Page 79 of In My Blood
“Dante, what did you find?” Rafe asked as he turned to face us in the entrance way.
“Cara wasn’t taken. She disabled the cameras herself. I think she ran,” Dante explained, and I watched as Rafe’s face filled with despair instantly.
“She ran?” he asked, instantly sounding a little broken by the news. I knew it would hurt him. He had been trying so hard to make Cara trust him, and I had been pretty sure he was making headway. Clearly he thought so too.
“I’m no’ so sure she just ran away, Rafe. She’s been settlin’ in here. She was happy earlier. I cannae see her just running off like that.”
“She didn’t run away!” I looked up and saw Cal running down the stairs. He had changed into a pair of jeans and he had on his coat and trainers. Clearly he thought he was going where ever wewere in search of Cara. “She wouldn’t run away. She liked it here. She felt safe with all of us. She wouldn’t just walk away from that, or from you, Rafe. If she disabled the cameras and left, it was because she had no choice,” Cal said with utter confidence.
I had noticed how close the two had become, and I’d been pleased about it. Cal got lonely in that house, ever since Gia ditched him, for some reason the lad wouldn’t tell me. I’d been happy to see him smiling, and hear him laughing with Cara in the last couple of days.
“You think she was coerced to leave the house?” Dario asked.
“I think someone took Gia, then called Cara and threatened Gia’s life. That’s the only reason Cara would work so hard to get away like that. They told her she had to go alone or something, and she didn’t want us following her.”
“Why wasn’t anyone watching the rear door?” Dante demanded, and when I turned to glance at him his fists were balled tightly at his sides, his whole body taut with his rage, which he was trying to keep a lid on.
“I spoke to Don. He told me Ash was supposed to be manning that door, but there’s no sign of him anywhere now. Do you think he was in on whatever’s going on?” Cal asked.
“So you’re telling me someone now has both of my sisters and we have no fucking clue who, or where they are?” Rafe growled, drawing my attention instantly.
Distressed Rafe was gone, and the reason he was the boss of this family became apparent. I had only seen him like this one other time – when some shit with the Italians got seriously fucked and Dario was taken on his way home from the office. Itwas terrifying to witness the way Rafe utterly transformed from the steady, kind, considerate guy he always was to us, into this vengeful force, filled with darkness. His eyes blazed with the need to do whatever it took to get back those he cared for, and all I could say, was not even God himself, would be able to help those who got in his way.
“It has to be the Russians,” Dante spoke up.
“Or the Armenians,” Dario added. We all knew about the tattoo Cara had drawn out from her memories of the night she was attacked. Just thinking of that night, and the fucking bastard who had tried to rape her had me wanting to kill him all over again. He died way too easily. Dario beat him to death way too fucking fast for my liking.
“I want to know who, now! Call everyone and find out what they know. Whoever took Cara, and possibly Gia is dead, every fucking one of them!” Rafe barked.
“I’ll check her room. See if there’s any clues about who contacted her while she was in there,” Cal volunteered. He was already halfway back up the stairs when Rafe’s phone beeped loudly. We all paused and looked to him as he turned his phone in his hand and studied it for a second, then rushed to unlock it.
“It’s from Cara!” he told us. Cal ran back down the stairs and we all huddled in close to look over Rafe’s shoulder.
Cara:
Someone took Gia. She called me and she was so scared.
I have to go there within one hour or they said they’d kill her. I time delayed this message to give me one hour to get her out.
The next message contains the address they want me to go to.
Jase is involved somehow.
I’m sorry Rafe but I had no choice.
I love you.
The phone beeped again with an address for what looked like a mechanics shop in Islington.
“Forward me the location and I’ll coordinate the teams,” Dante demanded, already halfway to the door.
“Fine, but we’re not waiting. An hour has already passed. We leave now,” Rafe commanded, and we all nodded in agreement, including my brother.
“Cal…” I started, but he cut me off as he glared at me hard.
“Don’t even try it, Arran. I’m coming,” he stated adamantly. I looked to Rafe and he nodded.
“Make sure he’s wearing a vest. You can come Cal, but you stay behind us until it’s clear, understood?” he added with no space for argument.
