Falling Deep Into You Trilogy Box Set

by Terra Kelly

  Grabbing his iPad, he set up the Internet offered on the flight which cost an arm and a leg. He opened the secure site for the ETF unit and found Cooper’s name on the list.

  Cooper, I’m reviewing the files and wanted to touch on a few points. We need to find out who this unknown woman is with the female we are protecting. Plus, I’m guessing with the recent events, we need more heads down here in the states. On route now, Fin

  He logged out of the email and shut down the iPad. Grabbing his drink and taking a sip, he thought about the many scenarios surrounding this case. He had to make sure the unknown woman was not a caporegime, one of the leaders of the Nesta family. Plus, he had to find out who the undercover agent was working with Letizia at the bakery. He thought about the file that had been placed on his desk almost a month ago.

  July 20, 2016: Letizia Aria Magrino, who owns Z’s Bakery in St. Cloud, MN has been spotted by the Mafia. The woman recently won a baking contest and was interviewed by reporters for the national news. The five finalists of the contest will be competing in Toronto, Canada on November 15th. An agent has been sent from the Emergency Task Force and will be undercover. It is still believed Letizia has no idea why this is of utmost concern. At this point, we will keep things normal for the female. If at any point the situation changes, the code word is “bleak” and we will send all available units to assist in protecting Letizia. We know the Nesta Mafia is aware of the contest and acting on the news as we speak.

  Three

  Once Finley had his bags and the rental car, he entered the address for his home into his GPS. The drive from the airport to the house would take about two hours, depending on how well he could avoid any traffic delays. It had been decided back in Toronto that he would live in a house and blend into the community. His back story was simple: He had just moved from a small town in North Dakota, where he had been working as a carpenter for several years and found a new full-time job online in St. Cloud. Finley would fill in for an employee that had recently taken medical leave. It was undetermined how long the person would be out. Since it was uncertain how long he would be in St. Cloud, having an open-ended position was a bonus.

  As he made his way down the two-lane road, he noticed the towns getting smaller. St. Cloud’s population sat at approximately sixty-five thousand in and around the city. The homes were not stacked one on top of each other. Instead, each home was sitting on about two to three acres of property. It was almost the end of summer, so the days were much cooler. Finley noticed children in their hoodies and zipped up sweatshirts playing in the front yard or riding on bikes. At one home, the man was washing his car, while a few miles down the road a woman was watering her many flowers.

  After almost two hours of driving, he found his address to the temporary place he planned to call home. As he pulled in, he could hear the crunching of gravel below each tire. Finley had to smile as he caught a glimpse of the little cottage that was hidden behind several bushes and a huge willow tree set off to the side of the house. The info online read that the place was only about 1300 square feet. Looking at it now, it was possible the place was much smaller. There was a cute little porch and a hammock in between two trees next to the house.

  Sighing, he parked the car, got out and headed toward the front door. All of a sudden a child yelled, “Trespassing.”

  Finley had never experienced a heart attack, but he imagined this was what it felt like. Stepping away from the kid. “Whoa, hold up there little man.”

  The boy had to be about twelve, had his fists up, and was ready for action. “This isn’t your house!”

  Finley held up his hands in surrender. “You’re right. I’m renting it for a while.”

  The boy still didn’t back down, holding his fists up even higher. “No one told me about that.” Just then a woman walked around the willow tree, clearly searching for the boy. The kid gasped and ran in the opposite direction.

  Once the woman stood only about six feet away from Finley, she gave him a questioning look. “Have you seen a boy around here?” She appeared to be in her forties, had long brunette hair with many gray strands peeking out.

  Finley laughed. “He ran that way.” Then he watched as the woman huffed in frustration and headed off in the same direction the kid had just taken. Who were they and what was going on?

  His home was in a small neighborhood, but each house was separated by several trees. This family obviously knew the tenant that had been here before him. Shaking his head, he started up the steps to the little cottage. Once he opened the door, an odor caught him off guard. Plugging his nose to avoid the smell, he hurried through the place hoping to locate the horrendous aroma. His first and only stop was the kitchen where bags of garbage sat on the floor and the refrigerator door was ajar. You could see food on every shelf inside. Some showed signs of mold already growing rapidly. He shook his head in frustration.

  He pulled out his cell to call the landlord. The woman answered on the second ring.

  “Yeah, this is Derek Adams at the rental property in St. Cloud.”

  The landlord seemed excited to hear from him. “Oh yes, hello Mr. Adams. Is everything okay over there?”

  Softly laughing, “Question. Did you even check the place before I was set to arrive?”

  Her voice lost the happy edge at that. “I’m sorry?” she inquired.

  He sighed and repeated himself. “Did you check the place before you rented it out?” He was trying to keep calm, but the smell coming from the kitchen was making it difficult.

  She cleared her throat. “Uh, yes, of course.”

  He knew by her answer she meant ‘no’. Resigned to the fact it was probably never going to get cleaned…unless he did it, he suggested, “You know what, I’ll make you a deal. You bump down my rent by 250 dollars and I’ll take care of the garbage stinking up the whole house.” It wasn’t a question either. He planned to keep that deal good during the duration of his stay.

