Page 98 of Hunt Me

As my fingers danced across Mikhail’s misshapen skin, I held my breath. His chest continued to rise and fall and there were no words needed.

He’d saved my life when I was a child. The reality of how karma had brought us together was chilling even as red-hot heat swept into my core.

Very slowly he turned around, his nostrils flared.

“No. This isn’t possible,” I managed. A huge lump formed in my throat as I struggled to process what he’d said and what I was seeing. “There is no way you were… that boy.”

“Think about it, sweet Bristol. A dark night. An amusement park. You were brought with other families to enjoy a birthday party, only it was a lie.”

“What are you talking about? What lie?”

“Your family and others were lured there to be killed, only we got to them first.”

My brain was sluggish. “My parents.”

“Obviously, they lived. Others died. We couldn’t save them all.”

I backed away, the horror of what he was telling me something I couldn’t understand. “Why? Why try and kill us?”

“I don’t know, but I have no doubt whatever your father was into at the time was the reason.”

“My father? You bastard.” On instinct and preservation of my family’s honor, I reacted without thinking, striking him with the palm of my hand. He didn’t react at first, merely taking several deep breaths.

“Think about it, Bristol. You deserve to know the truth.”

“Yes, I do.” I glanced away, confused and angry, uncertain and so deeply sad that I had no idea what to think. He gripped my chin. Not from anger or the need to punish me. His touch was gentle as he turned my head.

“We both deserve the truth. I was there that night as a soldier. We were at war with the Irish, who were threatening our territory. I know you can’t understand or respect my family’s legacy and the life I was born into, but we were under attack.”

I didn’t try to escape. I didn’t fight him. This was something I needed to hear.

“On that night, we killed many Irishmen in retaliation. We also destroyed millions of dollars in illegal drugs. The amusement park was a front for their illegal activities. It was destroyed. Unfortunately, we had no idea an event was going on. Families with children. We did what we could to save them. When I saw you lost and running directly into harm’s way, something broke inside of me. There was no way I could let you die. You need to believe me, Bristol.”

I did. That was the craziest thing of all. I believed everything he was telling me. “Why were we there?”

“Your father prosecuted the Irish leader’s son twenty plus years ago, but changed course later, allowing him to go free when the evidence pointed to the man being guilty. Ask yourself if that’s a coincidence.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

“That either your father was threatened with the lives of his family or that he was bought off.”

Darker emotions surged and I fisted my hand around his shirt. “I can’t believe…” But I could. “You think what’s happening now including Sergio’s death is linked to the past.”

“I do and it’s vital I discover the truth. I don’t want to hurt you or your father, but I will not allow my family to be destroyed.”

When he looked me in the eyes, I sensed he was doing everything to allow me to see the man inside. Was it possible my father was dirty? Was it possible I’d lived a lie my entire life? “You locked me in the basement.” I whispered the words as if they continued to matter.

“Yes.”

“You’re horrible.”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Bristol. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the hero you either want or deserve.”

I took a step closer, pummeling my fists against his chest. “How could you. How…” Another image crashed through the veil, the vision much clearer than before. His face. His young face.

Mikhail gripped my arms. “I’m sorry.”

“You saved me.” Confusion gripped my mind with the ferocity of a tiger. I couldn’t believe what he’d told me was the truth, yet I’d felt it inside.