Chapter Eight

Once Tanya was sure she and Riley were clear of prying eyes and ears, despite the awkward silence which accompanied them leaving the room, she sighed and switched accents. "This is the voice I introduced myself to you with." She switched back. "This is the voice I was born with."

"What the...? You can...?" Riley managed. "But who the hell are you?"

"Riley, I knew I'd have to tell you sooner or later, but I needed to know I could trust you. I created Andy Jones to see if you were trustworthy, since I really haven't had the best luck with men, the exception being my brother and his friends, but that's beside the point. The point is, I needed to make sure I wasn't making the same mistake again."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Tanya traced her scar, even where it was broken by her eye's presence, and said, "I got this in an auto accident, so I let everyone believe, but really the so-called accident was caused by a jealous ex of mine."

Riley's expression shifted from one which was virtually blank for all intents and purposes to one of compassion, and he took a few steps toward her and wrapped his arms around her gently. Gingerly, Tanya rested her hands on his back and closed her eyes. "Tanya, right?" Riley asked when he finally pulled away, and she nodded.

"Tanya Howe."

"Okay. So that means if I hurt you, your brother's gonna send his goons after me?"

"Or come after you himself, or I might even come after you, so you watch your step."

"I will."

"Who wants to kill a few shots?" Viktor asked, popping his head and half his body out the back door.

"I don't drink," Tanya said, carefully avoiding Viktor's gaze.

"I'll pass, too," Riley added.

"Okay," Viktor said slowly before disappearing back inside the house.

Tanya turned to face Riley and ended up taking a few steps backward, her hands on her forehead in such a way that her fingers were in her hair. After a few moments, her back was against the wall.

Riley furrowed his brow and could swear he asked, "What's wrong?" but Tanya felt like his voice was far away, too far for their close proximity.

"Oh, my God," she rasped. "What did I just do?"

"Besides tell me who you are?"

"I need to go." Tanya turned and walked back inside, and she all but ran up the stairs to a guest bedroom.

NTNT

Ian glanced at the stairwell as Tanya dashed up it, and followed her as soon as he could, given that he had to excuse himself to do so. He followed her all the way to the guest bedroom, where he knocked and asked, "Tanya, may I come in?"

"Do whatever you want," Tanya snapped.

Ian gingerly opened the door and slipped inside. Tanya was sitting at the head of the bed, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. He sat at the head of the bed and scooted up next to her. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, God, what did I just do?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"I have the sick feeling I've just made a horrible mistake."

"Let me tell you something, Tanya. So do I, sometimes, especially in the middle of the night when I don't have anyone to pretend for."

"Your mistake isn't telling a perfect stranger about your identity and why you hide it."

"No, but quite frankly it's Riley's mistake as well for pressing you into, how they say here, a corner."

"So what's your big mistake, Mr. I-Haven't-Made-A-Mistake-Yet?"

Ian turned his eyes toward the bedspread just to the right of where he sat. "Not jumping after Shaw," he rasped, as if the words had to work their way through a series of rocks before they could get out of his mouth.

"Wait, he jumped?"

"Fell. He fell. It was such an unfortunate accident." Ian licked his lip, and his gaze drifted upward, toward where the ceiling met the wall.

"I thought he got shot or hit by an auto or something. You never told me he fell."

"I never told anyone about how Shaw died." Ian's voice, which he'd managed to hold together throughout the whole exchange, was finally breaking, and Tanya took the cue to stop pressing him. Instead, she leaned against him and closed her eyes, and he rested his head on hers, finding the silence a blessing.