  The woman seemed to have difficulty speaking for a moment. “Um, okay. I’m sorry for the inconvenience it might’ve caused you. I was told it was ready for the next tenant.” He shook his head and finished the call.

  After Finley hung up, he took care of the issue in the kitchen. He needed to find time to sit down since there was work that needed to be done before he called it quits tonight.

  Finally, around 8:00 p.m. he could sit on the couch and spread out photos on the coffee table in front of him. He grabbed the laptop from his bag and booted it up, checking to see if there was an email waiting for him from Cooper. There were two new emails waiting, one of them being spam.

  Then he opened Coopers email: Finley, Yes, we are looking into who the woman could be. My guess, it must be the aunt. We will keep in touch regarding this situation. I have Miles prepped and ready for when I say the word. He knows he could leave any day now. Thanks, Cooper

  Finley looked at the email again and was happy they would send Miles down here. They both worked well together and knew how to stay focused on any mission. Closing the laptop, he familiarized himself with the latest images of Letizia Magrino. He had to pause for a moment because the woman was stunning. She had long brunette hair, beautiful whiskey colored eyes, and gorgeous tanned skin. He went to grab another photo and stopped. Looking back at the photo that had been just in his hands seconds before, he recognized two people standing not far away from Letizia. It was the boy and woman from earlier outside his home. What the hell?

  Four

  “Yeah, I’ll be there.” Finley hung up the phone and threw it on the bed. A carpenter. Really? When it was decided back in Toronto how he would blend into the community, this gig would not have been his first choice. Cooper discovered that the remodeling company was working on a project that was near Letizia’s bakery…convenient.

  Finley had worked with his father on projects during his teenage years for extra cash since his Dad had his own remodeling company. Once Finley graduated from high school, he had spent the summer working with him on
various projects. He had the knowledge and understanding to do a carpenter job, but it would not have been his first choice for his undercover gig.

  He decided it was best to keep a low profile, so he opted out of shaving. His hair was always clean cut and perfectly placed, but for the last couple weeks he stopped caring. Now, he just looked like a homeless man with a five-day scruff and strands falling around his face. Soon he would be able to put it in one of those damn man buns—God help him.

  Since it was easy to get ready now that he didn’t have to worry about his appearance, he showered and dressed in record time. Grabbing his keys, he reached for the door to open it and leave. As he opened the door to exit, he was immediately wishing there was a do-over button. The kid from yesterday was sitting on his porch step and kicking dirt around with both feet.

  He turned the key in the bottom lock and faced the boy. “Hey.”

  The kid never looked up, his head slumped. “Hi.”

  Finley sighed and walked over to sit down next to him. “No school today?”

  The boy looked up at Finley, pain etched into his features. “No.”

  Finley had to smile. This kid seemed to be full of emotion at such a young age. “What is your name?” He put his hand out to shake. “I’m Fi…Derek.”

  The boy shook Finley’s hand. “Cristiano.”

  He figured he might as well settle in for a few. Stretching his legs out. “Need to talk?” The previous tenant must’ve been social with the neighbors. Great. Fin took a moment to survey the yard. There were several trees that lined the property and bushes covering the house. Looking back at the boy’s profile. “You must live nearby, eh?”

  Cristiano nodded and pointed. “That house just beyond the tall tree.”

  Finley glanced up and could see a roof sticking out, but the house was not visible from where he sat. He knew he had to get going or he would be late for his first day on the job. “You can hang out here if you need to, but I have to get to work.”

  Cristiano stared at Finley. “I can stay here? Really?”

  Finley just nodded. “Sure.” What was going on? Something felt very off.

  The boy stood and gave him a half smile. “Thanks.” He didn’t give any more info to why he needed a place to hide out. Was he hiding from someone?

  Finley patted the kid on his back and headed down the steps before turning back to look at Cristiano one more time. “I better not get in trouble though, if you're hiding out to avoid doing homework or something?” The kid didn’t answer.

  Finley needed to find out if the image of Cristiano and that woman next to Letizia was a coincidence, or if they knew each other. As he got into his car and started out of the driveway, he wondered if the boy’s attitude had something to do with the case he was working on. Could this all be linked together? What were the fucking odds he would rent a place next to the victim and her family? One in a Million, or less probably.

  “I’m Derek. Here for the temp job.” Finley was still struggling with the name.

  The owner of the company looked him up and down, then nodded. “Ken. Nice to meet you. You have previous experience with carpentry work?”

  Finley handed him his resume. “Been a few weeks since I last had anything to do with it, but yeah, worked with my Father years ago.” He hoped the resume would be believable since it had taken time getting it right.

  Ken took the paper and read it. “Bismarck, eh? What brings you to St. Cloud? Seems kinda far away from your old stomping ground.”

  He shrugged. “Time for a change of scenery.” Looking across the street from where he stood, he noticed the bakery. Shit, he would be working close to Z’s. “The jobs are few and far between these days. Everyone seems to be squirreling their money away and not making any updates on their homes.”

  “Yeah, I hear ya. Well, come on, let’s get you set up and then I’ll show you where we’re at for the remodel.” Ken turned and walked inside the building.

