Page 13 of Instinct & New Identity

“First…talk.Howdid you find us?”Catalinaasked me with both fear and attitude in her voice.

I answered her, but kept my eyes trained onValeriajust in case she got a little fidgety with the gun. “Ifound you because of the connection to the cat picture from our letters.”

I explained about howIhad seen the cat logo on her website inadvertently because our receptionist was looking to possibly hire her.Itold them how my colleagues had helped me start digging for more information about her company and logo.

“I never would have found you without the help ofAxelandDiegosince they are hacking geniuses,”Itold her.

“Crap.IknewIshouldn’t have used that logo,”Catalinaadmonished herself.

“Not many people have the skills that we do, and sinceI’mguessingI’mthe only outsider who even knew about the logo’s existence prior to you starting your company,Idon’t think you need to worry about someone else finding you,”Isaid, trying to ease her concerns.

“I know that rationally, it’s just hard when you’ve been on the run for so long to not be worried,”Catalinasaid quietly, but defensively.

“I get that, andI’llintroduce you to the rest of the team, and we can talk to the guys about covering your tracks even better to make sure no one else can find you like we did,”Iexplained, even thoughIalready toldDiegoto put those steps in motion.

“Okay then,”Valeriasaid, sighing.

“So, it’s really you,”Catalina’svoice said softly asValeriafinally moved the gun to the side table next to her.

Thankful she put it down,Iturned to faceCatalinaand momentarily blanked.I’dseen her face in the doorway, and she was definitely older than the pictureIhad seen, but she had grown up in those seven years.Alot.Shenot only had a gorgeous face, but her body had grown up in all the right places.Shewas stunning.Herhair was shorter now just above her shoulders but still curly, her eyes a beautiful dark chocolate brown, and the curves on her body were full and superior to anythingIhad ever seen on any other woman.Andthat was saying a lot given she was fully clothed in a loose-fitting, long-sleeved white t-shirt and jeans.Jeansthat looked painted onto her body.Shehad what appeared to be tits and ass for days.

“Yeah, it’s me,”Isaid, looking into her eyes and just taking in her beauty.Hereyes started to well up, but her face remained the same.Imoved to set the pizzas down on a nearby table and pulled out the other letters from the side pocket of my cargo pants to show her.

“Hate to break this weird reunion, butIstill have questions,”Valeriaasserted. “Forone, how did you know my name?”

“I never told you her name in the letters or mine, at least not directly,”Catalinaremarked with concern in her voice.

“No, you didn’t,”Itold her, knowing that she only indirectly told me her name through the cat drawings, butIdidn’t know that at the time. “Youmind if we sit down and have some pizza whileItalk?It’sa long story, andIhaven’t eaten since last night.”

She nodded at me, and they both grabbed some plates and drinks and we took a seat at their small kitchen table.

“Is that your blackSUVin the parking lot by the tree?”Catalinaquestioned me, andIrealized she was very observant.

“Yeah,”Itold her. “Iwas trying to be patient and wait until both of you could come out soIcould verify your identities, but you never left the building.”

“I try not to ifIcan help it,”Catalinasaid. “Ifit was this easy for you, why did it take you so long to find us?”

I decided to start from the beginning and explain everything.Abouthow at first,Ithought she’d ghosted me after my last letter, andIwas admittedly a little peeved at the assumed brush-off, which garnered a chuckle fromValeria.

“First,Ikind of like that a guy that looks like you thought you got the brush-off becauseI’mguessing you haven’t had many women do that to you,”Valeriasaid, all cheeky. “Second, every time one of your letters came, she ran up to her room and locked the door, all excited to read them over and over again like a crazy person.SojustFYI, she wouldn’t have brushed you off unless she had to.”

Knowing she liked the letters and that they meant as much to her as they did to me, gave me a sense of relief.Iturned to look at her and saw her face turning pink with embarrassment.Iwent on to explain howAxelandDiegohad connected them toWITSEC, and thenIused my bounty hunting skills to narrow it down to the final location of their apartment complex.

“You’re a bounty hunter?”Valeriaasked. “Thatis so freaking cool!Andbadass!”

“Watch your mouth,”Catalinasaid toValeria.

“Okay,Mom,”Valeriasaid back while rolling her eyes.

“I know your names went fromCatalinaEmiliaandValeriaSophiaRiveratoCatherineEmilyandValentinaSaraRomano,”Itold them.

“They didn’t start that way, but since we kept slipping up and calling each other by our nicknames ofCatandValso much, they chose to give us new ones again that would sound plausible if we slipped up,”Catalinasaid, which made sense.

“So please stop calling meValeriaand just call meVal.It’seasier,”Valtold me.

“And also safer, so just call meCat,”Catagreed.

I also told themIknew that their parents had died in a robbery and that they faked their deaths after shots were fired at the courthouse, butIwasn’t sure about the rest of it.Betweenthe two of them, they went back and forth, filling in the gaps of what happened at the gas station, the funeral, the shooting at the courthouse, and their eventual placement intoWITSEC.

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