Page 139 of Possess Me

Although if there was such a thing as karma then bringing her into my life had been a godsend.

For my heart.

For my sanity.

For my future.

“There is one last thing you need to learn. Both of you,” Uncle Boris said, meaning Mikhail as well.

“As Vissarian just stated, there will be no more secrets in this family or this corporation. Is that understood?”

“No more secrets,” Uncle Boris stated as if doing so for the entire group. “You need to know the identity of the Russians who will continue to try and destroy us.”

Mikhail’s brow furrowed and we shared a look between us.

“Who?” I asked.

“He is by far the most powerful Pakhan in Moscow, both protected and fueled by three sons who in turn are equally as ruthless and dangerous.”

My father’s voice was filled with more anger than before.

“Who?” Mikhail demanded.

“His name is Yuri Dmitriyev,” Uncle Boris said. “He is our brother.”

CHAPTER 33

Fallon

“I wantnothing to do with my grandfather,” I said, hating the quavering in my voice.

“Trust me. You won’t need to deal with him,” Vissarian stated.

His voice was gruff and full of anger. He’d been entirely different since returning from the meeting. I’d barely gotten the cliff notes, but they were enough to know his world had been rocked as much as mine.

“Then why do I need to go to Chicago to see him?”

He closed his eyes briefly. “Because he won’t listen to anyone else but you. You are all the family he has left.”

“You want me to do this?”

The way he fisted his hand told me he wanted nothing of the sort, but he was being pressured. While still processing, I understood there was a great deal at stake. Not just money. Not just connections or clout.

But also, the desire to live life the way all people should be allowed. With freedom from fear and constant anxiety.

It wasn’t every day that you found out almost everything you believed in was a fabrication. Now he had another family out there that wanted him and his brother, his cousins and everyone he loved destroyed. I couldn’t imagine.

“I want you to live your life the way you want, Fallon. You deserve nothing less.”

The larger-than-life man was so troubled. Watching him sit on the couch with a drink in one hand, stroking Bella with the other, I realized all over again why I cared so much about him.

And why I’d found it easy to fall in love with him.

“That’s what I want for you as well. I’m sorry to hear about your uncle.”

He took a swig of his drink. “Yuri isn’t my uncle. From everything I learned, the man is a true monster. I always knew there was another reason my father and Uncle Boris had left Moscow. Now I know. They say knowledge is freedom.” He lifted his gaze and for those few seconds of connection, I could tell he was feeling the same thing I was.

Fear of letting go. Fear of forging a new future. But I refused to allow fear to trap me into a prison. “I don’t know my grandfather, but if he’s anything like you say he is, he’ll need proof of Antonio’s treachery. We don’t have any.”