Her biggest fear, the source of constant anxiety, I’d let happen. I knew better than to make promises I couldn’t keep. Wanting to reassure her had led me to break another cardinal rule of the kind of work I did.
“It would be better not to go to the hospital,” said Lucia. “AISE has a medical team who can check her out.”
I nodded at her reflection in the mirror.
“They will meet us at Valentini.”
A few minutes later, Tara tried to sit up, but I kept her tucked in my arms. “Where are we?” she asked.
“Outside of Florence.” I wanted to ask Lucia about Richard Emsworth, if he would be brought to Valentini as well, but didn’t. Given the way he looked in the photos I’d seen, I expected the medical treatment he’d need would be significantly more than Tara.
“I’m going to tell you what happened now, only because there are people waiting for you back at the farmhouse.”
Her body, already tense, tightened more. “People?”
“People who love you.”
“Pia?”
“Ava, Aine, Quinn, and Penelope.”
Her eyes opened wide. “They’re here?”
“They are.”
“Knox, please let me sit up.”
Since she no longer appeared to be struggling, I let her but kept my arm around her shoulders and held one of her hands in mine.
“Why did they come?”
“I contacted Doc from Florence when I got word of your kidnapping. He immediately got a team in the air, himself included, to come to Italy to find you. That team included Razor, Gunner, Mercer, and Tackle.” When she didn’t speak, I continued. “According to Tackle, two of your friends threatened their husbands with divorce unless all four of them could come along.”
I saw a glimmer of a smile. “Sounds like them,” she murmured.
“There’s more I need to tell you.”
Tara closed her eyes. “Okay.”
“The men who kidnapped you were looking for your brother.”
“My what?”
“I know about Brando, Tara.”
“Brand isn’t my brother.”
“Half-brother.”
Tara shook her head. “No. You’re wrong. He’s my father’s secretary’s son.” Her eyes opened wide when the truth dawned on her. “Oh my God,” she cried, putting her head in her hands. “Why were they looking for Brand?”
“From what we’ve been able to piece together, he was the one forging the paintings. It appears your father was unaware he was doing it until shortly before he was charged.”
Her eyes opened, and she looked into mine. “Do you have proof?” she whispered.
“We’ll know more once we’re back at the farmhouse.”
“Where’s my dad?”
“He was being held at the same place you were taken.”
“I don’t remember any of it…after the farmhouse.” She looked out the window and then back at me. “There are things you’re not telling me.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Your father suffered injuries. I don’t know to what extent yet, which is why I wasn’t going to tell you.”
“But he’s alive?”
“Yes.”
“What about Brand?”
My eyes met Lucia’s, and she nodded.
“My understanding is that he’s been taken into custody.”
“You found him.”
“The same people who found you, found him.”
She took her hand from mine and laced her fingers with those of her other hand and looked out the window.
“Tara, I—”
She shook her head. “I can’t take any more right now.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I have a headache. Is there any water?” she asked without looking at me.
Lucia held up a bottle that I took and gave to Tara.
She didn’t say anything else for the rest of the drive to Valentini. When we arrived, her four friends raced out the door of the farmhouse. Knowing they had her if she was weak, I got out the opposite door and went inside where Razor and Mercer were waiting.
Razor put his hand on my shoulder, and Mercer patted my back. “Job well done, Halo.”
I couldn’t disagree more, but there’d be plenty of time for us to talk about that later. I had no doubt there’d be a hotwash once we were back in the States, if not before.
“Have you heard anything about Emsworth’s condition?”
“He was transported to a hospital outside Florence. They banged him up pretty good, but the worst of it was a few broken bones,” said Razor.
“And the brother?”
“Doc is working that now.”
“What does that mean?”
Razor looked at Mercer. “If they keep him in Italy, he’ll be a dead man inside of a week.”
“The ’Ndrangheta’s arms reach well into the US,” I said.
“They do, but we’ve got better control over where he ends up.”
I didn’t know whether K19 did or not, but that didn’t necessarily matter to me. Tara mattered, and I’d fucked things up with her so bad, I doubted there’d be any coming back from it.
When I heard them coming inside, I went upstairs to the bedroom she and I had shared—where we’d made love. Whether she wanted anything to do with me or not, that’s the way I’d remember our time together. We’d made love. No matter how I tried to tell myself I was an idiot for thinking I loved her, I did.
There was a knock at the door, and I walked over to open it. I hesitated for a moment, saying a silent prayer that it was Tara. It wasn’t.
“Hey, Penelope.”
She stepped forward and opened her arms. “Let me hug you.”
“Sure,” I mumbled. A hug would feel pretty damn good right now, even if it wasn’t from the right woman.
“Thank you for all you’ve done for Tara.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what it is you think I did.”
“You saved her life.”
