| |
Virginia
––––––––
Virginia sucked in a lungful of crisp, clean air and looked down at the stunning vista below. Rolling hills spread out in every direction, dotted with lots of fluffy, white sheep among an abundance of rocks and boulders. A soft breeze carried subtle scents of wild grass, heather and pine. Hiking the Highlands was invigorating, especially without the heavy weight she’d carried on her shoulders for so long. But the ache in her chest was still there.
In the months since Darius’s death, she’d been steadily working her way northwest through Europe, avoiding commercialized travel and staying off the grid. Doing small jobs that required nothing more than a few days of prep, a few weeks at most. Child’s play for someone with her skills, and woefully anti-climactic after Kristikos.
She was thankful for them, though. They gave her something to focus on besides that huge well of emptiness inside. Taking down Darius had been her sole ambition for so long. Now that he was finally gone, she’d lost her primary reason for, well, for everything.
To think, she’d almost blown it all. Years of work nearly tossed away in the blink of an eye, and for what? A man?
No, not just any man, she answered herself, accepting the ache and sense of loss that came every time she allowed herself to think about Gabriel Michaels.
Choosing Gabe’s life over Christos’s had seriously jeopardized what she’d believed was her only chance of getting close to Darius, but it really hadn’t been a choice, not at all. Christos would have killed Gabe in cold blood, and even though it would have been Chris’s finger on the trigger, it would have been a black mark on her soul. Virginia had done some bad things in the interest of the greater good, but no amount of time or effort invested could ever have justified that.
In a bizarre twist of fate, it was Christos’s death that had given her the opening she’d needed. In his grief, Darius had been so desperate for information about what had happened to his son, he hadn’t hesitated to bring her into his home.
Of course, he didn’t know then that she had been the one who’d pulled the trigger. No one did, with the exception of Gabe. There were no eye-witnesses who would go running back to Darius. As far as Darius knew, Christos had sent her away in an effort to protect her, because that’s what she’d told him.
That was her big reveal in those last, sweet, sweet moments when Darius himself stared down the barrel of her gun. She’d made sure he knew exactly who she was and what she’d done before she killed him, taking a measure of perverse satisfaction in the sheer hatred she’d seen in his eyes, because it was only at that moment he could truly understand her pain.
She’d taken his sons, years after Darius Kristikos had taken hers.
It wasn’t exactly the same. She hadn’t set out with the intention of killing either Robert or Christos. Both were just supposed to be a means of getting to Darius, nothing more.
Neither one of them had been innocents, either. Their hands might not have been as dirty as their father’s, but they weren’t lily white. Robert was a philandering asshole who used his good looks and his position at the university to enjoy extra office hours with pretty, young coeds. Christos used his “legitimate” businesses to launder billions in illegal arms trafficking, indirectly playing a part in the loss of thousands of lives.
Her boys, though . . . their only crime was having a father who worked for Darius Kristikos. Not a day went by when she didn’t feel the pain of their loss. It wasn’t as sharp as it had once been. Twenty years had dulled the edge somewhat. But not enough. It would never be enough.
Her phone chimed, bringing her back to the present. She looked down at the screen, seeing the message from Taser. Her boss. Her savior. And the only other person alive who knew the truth.
Time to come home.
A shiver ghosted over her skin at the thought of returning to the US. She hadn’t been back since that clusterfuck with Christos. Inwardly, she winced, knowing that she’d left a hell of a mess for Taser to clean up in her wake. Yet clean up he had, working his magic to minimize the fallout. Now, it seemed, the bill had come due.
She could ignore the summons and just disappear, but she wouldn’t do that. It was Taser who had taught her everything, given her the means and the opportunity to exact vengeance. Because of him, she would live the rest of her days in relative peace, knowing that the world was a better place without Darius Kristikos in it. She’d gladly spend the rest of her days repaying that debt.
Virginia took one last look around, inhaled deeply, then turned and began the long hike back toward town.