“It was…” my voice trailing off, as I reached into my bag to pull out my laptop while trying to find words to explain what we had and why it ended. “In fact, it was so unexpected and so tame I almost don’t believe it happened. Until I realize he really did disconnect his phone and he doesn’t appear to be in the country.”
Jenna started laughing to the point of tears, and then she realized I wasn’t kidding and laughed even harder.
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,” I said weakly, smiling.
“Or it just makes us not give a damn.”
“I’ve got to figure out how to do that.”
“What?” Jenna asked.
“Not give a damn.”
Jenna smiled and turned her laptop around. “Alright. You read mine and I’ll read yours. You have to be brutally honest and I’ll do the same for you.”
“Deal.” I opened up my document and traded laptops with her.
The isolation I’d placed myself in was finally starting to slip away, and I was grateful for this newfound friendship, even though I wished the bonding experience could’ve been over something quite different.
As I became absorbed in her paper, I let my mind have a break and allowed my heart to finally begin to heal.
Luke
The revelations about my parents had rocked my world. The idea that my parents could so easily leave Mia and me and put us through such tremendous grief created a hole in my soul. Abandoning your children was a special kind of wicked. I had no way of knowing where they were, and even if I did, I wasn’t sure I’d care to see them, but if it brought me closer to seeing Hannah again, I would do it.
“Want a drink?” Alex asked
I shook my head. “No. I’m good.”
Alex went into the hotel room refrigerator and opened a beer. He came outside on the balcony and sat across the table from me. I hadn’t had anything to drink since I’d last tangled with some whisky and planned on keeping it that way. It had been weeks. I’d never been one to drown my sorrows, but leaving Hannah had hit me harder than I ever would’ve imagined, and I quickly saw how easy it would be to slip into that way of coping. That was something I could never afford to do.
“So far Seth has been able to track three sources of funds to Viktor’s accounts. He wasn’t kidding when he said clients in the plural.”
“Doesn’t surprise me with the amount of money we’re talking.”
“So who’ve we got?” Alex asked. He rubbed his hands together and grinned as if he was on first base.
“That’s where I wish I’d never asked the question in the first place.” I rubbed the scruff on my chin and realized I didn’t even know the last time I shaved.
“Well, we’ve come this far, we might as well see it through.”
This was why I hired Alex. He thought like I did.
“First source is Nadya Bikov. She’s a Russian citizen, but has residences in several countries, including the United States.”
Alex nodded. “And the next one.”
“Seth had to really dig, but he was able to connect several accounts that funneled funds to Viktor’s account by hopping from one to another. The account that initiated the initial deposit is tied to the GRU.”
Alex let out a deep breath. “Of course it is. So the question is what does the GRU want? Do they know your parents are alive or are they connected with the heist?”
“From what I’ve been able to piece together, it looks like Nadya was the daughter of one of the crime bosses.”
“So she wants what is owed to her,” Alex finished my thought. “But that doesn’t explain the GRU intentions.”
“Or the FBI’s,” I said flatly.
Alex’s gaze darted to mine. “The FBI was paying Viktor as well?”
I nodded.
“Do you think Sam knows?” Alex sat forward in his chair.
“I’m certainly going to proceed as if he does.”
“Wow. I wasn’t expecting this… and he could have been working for others too.”
“Yep. It tells me that getting rid of Viktor was just the start. My family won’t be safe until I give everyone what they want.”
“But we don’t know what that is…”
I shook my head. “Either way, my parents are the crux of it. My guess is the FBI wants to prosecute, and they were willing to listen to Viktor about them being alive. Who knows if they believe it or not, but they were obviously willing to throw money at the notion. Nadya wants her share of the stolen goods, and I have no idea what the GRU wants out of it.”
“Well, we won’t know which direction to go until we find out.”
We sat quietly on the balcony as I stared at my laptop screen.
I’d been foolish to think that the end was near. Even though it demolished me to leave Hannah behind, this new revelation told me it was the right thing to do to keep her safe.
“I know you’ve been holding out hope for—”
I put a hand up to stop Alex. I knew where he was going with it, and I didn’t want to hear anything about Hannah.
Alex ignored me and continued, “What I was going to say was that Viktor was the person who resorted to involving your family. Viktor made you, your sister, and Hannah targets.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Don’t you imagine, just as Viktor had several clients, those clients had more than one Viktor? I doubt any of those clients would solely put their faith in one man for this many years. It was Viktor’s idea to use you and your sister to get to your parents. But like you told him, he obviously didn’t understand your parents well enough to realize that wouldn’t bring them out of hiding. My guess is anyone else who is looking for your parents is looking for them directly.”
A shot of electricity ran through me. Alex was on to something.
“Think about it. Viktor made it personal. He wanted revenge. He’s out of the picture.”
I stayed silent as the implications settled over me.
