Kate Concealed

by Cindy M. Hogan

  “I’ll never know what really happened to my mother. How she got here. How she got hurt.”

  “Did you get your grandparents’ phone number?”

  She did have it. It was included in the listing she’d found on the Internet. “I have it, but I don’t speak Italian. I wouldn’t understand what they were saying.”

  The more she talked about it, the more she wanted to go back and talk to them. A small ounce of hope sprung up in her as she looked at Duran.

  “Your dad isn’t here with her?”

  She shook her head. She couldn’t tell him about Vinny. “Not here.”

  “Wait. You know where he is? Can’t you ask him?”

  “No.” A strangled chuckled came out of her mouth. “I can’t ask him.”

  “Who is it? I’ll ask him for you.”

  “No. I don’t want you to ever know who he is.”

  “Why? Why not? Why can’t you tell me?”

  “I just can’t.”

  He huffed. “I want to help you, but you’re making it very difficult.”

  He wanted to help. The spot of hope had grown with each passing second. She had to know the whole truth about what happened to her mother. She knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything until she knew. It was all clear in that moment. “Will you come with me to their house? Come with me so I can go home.”

  He squeezed her tight. “How about you leave on a train immediately, and I go and talk to them in your place. Then I’ll call you with the information. I can’t stand the thought of you being here with not only Bellinis everywhere, but Marconis too.”

  “That would be ideal, but it won’t work. They would never trust you or talk to you. They were totally skittish and kept putting their fingers to their lips telling me to be quiet as I left. They’re afraid.”

  “Why?”

  Kate looked around as if someone was lurking somewhere waiting for her to tell him so they could pounce on them. “That’s the question.” She could guess at the answer, but nothing more.

  Duran rubbed his hand over his forehead and sighed. “I thought we weren’t going to have any more secrets, but it seems you have many you are keeping from me.”

  She should have known he would hear the secret behind her words. “Not because I don’t trust you or want to tell you, but because it puts you in danger to know the little I know. I don’t, however, know it all.”

  “And you want me to just take your word for it?”

  “Please. Trust me on this. You don’t want to know.”

  He paced. Someone tried the door. They both froze, listening. Time crawled by as they waited.

  He turned to her with resignation in his eyes, “I don’t know how to keep you safe here. No. You’re going to have to wait.”

  “I can’t. I thought I could. I thought I could go out there and buy a ticket and go be safe, but I can’t. I’m going back. I’ll use an online translator or something. I can’t not know. And a part of me feels like if I leave, they win. The bad guys win.”

  She pulled back from him and let the silence fill the room. She could feel the conflict raging inside him.

  He moved toward her, shaking his head. “No. I’m going to put you on that train and you are leaving here.”

  “No you won’t. I’ll scream.”

  He looked terrified. She felt terrified.

  “You make me crazy.”

  “I don’t want to put you in danger. Just tell me the safest way to get back to their house.”

  He looked at his watch. “I have to go back to work or they’ll be suspicious.”

  “Who? Who will be suspicious?”

  “The people I’m working for.”

  “The Bellinis? They’re family.”

  “Yes. But the girl I was in charge of escaped.”

  The words she was going to say got caught in her throat. She was that girl and they had said it was a test for him. She was the girl who’d escaped. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

  “For the record, I don’t want you to go at all, but I obviously have no control over what you choose to do. I don’t like it one bit, but I understand why you want to do this.” Kate knew this was a huge sacrifice for him. “I can’t go right now. I’ll have to meet you there. I have a few things to do first, and I need to make sure no one is on my tail.”

  She told him the address and he gave her a route to take. There was a certain gondola service she was to use and specific streets to take from the water.

  “I don’t get off for two more hours. So it will be at least two and a half before I can get there and that’s if no one is watching me.”

  “Okay. I’ll be at their house in two hours and I’ll just wait for you.” It suddenly occurred to her exactly how much danger she was putting him in. “Wait. I can’t ask this of you. Seriously, I’ll just use a translator app.”

  Though he still looked conflicted, he said, “No. I’ll go. I’ll be careful. No one will see me, but, if I don’t show up, that means I couldn’t shake the eyes and you have to leave the country immediately. If that happens, we’ll find another way to get the information from them. Understand?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes you do. You need this information.” He sucked in a loud breath. “Here. I want you to take this with you.” He pulled a knife out of his pocket.

  She stepped back. “I’m not taking that. I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

  “You can and you will if you need to. I’m going to show you how.”

  She shook her head. While she had been taking daily self-defense classes for the last month, they never used real weapons.

  “Don’t show you have it until they get close to you. When they do, you use it. You strike. Right here, in the gut if you can. Or in a leg, so they’re immobilized.”

  He demonstrated again. She practiced, a sick feeling invading her as she did. She didn’t want to think about why Duran knew so much about knife fights.

  “It took you three seconds to retrieve the knife, so I’m going to show you what that is like when someone attacks you.” He took three steps from her. “Now,” he said, rushing her. She pulled the knife and it would have been perfect for her to stab him in the chest.

