Chapter Twenty-One
Roselli dropped his arms, but his smile remained. “You made the right decision. Running would have made this worse.”
“You didn’t have to hurt him,” I said to Roselli, refusing to look back at James. “I’d have done anything you asked.”
He shrugged and aimed his gun at me. The man with the bandaged nose moved to Roselli’s side, but kept his gun trained steadily on Mack.
“Let them go, Nino. The diamond’s gone; it wasn’t here. By hurting them, you’ll only make things worse for yourself. You know that.”
With every word Mack spoke, Roselli’s body hardened. His shoulders lifted with tension, and his face creased with anger.
“You know, more than anyone else, that this is about much more than me or than the diamond.”
Mack’s temple pulsed, and Roselli waved the barrel of his gun between me and Mack. His smile was a cold thing, and a shiver ran up my spine. “Let’s get down to business. If the necklace isn’t here”—he paused and looked around—“where, may I ask, is it?”
“I don’t know,” Mack said. “Lost? It’s been a century since anyone has seen it. It could be anywhere.”
“Now, we know that isn’t true. Our girl here saw it in her drift. I’m not sure how all of this works, but I do know one thing. She’s the key to finding it.”
Mack’s jaw clenched, and when he made a move toward Roselli, the gunman clicked his tongue and waved him back. “How did you find out Abigail could drift?” Mack asked. “Who told you?”
Roselli’s lips curled in a gruesome smile. “Elaina.” He let the word sink in, and I watched as Mack’s lips parted in surprise. “She told me all about your drift—about what you could do.”
A million thoughts ran across his face. “She wouldn’t. She swore.”
Roselli’s face hardened. “She was dying. People say and do the strangest things—my daughter included.”
“Elaina was your daughter’s name?” I swung toward Mack, my eyes wide. “And you knew her?”
“You haven’t told her?” Roselli asked, gesturing to me with his gun. “Wow. Agent McCormack, I’m surprised. Truly.”
The muscle in Mack’s temple popped in and out, and my blood ran cold.
“You see, our mutual friend here was engaged to my daughter, Elaina. Of course, this was a while ago now, and obviously before he joined the bureau.” He stepped toward us, and his cold eyes ran up Mack’s face. “I didn’t have a son. My wife died just after our daughter was born, and I never had the chance. When I met Colin, here, I thought that this was my chance. I loved him like my own, and I’d like to think that he thought of me as a father. Lord knows, he needed one.”
Mack’s face was rigid as stone, and his eyes were glittering emeralds.
“The legend of the lost Florentine diamond had been in my family for years. It was stolen in 1922 from my grandfather, and he spent the remainder of his life looking for it—he died for it. My Elaina, she found my grandfather’s papers, his notes about where the necklace might have gone, and she was intrigued.”
He took several casual steps toward me, as if he had all the time in the world. “She and Colin spent months looking for it. They talked to my cousin Evelyn, much like you and your friend here did.” He motioned between me and James. “Which led them to this house, and after that, everything changed.”
They glared at each other for a long minute. “I’ve never been able to understand why, after coming here, you’d break off your engagement and hurt my Elaina the way you did.”
When Mack didn’t answer right away, Nino lifted his gun a little higher toward my head. “We were young. I didn’t love her the way I should.”
“No,” Roselli disagreed. “You loved her, but something happened here, and because of that, Elaina is dead.”
“Elaina’s death was tragic, but she died of a heart defect. Nothing else.”
What I thought might be tears glistened in his eyes before he blinked them back. “She was healthy. It wasn’t until you broke her that she got sick. This is your fault.”
Mack shook his head, but Roselli silenced him when he waved the gun at my face.
“When Elaina first told me about your drift, I thought it was from all the medication. It wasn’t until I saw you, outside that new apartment of yours, changing her tire, that I realized this was something much more.” He gestured at me. “She looked so much like the girl from the newspaper clipping that I knew it couldn’t be coincidence.” He raised his eyebrows. “She’s a part of your drift. And knowing what you could do, I guessed she could do the same.”
“But why do this?” Mack motioned to the room.
