“I didn’t realize it was from Nikolai.”
“He gave it to me in the store. He approached me and asked me if I had a holiday wish I wanted to tell Santa. Then he handed me the ornament.”
“Did he say anything else about it? Perhaps give you a clue about what it means?”
She shakes her head again. “He told me to remember the star. That it has the answer to everything. I knew what the star symbolized. Or at least I thought I did. But other than that, I have no idea what he meant.” A frown briefly drifts onto her face. “But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I do know what he was trying to tell me.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mom and I, along with Nikolai and his family, came here a few times when he and I were kids. The two of us would sneak out of the house and watch the stars. We had a discussion at one point about making wishes on a shooting star. Maybe the ornament was his indirect way of telling me he now owned this house. He must have known he was going to die that day, that taking you and Adam out was nothing more than a suicide mission.”
Her chin dips, and she sniffs. I kiss her temple, wanting to do anything to soften her pain.
Adam and Agent Ramsey exit the cabin and head our way. Adam is carrying what appears to be a journal.
“Stay here,” I tell her. “I’ll be right back.”
I open the SUV door and climb out before they reach the vehicle. “I haven’t finished talking to her. Is there something you need?”
Adam shows me the brown, leather-bound journal. “Chloe needs to see this.”
I nod for him to give it to her, and the three of us join her on the other side of the SUV. She has already hopped down by the time we get there, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.
Adam hands her the book. “Read the page marked with the ribbon.”
“What is this?” she asks, frowning lightly.
“One of our agents found it in Nikolai’s desk,” Agent Ramsey says. “He wrote it for you, or at least that’s what the introduction suggests. Our guess is that he wanted you to find it, but the men who kidnapped you found it instead…and that’s why they were so interested in you. Read what it says.” He points at the journal.
Still frowning, Chloe opens it and reads the page, allowing me to read it alongside her.
…I’m so sorry I let you down, Chloe. You were the world to me, and nothing about that ever changed. I never wanted to be part of our grandfather’s legacy, but the man is crafty and found a way to drag me into it. I didn’t want you to suffer the same fate. I convinced him to allow you to go free. That came with consequences, some you know about, others you don’t.
If you’re reading this, it’s most likely because I’m dead, and you’ve learned about the cabin. This is my legacy to you…and what I’m hoping will be the end of our grandfather’s reign over the family. I’m hoping this means you and your mother will finally be reunited. She misses you very much.
She misses you and will need you when she finds out what really happened to her husbands. Both of them were murdered by her father. Not by his hands exactly, but by the hands of Victor Hedmead. This was also the case with your boyfriend, Mark Greenwood. He never dumped you like you were led to believe. I was the one who sent you the text after he disappeared. I wanted you to be able to move on and not waste years waiting for him to return. I’m sorry for the role I played in that deception. I never wanted you to get hurt.
You’re probably wondering why they were killed. There was no one reason. With your father, our grandfather erroneously believed that he would eventually want to be involved in the family’s criminal activities. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Your father had no idea about the true nature of Granddad’s business when he married your mom, and she did everything she could to keep him from finding out the truth. He didn’t say anything to your mom about Granddad’s proposition, but he confronted Granddad and made the mistake of threatening to expose him. Your father greatly underestimated the old man.
I’m guessing your mom never told you, but your father supposedly left a letter for her, telling her that he was concerned for his safety and was disappearing before anything could happen to him. The letter was forged by one of Granddad’s associates. Our grandfather lied to her and told her that as long as your father didn’t say anything about the true nature of the family’s business dealings, your father was quite safe. He also ensured that your father paid child support, even after he was long dead. Your mother never suspected the truth.
As for your stepfather, Granddad learned his lesson and didn’t try to recruit him into the family business. I don’t know all the details, but your stepfather stumbled across something that would have incriminated dear old Granddad and could have brought down the house of cards. Like with your father, Granddad managed to hide his tracks so no one grew suspicious about your stepfather’s sudden disappearance.
Chloe sniffs but keeps reading, tears streaming down her face. I want to take the journal away from her, to stop her pain, but I also know she needs closure. She needs to know why the three men were murdered.
If Mark Greenwood hadn’t had aspirations of becoming a prosecutor, he might still be alive. I don’t know if he ever told you that, or if he continued to let you believe he was studying to become a corporate lawyer. He stumbled across something linked to you and your estranged family and started to investigate a suspicion he had. He got too close to the truth, and Granddad had him removed from the picture. And like with everyone else, the old man planted enough evidence to make it look like Mark had quit law school due to not being able to handle the stress, and that he moved away to start a new life. Since he had grown up in the foster care system, it was a lot easier to make him disappear.
The FBI probably doesn’t have enough information to figure out who was responsible for the deaths of all three men. I do. I have the evidence for that, maps to show where their bodies were buried, and evidence for so many other crimes that our grandfather was responsible for. Evidence that will ensure the Orlov crime family is forever destroyed. The family has resulted in so much loss over the years, including the death of my parents, Dimetric, and Nadia. It’s time for it all to end so that you can truly start anew.
Just remember this: X marks the spot.
I am so proud of you, Chloe. No matter where I wind up after my time on earth ends, I want you to always remember that.
Nikolai
Chloe wipes the heel of her hand against her wet cheek. I wrap my arm around her waist, providing her with my good shoulder to lean on for now. And later, once we’re home, to cry on.
And I’m positive Whiskey will be delighted to lick away her tears.
