Chapter 22
Vissarian
Right now, I didn’t have the time to weed through bullshit politics with the medical system. With the laws of the land, I wouldn’t be able to discover if Jeffrey Collins was in either hospital or at least had been. I’d leave that up to someone else. Someone who could hack systems with ease.
However, if I discovered that he’d lied to me and had lured Fallon to the island, he wouldn’t need to worry about getting cozy with a hot nurse.
The fucker would be dead.
Another memory flashed into my mind that I allowed myself to indulge in while I waited for Mikhail to get finished with whatever call he was on.
An ache had formed behind my eyes, the pain debilitating enough I momentarily closed my eyes while continuing to pace the floor. Ludolf had known that dredging up the past would drag the man I’d once been back into my life.
He hadn’t been wrong.
The vivid images pulsed as did my blood thrumming in my veins.
“Who the fuck are you working for?” When he didn’t answer, I issued another brutal punch to his stomach, this one pitching the asshole against the wall.
“Careful, Viss. He could be Cosa Nostra. We don’t need that shit. You know that as well as I do.”
I snapped my head toward Mikhail. His father, my Pakhan had insisted he come with me on the impromptu trip to Chicago. “Don’t you dare try and stop me. I don’t give a shit who he is. He means nothing to me. He was part of this.”
Mikhail grabbed my arm, but I jerked it away. “Viss. You don’t know that.”
“I was there! You weren’t. You didn’t see the look of terror in her eyes. You didn’t hold her bloodied, broken body in your arms. You have no clue.”
He softened, but only somewhat. “Maybe I don’t, but you’re becoming unhinged. If you don’t get control, you’ll be ousted. Do you hear me? It won’t matter that you’re family.”
Huffing, I raked my bloodied, bruised hand across my face.
How many men had I hunted and killed? A dozen, but my revenge wasn’t getting me any answers and my own family refused to confront the bastards I knew were responsible.
I returned my attention to the motherfucker who made the mistake of grinning at me.
Blood pooled around the bastard from where I’d driven my blade into his fat gut. I jerked him off the floor by several inches, driving the tip of my knife under his chin. “I will ask you one last fucking time. Who are you working for? Who killed my fiancée?”
His grin widened and he dared defy me once again.
“Non è mai stata tua, da contaminare.”
She was never yours to taint.
As he laughed, I twirled my knife once again.
Before driving the blade through his eye.
I fisted my hand.
“Viss. Are you there, buddy?”
Blinking, I turned my head toward where Fallon had been standing on the deck. What she didn’t know and I hadn’t told her was that I would be the same if not worse for her. That’s how strongly I felt about her.
“Yeah, I’m here. I need for you to get someone to find out if Jeffrey Collins was in one of two hospitals.”
“Okay. Why?”
“Because I think he wanted to ensure that Fallon Zimmerman was my pilot.”
“Why do you think?”
“Because she looks like Megan. She fucking acts her. She has the same attitude, the same fucking love of animals. Whether or not there’s any connection isn’t the goddamn point. Someone is fucking with me.”
He grunted under his breath. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m not jumping at anything. You’re not experiencing what I am. What aren’t you telling me?” What the hell was he hesitating about?
“You’re going to need to explain exactly what happened at the meeting and what was said. But first, you need to learn something. You contacted Alessandro for help, hacking. Right?”
“Yeah, I did. I think Jeffrey turned traitor.”
“I had a conversation with him and he discovered what you asked, but you’re not going to like it. After this, get on the goddamn plane.”
I took a few steps toward the door leading to the deck. She was staring at her phone with a look of horror on her face. “Go ahead.”
“First of all, I called a buddy of mine in Miami. He’s on the police force. Jeffrey wasn’t in the hospital.”
“The motherfucker. I’m going to kill him.”
“You won’t need to. Someone else took care of that earlier today.”
“What?”
“He was gunned down leaving a club very late last night.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “Let me guess. There were no witnesses.”
“Correct. As usual, someone is eliminating any connections. Now, I think I know why.”
“Tell me,” I gritted out.
As he explained, I sucked in my breath and held it, still marveling at how beautiful she was.
And wondering how in the hell I’d gotten myself into this ridiculous situation.
All the ugliness that had been dredged up from the past clung to me, wrapped around my neck like a noose. A game. A horrible, disgusting game. That’s all this was.
