Page 60 of Shrouded Past

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Janine held his gaze, and he understood what that meant. Eric might not survive his injury.

“I’m sorry. So sorry,” Eric murmured with tears streaming down his face, his voice barely a whisper. He grabbed for Bryce’s hand. “I got in too deep with Aleksandr Pushkin’s goons. I owed thousands of dollars. He was going to kill me.”

“So you sold out your sister.” Bryce’s mouth thinned at how heartbreaking it must have been for Jenna to know her brother was responsible.

“He told me he just wanted to talk to her. Find out where his daughter was hiding because she’d witnessed something that could put him away and cause the family shame. He swore Jenna knew more than she was saying.” Eric broke off. He closed his eyes and gathered breaths.

“Don’t try to talk anymore. Once you’ve been treated, I’ll get your statement.” Bryce started to rise, but Eric stopped him.

“It can’t wait. I might die, and I want you to know everything. I didn’t mean to hurt Piper, Bryce. I didn’t. We struggled with the knife. It slipped.”

Bryce remained where he was, waiting.

“He told me that he needed you there too. He said he’d let me and Jenna go if he stopped you from your crusade against his drug enterprise.”

The truth was chilling. Pushkin wanted Bryce dead because he was trying to shut down the drugs going through the county. And he needed Jenna to tell him where Piper was hiding because she’d witnessed something bad. Probably the death of her mother.

In the distance, sirens could be heard. Help was close.

Bryce glanced down and realized Eric had lost consciousness.

He rose and went over to Piper. “How are you holding up?” he asked her quietly.

“I’m okay. I remember what happened.” She told him how Aleksandr strangled her mother and knocked her out. “He set a fire to make sure he destroyed evidence. Maybe he thought he could frame me somehow for my mother’s death.” She shook her head.

“My mother had reached out to Edmon. He was on his way to help. Only he arrived too late.” As the memories flowed free at last, she recalled something else. “My name is Katya. It means perfect. My mother always called me her perfect angel.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I’d just graduated from college and was working at a shop in Cody when my mother called. I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save her from the devil.”

Bryce drew her close and held her. He’d give anything to protect her from the ugly past, but there could be no stopping it. For her to have the chance to move forward, she needed to grieve for the past and move on.

And now that he knew the ugly truth about what happened that night in Wyoming, perhaps he could move on and have a second chance at happiness . . . with her.

Epilogue

Eighteen months later—Hope Island, Maine

This was her wedding day. Piper still couldn’t believe she was marrying the man of her dreams. Bryce had been with her every difficult step along the way to healing.

In the end, she decided to remain Piper, the name her uncle had carefully chosen for her. Though Edmon had lived in Cape Elizabeth at one time, there was no evidence Piper ever had. She believed Edmon had simply chosen the name of the child he remembered from the news coverage following her death.

Piper liked that she had something from her uncle to hold onto. Besides, there were too many bad memories attached toKatya. She was grateful that she knew the truth about Aleksandr not being her father. She and Bryce had visited the grave of her father in New York. His death would be investigated as a possible murder. Piper believed Aleksandr had seen Marina and wanted her. He’d had her father killed.

Her mother had refused to give Piper away. Her mother loved her and did her best to protect her from Aleksandr’s violence.

It turned out that Aleksandr Pushkin was the illegitimate son of crime bossMaksimilian Chaykovsky. He’d worked for his father’s business and been granted control of the western states’ operation, which included Wyoming.

Piper glanced at the full-length mirror.

“You look beautiful,” Rachel said with a smile. The people at Hope Island Securities had welcomed her, and she’d become part of their family. Bryce had joined the team and was thriving. He’d finally gotten the answers he needed to settle what happened that night to Jenna.

“Thank you.”

Piper knew Bryce would always love Jenna, and she wouldn’t want it any other way. But he loved her too, and she felt overjoyed that she was about to become his wife.

She’d remembered why Bella had sparked a memory from her past. She’d once had a little calico kitten, who reminded her so much of Bella. Though most of her memories had returned, there were still some holes. Her doctor told her in time, he believed, they’d all return.

“You ready to get married?” Janine asked.

Before she could respond, Katrina came into the room. “It’s showtime. Let’s do this. I am so pumped.”

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