Welcome to the Family

by Nancy S. Reece

  Abruptly, Tsichevna burst through the hallway door, swearing in Russian as he walked. “Sean, follow me, we have a line on where Greg is hiding and Martin as well.”

  “What are you tracking them for?” Sean felt off balance. This wasn’t what he’d steeled himself for, where was the torture and demands for information?

  “Sean, if you want to know everything, follow us. I don’t have time to stop. If Greg Devlyn gets to his father before we do, he’ll kill him. Now come on.”

  Sean followed, wondering to himself why the hell he was listening to the man who beat up his wife. Why was Pieter headed to stop Greg? Weren’t he and Martin in on things from the start? The curiosity weighed far more than the anger, so he hopped in the large Mercedes SUV with Tsichevna, pulling the Colt from its side holster and checking his spare clips.

  It didn’t take long for Pieter to spill his story. “After I found out from Cassie she truly didn’t know about her father’s dealings I did some investigating myself. I learned about the childhood abuse and her mother’s attempted suicide. So I reported back to the man who hired me, Kwan Tsi. Much to my surprise, once he saw photos of Cassie, he became furious at the Devlyn men, more so than his previous ire with Martin alone. In the rage that boiled forth, he told me a very interesting fact.”

  “There is a distinct possibility Cassie isn’t Martin’s biological child.”

  Sean sat motionless, unable to process the words. He tried to wrap his brain around it but it wasn’t helping.

  Tsichevna continued, oblivious to Sean’s disconnect. “Katheryn Devlyn was born Kiko Nishamora; American mother, Japanese father. Her parents divorced when Kiko was only two months only. Tano Nishamora has a reputation as a violent man, prominent in the Japanese Yakuza underground. Cynthia Nishamora moved back to Seattle where she married a lawyer who adopted Kiko and gave her his name—Graham. That’s the name on the Devlyn’s marriage license—Katheryn Grace Graham.”

  “Now, fast forward to the year of Katheryn’s thirtieth birthday. She has three very active little boys, including one who is special needs, and a husband who’s never at home. Suddenly her real father attempts to reestablish contact, through one of his top aides—a trained ninja body guard named Kwan Tsi. Are you beginning to see where I’m going with this?”

  Sean stared in disbelief at Tsichevna. How did the Ukrainian know these things? Obviously from Kwan Tsi, there was no other explanation. Sean’s wonder only increased as Pieter continued.

  “While it isn’t known for sure Kwan is Cassie’s true father, it would explain her looks compared to the boys. It also covers a motive for Martin Devlyn’s dislike of Tano as the one who brought the ninja into their lives. According to Kwan, Ryn was ready to leave Devlyn and run away with him. Two days later she’s in intensive care with her throat slit from ear to ear. Any guesses how that happened?”

  “Martin Devlyn found out his wife was having an affair. Did he know they were together during the time Cassie was conceived?” Sean’s brain was desperately trying to catch up with the conversation.

  Pieter shook his head as they headed rapidly toward Lake Washington and its pricy mansions. Racing toward the Devlyn family home in Seattle. “I don’t know but that’s what Kwan Tsi thinks happened. But apparently one other person was in on whatever happened with Katheryn and Martin—Greg. He saw what happened between his parents. I don’t know how but he was there when everything transpired and used it to blackmail Martin for years. That’s why Martin shut down the police investigation into the attack on Cassie. It was fear Greg would bring up the incident with the mother. The two of them have kept each other’s secrets well throughout the years.”

  Sean’s thoughts were racing. So many things were suddenly making sense, it was the key to the family’s dysfunction he’d been searching for ever since he met Cassie. Did she have an inkling she might be someone else’s daughter, specifically the man who sent terrorists after her? Her differences from the boys loomed large before his eyes, specifically their features. Cassie didn’t resemble the males at all.

  Cassie resembled her mother; fine boned, with high cheekbones and almond shaped eyes. Her skin was clear porcelain, and her long, glossy black hair always moved with the same grace she did. Everything about Cassie was graceful, steady, and precise. But the difference from them all, was her eyes, so blue and so clear and bright. No Devlyn or Nishamora possessed those eyes.

