62. Fearsome (Bonus 19)

Tristan was riding in his car near midnight as he was reading a news paper. He was finding the reports amusing. The public heard one thing and he knew of another version. It was game on with the authorities and the public were not part of the game.

His car stopped and he carried on reading. As the door opened to his car, he could sense the fear in the air. He heard the shaky breaths of his blood relative who was probably masking his fear with shivering from the cold.

The car moved as Jonas got in.

Tristan didn't look up from his newspaper "It was nice of you to join me Jonas."

Jonas breathed "You asked to see me. It's late."

Tristan said "It's late. Is it Jonas? Then why are you hanging out in the wrong side of town." He then put his newspaper to the side and stared at the nephew of Jackson O'Kane.

Jonas gave him a nervous smile "I am sorry. I was just passing by."

Tristan asked "What were you doing here?"

Jonas looked away. He looked at the windows that were getting covered with rain drops "I came by to enjoy a music performance. It's for charity. A good cause."

Tristan asked "How peculiar. Did you have company? A company who is of the opposite gender?"

Jonas hesitated and sighed "Well. I ..."

Tristan stated "You came here on a date with Anastasia Santiago, the daughter of Sergei Santiago. Why do you hide it?"

Jonas stiffened and didn't look up "I am sorry."

Tristan said "Lets get to the point... Why are you messing around with Anastasia? Why are you dating her?"

Jonas was still not looking at Tristan. "I am not messing her about. She invited me on this date."

Tristan said "Then why are you leading her on? Tell her you can't be with her."

Jonas looked at Tristan "I can't do that."

Tristan said "You tell her or Alexander will. Antonio's son fights for her and right now he is busy nursing his father's wounds at the Rosario hospital. Now that Alexander's father got a pardon, I can see Alexander come knocking on your door soon demanding from you to stop messing Anastasia about. Truth will come out Jonas. Alexander is watching you."

Jonas asked "Alexander is watching me?"

Tristan said "Alexander is angry that you are messing her around when you don't like her really."

Jonas defended "Its not like that. She is a sweet girl. It's not that I don't like her... I do like her as a normal friend."

Tristan said " Drop the act. Tell her you don't like her in that way. She is not your type. You know what I mean. You are only with her because uncle Jackson doesn't mind you getting too close with enemies so you can help strike them off. You are using her. It ends now..."

Jonas asked "Can I be blunt? Do you give me permission? May I  be honest? Please."

Tristan said "You may."

Jonas said "Alexander is welcome to take her away but he must do it himself. I can't."

Tristan said "Alexander is a Rosario. He follows the rules and standards. It's easier if you accept my offer now or it will get ugly. He is patient but he has honour. You blew your cover Jonas awhile ago. You have had your fair share of girls you just hit on and moved on. Anastasia gave you a chance. You used her. You will pay for it one day. I won't make you pay. Her future man will though. End this pretence now and come clean or it will get worse. I don't want a public show down between you and Alexander."

Jonas covered his face and leaned down. He thought deeply for a minute. He went silent and took a deep breath. "Alright. I will do it tomorrow. She will be very angry."

Tristan said "She should be. That's the least of your problems."

Jonas said "Problems?"

Tristan said "Drop the pretence Jonas. You know exactly what's going on. I don't need to spell it out for you. As uncle Jackson's accomplice I am standing between you and an angry mob or rather a number of angry mobs. Literately. Tell me everything. You would rather tell me what you know. You wouldn't want to face my father too."

Jonas felt like suffocating as he started loosening his tie while looking around as though looking for an escape route. Jonas knew what Tristan meant. Terence Emanuel O'Neil was the true heir. He was his true boss. If he didn't like how a situation was handled he could take over. Tristan was right. Jonas would have rather be dealt with by Tristan than by O'Neil. He looked up at Tristan "What do you want to know? I will tell you everything. You just leave my mother be. Protect her from your father. Please. That's all I ask. I don't have demands. This is a request."

Tristan said " I didn't ask you to tell me about your feelings. I asked you to tell me everything."

Jonas asked "Where do you want me to start? From the beginning?"

Tristan said "Where is he now? That's what I like to know."

Jonas sighed " He is on one of his islands. I swear I don't know where. He has bought a few islands. He could be anywhere. He sent me a postcard asking me to Wait my turn. He didn't say anything else."

Tristan said "And you expect me to believe this is all you know?"

Jonas said "I swear on my mother's life. You know nothing matters more to me than my mother's life. I care for her life more than my uncle's If I lie to you then you can kill her. You must believe me."

