, it would take almost nothing for me to crush it given my strength.
“Don’t, Vissarian. This is a puzzle you want answers for. So do we.” Emilio was right beside me.
“You know more than you’re telling me.”
“Only what you’ve heard,” Pierre added.
Hissing, I glared at Ludolf before finally letting him go. “What the fuck is this?”
“We don’t have all the answers. Only enough to know why our alliance is needed. Ask yourself a question. Why did Fallon Zimmerman appear in your life?” Pierre was calm and collected.
I raked my hands through my hair. “What are you getting at? Who is she supposed to be?”
By the looks they gave each other, I could tell they weren’t certain.
Ludolf coughed, catching his breath a few seconds later. “You have enemies in the Bruni family.”
As soon as the name was mentioned, I lifted my head toward him. “Go on.”
“That’s all we know.”
“You fucking bastard. The alliance is not going to happen. Never.”
More enraged than I’d ever been, I headed to my vehicle, noticing the wind was already kicking up. My first inclination was to get the fuck off this island.
But there were still answers to be found.
A clue had been dropped.
Fallon.
“No!” My bellow marked the air with rage.
Chaos was everywhere, people screaming and racing away, their bodies pushing hard against me as I tightened my hold on my weapon.
My reaction was instant, my training kicking in.
Without hesitation, I fired my weapon, catching the bastard between the eyes. Swinging around, I caught another in the gut, shooting him a second time in the head as he turned to run.
Additional gunfire rang out coming from both the sidewalk and the street. I raced after the one on foot, powering off three shots in a row, each one hitting him square in the back.
As soon as he started to fall, I took off running toward the speeding vehicle, firing indiscriminately, watching as the driver lost control, crashing into a group of parked cars.
A bullet caught me in the leg, but that didn’t stop me. I chased after the motherfucker, catching him by the back of the neck and pitching him to the asphalt, issuing two direct shots to the face.
The sudden quiet was more ominous than the melee.
Taking a deep breath, I stood to my full height, turning slowly then running toward Megan who was slumped to the sidewalk.
“No, baby. It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. You’re going to be just fine.”
As sirens sounded off in the distance, I cradled her body against mine, gasping for breath. Kissing the top of her head, I brushed hair from her face. My fingers were covered in blood.
“No. No. No!” I tipped her head, issuing a dangerous bellow.
Her lovely eyes, so blue and so full of life, were now devoid of life, her vacant stare reminding me of who I was and the man I’d become.
The vision was paralyzing. I took a deep breath, blinking several times. Fuck. Where the hell was I? A horn beeped, brakes squealing and I was forced to jerk the steering wheel. I pounded my hand on the dashboard, the cords in my neck straining as I uttered a growl from the base of my chest.
The Bruni family.
A name that sparked nothing but anger and hatred. A family I’d blamed for Megan’s death with only a few clues discovered after months of digging. Clues that had been left for me. Like breadcrumbs.
I’d walked away knowing the three men were just playing a game. Maybe they’d been the ones who’d fed me those crumbs. A goddamn game at my expense. Whatever they knew, they would divulge whether by choice or by force.
I’d been lured here for no other reason than to toy with my mind, dredging up the only thing they knew they could use against me.
And what the fuck was the shit about Fallon?
I smelled a setup.
After pounding my fist on the dashboard again, I grabbed the phone, dialing Mikhail.
“How was the meeting?” he asked.
“It did not go as planned. Do you remember the Bruni family?”
“Bruni? How could I forget? A low-level Cosa Nostra wannabe family you wanted to crucify. What about them?”
“That’s what we need to find out. Ludolf insinuated that’s who killed Megan.”
“Jesus fucking Christ. Why bring that up after all these years?” Mikhail half choked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“If what they hinted at is true, it would appear the Brunis are working with our fathers’ old comrades in Russia.”
Mikhail whistled. “To gain better access to the Europeans.”
“That’s my guess.”
He snorted. “That’s quite a story. I don’t like it. They think we are the only Bratva to stop them. Because of your hatred for them.”
“Yeah, and my own father knows more than he’s told me for all these years.” I shook my head, trying to keep my eyes on the road.
“Be careful, Vissarian. No matter what we’ve become, respect is still required.”
Now I laughed. “So the fuck what? We’re in a new century the last time I checked.”
“With the old methods and heritage still firmly intact. Try and think rationally. There’s more going on here. Get back to Vegas as soon as you can. We’ll ask Uncle Ivan questions together. That’s an order.”
“Yeah, I heard you,” I huffed. “There’s more.”