  He remembered something else. “Why is Greg headed to kill Martin?”

  “Greg killed Nikolas Devlyn then blew up the yacht to hide his deeds. After leaving your apartment last night, he wandered the streets around Ballard for several hours. Around dawn, he headed toward the headquarters of Nishamora Global, where Kwan happens to be staying on the twenty third floor. About an hour ago Greg headed to the lake house, and all bets are off on that situation ending well. Martin has been in hiding there since Thanksgiving.”

  “He ran there after the kidnapping?” Sean interrupted.

  “A strange choice I know,” Tsichevna smiled. “But, Cassandra’s little boundary setting episode rocked the old man. He ran here to mellow out. After all, this is where Cassie was born. I’m afraid that Martin realized that for all his money and effort, the bubble he’d built around his little girl was gone forever and there were no more illusions. Last time that happened was with Katheryn and looked how well that turned out.”

  “So you think the son is turning on the father?” Sean mused. “I could see that. They’ve always been the ‘no honor among thieves’ type of people. But despite all his flaws, I don’t see Martin able to kill his own flesh and blood, not face to face. That’s not his style.”

  “And no one on the market would work for him right now, not even to kill Greg Devlyn. This situation is ‘nepryyemnyy’, distasteful. Family turning against family is never a good circumstance and this one could get bad very quickly. If we aren’t careful, there could be three less Devlyns at the end of things,” Tsichevna added.

  Sean stared out the window as the mountains rolled by. They were headed to Medina, a lakeside community on the far shore of Lake Washington, home to billionaires from Microsoft and Martin Devlyn of MM Air. Apparently Kwan Tsi didn’t need Tsichevna’s help downtown which meant Greg truly was headed to the final confrontation with his father. He pressed a speed dial on his phone and called Joe Callahan.

  “Joe, we’ve got a few complications.”

  There was a sharp inhale on the other end, “What else is new?”

  “I need you to run a DNA comparison on Cassie and Martin. There’s a distinct possibility my wife has a different father, Yakuza assassin Kwan Tsi. Let me know what you find.” Sean clicked off and took a deep breath. A slow burn ignited in his belly. Everything was rushing toward a conclusion and Cassie’s safety depended on him selecting the right side. However, that now appeared to be with Tsichevna and his boss, Kwan Tsi along with Tano Nishamora.

  Pieter chuckled. “You keep your wife’s DNA on file? Are there many emergencies such as this, or does she even know?”

  Sean smiled grimly, “No, she’d kill me if she knew. But when we started spending more time apart and given the areas we both travel around, I thought it best to have DNA on file in case the worst came to pass.”

  “The worst?” questioned Tsichevna.

  “That it would be needed to identify our remains.” The tendons in Sean’s neck pulled tight with the effort of saying the words out loud.

  Pieter fell silent. What could he say? Even Ferguson himself was having a hard time with this. It was the ultimate price many of his friends had paid; some day he might as well. He pulled up his phone and pressed the speed dial for Cassie. She answered on the first ring.

  “What’s going on?” Her voice wavered, just enough for him to realize how deeply frightened she was.

  “Honey, I couldn’t tell you everything in a brief enough synopsis that wouldn’t freak you out. Basically, Greg is a loose cannon, he’s after your father, and there’s a chance Mar
tin isn’t your blood father. Now, did you get all that?”

  Her voice was steady this time, but filled with obvious questions. “I got it, but I don’t understand it. Where are you?”

  Sean glanced at the street signs. “About three blocks from the Medina house. I’ll let you know what we find.”

  “Sean?”

  “Yes love?”

  “Please be careful.” The fear in her voice was back, only this time concentrated in her fear for his safety. “Greg is dangerous.”

  “So am I. Tá mo chroí istigh ionat. My love.” Emotions suddenly choked the gruff mercenary and he clicked the phone off before things got worse. The others left him alone. What could they say each of them wasn’t experiencing themselves?

