Page 8 of Broken

Even being outside in the open, in public, you had to be aware of everything. Too bad I didn’t adhere to that lesson when Jose kidnapped me. Anytime I thought about Jose, I thought about Olivia. I wondered if Damon or Antonio had any luck finding her. Was she happy? Was she unhappy? It killed me not knowing.

Memories of everything that happened flashed in my mind. The events played constantly in my mind. And the night I killed my father. I wanted to feel remorseful. I wanted to regret doing something so heinous. But I couldn’t. And I sure as hell wasn’t mad that Jose and his men were dead. But when one cartel got taken down, another popped up.

My feet hit hard on the pavement of the trail and my jog turned into a run. No matter how much I ran, I couldn’t run from my past. I couldn’t change the person I was.

My phone rang and I stopped running and was huffing, almost out of breath. I took a few deep breaths and answered my phone.

“Hello?”

“Is this Kara Ricci?”

“It is.”

“I’m Bonnie calling from the Guiding Light Elementary School.”

“Oh. Hi, Bonnie.”

“I was calling to see if you could come in for an interview for the teacher’s aide position tomorrow.”

I did my best to contain my excitement. “Absolutely.”

“Does 9 a.m. work?”

“Yes.” I was beaming.

“Just come to the main office and ask for Bonnie.”

“Okay. Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I almost wanted to jump for joy but I didn’t have the job yet. This was an interview. It was quick hearing back from someone, since I only sent in my resume an hour or two ago.

Chapter Six

KARA

It was Wednesday and I had a dinner date with Damon. Maybe Matteo would get some time to himself while I’m in Damon’s company. Plus,I had great news to share with Damon as well.

After my shower, I took the time to blow dry my hair, curl the ends, apply makeup to my face. And I slipped on a blush pink, satin blouse and paired that with a black skirt. Lastly, I slipped my feet into a pair of stilettos. They made me feel so tall, compared to my usual five-foot- five. These shoes probably had me five-foot-seven or eight.

The diamond bracelet Damon gave me months ago dangled on my right wrist. My phone, a compact, and some lipstick were in my clutch and I was ready.

As I stepped out into the living room, I wasn’t expecting to see Damon. He immediately stood when he saw me. Obviously, he liked what he saw. “You look beautiful.” He looked to Matteo. “You can take the night off.”

“Are you sure, boss?”

“I’m sure.”

Was Damon planning on more than a dinner date tonight?

Damon’s gaze connected with mine. “Ready?” He held out his arm so I could weave mine through it.

“Yes.” I smiled.

This was our first real date and I was very happy he wanted to do this. “How was your day?” he asked as we slid into his whiteAston Martin.