~Eighteen~
It had been a long and emotional night for Tessa after Jonathan had explained not only what had happened to her mother, but also to his brother Vladimir, and his involvement in her death. It turned out that Jonathan had known about Natalia’s affair with his brother for some time. He hadn’t been around a lot and when she ended up pregnant with Kyle, he knew the baby wasn’t his. Jonathan thought for sure that it was over between them after Tessa was born, but losing Tessa sent Natalia back into Vladimir’s arms. If that wasn’t the worst of it, she took Kyle with her. Jonathan didn’t care that Kyle wasn’t his. All he wanted was his family back, but in the end, he lost everything.
What I couldn’t understand was why hadn’t Jonathan been upfront with me in the beginning? Even though he told the truth about not having a son, he lied about knowing Kyle. But in a way I felt sorry for Jonathan. If it had been me, I probably would have done the same thing. All he did was fight for the woman he loved, and in the end his efforts were wasted when the argument turned into tragedy. Jonathan blamed himself for running after Natalia. If he hadn’t chased her, she wouldn’t have lost her balance and fallen to her death down the steep hill behind her house.
It had been a long day for me as well, and all I really wanted to do was hold Tessa in my arms and escape to a different world where it was just her and I. Leaving Jonathan and Kyle to hash things out, I headed up the stairs to do just that. When I got to the room, the comforter had been folded over, but Tessa wasn’t beneath the covers. Walking to the bathroom, I found her sunk on the floor next to the tub, with her head resting on her arms that were crossed at her knees. Her soul was broken, and as the sobs of sorrow rained down, I could see that it was taking all her spirit with it.
Taking a seat next to her, I pulled her close to me and reassured her, “It’s okay, baby. Everything will be okay.”
It pained me to see her so sad. I had no idea what she was going through, but one thing I did know, she was a fighter and she would get through this. Kissing the top of her head. I lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Looking at her once-brilliant blue eyes, I wanted nothing more than to comfort her. “Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow will be better, I promise.”
Helping her to her feet, her nightgown slid down her legs, and if there was such a thing as a true goddess, I was undoubtedly in the presence of one. Even with her eyes swollen and red, Tessa was the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on.
Making sure that she was settled in, I slid in beside her and moved my body close to hers. My arms wrapped around her warmth, totally engulfed in her sweet scent. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on her breathing, hoping that somehow it would lull me to sleep. So many thoughts had been running through my mind that not even the sweet sound of her sleeping could tame the battle that was taking place in my head. On one hand, I wanted to trust Kyle in doing the right thing by Tessa, but on the other hand, I didn’t know if I could trust him since he still worked for Colin. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that he picked this exact time to come forward, especially knowing what Jonathan and I had planned.
~*~*~*~
It was just after two in the morning and my eyes were still open. Grabbing my phone, I slipped out of bed and went downstairs to get something to drink. Looking back over to the bed before I left, I made sure that Tessa was still asleep. I was totally humbled by the way she looked. Beauty beyond anything I had ever witnessed.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I noticed that there was a dim light on in the living room. I wasn’t sure if it had been left on accidentally or if someone was as restless as I was. Walking toward the room, I could see that Jonathan was sitting in the leather chair once I reached the doorway. He had a crystal tumbler in his hand with a clear liquid which I knew had to be vodka. “Russian people and their vodka,” I thought to myself. Walking further inside the room, I helped myself to a glass of whisky and took a seat across from where he was sitting.
Jonathan must have been in deep thought because he didn’t say a word when I entered the room. Taking a drink of his vodka, he finally said, “You couldn’t sleep either.”
“Something like that,” I replied, taking a sip of my drink
“I should have told you the truth about Kyle,” he began. “I had no idea that he ended up working for Colin. I really think that he is done with him, especially knowing the truth.”
“So, you told him everything?” I probed.
“I thought it was best. I’m tired of keeping secrets. Now everything is out in the open,” Jonathan admitted.
“There is still one thing you haven’t mentioned,” I paused, downing the rest of my drink. “How did Vladimir die?”
His attention focused on me instead of the clear liquid in his glass. Jonathan’s eyes turned cold as though I had disgusted him with my question. Getting up from his chair, he walked over to where his vodka bottle was, half emptied, and he poured it in his glass until it was to the rim. Taking a drink where he stood, he finally turned to face me and said, “Colin killed him.”
I couldn’t believe that I had heard him right. “Colin killed him?”
“Yes, and even though he was my brother, I’m glad he did. He was the reason I lost Natalia. He was the reason I partnered with Colin.”
“So, what reason would Colin have to kill your brother?” I was becoming more and more confused by this whole triangle. I was beginning to think that there was more to their relationship than Jonathan was letting on.
“Because he hated him more than me. Vladimir went to work for him shortly after Natalia died. He thought that by working for Colin he could ruin me, only Colin caught on to his game. I had no idea what my brother was even up to, not until I found the drugs that Colin was smuggling through the business. His shipment was delivered to his overseas buyers short. Colin knew that I didn’t know that he was channeling his drugs through my business and the only other person who knew was Vladimir. So, in order to eliminate the problem, he had him killed.”
Everything about what Jonathan said was beginning to make sense. I didn’t have to ask to know that the reason Kyle began working for Colin was because of his dad. It didn’t take a genius to know that Colin knew Kyle’s father well, so why wouldn’t Colin commission him to go to work for him?
Between the liquor I consumed and the information I learned from Jonathan, my mind was exhausted. I just figured out why the reason behind the death of Vladimir wasn’t brought up. Even though I didn’t agree with Jonathan keeping this bit of information from Kyle, I understood how he wanted to preserve how Kyle felt about his father. And as much as Jonathan hated him, he would never intentionally hurt Kyle.
Finishing our little chat, I headed back up to my room where I knew Tessa would be. Checking the time, I realized that Jonathan and I had been talking for over an hour. Tessa was just as I left her. Snuggling up behind her, I rested my arm at her waist and closed my eyes. Her body moved until she found a more comfortable place. She took hold of my hand and placed it near her cheek. It was the sweetest display of affection that I had even been a part of. I was falling for her and my heart ached knowing that I wasn’t the man she thought I was. If she ever found out who I really was, it would kill her.