Page 50 of Taken By the Mobster

Olivia sighed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He kissed her cheek. “Make it quick though, okay?”

She had picked up the phone and closed herself in the bedroom. It was so easy, just one phone call to hear Caitlin’s voice and tell her she was alive and well. What was the harm?

“Screw it,” Olivia mumbled. She quickly dialed the number she had memorized when she was a teenager and held the phone to her ear. She held her breath as it rang.

“Hello?” a female voice answered.

Olivia exhaled. It was her, Caitlin O’Reilly, her younger sister. The last time Olivia saw her, she was barely nineteen, and now she was twenty-two and doing God-knows-what.

“Hello?” Caitlin repeated. “Look, you have about five seconds to say something before I hang up. I don’t have time for this crap.”

“Caitlin, it’s me,” Olivia blurted out.

Caitlin sighed. “Me, who?” she asked.

“It’s Liv,” she said. “Your sister.”

Caitlin was silent for too long. Olivia checked the phone to see if they had disconnected, but they hadn’t. She tried to think of something to say, but Caitlin spoke first.

“Jesus, Liv, you’re alive?” her sister blurted out.

“You thought I was dead?” Olivia asked.

“I didn’t know what to think,” Caitlin said. “Daddy couldn’t get any information out of the Muldoons, and nobody has heard from you for three years.” Caitlin sucked in a deep breath. “Holy shit! It is so good to hear your voice.”

Olivia laughed. “It’s good to hear yours too. How are you? How are Mom and Dad?”

Caitlin snorted. “I think you’re the one who needs to be answering questions, big sister. Like, where the hell are you? Where have you been for three years? Most importantly, when are you coming home?”

Olivia sighed. That was the one question she hoped Caitlin wouldn’t ask. Because, honestly, she didn’t know if she could ever go home. She took a deep breath.

“I don’t know if I am coming home,” she said. “There are a lot of things going on, things that I can’t explain.”

“That’s not an answer,” Caitlin interrupted. “Do you know what we’ve gone through since you disappeared? It has been hell around here.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Don’t guilt-trip me, Caitlin. You don’t know what I went through, what I endured for the sake of my family. I had no choice but to disappear. I know you might not understand that, but I did what I had to do. It wasn’t easy and yes, people got hurt. Shit, people died because of me, but I had to do it. Otherwise, I would probably be dead myself.”

“Liv, what happened?” Caitlin whispered. “You have to tell me.”

“I will, I swear,” Olivia promised. “But not yet, not today. I just … I just really wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”

“Same, sis,” Caitlin murmured. She cleared her throat. “Okay, I’ll wait to hear what happened, but I’m holding you to your promise. You will tell me.”

“You got it,” Olivia said. “Look, I have to go. Please don’t tell Mom and Dad I called.”

“But, Mom—.”

“Please, Caitlin. I know I’m asking a lot, but I need you to promise me you won’t tell them. Not yet anyway. It shouldn’t be long now. Then I can explain everything.”

“Okay,” Caitlin said. “I promise.”

Olivia swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I love you, Caitlin. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will,” Caitlin said. “I love you, too.”

Olivia disconnected the call. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had to be over soon.

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