  A moment later they arrived at the Devlyn family compound. Stretching alongside Lake Washington, the driveway ended in large wrought iron gates, which were currently open. Sean’s sixth sense went into overdrive. Martin was manic about his security. The gates were never open, especially if the old man himself was at home. Something was very wrong.

  Nodding at the open gates, Tsichevna said, “This is a bad sign, I suggest we all check our weapons before advancing any further.”

  Sean got out of the SUV, slightly ahead of the rest of the team. He cautiously approached the massive redwood front doors and noticed they were not shut, only pulled to so they would appear shut.

  “Tsichevna, I think we should call in some back up, right now.” He pushed the door lightly with the barrel of the Colt. “Something tells me we aren’t the first guests to the lake house tonight, and I don’t know if Goldilocks has left the building or not.”

  ****

  It took more than an hour for Detective Traynor to arrive along with Cassie. By then, the body of Martin Devlyn was well on its way to the morgue. Sean insisted; there was no way he would allow her to see her father in the condition Greg left him.

  Greg tortured his father for hours, probably since shortly after the yacht burned. Whatever secrets Martin kept were extracted at a high price. Every bone in both feet were broken, as were the hands. His face was unrecognizable and the blood flowed free from more cuts than Sean could count. It was the work of a man no longer in touch with sanity, and he knew it would be a long time before the memory faded from his dreams.

  Of more importance was Cassie. This might be the push which sent her plummeting back into the darkness, and neither Ferguson nor Tsichevna was about to let that happen. While the paramedics tended to his wife, the two conversed privately, away from the Seattle police and F.B.I. crime scene units.

  “He’s going to come for her.” Ferguson worked hard to keep his words even. The fire building in his guts threatened to burst on scene and take control, no matter how hard he worked to swallow it down. “That son of a bitch is coming for her and I’m not ready.”

  Tsichevna nodded. “But now we control the place and time.”

  Sean swung on him, the pressure of anxiety making him lash out. “How did you know where to find us? How did you know we were in Seattle? Did Greg tell you? Who’s tracking us?”

  Pieter stared into the younger man’s rage and took it all in. “Peace Ferguson, I am not the enemy here. I found you through the story in the Seattle papers, first about the yacht explosion and then the intrusion into your apartment. I still had your number from the kidnapping. We are on your side now, myself and Kwan Tsi. Pulling you apart is what Greg wants. Don’t make it easier on him.”

  Ferguson stared fire at the Ukrainian. He knew the truth of the matter as well as anyone, but it was easier to rage at the closest person, which made Tsichevna it. But he also knew this wouldn’t help Cassie. She was the objective; she was the mission. Now was the time to put the past into focus and stop Greg Devlyn before he had a chance to act. Gradually his heartbeat slowed and the rage dissipated. Refocusing allowed him to channel the rage. The fire was only banked, not out.

  “Mr. Ferguson, would you come with me for a moment?” Detective Traynor stood in the door of the library, where Martin had been discovered.

  Sean followed her into the blood smeared room. Even now, hours after the murder, the sickly, sweet, and nauseating smell of the red liquid still imbued the room air with a gagging heaviness. Traynor moved to the far wall, behind the ornate captain’s desk which dominated the room. On the wall hung a painting of Katheryn Devlyn and two-year-old Cassandra. The picture hung from its hinges, the safe behind exposed to the room yet still unopened.

  “Do you know what might be in the wall safe?” she asked briskly. “Is there anything which would have warranted such horrific treatment of Mr. Devlyn?”

  “I have no idea. Only Kevin might know that information.” Sean stared at the safe, wondering if all Cassie’s answers lay within its steel arms. “Did you phone him?”

  Traynor nodded. “He doesn’t have the combination either. I have an expert on the way here but I took a stab you might know.”

  “I know what’s in there.”

  Cassie’s voice cut through the room like an icebreaker. Sean smiled and crossed quickly to the door to be at her side. Tsichevna and Traynor stood by watching awkwardly as they embraced. Soon Cassie broke away from Sean and answered the detective’s questions face to face.

