Soldier's Redemption Read online

  “Came back here? You’re from Kanistan originally?”

  “No, my father worked here. He was an American. And yesterday I met the last member of the family that was wrongly accused of killing him. The old guy doesn’t have anything to live for anymore, which means he doesn’t have much to lose. He wanted me to know the truth. He told me the name of the man who did all this.”

  She sat back on the bench. “Who is it?”

  He stared deep into her eyes. “Skylar, I’d give anything in the world if I didn’t have to tell you this.”

  “Who?” she demanded, her stomach now halfway up her throat.

  He whispered the name. “Luca Futura.”

  She sat there staring at him, trying to make sense of one thing he said, anything he said. “You’re mistaken,” she finally said on an exhaled breath that emptied her lungs.

  He took her hands in his. “My father was Charles Oates. Ambassador Oates. And your uncle was his right-hand man here in Kanistan—not an American but a trusted ally and friend.”

  She pulled back her hands and covered her ears. Before she knew it, she was standing. The room, which had seemed a sanctuary moments before, now resembled

  a trap.

  Her hands fell to her sides as her mind raced to keep up with a million questions, all coming too fast to make sense.

  “He betrayed everyone, Skylar. He got a girl pregnant then had her murdered.”

  “No!” she said. “The ambassador is the one who did that. My uncle had just married Aunt Eleanor—”

  “Which is probably why he panicked.”

  “You’re wrong, Cole. I know you are.”

  “Just listen to me. Roman, I mean the girl’s father, went to my dad when he found her body.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said that name though I can’t see why it matters. Just don’t repeat it. Few people know he’s still alive. Anyway, this man pointed a finger at your uncle. He’d seen Luca with his daughter. He knew. But even then, Futura was not a man to be crossed. The girl’s father asked my father to help him find justice. My father agreed to talk to Luca that very night while his family was away—at the circus, no less. But we came home early because I ate too much junk food and got sick. Futura had no intention of facing murder charges. By then he owned the police chief, and the two of them cooked up this plan. They delivered a bomb to our house.

  “What neither one of them knew was that Tyler—he’s the middle brother—had decided to return to the circus by himself and crawled out his window. Once he got outside, the darkness scared him so he hid beneath the bushes. He heard someone whistling and recognized the tune as one his father’s friend often hummed. It was coming from the other side of the fence where your uncle was keeping watch while the bomb was taken to our door. It was disguised. My other brother, John, remembers thinking the box was for him, a present. Anyway, before Tyler could do much of anything, there was an explosion. The crooked cop belonged to some old club of conspirators who used to run things here. Their symbol was an owl ring—”

  “This is crazy!” she cried. “Crazy.” She paced up and down the room, the large muscles in her legs begging for more. She wanted to run—run hard and fast and away.

  And then she stopped and stared at him. “You’ve been lying to me since the day you walked into my aunt’s gallery, haven’t you?”

  He looked from her face to the floor. “Yes.”

  “You knew about her illness, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you chose me because you thought I would give you an in to my uncle.”

  “Yes.” He looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand.

  Oh, she understood, all right. “That’s why you kissed me. That’s why you came on so strong and fast.”

  “Yes. And no, Skylar.”

  “Which is it?”

  “Yes, I used you. No, it wasn’t all just that. It never was, not from the moment our eyes met.”

  “Oh, my God. I told you I loved you. That must have been the icing on the cake.”

  “No, Skylar, it’s not like that. You and I—”

  “There is no you and I,” she said. She didn’t believe him. He’d conned her. Her voice dropped as her eyes widened. “Did you have something to do with Aneta’s murder?”

  He got to his feet, and as he stepped toward her, she backed away. “Of course not.”

  “Did you arrange that attack on me?”

  “Skylar, please.”

  “Well, think about it. How better to worm your way into my uncle’s graces than to save me—again? Is Svetlana also part of your scheme? Is that why she’s not answering her phone?”

  “Just stop a minute. I don’t know Svetlana. As far as I know she’s exactly who and what she appears to be. If you’ll just listen. I’ve been thinking about what the man I met last night said about how your uncle forged papers and passports. What if that’s what’s happening with these girls who are missing? That would make the whole ‘going to America’ thing make sense. What if they’re being shipped overseas? Sold, maybe?”

  “I suppose my uncle is behind that, too?”

  “I think so.”

  She stared at him with her mouth open. She’d read about people having out-of-body experiences. Perhaps this was what it was like. Watching things unfold, impossible things that could destroy everyone she cared about and not finding one thing to say or do to put a stop to it. “Why should I listen to you?” she asked at last.

  “Because you know in your heart that I care for you. You know most of what’s happened between us is as real as the air we breathe.”

  “No, I don’t,” she said. “What I know is you conned me into trusting and needing you so that you could live out some fantasy to clear a family name you don’t even use and ruin the life of a good man with a very ill wife who needs him. When I think of how stupid I’ve been! How delusional! I should have listened to Uncle Luca.”

  The back of her nose burned with unshed tears. She did not want to show one ounce of weakness to this man, this stranger.

