Chapter 21

<Victoria Grayson>

Carter walks through the door but he doesn't look drunk or angry. His face actually holds no emotion. He sees me and his eyes light up a little but his mouth doesn't change.

"Your mom told me what happened. I'm sorry you got hurt." Carter says as he takes off his shirt and goes searching for one in his closet.

"Like you care." I mutter and twist my wet hair up into a bun.

"I do, I'm sorry about what I did a few weeks ago. I don't know what overtook me." Carter buttons up one of his nice business shirts and then goes looking for a tie.

"You almost murdered me." I say in a strained whisper before sitting on my bed with my arms crossed.

"Victoria, there are dangerous people in this world. People worse than me and I'm sorry I let them control me." Carter sits down next to me and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I don't want I'm sorry. I want to know why everyone, including my own fiancée wants me dead." I run my thumb under my eye but nothing can stop my tears now.

"There's something you need to know." Carter admits with a deep exhale.

"If you're going to tell me something, I want to know it all. I don't want anything vague; I want a complete truthful answer that won't leave me with even more questions." I snap, not even bothering to correct my tone.

I'm so done being played...

"You're not going to like what you hear." He stares down at his lap, not meeting my harsh glare.

"I don't give a damn anymore. I was almost murdered and then I was attacked again tonight. I want the truth and if you won't give it to me then I'll go find someone who will." I stand up after my rant but Carter pulls me back down.

"What do you know about where Gavin works?" Carter asks in a serious tone.

"I know he's an assassin for hire and I know you work where he does. I also know that he has some mission in the city but he wouldn't tell me anymore than that." I cross my arms because this truth session is becoming a bit redundant.

"Victoria, Gavin wasn't assigned to kill just anyone...He was assigned to kill you." Carter draws in a deep breath and I feel my heart break in half.

Gavin's been lying to me the whole time...he never loved me; he was just stringing me along until the perfect opportunity came along for him to kill me. But then why am I still breathing instead of 6 feet under the ground?

"Victoria," Carter says in a soothing voice. "I'm sorry it turned out this way."

"He'd never do that to me." I mutter after much thought.

I feel Carter grip my shoulder tighter.

"Why the hell do you still believe the best of him even after I told you that he was assigned to murder you?" Carter snaps in anger.

"He's had so much opportunity to kill me...If he was ever going to do it, I wouldn't still be sitting here, breathing, almost 4 weeks after meeting him." I state in a soft voice.

"Gavin was assigned to murder you Victoria. You can't get around that fact!" Carter shouts and stands up from the bed.

"He hasn't acted upon it yet but you did act upon it...You almost stabbed me to death in an alleyway, Carter Jacobson." I feel my eyes burn and my heart ache as I stare into his eyes.

"Fine, who cares if you believe me but I think you should talk to Gavin about it." Carter says, his tone dripping with misplaced anger.

"Maybe I will."

My pulse quickens and I feel my heart break each time what Carter told me crosses my mind. The worst part is that there's nothing I can do to stop those thoughts. I can't forgive Gavin for this and for not telling me.

"While you're at it you should go talk to your mom about Talon Tenebris." Carter mutters, running his fingers through his hair.

"What?" I ask looking up at him. "I don't know who that is."

"Well she does and you deserve to know who that is because he's the one who assigned Gavin to kill you."

