Chapter Nineteen
Fallon stared atthe letter in her hand, hoping the words would stop swirling around on the page.She’d read the damned thing multiple times, but she still found it impossible to comprehend.Looking up from her father’s masculine handwriting Fallon scanned the room until her eyes locked with Cameron Barnes.
“You knew, didn’t you?”She still couldn’t say the words—speaking them aloud was more than she could grasp at the moment.“The day I talked to Lilly, you sat in that chair,”—she motioned to the wingback seat he was sitting in now, before continuing—“and you let me talk about how I’d struggled for years to get to a point where my grief didn’t make the simple act of getting out of bed seemed like an insurmountable task.Yet you didn’t say anything.”
“I didn’t know as much as you seem to think, Fallon.In my experience, speaking up before you have all the facts is as dangerous as keeping quiet.I’d hoped your father left an explanation in the puzzle, and he did.”Cameron Barnes appeared unfazed by her anger, and if she was honest with herself, she’d admit her indignation was misplaced.He obviously sensed the shift because his expression softened.“I suspect it won’t take much research to uncover Hagan Brody’s connection to the people on that list.Personally, I doubt he is acting on his own.From what I’ve been able to learn, he is smart enough but highly unmotivated.Dealing with him will be easy, but you won’t be truly safe until we find out who’s calling the shots.”
Fallon agreed.She considered Hagan moderately intelligent, but he was much too lazy to ever be successful without his family’s help.His lack of motivation was one of the reasons she’d held a part of herself back when he’d insisted they were perfect for one another.She’d always felt disconnected from the relationship despite Hagan’s relentless pursuit.Call it intuition, but something had always warned her there was something fundamentally wrong with the relationship.
The paper she’d been holding slowly slipped from her fingers as a soft caress along the side of her neck pulled Fallon back to the moment.Watching Carson read the letter she’d been holding as Silas wrapped her in his warm embrace, Fallon wasn’t surprised when she heard Carson curse under his breath.The letter from her father included a detailed list of the people they’d investigated along with the location of the evidence gathered.When Carl handed her the puzzle’s interior cylinder, Cameron had immediately moved to her side, citing the Agency’s interest in the letter’s contents.Before she’d finished reading, he’d already grabbed his phone and moved from the room.When he returned, she’d asked why he hadn’t taken a picture of the list.He’d smiled and explained he’d only wanted to disclose the information relevant to the case.
Carson handed the letter to Silas before moving her into the circle of his arms while his friend read the letter.Fallon felt like she was watching everything from outside herself—the disconnection allowed her to take in the information without tumbling headfirst into the emotional storm lurking just under the surface.It was clear from her dad’s letter he didn’t think anyone knew their investigation was complete, but he’d been convinced most of the people they were watching wanted them out of the way before it went any further.
“I don’t know what to do.It’s overwhelming.”The realization her life had once again been turned on end was making her head spin.
“Cher, take a breath, baby.”Carson’s words sounded a million miles away.In the distance, she heard Silas shout something about making her sit down, but the words were lost in the loud buzzing filling her ears.Looking on through the fog was quickly becoming more trouble than it was worth.Darkness beckoned, and the peace it offered was too much to resist.
*
Carson watched Silaspull smelling salts from the cabinet in the club’s first aid station and slip the small vial into his pocket.Calling the state-of-the-art medical room a station was an inside joke.The story among members was that while the brothers argued over how to furnish the room, Jax and Micah took over the project.The two men consulted a trauma specialist with experience treating BDSM medical issues and finished the entire area while their bosses were on their first mission as private contractors.