  “Then what about the girls?” Cole asked. “What about Zina and Malina and maybe even the other one, Katerina?”

  “What about them?”

  “Where are they? Why did Aneta risk everything to try to get her sister back? Who killed her for her efforts?”

  Skylar rubbed her eyes. Her throat ached with the emotion she strove to keep inside, out of view. She’d been headstrong and gullible, a deadly combination. She narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what’s real or not. I don’t know that anything I thought happened actually happened. I know Aneta is dead and that she stole a painting, and I know that you are a conniving double-crossing jerk. I don’t know if your story is real, if you’re adopted or have brothers or have ever been in the military or who your parents really were. All I know for sure is you picked what you determined was the easiest way to get close to my uncle so that you could do whatever it is you want to do. And I was the idiot who let you.”

  He rubbed his temple with the heel of his hand. “I didn’t have to tell you any of this. I could have just done what needs to be done and gone my merry way and you never would have known.”

  “And I wish you had,” she said.

  “Do you? You think a man capable of destroying people, of murdering his pregnant mistress, of manipulating the police and being involved in trafficking human beings—”

  “That again!”

  “If your uncle could forge identities thirty years ago for me and my brothers, he can do it now.”

  “If that’s true, it’s Ian Banderas’s doing.”

  “Do you really think Banderas could get away with a scheme like that without your uncle’s knowledge?”

  “Of course, he could.”

  “No, Skylar. He couldn’t.”

  “Why do you hate Uncle Luca so much? Is it because you can’t face what your father did?”

  He took a deep breath. When he looked at h
er, she had to glance away. “You refuse to listen. I told you that the man whose daughter was murdered didn’t send the bomb. He was framed, his sons killed during their supposed arrest.”

  “You want me to believe hearsay and the story of a complete stranger and disbelieve a man I’ve known my whole life. I can’t do that.”

  He walked up to her and she backed away, unwilling to be close to him, but that ended when she bumped into the wall and had to stop. He loomed above her, his arms extended, his hands against the walls at either side of her head. “I want you to keep an open mind.”

  “That’s ripe coming from you,” she said.

  “I know you don’t want to face what he is. I don’t blame you.”

  “You don’t blame me?” She ducked under his arm and walked away.

  “Skylar?”

  She whirled around. “I don’t know who you really are. I only know from this minute on that I never want to see you again. I’ll call my uncle to come get me or arrange transportation. I hope I’m making it very clear that I’m asking you to have nothing to do with me or any of my family.”

  “I can’t do that,” he said. “I can’t let Futura get away with this.”

  “You came here with your mind made up.”

  His face grew rigid. “Do you think it gives me any joy to tell you these things? And do you think I went through all this on a whim? All the leads have led my brothers and the police officer they’re working with here to this man. The story I just told you is true. It’s a composite of what many people have unearthed. Tyler even had himself hypnotized in order to recover his lost memories. At the very least, your uncle’s past has to be investigated, and frankly, I don’t care how you feel about that.”

  “What about my aunt?”

  “I’m terribly sorry for her. If she really doesn’t know the kind of man she’s married to, this is going to be awful. You and she will be yet another family he’s destroyed, but at least you’ll have each other.”

  “You’re doing the destroying now.”

  “And you’re allowing your own self-interests to blind you to the truth.”

  “And you’re not?”

  His eyes hardened. “There’s nothing left for us to talk about.” A muscle worked in his jaw, and he added, “I doubt you really want to wait here for hours while someone comes to get you. You’re welcome to come with me. I’m going to go settle the bill and get the car. Make up your mind. Your decision.”

  And with that, he left the room.

  * * *

  THEY DROVE IN SILENCE colder than the icy snow outside.

  Cole had often felt alone in his life but never really like this. He’d always been self-reliant, able to lead or follow depending on the situation and his orders, but a loner at heart. Last night he’d connected with another human being in a way he’d only read about, only half understood. Last night he finally “got” it. And it wasn’t about sex—well, not entirely. It was so much more than that.

  He’d always assumed the idea of a soul mate, someone destined to be yours, someone who would love you no matter what, was a fairy tale, but last night he’d stumbled into that dream right there with Skylar. Finding her in the snow, scared she’d never wake up again, helping her bathe. And then later... Well, he’d do anything to keep her safe.

  Anything except walk away from what had to be done.

  But none of her reactions came as too big of a surprise. He’d known all along there was going to be a stiff price to pay for growing attached to her. Of course she thought he was a louse who had used her for his own means. And in so many ways, she was right—he had.

  She didn’t say a word until they were almost to her uncle’s place. Then she turned in her seat but averted her glance. “Stop here.”

  He pulled over to the curb. They were three or four blocks away. She grasped the door handle but before working it spoke again. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to go public,” he said. The idea just popped into his head, but it stuck there. “I’m going to talk to anyone who will listen to me. I’m going to crush this man just as he’s crushed everyone I care about—and that includes you.”

  “You won’t let the past go?”