“The credit for that goes to the entire K19 team.”
“Not from the kidnapping. You saved her before that.”
“She saved herself.”
“She’s mad at you right now, but she’ll get over it.”
“I’m really glad you all came. She needs you.” I took a step back to close the door.
“She needs you too,” she said right before it latched.
After locking the door, I went to the bed and stretched out on my back, hoping I could get some sleep. I’d drifted off when I heard another knock.
“Yeah?” I called out, wishing I could tell whoever it was to fuck off and leave me alone.
“Need you to come downstairs, Halo. Doc wants everybody in on this,” said Mercer.
“Be right there.”
I went into the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, my eyes met Tara’s. Too fast, she looked away.
I walked toward the kitchen and stood with my back against the wall so I could see her, but for Tara to see me, she’d have to turn around.
Ava and Aine sat on either side of her. Penelope and Quinn were sitting on the floor, at Tara’s feet. Each of her friends either had a hand on her or part of their body resting against hers. As much as I wished I was the one sitting beside her, that she was surrounded by so much love, warmed my ice-cold heart.
“We’ll be here until Richard Emsworth is cleared for travel. I’m hoping that will be later today or tomorrow.”
As he spoke, Doc glanced at Tara several times. I looked around the room and realized that neither Gunner nor Tackle was here.
“As far as Brando Ripa is concerned, since he’s an American citizen, we’ve been able to make arrangements to extradite him back to the States.”
“Where is he now?” I asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“The sooner we’re all out of Italy, the better,” said Razor.
Doc leveled
his gaze at him and looked over at Tara again. “We have no intention of informing the owners of the Valentini estate of the events that took place here yesterday. AISE is on board with that.”
“Copy that,” I muttered.
“That’s all for now.” When he stopped talking, Doc walked in my direction. I followed him out to the terrazza.
“Gunner, Striker, and Tackle are with Ripa.”
“Doing what?”
“‘Recovering the originals.’”
“Where are they?”
“Closer than you think.”
“Meaning?”
“He’s saying that he hid them in the wine caves here on the estate.”
“What happens next?”
“If Ripa is telling the truth and the originals are here, hidden at Valentini, then we have Emsworth’s permission to make a deal with the ’Ndrangheta.”
“To do what?”
“Give them something more valuable than what they lost.”
“The originals?”
“For the forged painting sold to the don. If necessary, two. You know Gunner, he won’t let them get away with more than that.”
“What’s going to happen to him?”
“Ripa?” Doc rubbed the back of his neck with his hand; I’d known him long enough to recognize his tell. “Less than probably should.”
“Meaning?”
“If he makes restitution to the remaining victims, it’s likely he won’t get as much jail time.”
“Does he have the money to do that?”
“We’ll see, but my guess is that Richard Emsworth will figure out a way to get as much of it to go away as possible.”
“I saw them together. Tara cares about him. I don’t think she knew he was her brother, though.”
Doc nodded and walked back inside.
27
Tara
“How are you feeling?” asked Quinn.
Heartbroken. “Fine.”
“Headache?” Aine asked.
“Pretty much gone.”
“Are you hungry?” asked Ava.
“Not really.”
“Sad?” Pen asked.
She was the only one of the four who I looked up at. When my eyes met hers, I didn’t see any sign that she was making fun of me. All I saw was love.
“Yeah.”
Of the five of us, Ava and Aine were closest just because they were sisters. Quinn had always been closer to Aine than to the rest of us, and Pen and I, we were as close to sisters as it got, without the biology. We fought like sisters, but we had each other’s back in the same way Ava and Aine always had. That’s why it had hurt so much when it was Pen who called to accuse me of stealing from them.
“Can you come with me for a minute?” she asked.
I stood and followed her up the stairs. “This is the room I was staying in,” I said when she walked past it.
“That’s the room your stuff is in.” She walked straight into the master bedroom and sat on the end of the bed. “Come here, girlfriend.”
When I sat down, she put her arm around my shoulders.
“Pen…”
“Cry it out, Tara.”
I rested my head on her shoulder and cried as hard as I had when Knox held me in the SUV. This time, though, it was him I was sobbing over.
“Why don’t you try to get some rest?” she said a few minutes later as I wiped my tears. “I’ll stay.”
I scooted up the bed and rested my head on the pillow Knox used. I fell asleep with my arms wrapped around it.
I woke when I heard Pen talking to someone. When I opened my eyes, I saw her and Knox standing in the doorway. I watched as she eased around him.
I sat up. “I was just leaving.”
“Stay where you are,” he said, coming over to sit beside me. “Look, earlier you stopped me from saying this, but I need to. I’m sorry, Tara.”
“What for?”
“Doubting you. Among other things.”
