Page 17 of Possess Me

Since I was paying close attention, I enjoyed noticing the tattoos had continued down his arms to just above his wrists. With one exception; Russian letters covered three fingers of his right hand.

On his left was a massive ring not unlike the one my stepbrother had started wearing.

Classy and expensive, it was an indication of wealth, power, or both. If I had to guess, I’d say Vissarian fit into the latter category.

That was the moment I had a sense of fear. Who was this man? My trust in Jeffrey was strong. He wouldn’t intentionally place me in a dangerous situation, yet I was suddenly uncomfortable.

Too late now.

I was stuck on the tiny island for two days.

“Get in,” he told me after tossing his jacket into the back seat. He wasn’t just encouraging me to follow his request.

He was commanding me.

I slid into the passenger seat, still somewhat anxious, but I certainly wasn’t going to blow this. Since I’d taken a leave of absence from my job, the money would come in handy. And I was being paid a hefty sum. To the tune of twenty thousand dollars. Unheard of. With the out-of-pocket expenses of dealing with the funerals and other miscellaneous bullshit that Luis had been hiding, the money was a godsend.

I’d heard Luis was rich, but I’d seen no evidence of it. Unless Antonio had stolen every last dime. I doubted the attorney that had already been handling my mother’s estate would be very helpful. I envisioned the pinheaded man as being on Luis’ payroll, not likely left up to Antonio.

There was a small inheritance, a trust from my father, but it was still in probate and I hadn’t paid any attention to the amount. It felt as if even considering using the money would mean finally losing him forever.

I shuddered from the thought, trying to focus on the moment and the job. I’d been hired for a few private clients over the years, most of whom had seen me as nothing but the hired help. Annoying, but I certainly hadn’t been interested in getting to know them.

That’s why I remained quiet.

“How do you know Jeffrey?” he asked.

“An old friend.”

“I have a few skills that have come in handy in business over the years. One is knowing when someone is lying to me.” He tipped his head, the corner of his upper lip curled. “Which is something I won’t tolerate.”

“You think I’m lying?” A moment of his true self pulled at my annoyance.

“I know you are. I’m just curious why.”

Why was heat suddenly crawling across my face? I hated that. I also loathed being called out as a liar. “Fine. Jeffrey and I dated for a few months, but that was a long time ago. Or at least it seems like it.”

“Ah. That kind of close.”

“I assure you we weren’t in love. Far from it.”

He chuckled. “That’s probably best for you.”

“How do you know him?” I was curious as to his answer.

He grinned. If he was going to grill me, then I wouldn’t hold back. The gig was sweet and I doubted Jeffrey would allow me to jump in on the kind of money he earned. No wonder he’d moved into a luxurious condo.

“We met one night many years ago when he was gambling in my uncle’s resort. We got to talking. I learned he was a pilot and two weeks later, he was hired.”

“Gambling, huh. That doesn’t sound like him.”

“We all have secrets, Fallon. Some are simply too private, too embarrassing, or too dangerous to convey to others.”

“Which category do your secrets fall into?”

When he offered a smile, it was sly, the man obviously enjoying intriguing me. “Dangerous. Highly dangerous. Now, your turn. Which category?”

I shifted in my seat. “The same.”