by Terra Kelly
Miles sighed. “They put the file up already? Well, the trip was not a loss, because I was able to observe the officers with all the evidence bags.”
Laughing, “True. Yeah, about an hour ago it was posted.” Fin stood to stretch his legs. “From what I can tell, this case does not look good. I had to send the code message to Cooper, which means the rest of the team will arrive soon. They know not to contact us yet and will stay at a hotel in town. Maybe Cooper can have one of them look for clues, so we can get an idea where they took the agent’s body.” He turned to head into the kitchen. “There has to be a clue outside of that house, right?”
Miles just shrugged his shoulders. “Looking through the windows the real mess is all inside. If you walk around the property, it looks clean as a whistle. They were efficient, I’ll give them that.”
Finley stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. “I don’t see anything in the report that states a neighbor heard anything. How is that possible? There had to be noise that triggered someone’s attention?”
Finley watched as Miles walked over to the sofa to sit down and read the file. “Not necessarily. She could have sound proof windows, people seem to love those these days. Or, they caught her when she was sleeping and were able to gag her before she could make a peep.”
Nodding, “Yeah I know. It’s just…” They both looked at each other when a light knock sounded at the door. Finley peeked through the blinds to see who was on the other side, and about choked. He mouthed the word ‘Letizia’ to Miles, then casually opened the door. “Letizia, this is a surprise. Did you come over to teach me how to make that amazing dessert?”
He could tell she seemed a little stressed: She was fidgeting with her fingers and moving back and forth on the balls of her feet. Stepping back away from the doorway. “Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink?”
She stepped into his home and looked around, then her eyes landed on Miles. “I’m sorry if I came at a bad time.”
Finley laughed. “Bad time? Oh, because of him?” Then pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Miles. “He’s my free-loading cousin, don’t mind him.”
Miles laughed. “Nice.” Then he stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Miles, Miles Adams.” Finley was laughing inside at the quick thinking of his last name.
Letizia smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Miles.” Then she turned toward Finley. “I needed a place to hide out for a bit. My mom made me a little upset.”
Nodding, “Of course. Miles was going to go grab some dinner in town, anyway. Hungry?” Then he glanced over at Miles with an apologetic look, but his friend seemed fine with the change in plans.
“He thinks I planned to include him in my dinner run.” Miles slapped Finley on the back. “Alright, what are we all eating?”
Letizia shook her head. “No. It’s okay, you don’t have to get me anything.”
Finley looked at Miles. “Something Italian and I think we need red wine.” He raised his eyebrows to Miles, secretly saying, go. He had a feeling Letizia had come over to talk but felt uncomfortable continuing with Miles present. As Miles made his way out the door. “Hey, grab extra bread sticks and make sure they’re fresh, too.” His friend just raised his arm over his head and waved as he was walking down the steps to the car.
Finley closed the door and motioned to the couch. “Would you like to sit down?” Then he noticed the file they were just discussing was open on the laptop. He quickly closed the computer screen and sat the laptop over on the end table beside the sofa. As he settled in beside her. “You doing okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
He could tell he would have to pull the words out of her piece by piece. “Think so? Well, you can’t leave me hanging. Tell me what you’re thinking? I’m an outsider looking in, so no judgment here.”
She smiled, and he immediately had to keep his body in check.
“Well, for several years now my mom has evaded questions about my past and I don’t understand why. Eventually I got to the point where I stopped asking, but I was just talking to her and she did it again. I asked her to be honest, but I don’t think she was because then I noticed her shaking at the mention of my mysterious past. She’s a very strong woman, so if she’s shaking…then I know she’s holding back.” He watched as she looked down at her hands resting in her lap. “It’s probably no big deal. I bet I’m just overreacting.”
He turned to face her. “Hey.” He reached forward and touched her arm. “If the situation feels off, then there could be more to the story.” He looked at her profile taking in all her features. She had this little mole that sat right on the corner of her eye, her cheeks were rosy, and he loved how the bridge of her nose just slightly pointed out. She was gorgeous. Her long brunette hair was all one length and tucked behind her ears. There were a few strands out of place and sticking out. He felt the urge to reach forward and fix the pieces of hair out of place, but he held back, unsure of what her reaction would be to his touch.