“All I’m saying is that you have one of the top security firms in the world and the one man who was fueled with something strong enough to do what he did is dead. You can keep her safe. You can keep Mia safe. That’s all I’m saying.”
“But it’s been so many months since I left,” I muttered. “And it could take years to find my parents.”
“These people are after your parents or what they have. They’re not after you. Believe me, I’m sure they all figured it out early on in the game, you didn’t have any idea your parents were alive. Viktor made it personal.”
I nodded.
“Now that you know your parents are alive, I understand that you won’t stop searching for them until you find them. I get that. That’s just how you operate, but in between your pursuit, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to come home to?”
A faint smile lined my lips as I thought about going home to Hannah, and I just hoped I wasn’t too late.
Hannah
“I absolutely love your apartment,” Mia gushed, holding out a bouquet of flowers for me.
“It might not have your views, but—”
“Stop that right this second. Yours has beautiful views of the ocean and what’s even better is that the sound of the waves crashing endlessly aren’t outside your window.” She smiled, and I took the flowers from her.
Mia always had a way of making me feel at ease. It had been a tough decision to leave her home, but it was the right thing to do. There was so much in the home I shared with Mia that reminded me of Luke. I finally realized it was time for me to move on and between my almost full-time job and school, I was able to afford this studio apartment overlooking the beach. It was perfect for me, and I didn’t need much to fill it up.
“I also brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate,” Mia said, pulling a bottle of champagne out from her oversized bag.
“What else do you have in there?” I asked, tugging on it teasingly.
“Lipstick, a book, my camera, a half-eaten croissant, and st
rawberries for the champagne…” She smiled, setting the bag on the floor.
“Sounds about right. So this is it. There’s the kitchen over there, and the bed is behind the bookshelf wall I made.”
“Very cool,” she said gliding over to the bedroom. “Your bed has an amazing view.”
“I thought it would be a beautiful sight every morning.”
She nodded, still holding the champagne. “Shall we?”
“Yes, and we can take it on the patio. It’s not quite like yours but…”
“It’s not the size, it’s how you use it.” She grinned and I couldn’t help but laugh. I loved how free Mia was with sexuality, but it always managed to leave me feeling like a prude. And considering my history, I guess I kind of was one.
Not having champagne glasses, I took out two mugs and put them on the counter. She filled them right up and took a sip before walking to the sliding glass door.
“I’ve missed having you at the house,” Mia said, opening the door.
I followed her onto the patio and sat on one of the chairs in my two-seat patio set. The ocean was about two blocks away but the way my apartment was situated you could see the beach. I lucked out.
Mia sighed and slid on the sunglasses that had been sitting on top of her head.
“I know we’ve avoided talking about my brother over the last couple months…”
“And I thank you for that,” I interrupted, grinning.
“Right, but I just wanted to see how you were doing?”
I bit my lip and thought about what to say.
“You know, it took me a while to realize he really wasn’t coming back. I don’t think I believed it. But once it finally hit me that he really meant what he said, I kind of let my world settle how it needed to. The friends I’ve made at school have really helped, and I feel like I’m finally getting into a rhythm.”
Mia nodded and gave me a sympathetic smile. “I never thought he’d do that to you…or to me, actually.”
“It was definitely a surprise. Not a good one.”
She shook her head. “I really hope he finds what he’s looking for.”
“Well, the security detail on me has really relaxed. I’m relieved as long as I don’t read too much into it,” I laughed.
“Best not to.”
“Have you heard from him?” I swirled my champagne around and watched the bubbles as I waited for her answer.
She shook her head. “Not one word.”
I always wondered if Mia had heard from Luke and just didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but judging by the expression on her face, he really hadn’t reached out.
“That’s too bad,” I muttered.
“It is what it is.”
“I hate that expression.” I rolled my eyes. “But I guess it is what is. Have you found a new roommate?”
Mia’s cheeks reddened and I laughed.
She shrugged her shoulders and refused to answer. She definitely had someone at the house.
“No way.”
“I have no roommates,” she laughed. “But he’s certainly been spending a lot of time at the house.”
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Trey.”
“Mia and Trey. That has a nice ring.”
Her grin widened.
“I’ve never seen you look this way, Mia.”
She shrugged but couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “What about you?”
I shook my head. “Well, I’m meeting someone for coffee, but…”
But it just felt too weird talking with my ex-boyfriend’s sister about a date.
“I doubt it will go anywhere.”
“I guess only time will tell,” Mia said, staring off toward the beach.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I still thought about her brother every day. I wanted her to believe I had moved on. And I had.
Kind of.
But if there was one thing these last several months had taught me, it was Luke Fletcher might have broken my heart, but he didn’t break my spirit and no man ever would.
Luke
“Well, look who decided to finally show up.” Mia glared at me and stood solidly planted at the front door with no intention of inviting me in.
