Falling Deep Into You Trilogy Box Set

by Terra Kelly

  Finley made a sound of frustration and reluctantly left the room. “Holler when you find anything.”

  Erickson was scanning the box. “Yeah, I know, now go.”

  It felt like an eternity had passed until he heard Erickson call for them from the office. Finley was the first to enter the small space. “Got something?”

  Erickson nodded. “Well, no bomb, but this is interesting.”

  When Finley stepped around the table, he looked inside the box and gasped. “What the fuck?” There were letters from Alessandra stacked neatly to one side, a few baby mementos, and more pictures. Finley put a glove on and reached in to grab a letter. He read the first sentence and wanted to scream. “Letizia was never safe; she was running on borrowed time.” He handed the letter to Cooper. “This is all we needed.” He shuffled through a few of the pictures but was too disgusted to continue. He placed the pictures back in the box and stepped away from the desk. “Okay, so, let’s think about this for a moment. We can make a guess at this point that Cristiano’s parents are indeed Alessandra and Johnny, also known as Jason Keets. We know Jason was there when Letizia’s parents were killed and more importantly—he was good friends with Dani and Lando. Where I’m getting confused, why let Alessandra and the kids disappear for twenty-eight years? How could they get away with that?”

  Miles had grabbed a few of the pictures and was glancing at them. “Well my guess is Jason was a double agent. He was protecting his own.”

  Erickson was standing in the doorway. “When Letizia appeared on TV, even Jason never expected that. Hell, I bet they would still be in hiding today if that never happened.”

  Finley nodded. “Yeah, that all makes sense. Giano didn’t know Letizia was at the house during the double murder. The picture of Zia next to her mom must have been taken hours later when Jason and Alessandra arrived. Maybe it was his proof.”

  Erickson laughed. “Proof of what? To incriminate his ass? Because that’s what the picture is doing.”

  Miles had read through the letters. “I don’t know about that anymore. Look at this:

  My dearest Alessandra, I’m so sorry you were left with this burden. I will ensure your safety, and I promise to keep my daughter safe, too. Just stay there in America. I hope one day we will meet again.”

  Miles handed the letter to Finley. “It continues on from there, basically sharing how he was working with Giano. He must’ve realized it was safer for everyone involved to continue working with the mob boss.”

  Finley shook his head. “Wait, he must’ve taken a trip to America about thirteen years ago, which is where Cris comes into play. So, the moment they are back in town, he finds a way to try to kill his own son?” That was the part that was confusing him the most. Who would ever want to harm a child, let alone their own?

  Cooper finally spoke up. “Did he really try to kill him, or do you think it was the perfect way to protect him? If any of Giano’s cronies were there or close by, they would be watching Johnny like a hawk.”

  Erickson sighed. “What did you say Johnny said to Cristiano that night?”

  Finley paused playing the sentence back and forth in his mind. In a low voice, clearly still thinking what each word meant, he repeated, “Your uncle left something behind that belongs to me and I want it back.” He glanced at his partners. “Wait. That could mean anything.”

  Miles nodded. “Actually, you’re probably right. He wants his family back, Cristiano belongs to him, but why say, your uncle left something behind?”

  Finley went through each picture again. He halted on one picture. “Look at that image.” He pointed at something hanging from Lando’s pocket.

  Miles moved in for a closer look. “Wait, is that the locket Cristiano now has?”

  Finely laughed. “Johnny didn’t know we had already found the key in the locket, but I bet he was giving Cris a clue. He had to sound mean because I bet someone was watching his every move.” He couldn’t imagine having to work both sides of the fence, especially with a man like Giano. One thing was for sure: Johnny was obviously protecting his family. He had a weird way of doing it, but this had to be the case. Finley shook his head and headed out of the room to call Letizia immediately. “I’ll be back.” He walked up front and sat down at one of the booths. When the phone started dialing, he was beginning to feel nervous. What if she refused to talk to him?

  Then Preslie picked up on the third ring. “Hey Fin, you have a mess to clean up down here.”

  Finley sighed. “I’m so sorry for the way our call ended. I hated having to tell them the news that way. I have better news this time.” He was hopeful Letizia would want to hear what he had to say.

  There was shuffling around, then everything went quiet. In a soft tone, Letizia spoke. “Hello.”

  He wanted to scream to the rooftop, but instead said, “Please don’t hang up, okay? We found the answers we were looking for finally.”

  Finley knew she was still on the line because he could hear her breathing. She didn’t speak for at least a minute, then she finally said something. “What?”

  He knew he had to get to the point fast. “Zia, we think Johnny is Cristiano’s father. He was protecting his family from any potential danger, which is why you went to America. We think the message he said to Cris was a mixed message, and only said it in that way because Giano’s cronies were there, too.” He stopped, hoping she would say something. “Letizia, we found pictures of your parents with Alessandra, Johnny, and you. We know they were close. Alessandra kept Johnny a secret, probably to protect him.”

  Finally, he heard her speak. “So, you’re saying Johnny never meant to almost kill Cristiano? Because it sure seems different to us.”