Those final words of his sentence break my heart just like the first time he said them. Carter gives me one final look before walking out of the bedroom and somehow I know I won't see him for the rest of the night.

~~~~~

I walk downstairs and see my mom seated on the couch with a book. I tap on her feet and she moves them so I can sit down.

"Feel better, sweetheart?" She asks as she puts her bookmark in her book and sets it down on the coffee table.

"Yeah, a little bit..." I smile and tuck a piece of hair that fell out of my bun behind my ear the way Carter had earlier.

"I left some soup on the counter for you. You can go warm it up and then we can watch reruns of the Bachelor if you want." My mom pats my thigh and gives me a wide smile.

"I need to ask you something first." I say and loop a thread from my top around my finger in distraction.

"Anything," My mom's tone is gentle which makes me scared for some reason.

"Who is Talon Tenebris and why does he want me dead?" I ask, and look up just in time to see my mom's eyes widen in horror.

"How did you find out about him?" She asks as she puts her hand on her forehead.

"Carter," I say suspiciously.

"I think I'm going to be sick." My mom tries to stand up but I stop her.

"I don't want to be lied to any longer. Who is Talon Tenebris?" I ask in a demanding, angry tone.

"He's your...biological father." My mother lets out a deep breath and stares straight ahead.

I feel my breath catch in my throat and I can't stand to look at my mother anymore. I feel nauseous and my head is starting to spin. I stand up off of the couch and start pacing, tears wetting my cheeks as I do.

"Why would you never tell me this?" I shout and put my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stifle my sobs.

"I married him when I was 18 years old. We were young and stupid and only he had a job. He worked long hours and we were barely scraping by. Then I became pregnant and he got scared. When you came along, he had to work even longer hours and he was barely ever home. When he did come home, he got angry and would beat both of us so, one day when he was gone for work, I packed up our stuff and got us out of town. I came back after a few years and I met your current father. I fell in love with him and we were married within a few months. He protected me and you so I thought it'd be best if you thought he was your real father." My mother is crying now but I make no move to comfort her.

"You've been lying to me since I was a baby? My whole life has been a lie. Everything I thought I had to lean back on has been a lie. My father isn't my real father, my mother lied to me and wants me to marry a guy that videotaped me getting undressed and my fiancée wants me dead." I shout out in anger.

"I'm sorry, Victoria. I didn't want you to find out because that was part of our lives that I just wanted to be done with." She says, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"I deserved to know who my real father is."

"As far as you knew Steven had always been your father." My mother gives me a sad look and wipes away her tears.

"Why does Talon want me dead?" I ask, blinking back more tears. "Why does my own father want me dead?"

"I don't know...I haven't seen him since I left that damn house more than 20 years ago." My mother shouts and then commences sobbing again.

"I'm leaving." I mutter and grab my car keys and a jacket from the closet.

"Please don't do this, Sweetheart. I was protecting you, I did it out of love." My mother shouts after me but I slam the front door in her face.

I unlock my car and hop in the driver's seat, locking the doors immediately. I don't know where I'm driving but I just need to get away from my house and all the lies that line the walls. I blast the heat and turn the radio up as I drive away. I keep driving until it's almost 2 o'clock in the morning. Then I look out at my surroundings and I see Gavin's apartment building.

I guess he's my true desire otherwise I wouldn't want to be at his house at 2 A.M.

I feel my heart stop in my chest and then I break down crying. I pull into the parking garage, park my car and race to the elevator. I have to see him, I have to know. I push the 3rd floor button and watch as the doors close. I tap my foot as I wait for the doors to open on Gavin's apartment floor.

When when they do, I walk down the hallway and his door comes into view. I bring up my hand to knock on it and I drop it.

Why am I even here? He doesn't deserve me and I'm never going to be able to talk to him. I guess I'm holding onto a memory...

I let my fist drop silently and then I slide down the door, wondering what I did to deserve all of these problems in my life. I think back on everything Gavin did for me.

He took me places just so I wouldn't have to be with Carter. He introduced me to a new side of life that I'd missing. He made me so happy, I don't think I've smiled as much as I did with him with anyone else. How could it be that underneath all this, he was hiding this despicable secret? How do I know he wasn't just playing me? I don't think he can make it up to me after this, then again I don't think even this could make me stop loving him.

Damn heart...Get it together, he wants to put a bullet through you...

More tears run down my cheeks at the thought and I pull my knees tight to my chest.

How could he backstab me like this?

My ribs shake with sobs as I rest my head against the wall. I remember the feeling of his arms around me and how he kissed me gently when he told me everything was going to be okay. I remember every detail of him yet now he feels like a distant memory instead of the person that loved me only a day ago.

I have no idea why and how everything went downhill so fast but it did and now I'm stuck in the middle, sitting in front of my assassin's door, sobbing.