AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you remember me telling you about the man who taught me to shoot? The man who helped me get a new identity? The man who helped me escape?” I move next to Sam, across from George, trying desperately to figure this all out. “That was him,” I tell him before turning back to George. “What are you doing here? You told me never to contact you again, to cut all ties and never look back. I don’t understand why you’re here, and what any of this has to do with Sam.”
Before George can answer, Sam does. “Let me make sure I’m getting this right. This man, who came to our house in the middle of the fucking night, like only a killer would have the balls to do, is the man who helped you get away from who? The Canadian drug cartel that your mother and stepfather were running drugs for? The cartel you were scared would find you and kill you because you stole their money? He let you think he was helping you? Keeping you safe?”
“Anastasia...” George interrupts.
Sam startles me when he rounds his desk and pistol-whips George across the face, splitting his cheek and leaving a small trickle of red blood dripping down toward his jaw. “What did I say? Do not fucking speak to her. Sit there, shut up, and I may let you leave here alive.” Sam’s gun is still in his hand, and if I know this man at all, I know he’s nearing the end of his patience.
“He was helping me, Sam. I don’t know what he’s doing here now, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him helping me three years ago.”
He looks at me with pity in his eyes, and my blood boils.
“I’m not sure what he was doing, Amelia, but he wasn’t helping you. That man, there, is the Canadian cartel. He runs it. He’s who you stole the money from.” Sam’s voice is cold. Hard. I’m not sure who he’s angrier with. Me for not listening to him, or George for coming here. “He had the power to do whatever he wanted. He runs the whole fucking thing.”
“You’re wrong.” He’s wrong. He has to be wrong. “No. George helped me. He helped us. My mom and me.” I look over at George, knowing Sam would never lie to me, and the pieces of the riddle become clearer. “Tell him he’s wrong, George. Tell him you don’t know what he’s talking about. Tell him you were like a father to me.” When George looks at me with pity in his eyes, much the same way Sam did earlier, I decide that’s enough pity for one night.
Raising my gun, I aim at his T-zone like he taught me to do all those years ago. “I’m a good shot, old man. I was taught by the best. Tell me Sam’s wrong.”
“He’s not wrong, Anastasia.” George’s eyes flick toward Sam, silently asking for permission to answer. The two men stay locked in a death stare until Sam finally nods his head once, allowing George to speak.
The dumb man doesn’t realize he should be more worried about me right now than the man standing next to me.
If I kill him tonight, Sam would gladly clean up my mess.
“You were so young, Anastasia. There was never a need to tell you what we were doing. Why would we? I was always vigilant to keep my professional and personal lives very separate. But your mother was different. There was always something about her. I promised her if you ever needed it, you’d have my protection. I tried to make sure you’d never need it, that you were prepared to defend yourself in any situation. Watching you grow up, and helping you learn how to protect yourself was one thing. But then one day, you weren’t a little girl anymore. You were a beautiful young woman, and you needed me, Anastasia. She died, and your stepfather attacked you. And I wanted to protect you so badly, but keeping you wrapped up in my life wasn’t the answer. If you’d given me any inclination you wanted to stay... that you wanted to stay with me, I’d have told you everything. But you kept saying you wanted to get away, so I waited until the time was right and hid the money in your mother’s closet. I left it there for you to find, for you to start a new life with.”
My heart is in my throat as he unloads all his truths. “Oh my God. I was a child. You were the closest thing I ever had to a father. I feel sick.”
“No one was ever coming after you. Because I never told anyone you had the money. I said I didn’t know what your mother and stepfather did with it before she died, and he went to prison. I told them to leave it be. You were safe. You were gone. And you were living your new life. That’s all I wanted for you.” George hasn’t moved a muscle since he started speaking. His eyes are locked on mine while my gun remains trained on him... until I turn to Sam.
“Did you know? Were you keeping this from me?” Please, God, don’t let that be the case.
Sam flinches infinitesimally at my question.
George wouldn’t have noticed it.
But I did.
“No, Amelia. I knew George was the head of the cartel because he’s who I met with to clear your debt. To make you safe. To make it so you never felt like you had to look over your shoulder again. I had no idea he was the man you told me about until now.” The cool distance in Sam’s voice hurts worse than knowing George betrayed me, but what should I expect when I basically just asked him if he betrayed me too.
“Why are you here now, George? Why tell me now? I need to know the whys if I’m going to wrap my head around this. I need to know why you were so willing to push me away before but needed me to know the truth now,” I demand.
“That’s not up to me. That’s up to Sam.” George crosses his leg at the knees and waits for the explosion, knowing he just lit a bomb.
I turn to Sam. “What’s he talking about?”
Sam’s jaw clenches tightly.
Fury rolls off him in red hot waves.
Maybe George didn’t light the bomb.
Maybe I did.