When he finished, I closed my eyes, allowing images and memories to drive me to a point of feeling nothing.
“Thank you, Mikhail. I’ll handle it from here.” There was no emotion in my voice. Nothing. Just an understanding that this was my life and would be for as long as I lived. However long I endured the pain.
“Like hell you will,” Mikhail barked. “We need to figure this out. We, Viss, not you alone.”
“Not right now. This I need to do alone.” I ended the call, taking a deep breath before returning to the deck. Just seeing her standing there, appearing vulnerable was gut-wrenching, but if there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was anyone who lied to me.
Fallon lifted her head and the same look of horror I’d seen before was bubbling at the surface.
The moment was forged in rock and steel, penetrating both of us.
Yet no walls were crumbling down. Instead, they were being built stone by stone.
“Do you have a picture of her?” Her entire body was tense, her teeth gritted.
Her question caught me off guard. “Who are you talking about?”
“Megan. Do you… Have a picture?” Her words were spat out while she continued to shake.
“What does it matter?” I took long strides toward her, but she wasn’t intimidated. Instead, she had tears in her eyes. “It’s funny about our connection, Fallon. You didn’t tell me who you were on purpose. What the hell were you trying to do? Are you working for them?”
She pulled away as if I’d struck her.
“I don’t know what you’re getting at, Vissarian, but I don’t care. Do you have a goddamn picture of Megan? I need to know. Please. Tell me.”
Her refusal to budge taunted me as much as what Mikhail had shared. Whatever game she was continuing to play was entwined with the riddle Ludolf had left, yet she refused to admit her complicity.
God, I wanted to hate her, but it was impossible. “Whatever game you’re playing, lady, it isn’t going to be tolerated.” I jerked my wallet from my back pocket, instantly freezing the moment my fingers touched the old photograph I’d carried with me for years. Fuck me. The pain was even worse.
“Please, Vissarian. I need to see her.”
Her goddamn voice was so imploring I was at a loss for how I felt or what the fuck I should do.
Yet I found myself pulling the picture into my hand, tracing Megan’s face with my thumb.
When I lifted my head, I could barely move, breathing instantly difficult.
How the fuck had I not seen the resemblance before? How?
When I handed the photograph to Fallon and our fingers touched, she instantly sucked in a strangled breath. After swallowing, it was as if she finally found the courage to glance at the picture.
A single, very small sound pushed past her lips, but even the subtlety didn’t hide her obvious anguish.
“Who is she to you, Fallon?” My words were barely audible. Almost unrecognizable.
She blinked several times, tears slipping past lashes that continually skimmed across her pale skin. As her body swayed, she repeated the same action I’d done before, tracing her finger across the smiling woman’s face.
As I waited, it seemed as if time had no meaning, as if fifteen years of pain and hatred, anger and a raging desire for revenge had come full circle. It was the here and now and I was standing with my fucking heart on my sleeve peering down at a ghost.
One beautiful and completely different, yet much the same. So much so, I could no longer breathe.
She moved her lips, taking several small gasps. “She’s my sister.” As she finally lifted her head, darting her tortured eyes back and forth across mine, all I wanted to do was to protect her from the evils of this world.
Her admittance had a completely different effect than I’d ever thought possible. As if in slow motion, her body began to slide to the floor.
Bella barked, immediately rushing to the woman who’d saved her. I scooped Fallon into my arms, carrying her into the cottage, gently easing her onto the couch, saying nothing as Bella jumped onto the cushions.
And the photograph remained in her hand.
Yet her little stare was almost enough to break what was left of my heart.
I moved to the chair, sitting on the edge. With my elbows on my knees, I steepled my hands. I had no idea what to say and maybe there was no need. At least not right now. I remained choked from memories and sadness that should never see the light of day again.
“Her last name wasn’t Zimmerman.” I don’t even know why I made the statement. What the fuck did it matter at this point? Fallon wasn’t who she said she was. “She used Meadows.”
She bit her lower lip. “My mother’s maiden name.”
As I took a deep breath, it was difficult to keep the anger controlled. Fallon was as much a victim as Megan had been. I could feel it in my bones.
“Go on. Tell me your story.”
“You say that as if everything I’m saying is a lie.”
“You haven’t been truthful with me.”
“Because you’re a stranger.”