  Finley looked out the window of the restaurant; several people were walking back and forth. They were in the middle of town on an extremely busy street, but no one seemed distracted by the cops standing watch outside the building. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, like they were being watched. He sighed. “Zia, Johnny was working as a double agent. We found a box full of letters with a return address from your Aunt. There with pictures and baby toys. The box was hidden well. He was risking everything by keeping those mementos close by.”

  They both just sat there silent for a moment. “What now?”

  Finley wondered that himself. “Well, right now, I don’t feel safe having you come back here. I will be there soon, okay?” He didn’t even think about his split-second decision; instead he realized he had to protect them no matter what. “I need to go talk to Cooper. I probably won’t talk to you until I get there, the less we communicate it’s safer for you and Cristiano.” She said nothing, instead he heard the line go dead.

  Finley stayed seated in the booth letting all the details run through his mind. Cooper suddenly slid in on the other side. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  Finley laughed. “I need to take a leave of absence and go to Letizia. They both need me right now.” He wasn’t worried about what his boss would say; he planned to go no matter what.

  Cooper nodded. “I understand. You won’t be taking a leave of absence though. You’ll be undercover again.”

  Finley didn’t expect that. “Excuse me? You’re okay with me leaving again?”

  Cooper laughed. “It’s not over, and we don’t abandon cases. Plus, we found the correct lock box and there was money in it…a substantial amount, too. Which means this case stays open indefinitely?”

  Miles walked up. “Giano or Johnny catch wind of the money in any way and we could have World War III on our hands. We need you down there with them while we have shit covered up here.” Shrugging, “Plus, I want my woman back here where she belongs.”

  Finley laughed. “Okay, let’s make this happen. I’m not sure how we can do it without eyes following our every move.” He still felt like someone was watching him.

  Cooper shrugged his shoulders. “We are professionally trained at this, that part will be easy. What we need to discuss first where’s the kid from twenty-eigh
t years ago in the picture with Alessandra and Johnny?”

  Finley shook his head. “That’s the million-dollar question we all want to know.” He was concerned the baby stayed back with Johnny, and if that was the case—did they already have that chance encounter with her?

  Nineteen

  They took every precaution to get Finley safely into America. They even went as far as carefully putting him on a private jet at a late hour. Cooper felt it would be better to wait until after dark and then go to the airport; of course, the team was grasping at straws at this point trying to keep everyone safe.

  Finley and the pilot were the only ones directed to go to Florida. The plane had to stop once to refuel just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, at a small airport in the middle of nowhere. When they landed, the pilot made it clear to stay in the plane and to keep unnoticed by anyone. The pilot was also employed by the precinct and would take unannounced flights for specific cases like this one.

  Finley watched as the pilot was talking to a guy, obviously an employee by the vest and headphones he was wearing. Everything seemed normal until the employee pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at the pilot. Finley had his gun on him. With a situation like this it had to be with him at all costs. He was about to get out but stopped when he noticed the pilot laugh. The employee moved the gun from side to side and then put it back in its holster. Finley was confused and wanted to get the fuck out of dodge at this point.

  When the pilot got back into the plane, Finley shook his head. “What the hell was that all about? A show me yours, I’ll show you mine, with your guns?” He felt frustrated and was ready for this trip to be over.

  The pilot shrugged his shoulders. “He noticed my gun, so I had to play it up like it was just for show. He claims his is just for show, but that seems farfetched. Who carries around a gun like that?”

  Once the plane left the runway and was in the air, Finley counted down the minutes until he would be with Letizia again. As he sat there looking out the side window, his mind reeled back to the conversation at the restaurant with Cooper and Miles. If Johnny and Alessandra had a kid twenty-eight years ago, and they knew they did by the pictures they found in the box, where the hell was this mystery kid? Letizia made it clear it was just her and Alessandra that went to Minnesota. She also had said she couldn’t remember ever having an encounter with Johnny. Finley wondered…what if Johnny had changed his appearance when he made that mystery trip to see Alessandra almost thirteen years ago? If that was the case, they needed to talk to Letizia about men that came to their house and have her describe them as clearly as she could.

  At this point, they had a mob boss and his cronies in the wind, Johnny and his mystery child hiding out somewhere in Toronto, and two innocent people in Florida that had to continue to uproot their lives…for what? A murder that took place when Letizia was a young child? It made little sense, but then again…when did anything with the mob make sense?

  Finley walked into the cottage and noticed Letizia sleeping on the chaise lounge in what looked like a living room. He noticed Cristiano was sleeping on the floor not far away from her. He stood there for a moment and just watched her. She looked so beautiful laying there in a t-shirt and cotton pants. The hot pink blanket was partially covering her legs, almost like she had kicked it off at some point. It was nice to feel calm…finally. She was safe and he would ensure she stayed that way until they could solve this fucking case.

  Taking a few steps into the room, he knelt beside her and moved a few strands of hair away from her gorgeous face. She stirred at the touch and opened her eyes. Smiling, “Hey, bella.” He was nervous to see what her first reaction would be upon seeing him; and just like everything else with this case, she surprised the hell out of him by lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his neck.

  Letizia was holding him tightly, she whispered, “Superman.”

  “God, it’s good to see you.” He felt every tense muscle in his body release.

