Page 109 of Corrupt Game

Ian’s face drained of color.

“I failed him,” he whispered. He walked out of the room, leaving me still restrained.

That wasn’t the reaction that I’d expected. I didn’t know what I would get, but I had hoped it would be something definite. Answers of some kind, not more confusion and more questions.

I stared up at the door, body aching.

Why did he think that he’d failed Andy?

I’d been the one to fail my brother. I had let him down because I’d stopped communicating on a regular basis. If I had continued to call him weekly or answer when he called me, then I might have known he had a girlfriend named Heather.

If I was a better sister, then…

The guilt and pain could go on forever. I just needed to face facts that I could have done more. I was doing more now by trying to find out what was going on.

Once I got loose, I’d leave. I shook my head. I was trying to make excuses for him. He didn’t need help in that department; he was crazyenough all on his own. Trauma could affect people for years later, but he had to find a way to work through things without taking it out on me.

Ian came back in and shut the door behind him. I mustered a glare, despite still being naked and tied up.

“Andrew was my best friend, and I got him killed. There, now you know.” His arms were thrown out at the side of his body in a ‘there you go.’

Those were the last words I’d ever expected to hear coming from Ian.

Chapter 36: Ian

At this point, I couldn’t hide behind my wall anymore. I had to tell her who I was to Andrew.

No matter what she may or may not think of me, she deserved an answer to the questions that she had asked.

I walked back into the room and the door slammed against the wall more violently than I intended.

“Andrew was my best friend, and I got him killed.”

Her gasp let me know that I’d done the right thing in telling her. I moved next to her and gently started releasing her from the restraints.

“Both of his parents died, and without any other living relatives, they sent him into foster care. I was his best friend growing up. We’d lost touch until just a year ago when Andrew showed up asking for my help.” I brushed back a lock of her hair before I removed another set of cuffs.

“His girlfriend was pregnant, but her ultra prejudiced and controlling father was furious that she’d met a man who was unworthy of her. He took her back to Ireland, where he assumed that Andrew wouldn’t follow.”

“When Andrew hadn’t heard from her after multiple attempts to reach her, that’s when he came to me for help. He didn’t want his kid to grow up without him. He loved her and the situation wasn’t such that they could be out in the open because her father would have found hersooner.” I sighed, stepping back a pace. Colette naked was a gorgeous sight, even if we needed to try to fix matters between us. “Her father was always going to be able to find her, no matter where they went to hide.”

“I promised him that I’d use my contacts to try and find her location through back channels. Then I’d send him to Ireland with a guard and enough money to get his kid and run away. There had been a plan in place to help them escape. There was supposed to be a check-in call after he got there. Only there wasn’t one.”

“That was when I sent Rossi over there after twenty-four hours of not hearing from him and found out Andrew was dead. Both he and the guard I’d had accompanying him were dead.”

I paused. I hoped she hadn’t seen the crime scene photos. Neither Andy or his guard had died quickly or easily.

“Her father is a mob boss. He’s gone underground, taking his daughter and the baby with him. I’ve been looking for them ever since it happened last year.”

Collette stared at me with wide eyes. Her breathing was haggard She reached over and grabbed her shirt, pulling it on. Her eyes pooled with tears, but not a single one fell.

“Well, that explains a lot.” Collette pulled her skirt on. “Your need for an assistant to get all that energy and frustration out on must have been urgent. You didn’t have any other outlets to work out all of your anger on.”

Surprise flooded me. After all the games, that was the first thing that came out. It was about me and my needs.

“However,” she continued, “we need to set some boundaries. And I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to say. But if you’re willing to pursue Andy’s killer, I’ll join you.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, especially when I was still raw from her lack of trust and loyalty. Still, I chose my words with care.