  “You still don’t get it. I believe this is ongoing. But in all fairness, you’re right. I do aim to settle the past, as well. You were all for that until you realized who was responsible.”

  “This will destroy my aunt. Even if it isn’t true, she won’t live through the scandal. You’re wrong about my uncle, and I’m going to prove it.”

  He reached for her hand. “Don’t try to prove anything. He’s dangerous.”

  “Listen to yourself. He’s my uncle!”

  “Then think beyond that. Think beyond him. Think of the other people he’s harmed.”

  She stared hard at him. “You do the same,” she said. “If you’re going to ruin him and half my family along with him, then at least have solid proof beyond the word of an old man who could have a whole other agenda you don’t know a thing about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like clearing his name before he dies. Like getting back at my uncle because of a reason you don’t know.”

  He sat back in his seat. Had he been so willing to believe the worst that he’d sacrificed judgment?

  She pulled free and got out of the car, stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away without looking back, a slight figure, no bigger than a schoolgirl.

  She was no longer his. Truth was, she’d never been his.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Skylar used the security code to let herself in the front door of her aunt and uncle’s house. Not even the butler greeted her, and she was relieved. She desperately needed a few minutes alone as the past few hours had been hell. She would retreat to her room and collect herself before putting on a brave face for her aunt and deciding what to do about Cole.

  The one and only issue that concerned her now was how much she should tell her uncle of what Cole had said about him. The prospect of that conversation made her stomach roll over and sink. And the fact she would have to admit she’d played right into Cole’s hands was like admitting she threw the first punch.

  She escaped upstairs where she applied a little makeup to cover the scratch on her forehead. Then she went directly to her aunt’s room where she found her sitting up in bed eating a small meal.

  “I’m glad you’ve come home,” Aunt Eleanor said, her wan face pleased.

  “How are you?”

  “Okay. Have you seen your uncle?”

  “Not yet.”

  “You will talk to him, won’t you?” she asked, her voice revealing how deeply she wanted them to get along.

  “Of course I will.”

  “He only has your best interests at heart. I know this about him. Family is everything. If you are his, he will do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  “Don’t worry,” Skylar assured her, but her aunt’s words just made her more uneasy than ever. She didn’t want her uncle to protect her at the expense of hurting Cole.

  “Meanwhile, guess what?” her aunt continued and when Skylar shook her head, she continued, “An old friend of mine heard what happened to Aneta and knew I would be shorthanded. She just retired a few months ago. She owned a stationery store. Anyway, she has offered to take over the gallery until I am well enough to come back. Her daughter is going to help out.”

  “That is great news,” Skylar said.

  “I couldn’t believe it. I know Luca thinks it’s time we let you get back to your own life in the States. I couldn’t agree more. Now you can.”

  Skylar felt a wave of relief and an equal one of disappointment. It was hard to believe that she’d had everything she ever wanted just twelve hours before and now it was all gone. “Let me tell you about the museum I visited,” she said, determined to wash away the worry lines creasing her aunt’s brow.

  Halfway through the recital, her food barely touched, her aunt fell asleep. Skylar le
ft the room quietly.

  Downstairs, she found her uncle standing at the open front door. He closed it immediately when he heard Skylar behind him. “I’m glad to see you’ve come to your senses,” he said. “Have you seen your aunt?”

  “I was just with her. I need to talk to you, Uncle Luca.”

  “Let’s go into the den,” he said, leading the way across the foyer. Skylar glanced out the bank of windows and saw a man walking away from the house. The wind tousled his blond hair.

  Ian Banderas. At the house—again. “What was he doing here?” she said, pausing to stare after Banderas.

  “I beg your pardon?” her uncle said.

  “Ian Banderas. I thought you didn’t like him coming to the house.”

  The look he cast her made Skylar back off. “I’m sorry if I sound like an inquisition,” she said.

  “Come in here a moment,” he replied, and they continued into his office.

  After sitting behind his desk, he steepled his hands together and rested his chin on his fingertips. “Things have gotten rather...awkward between us as of late,” he said.

  She glanced behind him at the wedding portrait of him and her aunt. “Tell me about your ring,” she said, eyeing the gold and black encircling his finger both in the painting and in real life. She’d always just assumed it was a keepsake of some kind, not some symbol of dark intent.

  “The owl? They’re amazing birds, you know. They hunt by stealth and surprise, almost blind when it comes to something very close by but extremely adept at long-range vision. They blend in. They usually operate under the cover of darkness. There’s a lot to admire about an owl.”

  Skylar had remained standing, the thought of sitting and chatting at odds with the anxiety spitting acid in her gut. She paced a little before asking, “Does Ian Banderas have a ring like yours?”

  He appeared surprised by her question. “Of course not.”

  “I heard the ring was once a symbol of a secret club.”

  “Oh, that. Someone has been filling your head with old rumors. Yes, once upon a time a few of us had a club, but that was the old days. I’m the only one left.”

  She couldn’t bring herself to accuse him of the things Cole said he did. If he was innocent, she would forever damage their relationship. If he was guilty, what was the point?