“Tell me about Fallon.Tell me everything.”
War hesitated, his gaze still wary, before finally relenting. He moved away from the door, a slow burn of frustration still simmering beneath the surface.
"Fine," he growled, the word heavy with reluctant surrender. "But you need to understand that this is only because..." he trailed off, clearly not wanting to admit his own stake in this messy situation. He turned, gesturing towards a plush velvet armchair near the fireplace. "Sit. Let's not make this any more obvious than it has to be."
I settled into the chair, the luxury of it feeling somehow wrong, given the circumstances. The fireplace crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the walls, and I found myself staring into the flames, allowing them to distract me from the dangerous game I was playing while flickering Christmas lights illuminated the dark yard outside the large windows.
War began to pace, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Fallon… where do I begin?" He paused, as if trying to organize his thoughts. "She's…different. You know that already. She's not like the other women that Foley surrounds himself with."
I nodded, urging him to continue.
"She’s…untouchable," he said, his voice laced with a strange reverence, a hint of respect. "She has this way about her. A quiet strength, a subtle intelligence that you can’t help but notice. Foley... he's never truly been able to get a hold of her. It’s almost as if she’s playing a game of her own, one that he’s unaware of. He can’t control her, but he wants to.”
War stopped pacing and turned to face me, his dark eyes filled with a flicker of something that I couldn't quite decipher.
"Foley... he'sobsessedwith power, with control. He likes things a certain way. Fallon… she messes with that. And that’s what makes her so dangerous.”
"Dangerous towho?" I pressed, trying to keep my voice even.
He didn't answer immediately, his gaze drifting back to the fire. "That's the part I don't know, Hitch. I just know that she walks a tightrope, and she does it so damn gracefully." He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “She has secrets,a lotof them. Things she hides from everyone, including you. But I can tell you this. She’s not who you think she is.”
I leaned forward, my curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"
He sighed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Let's just say she's more involved in this than you think, than I think. There are reasons why she's here." He paused, as if wrestling with whether to reveal more. "And those reasons... are buried deep. She's involved with more than just Foley and the war between him and everyone else."
I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of war?"
"The kind where people die," he answered grimly. "The kind where you can't trustanyone." He looked at me directly. "Youneed to be careful, Hitch. You think you know her, but you don't. And she's capable of more than you ever imagined."
I thought of Fallon’s innocent face, the delicate curve of her jaw, her soft laugh, and then I thought of the secrets she was hiding. War was right; I didn't know her. I leaned back, a cold shiver running down my spine. I was playing with fire, and I was likely to get burned.
"What about Foley? What’s his game?" I asked, feeling confused about Fallon.
War scoffed. "Foley? He plays his own game, and he wants her for it. She is either a gift or a threat; I have yet to figure it out."
I studied him, trying to gauge how much he was holding back. The more War spoke, the more questions I had. "And what’s your game, War? Why are you here?"
He met my gaze, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. "I'm here for Foley. I do what he tells me to do."
I raised an eyebrow. "Is that all? You're just his little errand boy?"
He didn’t answer. Instead, he moved to the window, staring out at the falling snow. "He wants something from Fallon. Something that nobody knows about."
My blood ran cold. "What?"
War turned, his eyes piercing. "I don't know. But I intend to find out."
I leaned forward. "Then we're on the same side."
He turned away once again, staring at the snow. "Maybe," he muttered under his breath. "But don't be so sure, Hitch. In this game... there are no alliances.Only players."
I knew then, with a growing certainty, that this would be a war fought not only against Foley, but also against each other, against the lies and the secrets and the dangerous truths that clung to Fallon like the falling snowflakes.
Was I really ready to find out Fallon's darkest secrets? I wasn't sure, but a part of me couldn't resist. I had to find out why she was mixed up with Foley, and I had to find a way to get her all to myself. I didn't need War in the way, but I could tell he wasn't going anywhere easily on his own. It was going to be a fight—a battle that neither one of us wanted to back out of.
I'd die trying to make Fallon mine. But would War do the same?
thirteen