  Just then two more arms wrapped around Finley from behind. “Fin, you made it.”

  “I told you I would be here, and I never break my promises.” Once they both let go of him, he stood up and sat down on the edge of the chaise lounge. “This doesn’t seem comfortable; we should find a place to stay for the time being.”

  Cris sighed. “We have to live down here now?”

  Letizia groaned. “Why can’t we stay at your place in Toronto?”

  Finley felt so bad about the whole situation, and he wanted to be in Toronto more than anything. “Well, we found answers we were looking for, but we still have several unanswered ones, too.” He watched them both go from frustrated to worry. How did they do that?

  Just then a hall light went on and two figures appeared around the corner. Preslie was in the lead. “Um, did anyone look at the clock? It’s 3:00 in the morning.”

  Vikki grumbled. “It’s too early for coffee, and yet I have a feeling we all need some, right?”

  Finley nodded. “Do you mind?” They all needed to discuss what played out at the restaurant yesterday and the evidence they found. He looked around. “So, this is the infamous cottage, eh?” He had heard so much about this cottage and that special trip Miles took where he proposed to Preslie. It was cute, but too small for five people.

  Preslie laughed. “This is the special place, but we never planned to have this many people here at once.”

  Finley shook his head. “You will need to add an addition for the kids.” He knew right now the place was fine for Preslie, Miles, and the kids, because little ones didn’t take up that much space.

  Vikki yelled from the little kitchen, “Right? I have told her that already, but she never listens.”

  They all continued the banter, it was nice for a change, hearing laughter instead of tears. Once everyone had coffee, including Cristiano. They pulled a chair from the patio to all sit down together at the kitchen table.

  Preslie sighed. “Talk to us, copper.”

  Finley shook his head. “Well, where to start?”

  Cris chuckled. “At the beginning.”

  Finley nodded. “Okay. This may take a while.” Since Preslie and Vikki had not heard all the case, he also gave them some extra back story. They deserved to hear it all since they were part of the case by protecting Letizia and Cristiano. They all sat there talking for about two hours. It was getting late enough you could see the sun rising over the horizon.

  Vikki yawned. “Do we go back to bed or get up now?”

  Finley shrugged his shoulders. “Personally, I wouldn’t mind some shut-eye.” It was a good talk. Letizia seemed to accept everything which was good considering it was a lot to absorb. Cris let it be known he was not happy with the new living arrangements, but he understood. There was one question that kept floating around: Where was this mystery kid? Preslie even mentioned how kids blackout and forget things that are not a happy time in their life. Maybe that was the case, maybe there was a baby, but something happened—and Letizia was repressing that memory. Whatever the case, Letizia tried but just could not see that hidden memory anywhere. Finley planned to have her talk to a specialist in the coming days. For now, he wanted to hold her in his arms and sleep for at least five hours.

  Letizia felt a gentle kiss against her temple and opened her eyes. Her Superman was nestled right next to her and had the biggest smile on his face. “What has you so happy this morning?”

  She still was trying to absorb all they had talked about. A mystery child? How did she not remember all this? She felt frustrated that her mind was blank when they mentioned Alessandra, Johnny, or a child in the same sentence. The only infant she could remember was the day Cristiano was born, but when Preslie had asked her about whom the father was, she had no clue.

  Letizia could remember the day Alessandra had told her she was pregnant. She felt guilty and apologized to Zia. It was almost as if she wanted Letizia to think she didn’t know who the father was. She could remember there was this ‘business trip�
� she went on and was away for about two weeks. Now she was playing that whole conversation back and forth in her mind and wondering if it had been a business trip.

  She leaned forward and kissed Finley and then heard Cris cry out, “Ewwww.”

  Finley pulled her against his chest, chuckling, “I’m just happy to be here with you both.”

  She was happy about that too. Moving away from his warm body, Letizia stood up from the chaise lounge and headed into the kitchen to make a second round of coffee. “So, what now?”

  He was not far behind her. “Well, I think we need to find a bigger place to stay.”

  Letizia turned, feeling stunned. “We have to stay here now? How long will you be here with us?” If she could turn back time, she would tell the TV station ’no‘ when they’d ask for an interview about the cupcake contest. That was where this mess had started, the damn contest.

  Finley placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to his body. “Until we get a break in the case.”

  She looked up into his eyes. “What? You will really stay here with us?” She sighed, ecstatic to hear those peaceful words.

  He laughed. “It’s my job. We still have not heard a peep from Giano and his men. Plus, Johnny has disappeared.” He dropped his hands from her waist and headed back into the living room. “I need to show you something.”

  Letizia was holding a mug but sat it down and followed behind him. “What?” Her mind was reeling. What could he have to show her now?

  Finley was crouched down by his duffle bag and had reached in to grab what looked like envelopes. “We found these letters for Johnny from Alessandra. There are also some from Johnny that look like he never sent them.”

  Letizia reached down and grabbed the stack of memories in between both her hands, pulling them close to her chest for safe keeping as she headed back into the kitchen. “These were at the restaurant?” Her heart was racing at what could be hidden on each page. “Have you read them yet?”