Silas’s training as an EMT meant he’d been the one to sort through what the dungeon monitors calleda recovery kitas Carson stood by silently seething with anger.Coming from a family where secrets were essentially impossible to keep, he didn’t consider them an option, so it was hard for Carson to imagine anyone thinking the Fosters thought through this plan.Watching as she’d unrolled the letter, Carson’s attention shifted to Cam when he saw the man frown.When Barnes moved out of the room pressing numbers on his phone with more force than necessary, Carson stepped closer to the door so he could hear Cam’s side of the conversation.He promised to forward a copy of the list as soon as possible, but Carson got the impression Cam was leaving out something significant.When he’d read the letter, Carson understood the hesitance he’d sensed.A tap on his shoulder made Carson turn to find Cam looking at him in concern.Nodding toward the hall, Cam moved out the door without watching to see if Carson followed.
“I’m going to go home to make a few calls.I think it’s safe to say I’m not the first person Fallon will want to see when she comes fully awake.”Carson had never seen Cam look as regretful as he did now.It was easy to see the man hated the difficult position he’d found himself in.“CeCe is going to be pissed when she gets wind of this mess.It’ll be better if I talk to her before Tobi or Gracie get to her.Damn, this is a fucking train wreck.I can’t believe this shit.I barely knew the Fosters, and I’m up to my ass in alligators in their mess.”
Carson stared at the man for several seconds before shaking his head and laughing softly.“Man, I never thought I live to see the day a former spook would be worried about his wife hopping on the club gossip train.”
“Fuck you, Carson.You’re going to learn soon enough.Topping a smart woman is the best thing in the world.They learn the protocol quickly, and their intelligence makes earning their trust all the more precious—but having a sub who is brilliant and ambitious isn’t easy.They are always thinking several steps ahead and see through a smokescreen before you have time to finish the story.And none of this takes into account their network of equally bright, well-connected network of friends.”
Carson raised his hands in surrender, laughing because there was no doubt the man was speaking the truth, but it didn’t change how he felt about Fallon.“She’ll figure it out.I could see how overwhelmed she was, and you were the only person in the room who knew her parents.”Carson pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration before sinking both hands into his front pockets.Rocking back on his heels, Carson grinned, “We’ll talk to her, Cam.For the record, did you know what her dad set up?”The decision her parents made was so far beyond his comprehension, it was difficult for Carson to imagine.
“Not until a few hours ago.That’s why I couldn’t honestly deny the accusation I saw in her eyes.I probably should have suspected something was off earlier, but even though we were both employed by the Agency, we weren’t close.I didn’t know them well.We worked on different types of cases, so our paths rarely crossed.”Cam was choosing his words carefully, and Carson understood the corner his friend had been painted into—and that it wasn’t his own doing.“I will appreciate your help—God knows Carl isn’t going to help.He’s pissed as hell already.I looked at the letter even though he was adamant it was important for Fallon to have first dibs.I’m not going to apologize because it gave me a chance to get a little ahead of this thing.”
“Meaning?”Carson knew Cam Barnes well enough to know if he said he’d gotten ahead of a situation, he had every piece of information available.He’d bet his sizable bank balance Cam already knew everything there was to know about the Fosters.One of the many things Carson admired about Cam was his resourcefulness.The man had contacts everywhere and could pull together information faster than any government on the planet.
“I found a couple living in a beach house in Aruba, I believe to be Fallon’s parents.”Carson should have been shocked by the revelation, but knowing Cam’s ability to track down anyone no matter how hard they tried to hide—it wasn’t as big a surprise as it should have been.“They’ve changed their names and had some minor facial surgery, but if I could find them, others will do the same.Cooper is on a plane as we speak.I want confirmation before taking the information to Fallon.I don’t want her to suffer losing them again if this doesn’t pan out.”
“Thank you.The letter indicates they were planning to disappear, but she needs to know for sure one way or another.”Carson wondered how much more Fallon could take.She’d weathered storm after storm, but even stone erodes when the wind and waves are relentless.Everyone has a breaking point, and he hoped like hell she would let them help.He and Silas couldn’t change what had already happened, but they could help her sort through the emotional aftermath.