“You more than doubted me, Knox. What you accused me of was way beyond that. You thought I was an art forger.” When he started to speak, I held up my hand. “You said you couldn’t believe I thought you were so stupid, I did it right in front of you. Not only that, when I said I wanted to leave, you accused me of being with another man. I don’t think there’s much you didn’t blame me for.”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
“Nothing else is necessary. You didn’t—don’t—know me well enough to believe otherwise. You were out to catch a criminal, and you did. Eventually. And just so you know, I was blindsided by all of this. All I knew was that my father had disappeared, and I wanted to find him.”
“Is that why you came to Italy?”
“Is this another interrogation?”
Knox’s eyes opened wide. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “No. And I’m sorry. Again. I’m trying to piece it all together, and I have no reason to.”
“Because you still think I’m guilty of something.”
“No. Not at all.”
“Right.”
When I walked out of the room, the front door opened and my father walked in. “Daddy?” I flew down the steps, stopping just short of throwing my arms around him.
“Tara!” He held out one hand, I took it, and he pulled me in to hug him.
He looked like he’d been to hell and back, and to a certain extent, he had.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re here and safe,” he said, stroking my hair. “I’m sorry for getting you mixed up in this.”
“You didn’t. I did.”
“We can talk about all of this later.”
I was about to nod but stopped myself. “No, Dad. There are things we need to talk about now.”
While my father didn’t look surprised, my four best friends certainly did.
There was no way my father could walk much farther than the nearest chair, so everyone else would have to leave. “Can you please excuse us?” I asked, looking around the room.
Lucia and the man who’d helped my father inside, escorted him to the chair where I pointed. Once he was seated, they stood behind him.
“Is my father under arrest?”
“No, but—”
“Please excuse us, then.”
They followed the others that had been in the room out the door that led from the farmhouse to the terrazza.
Once I heard it close, I sat on the floor at my father’s feet. He reached out and stroked my hair.
“I was so worried about you.”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the chair. “I’m sorry, Tara. For everything.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t just tell me. I’ve known Brand my whole life.”
“It was Vi’s decision, and I respected that.”
“No one knew?”
My father shook his head. “No one.”
“Did Brand know?”
“Eventually. Not until he was an adult.”
“How did he find out? Did you tell him?”
“I set up a trust on his behalf, the same as what you have. When he turned twenty-five, the money became his. It was then that Vi decided it was time for him to know.”
I thought back on that time. Brand had just graduated from college with his master’s degree. I’d flown to Chicago to celebrate with him. Instead of a group dinner, Brand had asked me if he and I could go out alone. A part of me worried he thought there might be more than a friendship between us, but that hadn’t been the case.
He told me that night that he was moving to Europe to pursue his art. I remembered being happy for him, but he didn’t seem like he was for himself.
“It was right after his graduation,” I murmured.
“That’s right.”
“He and I had dinner that night.”
My father raised his eyebrows.
“I’d flown in to surprise him, thinking I’d just join in on wha
tever celebration was taking place. As it turned out, he was saying goodbye. He left for Italy a few days after that.”
“Brand contacted me about a year later, asking if I’d help him get an art dealing business off the ground. It wasn’t money he needed as much as my contacts, he’d said at the time.”
“But you gave him money anyway?”
I knew how much money was in my trust fund, and my dad said Brand’s was the same as what I had. He definitely wouldn’t have needed cash.
“I offered to go into business with him instead.” My dad hung his head. “Originally, I’d planned to ask you to come on board too, basically to do the same thing he was doing here—what I believed he was doing.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Brand refused.”
My first reaction was to be hurt, but I quickly realized that, instead, he’d been protecting me.
“He wanted to ruin you,” I mumbled.
“Hurt me at the very least.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart.”
“I’m just sorry any of it happened. I’m sorry Brand felt…” I shook my head. I had no idea what Brand thought or felt.
“I have a question for you.”
I looked up at him.
“What made you come to Italy?”
“Vi. I’d been trying to reach you. It was Mom who suggested I ask her. She told me you’d gone to Italy and that you’d disappeared. She also told me Brand would help me find you. She was so worried.” I bit my bottom lip, unsure whether I should ask anything else. “What happened?”
“I was on my way out of the airport in Florence when ’Ndrangheta henchmen picked me up. My plan had been to find Brand.” My dad shook his head. “I thought the paintings I’d purchased were the forgeries. Since they were in Italy, I thought if I could go back to the dealers with them, I could prove I’d been duped as well. Evidently, they knew more than I did about the real story. They wanted me to hand over Brand.”
“When was this?”
“The day before Thanksgiving.”
I looked up when I heard a noise and saw Knox coming down the stairs.
He had a bag and a cardboard tube in his hands. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.
“I’m in the middle of something.”
“It’ll be quick, but it’s urgent.”
Halo (K19 Security Solutions Book 8) Page 15