A huff of air blew through Roselli’s nose. “I thought that’d be obvious.” Roselli pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. “Because you love her, and there is nothing I’ve wanted more than to take something you love and destroy it. The necklace is for my Elaina. Her death—” Roselli pointed at me. “That’s for me.”
Roselli turned away from Mack and faced me. “So please, let’s get on with it, shall we? You’re going to drift to find my necklace.”
“It’s not voluntary,” I said, my voice rough like gravel.
He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with a thoughtful expression. “Grab him,” he said as he nodded his head in James direction.
“What’re you doing?” I asked him, but the only answer I received was Roselli raising his gun to my chest. The gunman moved swiftly into the kitchen, and my stomach hollowed when he disappeared behind the wall. Seconds later, James groaned. The man rounded the corner, his body bent as he dragged James by the ankles. I voiced something, maybe a lot of somethings, until he dropped his legs.
“There. Now, please, explain again to me how this is at all voluntary.” He pointed his gun at James.
“You can’t kill him. Please, you can’t,” I said in a rush.
“Oh, see, that’s where you’re entirely wrong. I can and will.”
I swallowed. My thoughts were spinning, my stomach in knots.
“Can’t you see she doesn’t know where it is?” Mack said.
“Then I’ll help her remember.” Roselli grabbed James by the collar. I could see the pain that shot through him, but he didn’t make a sound. He breathed thickly through his nose and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.
“Let him go, please—” I begged as I bent at the waist.
“You said you’d do anything,” Roselli reminded me. “I’m counting on you. But be aware that my patience is running thin.”
He dropped James and stood tall. Mack grabbed me by the upper arm and spun me around. “You can’t do this. You’ll die.”
I pulled away and shook my head. “Look around you, Mack. What choice do I have? I have to try.”
I didn’t wait for his response but walked to James’s side. His olive skin was pale and damp with sweat. I reached forward and combed his hair away from his face.
“McCormack’s right. Don’t do this,” James said, his voice a whisper.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” I took his hand in mine and laced our fingers together. A familiar energy hummed between us, and I reveled in its warmth as I felt the pull of my drift.
James’s face blurred, and for an instant, I was back inside that living room where the smell of cigar smoke was thick, and a moment later, I was back like I’d never been there at all.
“How long is this going to take?” Roselli’s asked when I opened my eyes. James fingers were limp around mine, his arm heavy and still.
“James?” I asked bringing my other hand to his face. “James,” I said louder, but his eyes remained closed, and his features were slack. I pressed my hand to his neck and desperately felt for a pulse. “No, no!”
I looked at Mack. “Do something,” I yelled. “Help me.”
Mack dropped to James’s other side and listened at his mouth. “He’s breathing. It’s shallow, but he’s breathing.”
“I can’t drift without him.” I looked up to Roselli, whose face was carefully composed. “I need to get him help. I won’t be able to help you if he dies.”
He pointed the gun at me. “You’re not calling anyone until I get what I want.”
I turned to Mack, desperate. “You have to help me.”
“You know what this could mean.”
“I don’t care, I have to try—you have to help me try.”
“If your heart stops beating, there’s no coming back.”
“Then keep my heart beating. Do this for me.”
His eyes were wary, but when I reached for his hand, he didn’t resist. I took a deep breath and took a final step. We stood chest to chest, and I wound my fingers through his.
Seconds ticked by.
“It’s not working,” I said. My body shook with a sob that bowed my shoulders.
Every other time, it’d been so easy. A touch, a glance, and I was there. But now, in the moment that mattered most, my drift was painfully out of reach, and James—
Mack folded me into his chest and wrapped his arms around my back. “From the moment I first saw you, I knew you’d change my life, I just never knew how much.” He leaned close, our faces inches apart.
“Please,” he whispered in my ear. “Promise you’ll come back.”
“I promise.” I choked on the words, hating how familiar they were.
He wet his lips and his hand ran the length of my neck a second before he leaned forward and kissed me. His lips were soft and somehow sad—full of unspoken promises and unfulfilled hopes. My hands moved up his chest and grasped his neck.
My drift came quickly, then, and the world fell away as I was whisked through time.