  The place they were remodeling was set dead center in a small shopping plaza. The owner of the store wanted a complete renovation. From what Ken shared, they were half-way done with the project, with only about 20 days left to completion. There were racks clustered together in the center of the big room and covered with a clear tarp to protect them from dust or paint. The store was a clothing shop for adults, most of the items were rather high-end and out of Finley’s price range.

  He was introduced to the team, given a tool belt, and set up to work alongside Cameron. The guy was in his mid 30’s and seemed to have a calm personality. He had long hair tied back in a ponytail, five o’clock shadow, and wore a flannel shirt tucked into a pair of Carhart jeans.

  Cameron showed Finley what needed to be done. “Here.” He handed Fin a nail gun. “Let’s get this side of the room done today.”

  Grabbing the pneumatic nailer. “Sure, let’s do it.” Finley secretly counted to ten, hoping he didn’t make a complete fool of himself on this assignment.

  After about two hours of holding the heavy piece of equipment and nailing each 2x4 together, he stopped to take a quick break. Sitting the nailer down on a worktable nearby, he walked over to grab his water bottle. He had a feeling this job would get the best of him. Finley hoped it would turn out to be a short assignment.

  Cameron stopped working and looked over at Finley. “Need a break?”

  Finley started laughing. “Do I look like I need one?”

  Nodding, Cameron said, “Well, if you don’t, I sure as hell do.”

  Finley was going to like working with this guy. He seemed easy going, hardworking, and best of all: He liked taking breaks.

  Fin unbuckled his tool belt. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Did I see a bakery across the street?” He figured he might as well find an easy way to scope out the location.

  Cameron moaned. “Oh, you haven’t been yet? Just know everything they make is amazing. You’ve been warned.”

  Fin was laughing as he headed across the street. “I haven’t been yet, but I could go for an apple strudel right about now.”

  Both men were chatting about nothing as they made their way over to Z’s Bakery. Finley was the first to reach the front door, so he opened it and let Cameron walk in before him. As he followed behind his co-worker, he took in all his surroundings. The place was small in the customer area. There were about four tables, and a thin table that sat flush to the front window with barstools. The pastries sat in two glassed in cabinets; there had to be a pastry for everyday of the month. Finley was surprised to see the many choices, yet what grabbed his attention more was the detail on each treat. There was not only a wide variety to choose from, everything looked mouthwatering.

  As Finley stepped up to the counter, an older woman wearing a hairnet smiled at him. “Hello, do you know what you would like?”

  He stared at one case, then the next, before repeating the procedure about four times. “Can I take one of those palmiers?” Then he pointed at the top shelf. “And that apple strudel, please.”

  While the woman grabbed the two pastries, Finley looked beyond the doorway, trying to see who was in the kitchen. He could see a few people milling about tending to things in an oven, and another employee was cleaning a silver tabletop off. It was hard to verify which one could be Letizia since everyone wore a hairnet or baseball cap with their hair tied up.

  Just then the girl holding a sheet pan and opening the oven door yelled out, “Z!”

  Finley watched as a lady in a baseball cap looked up from cleaning off the table. “You okay, Amy?”

  He could see her now, her profile, and that was definitely Letizia. She was petite, maybe five feet two inches—give or take. She had a firm voice that reached to the front of the store easily when she spoke. He stared there for a moment too long because just then Letizia glanced his way. As her eyes moved directly to Finley, he found it almost impossible to look away.

  Five

  As Letizia was cleaning her prep station, she heard the little bell on th
e door chime. The bakery had a normal flow of customers, especially the regulars that had to come in for their sugar fix. Hearing more customers coming in, she glanced over to see who was standing at the counter. Her eyes latched onto one specific man. It wasn’t anyone she had ever seen before. He had shaggy hair that hung around his face and a gorgeous short beard which had been trimmed perfectly. Time seemed to stand still as they both looked into each other’s eyes. Those steel gray eyes staring back at her about took her breath away.

  She bent her head and breathed in and out to calm her raging hormones. It had been a while and her body loved reacting to anything with three legs these days. Shaking her head, Zia grabbed a sanitized towel and wiped down the equipment to keep her occupied. A few minutes later the bell rang again. Z headed up front to see if the mystery man was still in the shop. Sadly, he wasn’t.

  Stacy was talking to herself and counting the till. Letizia bumped up against her. “Did you see the new guy? Who is he?”

  Stacy sat down the money in a pile in front of her and glanced up. “New guy?” Then it looked like a light bulb went on in Stacy’s mind. “Oh, a new guy. Yeah, he works with Cam the carpenter across the street.”

  Letizia stepped over to the front window and looked across the street at the store front covered in a plastic tarp and clearly being remodeled. Shaking her head in confusion. “We’ve never seen him before?”

  Stacy was laughing. “Well thank God I’m known as the town gossip. The other guy they had working on the remodel just recently had to go on emergency medical leave for his back. From what I hear, this new guy is from North Dakota.”

  Zia shook her head with a grin. “One reason why I love having you here. You’re a wealth of knowledge.” She stepped back away from the window and headed to the kitchen to finish cleaning.