Once Cam turned to leave, Carson stepped back into the first aid station and felt his heart tighten in his chest.Fallon was sitting alone on the table, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.Silas was rifling through a medicine cabinet, chatting away, but it was clear she didn’t hear a word.Carson couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone look so utterly lost.Moving to her side, Carson lifted her from the table before moving to a nearby chair.Settling her on his lap, he felt her stiffen before burying her face against his neck.Nearly silent sobs wracked her slender frame, the small sound drawing Silas’s attention—finally.
“What happened?She was sitting on the table a few seconds ago.”Filling a syringe, Silas moved to Fallon’s side.Swabbing her arm, he held the thin barrel of the syringe where she could see it.“This is a mild sedative, Fallon.It won’t make you sleep but will calm the storm enough you won’t feel as though you’ve been strapped into a never-ending roller coaster.”He waited for her to voice an objection.When she nodded, he quickly administered the sedative.Carson wasn’t sure what Silas gave her or, but the effect was almost immediate.Whether the change was due to the medication or simply because she was expecting relief, Carson wasn’t sure.
“I hope he gave you something good, girlfriend.Damn, you’ve been through the wringer.”Tobi stood in the open doorway, looking at Fallon and shaking her head.“Lilly always tells me everyone is destined to have a certain number of challenges in their life.Some folks have all those bumps in the road spread out, and others seem to run into them like those damn rumble strips on the side of the freeway.Looks like you’re racking up a lot of yours all at once, so you should have smooth sailing for many years after you power through this mess.”
“Thanks.I hope you’re right.Right now, it all feels like a strange dream where some elements feel real, and others are so outrageous you know they’re nothing more than my imagination running wild.”
“I’d be happy to call Lilly if you’d like to talk to her.I’m sure Kent and Kyle have called their dads, but as much as she may want to—I know she won’t get into this unless you ask for her.As protective as she is, my mother-in-law respects the people she loves and tries to remember relationships have boundaries.”
“Since when?”Kent’s voice preceded his appearance.Stepping from a hidden door at the side of the room, he looked at his wife and grinned.
“I’m going to throw you under the bus so fast you won’t even see it coming.You have no idea how blessed you are to have Lilly West as a mother, and I’m not even going to mention how amazing your dads are.Boy, oh boy, you’re going to be in so much trouble.You better start figuring out how you’re going to make this up to your mama.”Tobi’s shift in direction served its purpose, and Carson was beginning to wonder if perfectly timed distractions were the woman’s superpower.Fallon looked at her friend, and Carson could practically hear her unspoken questions.
“Silas gave me a small dose sedative.Before it levels me, I want to ask you a question.”Tobi stepped closer, making certain Fallon knew she had the other woman’s undivided attention.“As a parent, could you ever walk away from your children?Simply disappear, leaving behind a note saying call me after all the smoke clears?”To Tobi’s credit, she didn’t hesitate before pulling a chair so close she and Fallon were practically touching.
“There isn’t anything in this world I wouldn’t do to protect my kids.Don’t get me wrong, Fallon, I don’t agree with the way your parents handled this mess.I’m sure they assumed you would read the note long before now.They further assumed you’d know who to contact with the list, which seems like a huge leap since they hadn’t leveled with you about what they were doing.It seems like they made a lot of assumptions and took chances I’d never consider, but honestly, I don’t think any of us have enough information to judge them.Would I like to step between you and them to demand they answer a hundred and one questions?Damn straight.As your friend, I’d like to protect you from the pain, but I can’t.What I can do is stand beside you, listen when you need to talk, and kick the ass of anyone you point out.”By the time Tobi was finished, Fallon’s eyes were shining with unshed tears, but Carson could feel the tension ebbing away from her.
“Thanks.I’d like to give the pool party another shot.Hopefully, Hagan will go back to New York as soon as he learns the list has been turned over to whoever gets that sort of thing.I’d like to enjoy those margaritas without looking over my shoulder the whole time.”Fallon rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her mind focused, but Carson suspected she was losing the battle.“Knowing he only dated me to get to the puzzle should probably be humbling, but all I feel is relief.I’m happy to know I’m not a magnet for pricks.”