  “That was good. Do you see how close they need to be before you reach for it? Only three steps. One, two, three, pull. Stick them immediately, don’t hesitate. Don’t do it like you’re pulling out a gun.” Like she knew what it was like to pull a gun. “Move your hand slowly to the knife, then pull it fast. That way they will be caught off guard. And yank the knife back out of them in case you need to stab again.”

  The thought of actually using the knife made her queasy, but she said, “Thank you,” anyway. “Guess who I ran into in Bologna?” She needed to come clean about everything she could.

  “I’m not sure I want to know.”

  “Veronica.”

  “What?” He jerked forward and grabbed her arms.

  “It’s okay. She obviously hadn’t gotten the memo that I’d escaped and was on the run. She thought I’d been sent here like everyone else.”

  “She’ll talk, Kate. That’s what she does.” He ran a hand through his hair. “One more thing we need to worry about. This was today?”

  “No. Late last night.”

  “Well, let’s hope she hasn’t brought you up in any of her conversations today. This is not good.”

  “I told her I was leaving Bologna today, and I’ve been in Venice all day, so maybe if she does tell someone, she’ll also tell them I’m not there anymore and she’ll forget about me.”

  “We can only hope.” Doubt played on his face. “I’ll ask about Ricco, see if he’s still around. If someone got him or if he left Venice.”

  Either way, she was in trouble. If the Bellinis had him, they’d find out she was there. If he left, the Marconis would know or have a second witness if Veronica had already told someone about seeing her. Dizziness swept over Kate and she put her hand on the wall to steady hers
elf. It was good that she hadn’t gone back with Ellie. It would have put her friend in a lot of danger. Kate would have to take a train straight for the airport when she left here. That way she wouldn’t risk Veronica making a connection between the three of them. She’d only seen Kate, not the other two. She wanted to tell Duran she was scared, but knew it wouldn’t be wise.

  “Wait here for a bit longer before you head for the gondolas. And be careful. Please. Wait at least fifteen minutes and lock the door behind me.” Duran pulled her back into a hug and kissed her. When they broke apart he hesitated, brushing her cheek gently with his knuckles as he left.

  Kate paced the room. Several people tried the door while she waited and it was making her more nervous. She needed to talk to Ellie. Kate pulled out her phone and dialed, crossing her fingers that her best friend would answer.

  “Kate?”

  “Yep.” Kate held her breath, trying to avert the tears that burned her eyes. What could she say?

  “I’m glad you called. I’ve been so worried.”

  Kate relaxed, her fears dissipating. “I’m sorry I ditched you. Are you with Colby?” Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Kate sucked in another sharp breath and started to cry.

  “He’s he, I’m putting you on speaker. Oh, no! What happened? Are you okay? Did you see the grave? Are you on the train back?”

  Kate sniffed several times and forced herself to regain her composure. “I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Okay.” Ellie’s voice was timid and Kate could tell she was on speaker.

  “I went to the grave and guess what? My grave was right next to it.” She sniffed.

  “What?”

  “My grave was next to Carmela’s, as if my body was in there.”

  “That must’ve been awful.”

  “It was. But, I noticed there were no graves for my grandparents and it got me thinking. What if my grandparents weren’t dead either? I could meet them and tell them I was alive.”

  “Oh no. Kate, listen to me—”

  “And I remembered,” Kate interrupted her. She didn’t want to listen to Ellie try to talk her out of meeting with her grandparents since it was over and done with. Nothing she could do about it now.

  “What did you remember?”

  “The dream, the one that has been on repeat for last few years, was real. It was a memory. I finally know why I kept having it. They shot my birth mother while I sat next to her.” Kate swallowed hard.

  “No. I’m sorry, Kate, you should—”

  Kate sucked in a deep breath. “You’ll never believe it, but Carmela isn’t dead. She’s alive, Ellie.” Kate whispered it.

  “What?”

  “I visited her. She can’t talk.” Kate forced her words out over the lump in her throat. “She’s in a wheelchair and can’t even move herself. My grandparents don’t speak English, but Duran is going to go and interpret for me.”

  “Wait! You can’t just ask him to interpret for you. He said you’re in danger and you’ll put him in danger too. Besides, if you ask him to help you, you’re going to have to tell him the truth about everything. Have you thought of that?”

  “I can’t. I can’t tell him about Vinny. And he’s already agreed to do it.”

  “He’s going to find out,” Ellie said.

  Kate could imagine Ellie pacing the room she was in while she talked.

  “Not from me.” Kate pressed her lips together hard.

  “Maybe it should come from you.” Ellie’s voice was soft, but adamant.

  Kate shook her head. “No. No. He can never know.” She brushed at her tears with the heel of one of her hands.

  “Fine. I know there’s no talking you out of anything these days. I’m scared for you, though.”

  “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Oh, guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Our family descended from royalty. Kings and queens and all that stuff. We’re going to talk our parents into taking us to England next year to go see where our ancestors lived.”

  “Cool,” Kate said. Her mind wandering to her parents in Texas and their secrets. Her nerves rose yet again. “I’ve got to go. Love you bunches. I’ll catch the first train out of here after I talk to them.”

  “Be careful, Kate. I love you, too.”

