Page 53 of Unexpected Complication

“Why?”

“It was personal. Orson Valenti wasn’t much older than Tony, but he’d fit a lot of living into those years. Tony had only two loves in his life—killing people and his sister, Gina, whom he adored. Somehow, Orson and Tony’s sister got involved, and he got her pregnant. When she told him, he told her to take a hike. She killed herself.”

“How awful. Did she know what Tony, ah, did for a living?”

“No. He kept her and his professional life totally separate. Orson never knew she was Tony’s sister. Tony held Orson responsible for her death. He decided he was going to infiltrate his organization and destroy it. Let Orson see it crumble before his eyes, and then, he would kill him. He knew nothing would crush Orson more than seeing his empire fall to ruin. Tony knew he’d have to become visible in order for it to happen, and he started moving forward with his plans.” I paused. “But time ran out for him.”

“So he decided he needed to make it happen, regardless.”

I nodded. “Tony was not only a terrifying criminal, he was completely OCD. He wrote everything—and I mean everything—down. Every hit. Every kill. Every conversation. He had it all.” I looked at Skylar. “And he knew about me.”

“What?”

“He knew who I was. He was the one who murdered my dad.”

Skylar’s eyes widened. “But…”

“It was a hit for Orson. Remember the pocket watch I was telling you about?”

She nodded.

“Orson Valenti is the worst kind of criminal,” I sneered. “He plays with people’s lives. He decides who lives and dies if you cross his path. And he likes to collect things to help him remember, because he’s a sick, twisted fuck. He had Tony remove my dad’s pocket watch and send it to him. It has our family crest on it. The same one both Sean and I have tattooed on our shoulders.

“When Tony was making his plans, he saw me one day, running. He said my hair caught his eye. He followed me, and he saw the crest on my shoulder. He remembered my dad and the watch. It didn’t take him long to put it all together, and he knew he had the way of bringing Orson down.”

“Your hair is unusual. It’s such a bright red.”

I smiled ruefully. “I got it from my mother’s side of the family. My dad was Italian, but my mom was Irish. Hence, the hair and the name. It drove me crazy all my life. I always stood out in pictures and crowds. I wore a hat most of my teenage years.”

Skylar smiled.

“I grew out of it. It has actually darkened a bit as I grew older, but it is still very—” I stopped speaking and shrugged.

“Red,” she finished. “Like his.”

“Yes.”

“So, you became him.”

“I spent the last months of his life with him. I immersed myself in his history until I knew I could be him and do this.”

“How did you stand being with the person who killed your father?”

“It wasn’t easy. I wanted to kill him when I first found out. But the cancer was eating away at him so fast, and he was in so much pain, I decided that was far more punishment than I could inflict. I wanted to get to Orson Valenti and punish him for what he took away from me. I wanted revenge.”

“And Sean was okay with this? Your superiors let you do this, knowing your history?”

“My superiors know nothing about why I’m doing this, except to bring in Orson Valenti. Tony made his confession to me in secret. Once I told Sean the truth, he wanted to be on board. With his contacts and record, he had no problem making that happen. My father has never been mentioned.”

Skylar looked panicked, grasping at my hand. “Cian, if Orson finds out…he’ll kill you both.”

I flipped my palm over, encasing both her hands in mine. “He won’t. We’ve been careful, and we’re close. I’ll have everything I need soon, and we can bring him down.”

Her voice was quiet. “Are you going to kill him?”

“No. He’s going to jail. I’ll let his enemies take care of that for me.” I dropped my head back, staring at the ceiling. “I want the fucker to suffer. I want him to know everything is gone. Every bit of his money will disappear. All of his drug circles wiped out. Everything he prized so highly and gained with the blood of other people will be gone. And then, one day, not long after he walks through that prison door, he’ll be cornered, and long before he dies, he’ll be pleading for it. I swear on my father’s grave that’s what will happen to Orson. He will suffer.”

“Cian…please…” Skylar’s voice was filled with pain.