She looked over at him, and he could see her eyes full of sadness. “Yeah, I know. Which is why I feel so lost right now. I have tried every tactic to get her to maybe share more with me, especially now that I’m old enough.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I get it. I think parents always worry about us and find ways to hold back. Maybe too afraid to see us as adults. In their mind, we’ll always be their children and they’re the protectors.” He instinctively reached forward and put his hand on top of hers. “Maybe just give it some time. I know you’ve done that already, but maybe you need to give her more time.”
He noticed Letizia glance down at his hand on hers, then she looked up into his eyes. “You’re probably right. Thanks for letting me come over and crash your plans.” Then she surprised him by turning her palm up and taking his hand in her own. “My mom told me to never trust a soul, but it’s nice to know I can feel comfortable with you. Thank you.”
He wasn’t surprised to hear that, and her mom was right on the advice. Softly laughing, “Yeah, trust is a tough word.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll promise this though and I’m a man of my word—just ask my cousin—I’ll be here for you anytime you need me, okay?” Just then he heard the door open and Miles walked in holding two big bags of food.
Miles held up the bags. “Who’s hungry?” Finley watched Miles’ eyes wander to their clasped hands and then look at him with concern.
Finley squeezed her hand one last time before reluctantly letting it go to stand up. “I know I’m starving.”
Letizia nodded. “I haven’t eaten all day; I need food.”
“Wait a minute, you work at a bakery and you haven’t eaten all day?” Finley reached over and grabbed one of the bags and walked toward the kitchen.
He could feel Zia not far behind him. “Well, in my defense, this was a day from hell.”
As Finley pulled out the to-go containers. “I’m sorry, have you heard anymore?”
Letizia grabbed one of the containers off the table and sat down next to him. She looked over at Miles. “Have you heard on the news yet about the missing woman? News usually travels fast in this small town.”
Miles glanced at Finley and then over at Letizia. “I caught an update on my phone. You knew the woman?”
Letizia took the lid off the container and immediately sunk her fork down into the spaghetti. “Yeah, she’s my main baker and we’re also good friends. The police are looking for her, but it seems like they’re not able to pinpoint her whereabouts just yet. I keep holding out hope she’s still alive. I’ve asked a few times, but they have this look solidifying my worst fear.” Then she took a big bite and you could hear a muffled laugh. “Sorry, I may devour every bite. You brought spaghetti to a hungry Italian.”
Finley joined in and was laughing lightly. “Hey, I plan to be in the clean plate club, this looks amazing. Well, not as good as the meal your mom made the other night but a close second.” He took another bite savoring the flavors. Then he sobered. �
��Do you want us to help with anything? Miles has a lot of connections and could maybe call in a favor to get answers.”
Zia grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the sides of her mouth and then looked over at Finley. “You know the guys at the precinct here in St. Cloud?”
Finley felt Miles’ foot touch him under the table, then Miles talked first. “No, but I have a couple friends that know them. You want me to have them look into the case? I think Billy owes me a favor anyways.” Then he smiled and reached for a breadstick. Looking toward Finley, he shrugged his shoulders.
Finley knew Billy; he was one of the team leaders for the other task force they worked alongside on special cases. Nodding to Miles, he received the hidden message loud and clear. If need be, they would contact their friend and make it look like he was someone working here in St. Cloud. Being undercover had its setbacks with the victims, for example, having to lie. He knew he would need to share the truth soon, especially if he wanted her to run to him for protection.
Monday morning Finley and Miles were sitting on the porch drinking some much-needed coffee. Finley passed the iPad to Miles. “Look at that, isn’t that a hand print on the wall next to the headboard in the agent’s bedroom?”
Miles grabbed the tablet. “Yeah. Did you see anything in the reports about fingerprints and if they matched anyone?” He zoomed the image in and took a closer look. “I bet, because they’re smeared the reports are inconclusive.”
Miles handed the iPad back to Finley so he could take a closer look at the image. “We need to be one hundred percent, though. If there is even a partial, we need to run it through the data base. Dego has been arrested one too many times. We know they can piece together the partial to make it a full print and scan it against what we have in the system for Dego.”
