My blood runs cold at Gabi's revelation. The horror of what she endured twists my insides. "Oh God, Gabi. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
She waves off my sympathy with a tight smile. "It's in the past now. I'm safe thanks to Marcus, and now Vito Rossi is dead."
Her eyes soften as she mentions her husband. "But it's why I insisted on such secrecy in our communication. I couldn't risk the Viper finding either of us."
I nod, understanding flooding through me. So many puzzle pieces are falling into place, forming a picture I'm not sure I want to see.
"Listen," Gabi says, leaning forward. "I know this is a lot to process. But Zack is waiting, and we don't have much time before you need to leave the island. Are you ready to meet him?"
Am I ready? The question echoes in my mind. How can anyone be ready for something like this? But I force myself to nod because this is something I need to do. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."
Gabi stands, and I follow suit. She hugs me again, and it feels even better this time. Despite everything, I know I’ve reconnected with my sister in a way that’s permanent, so at least there’s some kind of silver lining to this clusterfuck.
“He’ll be here as soon as I give him the okay,” she tells me. “I hope you can work things out with Niko. Men like that... they're not used to having their world shaken. It's easier for them to lash out than to face uncertainty. “
She wipes away a tear, and I brush off a few more of my own. “But I want you to know, whatever happens, I want us to have a proper relationship from here on out… I want to know my nephew. You’ll always have a home with me if you need it. You can come to the UK. Marcus will make it happen. Hell, there’s a cottage on the grounds you can live in, and we’ll help you. Whatever it takes. Whatever you need. Any time. You’ve got my number - use it.”
She’s rambling now, but she’s genuine in her offer.
“Thank you,” I interrupt softly.
She sucks in a breath, nods, and takes a step back as she tries to pull herself together while fumbling with her phone. Then she gives me a shaky smile while we wait for the husband I’ve never met.
Chapter Fourteen
LYAH
Zack Kincaid is handsome and suave, and maybe just a little bit of a geek. Nothing like the man I married three years ago. Almost the polar opposite to Nikolai Radaeva, in fact.
He arrived with Gabi’s husband, another suave and sophisticated man, who introduced us before leading my tearful sister away.
Now we’re alone and I have no idea what to say to him.
“I…”
“Do you…”
And then, of course, we both speak at the same time.
“Sorry,” Zack apologizes, sucking in a breath. “I know this must be as difficult for you as it is for me.”
“I… yeah.” I nod in agreement, looking for any trace of the boy I saw eighteen years ago, but there’s honestly no familiarity there. I guess I didn’t really look at him. I could have passed this man in the street and never have known what he is to me.
"Well, I suppose we should get down to business," Zack says, and I’m glad he’s taking the lead, because I have no idea what he wants from me, but he doesn’t seem angry, like I feared, so that’s something.
"I'm sure you're eager to get this resolved as quickly as possible."
I nod and smooth down the black dress I decided to wear which is totally unsuitable for our surroundings and just making me feel all the more self-conscious.
"Yes, I... I appreciate you meeting with me since I turned up without any warning. I know this isn't an ideal situation for either of us."
He studies me, adding to my unease and I do my best to appear composed despite how tense I’m feeling.
“Gabi told me she thought you had married without being aware of our parents’… arrangement.” He grimaces at his choice of words, but a flicker of surprise escapes me that he knows so much. "Yes, that's... that's correct. I had no idea until Gabi sent a message to the email address only she and I use."
Swallowing hard, I look away and try to stop my fingers from twisting together.
Zack surprises me further by placing his hand over mine. “Is everything okay, Emylyah?” he asks softly.
