Chapter 1

Silence. Quiet. A stillness in the air signified the lateness of the hour. The secluded neighborhood had settled down for the evening and darkness had traveled on swift wings to blanket everything in shadow. It was actually comforting to the man standing in the window of his balcony watching the changing kaleidoscope that was Miami. The city lights that made up the Miami skyline seemed as if they were miles away when in reality it was only a fifteen minute car ride from his new condo. While the darkness was thick there were just enough pinpoints of lights from the skyline that he could make out the shapes of the bushes and flowers that made up the nicely manicured lawn spread out before him.

Eric knew he should have been enjoying the beauty of the night but the hectic chaos that were his thoughts wouldn't allow him to relax. The decisions he had to make would be life changing and they were making sleep impossible. He had more than himself to consider and he couldn't miss the irony that at the time that things had finally started to go right in his life one wrong move could change all of that, and sentence him to hell on earth all over again.

I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. It's the right thing. There's no other way.

He had been saying the same thing to himself all day. It was a constant refrain that had become his new mantra. Trying to convince himself that his course of action was the only way to go, he refused to listen to his gut which told him there had to be another way.

But there was no other way. As much as he hated to acknowledge it he had started all of this with his probing into his family history and their past. It had nearly gotten him killed. It had nearly gotten Calleigh and Ryan killed. There had been so many near misses that Eric knew it was only a matter of time before one of them wouldn't be fortunate enough to escape. That reason alone convinced him that what he was doing was right. If he tried hard enough he could convince himself it was the only reason. The fact that if it weren't for Alexander Sharova he would be somewhere in Cuba didn't bear contemplating. Unfortunately, his father needed his help and he had been given the distinct impression it was his obligation to return the favor.

Eric knew how the mob worked, he had spent enough time digging and searching to understand exactly what he was dealing with, what they were all dealing with. Somehow he had become more entangled than he had ever intended, and it had become so clear to him why his mother had kept the secret to herself all these years. Understanding the danger and acknowledging that he had bought this down on his own head didn't change the fact that there was a part of him that was relieved. At least now he knew the truth. That truth that was forcing him to make difficult choices, choices that had refused to let him sleep and had driven him from Calleigh's side. If there was symbolism in that somewhere he didn't want to know what it was. He knew that what he was doing could very well affect the one thing in his life that had finally gone right for him. He had already lied to her because of it and it had eaten at him until he took the first opportunity to tell her the truth. The fact that his first instinct had been to lie wasn't exactly something he wanted to dwell on. Apparently Calleigh didn't want to dwell on it either as she had said nothing about it to him when he had finally gotten home that evening. They had gone about their normal routine and then went to bed early. An hour later
Calleigh had drifted off to sleep and while he had definitely been relaxed sleep still eluded him. Being with Calleigh had been even more than he could imagine and his thoughts began to churn when he realized he could lose her love, her respect and her trust. He could lose it all. That worry had finally driven him from the bed and out into the night to remake a decision he thought he had already made.

Stretching both his hands out to grip the wrought iron rail he was leaning against, Eric hung his head and wondered for the first time in his life if what he had been doing all these years was worth it. His job had given him a lot, but it had cost him so much more. He couldn't help but ask himself how many more years he would have to live through agony before he could finally be happy.