Tristan sighed "I do believe you Jonas. That's not the problem. I don't think your uncle will tell you anything knowing you may crack under pressure from me or my father. You are no soldier or fighter. You are a spy. He trained you to be a spy and someone he can send into the heart of the enemy to infiltrate them. But from now on I will keep you under close surveillance. You will be under house arrest until further notice too."

Jonas said automatically "Thank you."

Tristan knew what Jonas was thanking him for. Jonas feared Tristan's father. Everyone did. The one who got away insulting Jackson O'Kane and lived, the one who was revealed to be the true reluctant Irish heir of the O'Kane throne and it's associated crime families was not a man to anger. Jonas had ended up on the wrong side of Tristan's father's side and Jonas knew it.

Jonas gave out a shaky breath "Can you protect me from your father?"

Tristan said " No one can protect you from my father. Only you can protect yourself from dying if you remain truthful. He doesn't think you are worth interrogating at present. He has more reliable sources and more worthy people to talk to before he gets to you. But it's no accident I came across you and it wasn't his envoy picking you up. I asked him to deal with you and he said it was fine. If you had anything to do with what happened with the abduction of Anna Rosario you would be already dead. I am sure of it. Arturo Agostini won't let you live if you were named as a suspect. But no one named you."

Jonas said "But you still see me as my uncle's accomplice. You said you do."

Tristan said "Of course. You did collect information for him. Maybe you didn't know what his plan was but you did play a part. You were associated with the one who lured Anna Rosario away days before. Your uncle did get some use from you. But you are not worth killing for now Jonas. But don't hold your breath. Your loyalty was to your uncle. But it's to me too. I am going to ask you one more time. Where is your uncle?"

Jonas shook his head "I swear I don't know."

Tristan said "But you can find out. Can't you?"

Jonas remained silent and looked at his hands. "I don't know where he is."

Tristan said "Ask your mother. Ask her to give you a list of islands that she knows could be where your uncle is residing in right now. She will tell you or she will tell my father."

Jonas looked up as he paled "She won't know anything. My uncle was secretive. You know how secretive he was. She won't tell someone about his secrets if he knows they will break. Either that or he won't let his secret keepers live."

Tristan said "I have no doubt. But there must be some information from mother that can get me closer to his location. There might be a place he mentioned I her. Or somewhere special. It's time taking to scan all the islands in the oceans. You won't want me to waste my time. Would you?"

Jonas shook his head "Of course not. I am loyal to you. I have to be. For my survival and my mother's."

Tristan said "I am glad we have an understanding."

****

Vienna was in her bedroom getting changed after she had woken up. She just had a shower and was about to go for her morning run. Just then the phone rang. She picked it up. She knew it was Tristan. No one else called her that early. " Good morning handsome."

Tristan said "Good morning. What if it wasn't me?"

Vienna said "You could say it back you know. I called you handsome. You could compliment me back." She teased.

Tristan said "First Check if it's me and then call the other person handsome. Alright?"

Vienna said "What's with the attitude handsome. I don't think I like your tone. I am cancelling our shopping trip today."

Tristan warned "Vienna. Don't you dare."

Vienna said "The line is playing up. I can't hear you. I have to go. See you in a week. Or how about a month." She then put down the phone. She liked to tease him sometimes.

Vienna true to her word left the room and had no intention of picking up the phone as it rang. She then went on her morning run around the woody section that was reserved for her. She didn't go to Vincenzo's or Viggo's section. She knew better than to enter the no entry zones. She wasn't interested in what they did there. She tried not to think about it. There was an invisible line drawn separating her from her brothers. One that she couldn't cross and the gap was getting wider. She had accepted it and tried not to think of it. She was alone but then there was Angelia. She ran to Angelia's door and knocked. She wasn't allowed into the mansion as she wasn't related to their family but Angelia preferred the privacy. "Angie. Do you want to come for a run?"

The door opened and Angelia said "Hi."

Vienna looked into Angelia's bright blue eyes that had more sparks than before and smiled "Hi. Do you want to come for a run?"

Angelia said "I am sorry Vienna. I am feeling dizzy. Having a vertigo is a withdrawal symptom of coming off my medication slowly. I could collapse. Maybe in a few weeks time I can come."

Vienna said "No worries. You go inside and rest."

As Angelia closed the door, Vienna sighed "A lonely run for me then."

Tristan's voice came from behind "I will race you."

Vienna turned around "You... Tristan... What are you doing here at this time? Who let you in?"

Tristan said "No hello? No good morning kiss? This is not how you greet your boyfriend... I will remind you of some manners... Vienna. I said I will race you. Are you upto the challenge?"

Vienna said "I haven't even warmed up yet..." But she gave him a mischievous look and then started running towards the woods. Tristan ran after her.