“It’s good to see you too. Can I come in?”
She let out an exasperated sigh and dramatically moved to the side to let me enter. It was against her better judgment, but I took advantage of her moment of weakness. I walked by her and stood in the foyer. It took everything I had not to leap up the stairs to see Hannah.
“She’s not here,” Mia said, reading my mind.
I nodded. “That’s probably better. I wanted to talk with you first before I saw her.”
“She doesn’t live here any longer, Luke. It was too hard on her being here. She felt stuck living here. You really screwed up.”
“I needed to protect her, Mia. You know that I was only putting her in danger.”
“Keep telling yourself that. Want a cup of coffee?”
“Yeah. I need at least that.”
Mia walked by, and I followed her up the stairs to the kitchen. All traces of Hannah were gone from the home, and I didn’t detect a replacement roommate, which was unusual. Mia didn’t usually enjoy being here by herself.
“You didn’t get another roommate after Hannah?” I asked, as Mia poured a cup of coffee and handed me the mug.
She shook her head. “No. I didn’t want to drag anyone else into our family’s messed-up ways.”
I sat at the island and Mia sat next to me.
“You really hurt her, Luke.”
“I want to make it up to her.”
“That’s the thing. You can’t just roll in to town and expect all to be forgiven.”
“I don’t expect that at all. I’m just hoping I can at least begin to repair—”
“Luke, don’t track her down. It has taken her the entire time you’ve been gone to finally get her head back into the game.”
“Into the game?”
“She completely dove into herself even more than she had when I first met her. She retreated and didn’t talk to anyone. She went to her classes and came home, barely speaking to me, barely eating. The only time she brought you up was when she asked me what she did wrong. Hannah’s finally allowed herself to live again. She has a great group of friends and she’s trying.”
“Trying what?” I asked, my pulse racing.
“Just trying.” Mia shook her head. “I don’t think you realized how much you meant to her.”
Frustration rushed through me as I stared at my sister. “Hannah made my life worth living. She showed me what it was like to embrace life, Mia. This has been pure hell for me, but I did it for her. I did it for you. We needed answers, and I’m closer than ever to putting an end to everything.”
“What did you expect when you left? Our lives changed. You didn’t tell us when you’d be back. I honestly assumed you wouldn’t be, and I imagine Hannah surmised the same. And now here you are.”
“Do you know where she’s living?”
Mia’s eyes darkened. “You didn’t hear one thing I said.”
“I heard it all, but I’ve already been a fool for long enough. I need to see Hannah.”
“Maybe it’s not all about what you need. She didn’t want you to leave and you didn’t listen. Why should she have to put up with you just popping back up in her life?”
“I honestly thought you’d understand,” I whispered. “I was doing this for all of us. We’d never be able to live our lives until these people are stopped. I’m so close.”
“Then why’d you come home if you’re planning on leaving again?” Mia’s brow arched and she crossed her arms. I’d never heard this coldness from Mia before and it worried me.
“Because I know enough that I can ensure that you both are protected if I’m back in your lives…”
She shook her head and took another sip of coffee.
“Can you please just tell me where she
lives?”
“No. I won’t do that,” Mia sighed and looked out the window toward the beach. “But I do know she’s at a coffee shop right now. I hope before you search her out, you stop and realize that she’s finally starting to live again. What you’re about to do to her will tear her apart.”
“I only did it because I loved her and wanted to protect her.” It felt like the room was closing in on me. I had imagined many homecomings and this scenario never entered my mind.
Mia scribbled the information on a piece of paper.
A thump sounded from upstairs, and I shot off my seat, but Mia grabbed my arm.
“It’s okay.”
“I thought you didn’t have any roommates.”
“A lot of things have changed, Luke.” She handed me the piece of paper and showed me out the door with not even a wave goodbye.
I got into my car and waited for a few minutes to settle my feelings. Hannah had never been away from my thoughts. All I did was dream about her and imagine what life would be like once I finished the job. It wasn’t like I expected her to wait for me, but I had hoped there would be a place for me back in her life, somewhere. No matter where.
I programmed the coffee shop’s address into the GPS and turned the car around as Mia’s words settled around me. I would never want to destroy the life Hannah’s built for herself. That would never be my intention.
Maybe I would just check in on her, make sure she was okay.
From a distance.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
I only had one more thing to do—find my parents—and the entire nightmare would be behind us. I pressed on the accelerator and followed the directions to Jerry’s Java and parked the car at the end of the row. I sat in the parking lot for a few seconds and wondered if I was about to make the second biggest mistake of my life.
I took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. I reached in for my jacket and pulled it on. I swear I could feel Hannah from here. I knew she was close. I could almost hear her laughter. I shut the door and slowly walked toward the entrance and saw the patio filled with customers.
Buried Sins Page 19