Page 10 of In My Blood
“Who found you? Where are you?”
“Dad! He found us and h-he…he k-killed her. There was s-so much blood and Mum….he cut her up, Rafe….he ch-chopped her up and l-left her here. Tell me you d-didn’t know…please t-tell me you didn’t do this.”
“Cara, listen to me. Dad is dead. He has been for over a decade. I promise you I didn’t have anything to do with this. If I knew where you were I’d be there right now, holding you tight and bringing you right back home with me. I love you. I’m your brother. I would never hurt you.”
“Mum s-said you were like him…like D-Dad. She t-told me not to trust you.”
“She lied to you. Don’t you remember me, sweetheart? Don’t you remember how much I love you and Gia? I would never ever be likehim.” he pledged, and I believed him right then, becauseI did remember him, and he sounded just the same as I had pictured him in my mind for so many years.
“I miss her…Gia. Is she alright?” I asked shakily. Tears were constantly flooding down my face, but I didn’t have the strength to move my other arm to wipe them away.
“She misses you too. We both need you here at home, where you belong.”
“I don’t belong there anymore. I don’t be-long an-anywhere.”
“You do. You belong with me. I’m going to come for you this time, and I am going to bring you home,” Rafe told me. “Can you tell me where you are and what happened? Are you hurt?”
“Mum’s dead,” I whimpered. “She w-won’t st-stop looking at me.”
“Jesus fucking Christ!” A deeper voice exclaimed and I gasped in fear, even though the voice was only through the phone. I wasn’t thinking straight. I hadn’t eaten, drank, or slept in almost twenty four hours, and I was most likely in shock.
“It’s alright. That’s just Dio on the call with me, okay? He’s trying to track your location so we can come and get you. Are you still in America, Cara?”
“Dio?”
“I’m here,Piccola. I’ve missed you.” It didn’t sound like Dio’s voice, It was deeper, but he was the only one who ever called me ‘Piccola’and the familiar word made me start sobbing again. It took several minutes for me to gather myself enough to answer Rafe’s question.
“Chicago. We….or just me now, I guess. I…I’m in Chicago. It’s okay though, Rafe, i-if they come first, okay? I…I don’t mind…not really.”
“Cara, what are you talking about? If who comes first?” Rafe snapped at me.
“The men…to k-kill me like they killed M-Mum. I don’t mind, but I….I wish I could see you again first.” There was a beeping and when I moved my cell to glance at it, I saw the prepaid credit was almost run out.
“CARA?!” Rafe was yelling by the time I got it back to my ear.
“I h-have to go. My phone…I missed you Rafe. I’m sorry.” That was all I managed to babble into the phone before the credit ran out and the call ended abruptly. I set it down on the sofa beside me and closed my heavy eyes. I was so tired, and knowing Rafe wasn’t the bad guy had brought me peace. He had tried to find me and that was enough for me. In my state of shock I simply laid there, amongst the death all around me, and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 3
DARIO
“CARA?” Rafe yelled at his mobile, but I could see on the screen of my laptop that the call had ended on Cara’s end. “What happened?” he asked as he looked from the screen of his iPhone and to me.
“I got her location. I heard some beeps. I think either she ran out of battery or credit on her phone. Try calling her back. I’m already arranging the jet to take us there as soon as possible.”
Rafe tried to call her back, but the call rang out and there was no voicemail. He tried again as I sent texts to the pilot of the company jet asking him to schedule a flight to Chicago as fast as he possibly could.
“That was her. Her accent was American, but I know that was her,” Rafe told me as he continued redialling. “Who the fuck found them before we did and why would they kill my mother?”
“Do you want me to call the local police and get them over there?” I asked.
“No. Cara is likely over there illegally and we have no idea what’s happened. I don’t want some idiot police charging in and arresting her for murder. Call Dante, find out where the fuck heis and see if he knows any kind of private security we can get over there until we land. What the fuck is going on, Dario?” he raged as he slammed his phone down on the table and pushed his hands into his hair in stress.
“I don’t know. Cara sounded like she was in shock, and I’m pretty sure she’s with your mother’s body, where ever she is,” I growled. “You think this is linked to us, or something your mother’s got mixed up in over there?”
“Anything’s possible with that woman. I just need Cara to be safe. Why the fuck does she have to be so far away?”
“Go grab our shit and your car. I’ll ring Dante and have him get someone to the building to protect Cara, then we’ll get to the airfield. I told Henry to schedule the fight urgently.” I directed, knowing Rafe was too shaken up and shocked to think straight. I was relieved when he just nodded and left the room to do as I told him.
