“Every day, but I’m ready to move on. And I want you in my life.” I noticed how many emotions rolled through her, replacing every ounce of fear. “I hope you still want to be in mine.”
Her lower lip quivered before she answered, “Yes, very much so.”
I let out a long breath. “I’m glad.”
“I’ll go to St. Lucia with Dimitri, but I need to know what you’re going to do.”
The question was valid.
“I’m going to find out who’s really behind what’s going on. The mayor was killed for a reason and my guess is knowledge that he had. I won’t know until I’m able to talk with my father.”
“What if your father really did kill him?” she asked hesitantly.
“Then he had his reasons, but I’m beginning to think someone is playing Peter as much as he’s attempted to play my family.” I shifted until I could look at her directly. “What did your brother have on you? I need the truth.”
She groaned, her hand immediately beginning to shake.
“No more secrets between us, Willow.”
She took several gulps of the bourbon then gently eased the glass to the table. “I told you that I was discouraged about having boyfriends while I was in college. Of course I dated, had a few flings, but nothing serious.”
“All right.”
“When I returned to town, I was determined to convince Peter to allow me to go to medical school. I had no idea how much was left in the trust, but I was prepared to work very hard, no matter what I had to do. As you can imagine, he was angry with me. I had no understanding then of why. That’s when I met Angelo. He was older, sophisticated, and I adored him instantly.”
I allowed her to talk, curious as fuck as to where this was going.
“Anyway, Angelo was a knight in shining armor, slowly convincing me that I could do other things in my life. Everything was amazing for a few months until I had the suspicion that Peter had convinced him to date me. I had no proof, other than seeing them together once. When I confronted Angelo, his entire personality changed. He became nasty, horrible to me.” Willow stopped and took another sip, laughing softly to herself.
“He abused you.”
“Slowly at first, begging forgiveness. You’ve heard this before. I bought it for a few months, until the incidents continued to get worse. One night after he’d punched me in the face and tried to strangle me, I’d had enough. I followed him to a bar and I…”
I walked closer, easing next to her. “You handled the situation.”
I heard the racking sob as she nodded over and over again.
“You did what you had to do,” I offered, taking her hand into mine.
“I thought so, but you see, my brother had to help me out of a jam. He paid off the customers in the bar, cleaned up the body, and made it look like it never happened. So I could have a life, or so he said.”
“What an asshole. He blackmailed you.”
“Yep, and I allowed that to happen. If only I’d gone to the police.”
I kept my rage in check, but I knew that Peter and I would meet again. And this time, the man wouldn’t survive. “You reacted to a horrible situation. Peter used that as an opportunity for you to be kept in line. He took your life away from you.”
“I know that now. I was devastated by what had happened, praying every night I could take back what I’d done,” she whispered, her shoulders stiffening. “You really believe that Peter has some connection to this mafia family?”
“My father is never wrong.”
“Why do they want to hurt you?”
“Power. Greed. Money. America is a location where anything is possible. They no doubt noted the relative success my father has had in building an empire and they wanted in. The only way they can do that is by overthrowing what already exists. Because of Peter’s lineage and the fact he was in a position to provide exactly what they need, the Solntsevskayas were able to find safe harbor as they were building their army. Perhaps the signs were all there and both my father and I chose to ignore them. Complacency. Arrogance.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Decency. You live by a code. It would appear my brother does not.”
I brought her hand to my heart, admiring her more and more. “As I said, the hunger for power is substantial.”
“You have to find out who’s behind this. You must protect your family.”
“You’re part of my family now.” Saying the words was stimulating in every manner and I meant them.
A warm blush crept along her cheeks. “I don’t know if I can ever live a normal life, but I refuse to be the woman I was turned into. I’ll do what I can.”
“As long as you and Dimitri are safe, that’s all that matters.”
Willow leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. I understood games well, had lived through various attempts on both my father and my life. I also appreciated the lure of money, but I was fed up with following anyone’s rules but my own.
The last phase was in preparation.
I only hoped I’d remain alive to continue protecting my family.
And the woman I loved.
Aleksei
The truth.