  “The safe contains all Martin’s secrets: his business dealings, his secret accounts, his blackmail materials. No one else has the combination. It was keyed to his voice, but only specific words and in Russian.”

  As she spoke, Sean studied his bride intently. Though her face seemed pale, her eyes were bright but filled with pain. She appeared as one made of glass holding her broken pieces together with sheer will and determination. He realized their time apart did create one positive outcome, Cassie could stand on her own if pushed far enough. He wondered how long it would take for her true pain to heal.

  Detective Traynor saw the steel rod in Cassie’s back and kept her line of questioning as kind as possible. “How would you know this Mrs. Ferguson?”

  “One night I overheard Martin speaking with Kevin about his will, personal papers, what to do if anything were to happen to him. He detailed what was in every safe, the one here as well as the ones in Atlanta and Washington D.C. He told Kevin everything, except the combinations. He said each would have to be drilled open as they only respond to voice command.”

  Traynor nodded, making notes as they spoke. “I know this isn’t the time, but did your brother Greg know this information?”

  Cassie shook her head. “I doubt it. Martin wouldn’t have trusted him that much and Kevin doesn’t share anything, lawyer-client and all that stuff.”

  “Do you have any idea where Greg might be hiding?”

  “No. He’s lived here more than I have, we left when I was five. Martin banished my brother permanently out here seven years ago. I’m sure Greg has many areas of the state he knows well enough to hide. I’ve spent most of my life in and around Atlanta.”

  Traynor nodded again. “I know this is hard, but I’m afraid you have to stay under protective custody for now. I’ll be honest, we have no idea where Greg is and given the circumstances it’s the only way I can guarantee your safety.”

  Ferguson interrupted. “Don’t worry about our safety. Stop Greg and I’ll take care of Cassie.”

  “What about Matthew and Kevin?” Cassie’s tone was quiet yet demanding.

  He swung around to face Cassie and stopped short for a moment at the sight of her face. He was stricken to the core at the sight of bruises still shining past eyes bright with determination. What right did he have to speak for her? This was her own brother, she deserved a say in his sentence.

  “Kevin and Matt have Joe Callahan watching them twenty-four, seven and Greg is working alone. His powerful friends have left him high and dry, there’s no one he could send after them. We’re here, we’re the ones he going to look for. Disappearing is my specialty, love. Don’t worry about the where and the how.” He cupped her jaw with his hand, smiling best he could.

 
Traynor interrupted their connection. “I agree, your brothers in Georgia aren’t his target. If Greg didn’t get the information he wanted, or if he did and closed the safe to throw us off, we need to focus on keeping you and your husband alive.”

  Cassie grimaced and turned away. “Go ahead and make plans, but never forget Greg is crazy. Don’t underestimate him on anything. There might even be bugs planted in these very rooms. Remember the games we played as kids involved all sorts of espionage and interrogation.”

  Traynor grimaced and for a moment the professional in her took over. “That’s what concerns me the most, Mrs. Ferguson. There’s no way I intend to underestimate anything about this case, that includes you and these ‘games’ Greg Devlyn played. I need some theories and I need them now.”

  Sean quickly recapped the revelations he learned in the ride to the lake house. Once everyone was up to speed, he began to think out loud. “What did Martin have in that safe worth dying for? Just the information about his business dealings or were there items of a more personal nature in there as well? What could be worse than suspecting your only daughter isn’t your blood child?”

  Traynor replied, “It had to be something else, something of a more inflammatory nature toward Greg himself. Nothing concerning the business would be enough to produce that much rage and anger. No, it must be dirt on the son himself, something used to keep Greg in line.”

  The thought hit Sean and Cassie at the same moment, but he was faster. He caught her before she could hit the ground. Her eyes were brimming with tears and the word “no” formed itself in her eyes. He pulled her close, entwining his fingers in her hair and letting the tears drench his shirt. He met the detective’s questioning eyes and shook his head. Now was not the time for a Q & A session.