“Do I dare ask?”
I debated how the fuck to handle this. Maybe a peace offering before I grilled Fallon. “Not yet. You’re going to need to trust me.”
“From what you’ve told me, you could be in clear danger.”
“Ludolf and his gang didn’t bring me to the island to kill me. They did so to warn me face to face.”
He exhaled. “Still a dangerous game to play.”
“I need to figure out some things. I’ll let you know when I need your assistance. Right now, I need time.”
“Goddamn it, Vissarian. Don’t do anything stupid. As I said, be careful. If they are willing to take on the Russian Bratvas, we could be dragged into a war.”
“I know. I’ll give you a call.”
Mikhail made a sound. “I know you too well, Vissarian. You’re holding something back. You need to talk to me.”
“It isn’t enough it’s possible my own father has known all along who killed Megan?
” The edge I’d been suspended from was becoming slippery.
How many nights had I lain awake planning exactly what I’d do to every single person involved?
I knew how the game worked. While the Jamaican assailants had been dressed like any other basic criminal either ready to break into a store or attack innocent bystanders for a grab and run, I’d known better.
They’d worked in tandem, every move calculated as the most dangerous soldiers were trained to do.
Their precision and timing had indicated whoever they were working for was well organized, soldiers acting as a hit squad. Their movements hadn’t been those of random criminals as none took the time to become that organized.
All I’d managed to do was to kill the men who’d pledged their allegiance to whatever master had paid them cash under the table.
To this day, the person who’d given the orders remained at large.
Maybe not any longer.
“Do you remember what happened after Megan was killed? Do you even know how her death changed your personality and how long you were in a desperate state of mental decline?”
“Mental decline?” I headed into the small town, searching the streets for a goddamn pet store. I didn’t even know if they had any. How stupid. What the hell did I think I was doing, playing house with a woman who could have purposely been forced into my life?
For what reason?
After fifteen years, why now?
To close a chapter?
Or to start something new?
Whatever was going on, I would discover.
“Calm down, Vissarian. You can’t fight this battle alone.
You know that. And unless you tell me what the hell is going on I can’t help you.
So your Bratva family can make this right.
Maybe you’re correct in that our fathers know more or that they’re trying to protect us, but we need to go about this the right way. ”
I noticed a sign and pulled to the curb a block away, instantly throwing the gear into park. As I rapped my fingers on the steering wheel, I took a few seconds to think about what little Fallon and I had discussed. “Are there any drugs that emulate a person having appendicitis?”
His deep exhale meant I’d caught him off guard. “I have no fucking idea. Are you trying to say Jeffrey was poisoned?”
“It’s possible.”
“Hold on here. Is this about that female captain?”
I closed my eyes and immediately images of her lovely face and voluptuous body floated into my mind.
Was it possible she’d been sent to use me?
The details and how everything had occurred were too perfect, yet still suspicious.
“Ludolf alluded to the fact she’s someone of importance.
I don’t like being on this goddamn island. ”
“Then leave. Now. This is your Pakhan telling you to get the fuck off the island. The one thing you never lost in your moment of grief was an instinct like no other person I’ve ever known.
If you believe this is a setup, then get the fuck off the island now.
I’ll run some checks on this pilot, but don’t jump to any conclusions. ”
“I’ve already asked Alessandro to see what he could dig up.”
“Interesting. Maybe you are healing if you asked an Italian to do some digging. Don’t drift into the past. Doing so could get you killed.”
His gesture indicated he didn’t know how precarious the entire situation felt. Maybe I was blowing things out of proportion, but during my year of living in a fog, I’d learned never to overlook anything.
“This doesn’t feel right, Mik. Be my cousin and not my Pakhan. I need some time,” I answered, grabbing the keys and stepping from the car.
“You have until tomorrow. I will send some men after you if necessary. As I said, follow your gut. I don’t want you hurt, Viss. What you went through no one should be forced to. But remember, women can be very… conniving.”
“Yeah, they can.” Every thought I had about Fallon took me from my comfort zone, and that zone was all about remaining inside a suit of armor. I’d done damn well doing so yet one fucking night with the beautiful woman and I was completely unraveling.
Who the fuck did that?
Evidently a man who’d felt lost and alone for far too long.
As I headed into the store, I made a promise to myself and to the memory of everything I’d once cherished.
Not a single enemy, not some bastard who wanted to return me to hell and certainly not some European group of men who believed their shit didn’t stink would keep me from staying the course.
Including one beautiful, sensual woman.