“What have you done?” Colin roared from behind me. I fell backward, and he grabbed at my waist to guide me to the ground.
I groaned once then promptly clenched my teeth to prevent another from escaping. Voicing the pain only made it worse. Blood oozed from a small hole in my stomach, and my dress, a beautiful olive green, turned molten black.
Colin grabbed my hands and pressed them against the wound. On contact, I screamed with pain. He slithered out from behind me and laid me down with care. “Stay like this. Don’t move.”
Colin disappeared and there was talking. No, there was yelling, but the pain was so intense, I couldn’t understand what was being said. Sweat, cold and clammy, dampened my skin, and I felt the room tilt, even though I was already lying down.
I took a shallow breath. “Colin,” I said, but I could barely hear my own voice.
I shifted to my side and winced at the lighting that shot from my belly and out through my limbs. Clenching my eyes shut, I tried to force the pain away, but it didn’t help.
“Colin,” I said as I turned my head in search of him.
He was there, only a few feet in front of me. Roselli held his gun aloft, and they were screaming. The words registered, but nothing made sense. Colin ducked and charged forward, knocking Roselli to the ground. His arm whipped back, and the gun fired at the ceiling. A second later, they landed in a pile on the floor.
There was a struggle, but it didn’t last long. Colin was too strong, too fast, and too angry. The gun fired again, and for a moment, neither man moved. I thought the worst, but seconds later, Colin stood, and I saw Roselli’s gun dangling from his fingers.
“I have your necklace,” Colin said, staring down at his body. He reached into his breast pocket and retrieved the jewel, letting it dangle in front of him.
“Give it to me,” Roselli said as he struggled to sit up. Blood poured from his chest, in a spot just above his heart.
Colin’s smile was flat and lacked warmth. “I would never give you the satisfaction.” He lifted the gun and shot Roselli again. He fell backward and landed with a thud, a hole between his eyes.
Tossing the gun on the floor, he dropped to his knees next to me. “What were you thinking?” he asked, his eyes roving over my body.
My lips trembled with a smile.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t know.” I wanted to laugh, to ease the pain that tortured his eyes, but I managed only a wince.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. His face was drawn with sadness. “I’m going to get help. You’ll be fine, just lie still. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No,” I said. I swallowed and could taste blood. “Don’t go.”
“I have to,” he said, his eyes shining with tears. He pushed from the ground, but just before he stood, I touched his hand, and he paused.
“I’m not going to make it,” I said, and even though he shook his head vehemently no, I continued, “and I don’t want to die alone.”
Colin shook his head again. “You’ll be alright.”
I lifted a hand and placed it over his. “No more lies.”
“I just wanted you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I know,” I said. “I know.” I shivered and my teeth chattered.
Colin moved and curled behind me. With gentle care, he slipped his arm under my head and worked his body to curve behind mine. We lay in silence while I absorbed his warmth.
“What can I do?” he asked.
“Tell me a story,” I said, closing my eyes.
“What kind of story do you want to hear?”
“A love story.”
Colin sighed. “I only know one love story, and I’m afraid it doesn’t have a happy ending.”
“Of course it does. Tell me.” The pain was radiating. I could feel it everywhere, as if every inch of my body had been pierced by the bullet. “Please, just talk.” I could feel his hesitation and heard it in the soft groan he emitted before he spoke.
“This story is about a boy who loved a girl that was never meant to be his.” His arms tightened around me.
“Sounds like a good story.”
“I told you it doesn’t end well.” Colin’s fingers wrapped around mine.
“All love stories have a happy ending.”
Colin shifted next to me. “I beg to disagree, but I’ll tell you anyway. This boy was in trouble. He did bad things for bad people. One day, he was sent to do a job not unlike every other job he was sent to do. The only difference was that the person he was sent to kill was a prominent society member. The boy knew he’d have to be careful. He’d have to research, and wait for the perfect opportunity. After all, this man would be missed—quite unlike most of the men the boy had to deal with.”
“Thomas,” I breathed in an effort to keep myself engaged and the unconsciousness at bay.
Colin swallowed but didn’t agree or disagree. “This man worked at a beautiful hotel. He was wealthy and had everything, but he made a mistake. He fell in love with a woman he had no business being with.”