Vienna expected him to catch up to her but he didn't. She kept looking behind and lost sight of him at some point. She kept running and then when she stopped, she felt his hand patting her on the shoulder. She turned "I won." He then waved the flag that was meant to be meters away, in front of her. He then secured it to the ground. "Loser gives the winner what he wants."

Vienna raised an eyebrow "You must have cheated. Impossible to get there so fast."

Tristan shook his head "Tsk Tsk. Did you just call me a cheat?"

Before Vienna could react, Tristan picked her up and put her on his shoulder carrying her away. She was facing Tristan's back. She started protesting. "Put me down. Please. This is not funny."

Tristan said "I am going to have to give you what you deserve... You have to pay. Let's take you to the hill top and see if the long trip and the height will make you think twice. Ah. Some people can see you have made it to the peak."

Vienna gritted her teeth "Put me down. This is humiliating. I can't be seen..."

Tristan said "You know what to do for me to stop."

Vienna said "You are an opportunist."

Tristan said "Precisely." He then pretended to think "How about I go to your mansion?"

Vienna said "Tristan. No." As Tristan changed direction she said with reluctance "Alright. I am sorry. Put me down now."

Tristan said "Not good enough."

Vienna groaned "I belong to you Tristan. I don't belong to you only."

Tristan immediately stopped. It always worked. He always calmed down when she admitted she was his.

Tristan put her down slowly and gently "What was that?"

Vienna sighed "I belong to you. You know well that I do."

Tristan smiled "Don't you ever forget it."

Vienna wrapped her arms around his neck "Why do you always win? Why can't you lose for once in one thing? Anything?"

Tristan said "I have lost my heart to you."

Vienna chuckled "Stop." She then blushed. "Stop flattering me."

Tristan said "It's the truth."

Vienna breathed "My heart belongs to you only. Only you." Vienna then kissed his lips and said "I am only yours. Stop making me say it Tristan. Why don't you ever get tired of hearing it."

Tristan said " Do you ever get tired of hearing your heart beat? Or hearing your own breathing? Your declaration that you belong to me gives me life. How can I get tired of it? When others don't want to see us together, we stand by each other."

Vienna said "By Others you are Including my mother. Aren't you?"

Tristan didn't reply and kissed her lips deeply. When he pulled away he said "Well I have you right now in my arms where you should be. Let's go for breakfast now. Are you ready to go out like this? In your running gear? you want to get changed?"

Vienna said "You know. I prefer if we stay in today for breakfast. I will make something nice. We can have the kitchen to ourselves before everyone else wakes up and has breakfast.

Tristan said "Anything you make is nice Vienna."

****

Tristan was watching Vienna make scrambled eggs and mushrooms. It smelled nice in the kitchen as she had placed pastry doughs in the oven too.

Tristan was having black coffee as his eyes didn't leave her.

As Vienna set the table and sat down, Tristan asked "So. About the shopping trip today. Did you mean it when you said you are cancelling it?"

Vienna placed two scrambled eggs on a plate with mushrooms on the side for Tristan and put the plate in front of him as she sighed "I don't know. I need to ask my father if I can leave the mansion today again. If it's with you, I don't see why not. But if my mother is feeling worse than yesterday I want to stay in."

Tristan said "That makes sense."

Vienna said "I will make it up to you if we can't go shopping today."

Tristan sighed and stood up walking away to the kitchen counter " I have to go back tomorrow to Chicago. I will try to come back again to new work this weekend." He looked at a booklet that was left there "What's this Vienna? Guide to studying your first year of college in high school."

Vienna was taking out the pastries from the oven as she said "That is not mine. I didn't order it. think I am ready for college. I have studied hard this year and will continue to work hard next year. Why delay college when I can join now?"

Tristan asked "Then who ordered this?"

Vienna put the tray on the counter and shrugged "My Mother."

Tristan said "Really?"

Vienna said " She ordered it for me. She has been trying to help me see the benefits of going to college when I am eighteen."

Tristan narrowed his eyes "Interesting. What else has she been trying to convince you of?"

Vienna replied "The usual. Nothing new... That you are stone cold and have no heart."

Tristan's expression hardened "I think I need to talk to her about that..."

Vienna walked to Tristan and wrapped her arms around his waist "Well. She thinks you are someone who is frightening which you are... You are intimidating Tristan. You must know your presence is fearsome for many.. She then chuckled... She has a point you know... Your chest is hard as a rock like a stone because of all the sit ups you do every day and you admitted it yourself... You have no heart. You have lost your heart to me. I have taken it. It's only fair. You have taken my heart Tristan. Now I can't function without you. I belong to you... only you. You are handsome and fearsome. No one is perfect. I love you." Just then, Tristan kissed her deeply on the lips.