Miles nodded. “Agreed.” Finley noticed him reach for the burner phone. “Let’s check in with Cooper and have him look for a partial at the agent’s house.” Then he stood up and headed inside.
Finley looked more closely at the image of the room trying to find any more clues. His head was bent, and he was lost in thought. The moment he heard a creak from the porch step he stood up and went into attack mode. He tried to reach for a gun on the side of his belt and had to shake his head. What did he just do? Could he look any more obvious about what his career was? Glancing at Letizia’s face as she stood motionless. “I’m sorry, you caught me off guard.” He wanted to kick himself right about now. Holding up his coffee mug hoping to soften the blow. “Need a pick-me-up?”
He could see she was cautiously walking up the remaining steps. Bending her head and smiling, “I need a huge cup, please.”
Finley stood up and offered his chair. “Stand by, one huge coffee coming your way.” Then he headed into the house and found Miles on the phone in the living room. Mouthing the words, Letizia, his friend stood and headed down the hall.
There was never anything easy about undercover jobs. They required a lot of man power and most days you never slept. They had the confirmation that the rest of his team had in fact arrived and were in town blending in, hopefully. All night Finley felt a tug somewhere deep inside. He would rub his chest, roll from side to side, but nothing helped. Somehow this case was different: Letizia had gotten under his skin and that concerned him. Finley made a career out of avoiding relationships, so how was this case any different? He grabbed the large mug from the cabinet and poured Zia’s coffee. The woman was stunning, that was a given, but he had helped gorgeous women thousands of times. He needed to ignore the feelings, they had no time to deal with that shit. This case was fucked up already, if he had to guess, it would keep getting worse.
Taking in a deep breath as he opened the front door, then he put on that charming smile. “One huge coffee at your service,” then he bowed down and handed her the mug.
He noticed her laugh as she took the coffee. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Zia had this smile he noticed made her whiskey colored eyes dance with amusement. Oh yeah, he was so fucked.
Ten
“Are you sure you are ready for this, darling?” Finley watched Alessandra as she spoke to Letizia. They both seemed nervous.
He was walking toward the dining room table to sit down opposite Alessandra, stopping to touch her shoulder. “We have to do this, Ali.” Glancing toward Zia, “She needs to know the truth about why they’re so dangerous.”
Alessandra grabbed Finley’s hand. “Yes, yes, okay.” Sighing, “It may take a while.”
Letizia sat down beside Ali. “We have all night.”
Finley nodded with a reassuring smile. “That’s true. We can be here all night if you need it.” He didn’t care how long this took, they all just needed answers—and soon.
He watched as the older woman took in a deep breath and then shared the past. “Your parents were struggling to pay the bills every month. Lando’s job was labor intensive and offered no big compensation. I remember one day Dani was so excited when she told me about this new friend of Lando’s. The friend would introduce him to his employer. Apparently, the friend had a side job and claimed to be making good money. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but why would it? We didn’t know about the Nesta family, and at the time there were no known issues to trigger us to be concerned with this new opportunity. I say we because I did a lot with them. Dani and I even cleaned homes together for extra money.”
“Did you live with Dani and Lando?” Finley inquired.
Ali shook her head. “No, but a majority of my time was spent with them. About a week after talking to Lando about the opportunity, the friend invited them both to a dinner party at Giano Nesta’s home. We had never heard the name before, and Dani seemed excited to meet him. She told me when they were introduced to Giano he took her hand and kissed it. She said he was gracious, kind, and smiled a lot. Those were her exact words. Lando had to do a couple test jobs to make sure he fit in with the team, but Dani mentioned that Lando seemed okay with the jobs and was looking forward to a less strenuous job.”
Finley felt bad for interrupting again. “Did he leave his day job?”