“Valentina,” I said.
“The boy watched him day and night, but it was the day he loved most, because during the daytime, he got to see her.”
“Who? Valentina?” I asked.
“No. This was someone different. She worked at the hotel. She sat behind a big desk and had this hair that was so blonde it was nearly white. She had the most beautiful smile. That’s why he noticed her in the first place, and it wasn’t long before the boy fell in love with her.”
“But he didn’t know her.”
“He didn’t have to. He saw her when no one was looking. He saw her when she thought she was alone. He saw who she really was, and he loved her more than he loved anything. Because in the world where he lived, such beauty, such a pure heart, well, those things didn’t exist.
“He dreamed of a life where he was a different kind of man. The kind of man that would deserve her love. But he knew it would never be a possibility. It wasn’t long before his colleagues took notice. They teased him about her. They reminded him that she was out of his reach, and he knew they were right.
“One evening, the boy’s boss told him the man he was to kill had stolen something valuable from him, and the boy needed to get it back. He explained it wasn’t a good night, the hotel was having a party, but the boss wouldn’t relent.
“They found the man on a street corner, and when they questioned him about the stolen jewelry, the man denied having it. The boss didn’t believe him and ordered the boy to shoot the man. It was then that the boy saw the witnesses. He chased them into an alleyway, but somehow, one of them—a girl—had disappeared.”
Colin fell silent, and my eyes drifted closed. I could no longer grip his hand, and my fingers fell limp. A part of me burned to hear the rest of his story so I could die knowing the truth, but I didn’t have the strength to encourage him to continue.
I was fading when his voice broke through my consciousness. “After questioning the witness, and impatient with his refusal to cooperate, the boy’s boss shot him dead.”
Colin fell quiet, and I forced my eyes to open. “It wasn’t you? You didn’t kill James?” His eyes welled with tears, and he swallowed.
“The boy searched the man’s body in case he was hiding the stolen jewelry in a pocket. He didn’t find the stolen necklace, but he did find something else. A diamond ring. The center stone was large, and even in the darkened alleyway, the boy could tell it was excellent quality. He left the ring in the man’s pocket and stood, knowing there was still a second witness to find.
“The boy searched the alley and peered down into a hole covered with a grate. He was just about to pass over it when he caught a glimpse of something. It was shining in the crack of moonlight, something silver or white. The boy stared and it moved farther into the shadows, but it was the way it moved that caught the boy’s attention. He knew the tilt of the head. He knew the color of the hair. He knew the girl hiding in the hole.”
“It was you that covered the grate,” I said in with a whisper of breath.
“He left the girl he loved hiding in that hole, but he couldn’t leave her alone. Not when his boss would be searching for her. He took the diamond ring from the man’s pocket, and later that night, the boy came back for her. He wanted to be kind—to be everything for her, because she deserved so much more. So much better.
“His plan had always been to tell her the truth, but the days turned to weeks and the weeks to months. He knew it wasn’t an excuse, but after getting to know her, he loved her even more, and he couldn’t bear the thought that she’d look at him with hate and anger.
“After years of earning her trust, even though he knew he’d never really have her love, he asked her to marry him. He gave her the ring she was supposed to have gotten from another man. It was his way of giving her what she’d always wanted.”
His voice distant, and the pain that had been so brilliant had faded like the setting sun.
“Abigail?” he said. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
I opened my eyes to see Colin leaning over me. He was slipping the diamond ring I’d cruelly thrown at him back on my finger. His face was etched with pain.
“I ruined you,” he said. “And as much as I wish I could take it back, I can’t.”
Tears dripped down my temples and into my hair. “You didn’t ruin me.” I reached up and placed my hand against his cheek. “You saved me. That night and every night after.”
“I love you, Abby.” He pressed his lips against my forehead. “Forgive me.”
My heart broke. Not because of his words. I knew he loved me. But I finally saw our relationship, our marriage, as he did, and I saw his sacrifice.
“I love you,” I said, and my eyes drifted closed. I was light as air, and with my last, long exhale, my heart stopped beating.