Page 21 of Deadly Intentions

“I don’t like him.” Donny ran his palm over his face.

“That makes two of us. Let’s go. We can use the break room to call Massimo. But Donny,” I paused at the door before opening it. “Can we hold off on telling him about my issue? I want the focus to be on Michael for now. Once they get over that shock, we can tell them the rest.”

“Fine, but I will not be leaving your side. Ever.”

His words held more than an air of protection. He meant he wasn’t leaving me again. And if I told him I wanted to stay, I suspected he would give up his place beside my brother to do just that. That realization had me questioning every decision I’d ever made.

I hoped I was ready… because things were about toblowup in this tiny town.

twelve

DONNY

I watchedas Catarina paced the tiny space. I knew making this call was hard on her for multiple reasons. She was going to have to face the decision she’d made to walk away from being who she was. Her bloodline was more than a family—it was a way of life. A life she clearly fought to avoid being part of.

My phone laid on the cheap break-room table, waiting for the inevitable. “You ready?”

“Yeah. Just do it.” Catarina pressed her palms against the surface and stared at the black screen.

I flicked it to life and pressed the button. The phone whirled to life the sound of ringing filled the room.

“Donny.” Massimo’s voice filtered through. “I was beginning to wonder if you remembered us.”

“I have news.” I cut right to the chase.

“You’ve found my sister?” His hopeful tone had Catarina sucking in a breath.

“He found me,” she spoke, her voice cracking under the pressure of her shame.

“Catarina,” Massimo whispered into the line. “Dio ti ha riportato a noi.”

God has brought you back to us.I’d learned my share of Italian over the years to understand what he’d said. His pain had mine until she’d called me for help.

“I’m so sorry, Massimo. I thought I knew what I wanted. But I didn’t think leaving would cause so much hurt.” Her tears splashed onto the shiny surface.

“Stop,” Massimo snapped. “You don’t owe me an apology. I understand why you did it. This life is not an easy one and I’ve known since you could talk, you wanted something different. I just wish you’d told me, Cat. I could have helped you—could have made sure you were safe. Are you safe?” His voice cracked.

Catarina shot me a knowing glance. “She’s fine.” I cleared my throat. “But there is something you need to know. Something the family needs to know.”

“This sounds like the opposite of safe.” Massimo growled. “Where are you?”

“Lake District, Oregon.”

“Oregon? What the fuck are you doing in Oregon?” He let loose a string of Italian swear words. “You left us to be free, but you only moved ten hours away.” He chuckled. “How did you find her, Donny?”

“That’s a story for another day, fratello.” I sighed. “Catarina is a nurse here at the local hospital. She works in the Intensive Care Unit—specifically with patients needing long term care.”

“Ok. Are you needing me to dig up information on a patient? Do I need to get Alec on the call?”

“No. Massimo, when Catarina came to work here, there was a patient that had been here for a few weeks. He was found dumped in the desert that borders the forest here in Oregon. Some local hikers found him and notified the authorities. This man has been unconscious the entire time and until recently his face had been bandaged. Hell,” I took a deep breath. “He’s still unrecognizable to people who don’t know him.”

“Why haven’t the authorities identified him yet?” Massimo’s tone grew serious.

“It wouldn’t matter if they took DNA or fingerprints from him. People like us ensure we can’t be identified.” I paused, hoping the words would sink in.

“People like us?” Massimo grew quiet. “Donny, what aren’t you saying?”

“Massimo.” Catarina moved beside me and leaned closer to the phone. I pressed my palm against her back. “You need to understand if I had known when I got here, I would have called you sooner. I didn’t know.” A sob escaped her lips.

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