Alessandra nodded. “He couldn’t for the first six months, but then one day he came home and told my sister he could finally quit his day job. When Dani shared that with me later, she seemed fine.” Ali reached forward to grab the glass of water she had poured earlier. Turning toward Letizia, “Things were okay for about two years. He was happy. They could pay the bills and even start a savings account, which was a huge hurdle they worked hard to overcome. Then,” She reached for Letizia’s hand. “We found out Dani was expecting which was exciting news, but the day Dani was told by the doctor she was five weeks along, Lando had just shared about his new assignment. They never filled me in on the specifics of the job, but when I came to visit one morning, I found Lando lying on the couch with his face covered. The moment he moved his arm from over his eyes, the sight before me was out of a horror movie. Both eyes were swollen, and he had several cuts and bruises. When he tried to talk all he could do was cough because someone had strangled him until he’d been unconscious.”
Letizia looked at Finley and then at her mom. “What did you do?” Finley could tell this was making Letizia uncomfortable.
Finley reached forward and grabbed Zia’s hand. “Hey, do you want to take a break? Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No, please don’t stop, I have to know what happened.”
Alessandra nodded and continued. “Well, we couldn’t do anything. Dani and I nursed him back to health with home remedies. With how his face looked, he couldn’t go back to work for a few weeks. Those were the orders from his boss. When he did go back, he was given a different assignment. Dani said they were more challenging jobs this time. She shared her concern for her husband and expressed her unease towards having a child at a time like this. I didn’t know the extent of the situation, so I tried to get her to stop worrying about having the baby. I guess I was more concerned about the stress and how that could affect
the pregnancy. She was just heading into her second trimester and was showing, but it was easy to cover up with shirts and jackets. They kept the pregnancy a secret, which still blows my mind even today. Dani avoided contact with people and continued to keep the pregnancy hidden. Each new assignment seemed tougher than all the others. The night before one assignment, they both agreed to have Dani stay at my place until the baby was born, which meant for at least three months. At first Dani seemed scared and unsure, but eventually Lando could convince her to leave. She told me he wanted to have a baby to enjoy someday away from all this mess. They knew.” Looking up at Zia, she shrugged. “They knew the job that Lando had been given several years ago was not at all what they hoped for. Yet, Dani still seemed positive he could leave the job.”
Finley raised his eyebrows. “You mean to tell me they still hadn’t realized the extent of what it meant to be associated with the mob?”
Alessandra nodded. “Exactly. We knew Giano was powerful, but we never expected him to be so controlling.” Shaking her head and looking down at her hands resting on the table, she continued. “Of course, we were wrong about everything. This life my brother-in-law lived would not change unless he planned to die…and he never let that be an option. When Dani had you, Letizia, she swore to keep you safe from any danger. She made the hardest decision as a mother and left you at my house. We were able to make people believe you were my child, which is why it was so easy when we moved here and settled into this life.”
Letizia scowled. “Wait, so they made me and everyone around us believe you were my mother?”
Alessandra nodded. “It was the safest thing we could think of at the time. Lando’s job was not getting any easier. In fact, it was getting to a point where he was struggling with completing the assignments. On your fourth birthday, we celebrated at your parents’ place. Lando shared that he had a guy help with the job and he seemed happy with the teamwork. We had a few people over for your birthday, but they only stayed for a few hours. At around 6:00 p.m. we realized we forgot to get your prescription at the pharmacy. You had an ear infection that was slowly getting better. I offered to go into town and pick it up. When I left, everything seemed normal. I was gone for maybe twenty minutes at the most. When I pulled into the driveway, the front door was open, and I immediately knew something was wrong. We had taught you, Letizia, if you felt scared, go hide in the secret cabinet in the living room. Lando had built the cabinet for you. He wanted to see his daughter, but he also knew he had to protect you from any danger. I don’t know if I can sit and describe what I saw as I rounded the corner into the living room, but know this, it was my worst fear come to life. I found your parents in the middle of the room, but you were nowhere to be found. My adrenaline was running on overdrive and the synapses in my brain was firing. When I took in a few deep breaths and tried to think somewhat straight, I remembered the secret cabinet. Oh, the relief that overcame me the moment I opened the hideaway door…it was…indescribable. You were covering your ears and rocking back and forth. There were tears running down your angelic cheeks. I reached in and grabbed you, then I ran to my car never looking back.” Alessandra buried her head in her hands. “I had to leave my sister- and brother-in-law.” She cried. “We made a life here, you could live safely. I know I should be happy about that, but…” She sat there for a moment. “I miss them every day. You look just like your mother.”