Page 17 of Mafia And Taken

I decided to let them leave before I came out. I waited. But the arguing carried on. My mom was pleading with the men to go. But they said they needed to see my father.

Then I heard my father come in. I remember thinking, thank God, he’ll be able to sort this out with the men and then they will leave us alone.

I heard more arguing. For some reason, it didn’t sound good. Normally my father could deal with anything—he was a Captain in the Fratellanza—and his job meant that he always knew how to deal with people and get them to do what he wanted.

My mom was screaming. I wondered if I should run out to be with my father so that he could keep me safe. But my mind told me to stay put and stay hidden for now.

Then I heard bangs—gunshots. My eyes were fixed on the pantry door as if by staring hard enough at it, I would be able to see what had happened.

It was all silent. Then I heard my father speaking quickly and telling someone to do something.

My father carried on talking, but there was no one talking back to him. He was talking to himself, or maybe he was talking on the phone. I heard his words—they were panicky. He was giving out orders and talking about the doctor.

I opened the pantry door just a crack. But the creaking hinges made him whirl around on his heel. When I saw him, I opened the door a bit more.

“Cate, thank God you’re all right! I didn’t know where you were.”

“Father?”

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“Are you calling the police?”

“No, I’ve called the doctor.”

“We need an ambulance. We need to take them to the hospital.” But looking at my mom and brother, I was terrified that even the hospital couldn’t help them now. My mom’s eyes were half open and her body was deadly still. My brother’s eyes were closed and there was blood everywhere. Deep red blood everywhere. “Please call the ambulance, Father.”

“It is better that the doctor comes. He knows your mom and your brother.”

“Father, I’m scared,” I sobbed into his chest.

“No one is ever going to hurt you, Cate.”

That was the last day he called me Cate. After that, he always called me Caterina because he said that was the best way to remember Mom.

“Wake up, Cate.” Those words didn’t feel right. They weren’t what happened in the dream.

I ignored the words, trying to go back into my dream, trying to help my mom and brother. I just had to persuade my father to call an ambulance. The hospital would be able to make them better so that they could stay with me instead of leaving me all alone.

“Cate, wake up.” I heard that unfamiliar voice again.

I jerked my eyes open.

Taking in the darkness surrounding me, I could feel a firm hold on my arm. And everything about the room felt strange.

Then I remembered where I was. I was in the home of Alessio Marchiano. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dark, I saw Alessio’s face, dark hair and his rich brown eyes with their thick lashes watching me. “You were having a nightmare.”

I took deep gulps of air, attempting to slow down my breathing. Trying to bring my mind back to the present and trying to leave the terrible memories behind.

But I knew that I would never be able to leave them behind.

In the daytime, these memories hid behind my thoughts. And at nighttime, those memories tumbled into my nightmares.

I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, the tears feeling warm against my shivery skin. My gulps turned into heaving sobs. I didn’t know which was worse—reliving the memories again and again in my dreams, or living every waking hour without my mom and brother.

“Hey, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare.”

If only it had just been a nightmare. It had really happened, and it wouldn’t stop haunting me.

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