  Colby’s voice came over the line. “Kate. Please. Just come back now.”

  “You know I can’t, Colby. But I love you, too.”

  He exhaled loudly and said, “Right back at ‘cha.”

  Kate hung up before they had a chance to talk her out of it. She checked her phone for the library’s hours of operation. Twenty-five minutes before they closed. If she hurried, she’d have maybe fifteen minutes to work. She bundled up and got moving.

  19

  Kate sat down at a computer and pulled up her birth parents’ histories. She wanted to find out what kind of people her ancestors were also—on both sides of the family. She had found Carmela’s parents. It was time to uncover what she could about Abrie’s. It was easy to trace back from her dad, Tom, because she knew the names of a lot of his ancestors, but her mom, not so much. It hit her then exactly how strange it was she knew next to nothing about her adoptive mom’s side of the family, only really what she had discussed with her mom at the picnic before she came to Italy. But now she had two names: Piero and Alessa. And perhaps Donati too.

  While she worked, a couple of people came in and printed things and then left. Each time she’d flip to the door to see who it was. No luck with Alessa, but she did get several hits with Piero Donati. Was one of these Piero’s her adoptive grandfather? Abrie’s dad? She became more and more frustrated when each attempt at finding a connection between Piero, Alessa, and Abrie fell through. Since her mom had no brothers or sisters and no contact with her parents, Kate figured they must be dead. But someone had texted her mom from Italy. Perhaps the secret was that they were alive. If not, she should have been able to find them. Dead people were searchable on Family Search after all.

  Kate glanced at the clock. It had been ten minutes.

  She left the Family Search site and put in her adoptive mom’s name into the Internet search bar. It appeared that her mom’s name, spelled the way she spelled it, was a nickname for Abrielle. An Italian name. No surprise there. Even though she still hoped it wasn’t true, she couldn’t keep denying the facts. Abrie was Italian.

  Kate put the data into the search bar and a slew of names pulled up. Even after she narrowed the search to Italy the number of names was insurmountable, but she would use her last few minutes to see what she could see. Just as she was about to give up, she recognized two names: Piero and Alessa Donati. Her adoptive mom’s parents. Her grandparents. She pulled out her phone and looked at the picture of the people on the horse. Were these the people responsible for the deaths of all those people in the pictures? Kate shuddered.

  A man entered the room and spoke, but it was in Italian. She looked at the clock on the wall. Closing time. She pressed Print and retrieved the paper from the printer before leaving. The man walked behind her as she made her way out.

  Kate walked directly to the place on the canal Duran had told her to go to, the knife in her waistband a constant reminder of the danger she was in and her mind going crazy with the need to investigate the Donatis now. The feeling of being watched returned despite her belief that it was impossible. One thing she knew for sure, she couldn’t lead her stalker to her birth mother and grandparents. She walked out onto the docking area for the gondola company and rented the entire boat.

  While twilight was setting in, the waterways were full of tourists and gondolas as well as some motorboats. Kate couldn’t believe she’d only been in Venice for less than a full day and in Italy for only two. It seemed that day would never end. Duran had been right, the route the gondolier took was not simply along the main drag. He wove in and out of canals, under one bridge after the other until even she was not sure where she was. She was getting antsy,
wondering if he would ever dock, but he did. She didn’t tip him, thinking the fee for the ride was exorbitant as it was, and she was running out of money fast.

  She checked the street signs. She was exactly where Duran had told her she would be. Her phone vibrated. Martino. Crap. She’d forgotten about dinner.

  Before she even spoke, he did. “Hello. Where can I pick you up?”

  Her chest felt tight and all she could think about was lying. Instead, she said, “Shoot, Martino. We decided to go to Venice. We thought we’d be back, but unfortunately, we aren’t.”

  There was silence on the other end.

  “Can we have a rain check for tomorrow? I’m really sorry. I would have called, but things got complicated here.”

  “I don’t think so. I wanted you to meet my family.” Was he crazy? Why did he want her to meet his family? Once they found out her real last name, they’d probably see that she was killed or something.

  “We could go tomorrow.” She didn’t know why she kept pushing it. She wasn’t going to be there tomorrow night. She’d never see him again.

  “The dinner is tonight. Everyone… My mom was expecting you.”

  “Crap, Martino. I don’t know what to say. I can’t magic my way to you, as much as I’d like to.”

  “You should have called.” He was being so stiff. Completely inflexible.

  “I should have,” she conceded. “You’re right. Tomorrow? Please?” She was regretting giving him her phone number.

  “This must be why Veronica didn’t take to you right off. She knew you weren’t dependable just laying eyes on you.”

  “Come on, Martino. That’s not fair.” She heard whispers in the background and stopped walking, sliding off the main path to hopefully create a quieter space.

  “One more minute,” the faint female voice said. “We’ll have her in one minute.”

  Martino spoke over the voice, but she’d focused in on it and heard it anyway. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Were they talking about her? “I’ll tell you another lesson about being Italian.” Had he sent someone to follow her and she was about to be snatched? He continued to talk while she jerked her head in all directions looking for someone approaching.