Page 11 of Instinct & New Identity

“Where are they?”Iasked.

Dane andAxelboth looked at each other and smiled a bit.Thiswas not a happy smile, but rather a smile indicating what they were about to tell me would not make me happy.

“Iowa,”Axelsaid.

This just got a lot more complicated.

6

VINCE

Axel andDanewere able to get me a photo of what she and her sister looked like, but it was from seven years ago at the trial, soIhad no idea if they had dyed their hair or changed their looks in any way, not to mention they would be older now anyway and possibly look different.Butwhat the photo alone gave me was thatCatalinawas beautiful.Shehad long, curly black hair, a few curves, and a beautiful heart-shaped face.Ididn’t know whatIever pictured her looking like when we were exchanging letters because she never gave me anything to go on, butInever would have guessed she would be this pretty.

Her sister had a similar face but shorter hair, and was a bit more of a slender build.Butshe was only thirteen at the time of the photo, so she would likely look a little different now.

It took me a week to find them, which, on the one hand, was a good thing because it meant she was smart in covering their tracks.Itwas also a pain in my ass.

I sat in my rentalSUVin the parking lot of their apartment building.Ihad a confirmed sighting ofValeriayesterday when she walked to the communal mail drop area to pick up a package.Isaw which unit she went into but had yet to seeCatalina.

Valeria had definitely changed.Herlight brown hair was a shade lighter than in the photoI’dseen, and she was taller thanIhad imagined—maybe just a few inches shy of six feet.Shestill had a slender build, but her face had matured, the difference between a twenty-year-old and a thirteen-year-old was unmistakable.

She also dressed like a woman now, with a more polished look—a cardigan, jeans, and boots—compared to theJustinBieberT-shirt and neon shorts she had worn in the photoAxelfound.

My plan was to wait and confirm the identity of both sisters beforeIapproached, but so far,Catalinahadn’t left their unit in twenty-four hours, andIwas getting impatient.

I also noticed the neighbor across the street walk over to their door a few times and stick his ear to the door, as though he was trying to listen in.Thatpissed me right the hell off.Icalled in to check withDaneand have him run a background check on the guy to see if there was any connection to the gang-bangers from the robbery.

“As far asIcan tell, the man was born and raised inIowaand never left,”Danesaid on the call. “Worksas a janitor at a local industrial complex and an occasionalUberdriver.Basedon his internet history, he watches a lot of video game tutorials onYouTube, is a regular to porn sites, and appears to have a foot fetish.”

“I did not need to know that,”Itold him, frowning.

“I like to be thorough,”Daneresponded. “Myguess, unless he’s hearing noises coming from their apartment, he’s listening in because he’s a creeper.”

That was my assumption too, and havingDaneconfirm it didn’t make me feel any better.Italso meantImight have to speed up my approach and do it where the neighbor could see me.

I knewIhad to play this carefully because these girls were still in hiding. even though the obvious threats against them were gone.Thatmeant they were either still fearful on their own or theMarshalsServicewas directing them to be.

I ordered some pizzas to be delivered to them, butIwould grab the driver when he got here and take it upstairs myself then showCatalinathe letters from her thatIhad saved so she knew whoIwas and would hopefully trust thatIwasn’t a threat to her and her sister.Assumingshe even remembered the letters at all.Justbecause they had meant something to me didn’t mean they had to her.Ialso brought one more thing to help jog her memory in case the letters weren’t enough.

When the pizza man showed up,Ipaid him and grabbed the order before walking up the stairs.Ihad checked out the security of the building last night but was now scoping everything out more closely asIapproached their door.

I took a deep breath and knocked.Afew moments later, the door opened, though the chain was still attached.Goodto know they used proper safety measures when answering the door to strangers.

I metValeria’seyes as she peeked her head around the door.Shelooked at me, then down at the pizzas, and her face instantly got irritated.

“We didn’t order any pizzas.Theyprobably belong to the creep across the hall, and if that creep tries to tell you to leave them here because we’re sharing them, he’s a liar.Justleave them at his door,” she said quickly and then sighed and started to close the door, butIshot my hand out to stop her.

“We’ll circle back to that comment about the guy next door in a bit, but these pizzas aren’t from him.They’refrom me,”Itried to explain. “Isyour sister home?”

I assumedIwould have a better chance of explaining whoIwas toCatalinathanIwould her sister.Iwasn’t even sure ifValeriaknew about the letters.

Her eyes widened briefly whenIspoke, but those eyes quickly shrank back and became full suspicion. “Whoare you?” she all but growled.

“An old friend of hers,”Isaid, trying not to give too much away.

“She doesn’t have any friends.Nicetry,” she said, attempting to close the door again, butIstuck my foot out to stop her.

“Val, who is it?”Iheard in the background, and it must have beenCatalina.

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