Hear No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy Book 3)

by Jordan Ford

  “Ana.” I hear a ragged sob behind me, and then Ana breaks into a run.

  She careens around the pond while her mother does the same. The second they’re within reach, they’re wrapping their arms around one another and holding on for dear life.

  Their sobs ring across the water, growing louder as I approach. I want to tell them to quiet down, but I don’t have the heart.

  Ana finally pulls away to give her mother a watery smile. “You found me. How did you find me?”

  “I followed my heart.”

  “But—”

  “We can talk about it soon. For now, I just want to look at you.” Mrs. Sorrentino holds her daughter’s face. “My beautiful girl. You’re alive.”

  Ana nods.

  “I’ve been going out of my mind. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another child. I’ve been clinging to the hope you made it.”

  Ana sniffs and lets out a shaky laugh before swallowing. Her eyes are suddenly bright with fear. “Where’s Dad? Does he know you’re here?”

  “No.” Mrs. Sorrentino’s voice is firm. “I can’t trust that man anymore. He’s crossed the line too many times. He pointed a gun at my daughter. He didn’t pull the trigger, but I can never forgive him for what he did. I don’t trust that temper of his. Your father is so blind sometimes. His rage has cost him dearly.”

  Ana’s expression folds with sadness. “You blame him for my brother’s death, don’t you?”

  “I blame him for more than that.” Her mother’s voice is steely. “I should have left him years ago, but I was afraid. After what he did to his sister, I…I thought if I left he might kill me too.”

  My ears are burning right now.

  “Sister?” Ana leads her mother to a nearby log and brushes it off. “Mom, what are you talking about?”

  Taking a seat, she encourages her mother to do the same. Mrs. Sorrentino hesitates, then reluctantly pulls her long coat around her and perches on the edge.

  “It’s not important right now. I want to talk about you and how you’re doing.”

  “It is important.” My voice is shaking as I step up to her. “What did he do to his sister?”

  The woman gives me an annoyed glare. “Later.”

  “No! Now!”

  “Riley.” Ana’s warning is soft, her eyes wide with surprise. “What’s your problem? Stop yelling at my mom.”

  Mrs. Sorrentino swivels to face me, her eyes rounding as she takes me in. “You said your name was Ryan.”

  “I lied…to protect us.”

  Her brown eyes study my face, her painted lips parting. “But your name is Riley.”

  I nod as her gaze shifts from mine to track across the pond.

  “You knew about the cabin,” she whispers. “That’s why you’re hiding here. That’s why Ana’s here. You brought her here.”

  Her voice crescendos as whatever she’s processing seems to be making sense.

  She swivels to face me, her eyes narrowing as she studies my face like she’s appraising a painting. It doesn’t take long for her to suck in a shaky gasp. “It can’t be possible. You’re dead.”

  “Mom?” Ana grabs her mother’s arm and gives is a shake. “What are you talking about?”

  “Sophia’s son. You… But they said you wouldn’t survive.” Her finger trembles as she points at me. “They… He disappeared.”

  “Mom! What are you talking about?” Another firm shake from Ana has Mrs. Sorrentino looking back to her daughter.

  My mind is frickin’ reeling right now. It’s all I can do to stay standing.

  Sophia. She knew my mom.

  “How…?” I breathe. “How do you know Sophia?”

  She starts crying and has to cover her mouth before she can regain her composure. Finally her voice comes out in a wobble. “After your brother died, your father’s sister was my strength.”

  “Aunt Sophia? I thought she turned her back on our family. Dad said she wanted nothing to do with us.”

  Mrs. Sorrentino’s nod is stiff. “That is true…in part.” Tears leak from her eyes, streaming down her face as she tries to keep going. “She was such a sweet woman. I loved her like a sister. She sat with me for hours as I mourned the loss of my son. Lucca didn’t want me to cry too much. It upset him. So I would go to her instead. We became very close. But then she…”

  My brows dip as Ana’s mother pulls in a ragged breath.

  “She what?” Ana prompts her.

  “She fell in love. His name was Raphael, and she didn’t know who he really was.” Her voice turns clipped, her nostrils flaring. “A Candella.”

  My legs buckle and I stumble forward, landing on my knees with a thud. My suspicions about Mom’s affair are being confirmed. Not to mention the fact my brain is now screaming at me that Mom was really a Sorrentino.

  I’m Ana’s cousin?

  Shit. I can’t even wrap my head around that.

  Erratic breaths punch out of me as I try to regulate my wild heartbeat. It’s out of control. I can’t see straight.

  “Riley?” Ana springs up and rushes to my side. “Are you okay?”

  “Keep going,” I croak, pointing my finger at Ana’s mother. “What happened to them?” My voice is dark, unrecognizable.

  Mrs. Sorrentino’s eyes round, and her chin starts to tremble.

  “Tell me!” I shout.

  “We tried to make her see reason, but she wouldn’t listen. She was in love. Convinced that the name Candella meant nothing. In the end Lucca had no choice but to kill him. But she found out.”

  “How?” I snap.

  “I told her. I didn’t want that man’s blood on our hands. Sophia got there in time. She begged for his life. Lucca loved his little sister so much, and her tears made him listen. He promised her that if she swore never to see that man again, he would live.”

  My ears are ringing now. Mrs. Sorrentino’s voice is kind of muted, but I can still hear through the fuzz.

  “She was so angry with him. She wouldn’t speak to Lucca. He tried to make amends. He sent her money, enough to live on for the rest of her life, but still she kept her distance. She married another man. Matt—”

  “Duncan,” I croak.

  “Yes. We thought she’d kept her promise.” The words are a blip on the breeze, soft and barely audible.

  But I hear them.

  Like a frickin’ foghorn.

  Ana frowns. “What? Ry, how do you know that?”

  Mrs. Sorrentino sniffs. “I can’t believe you lived. Lucca was sure you would have died in the woods. Raphael was wounded. Lucca didn’t have the heart to chase you down. He was in shock after what he’d done.”

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” I mutter. “Don’t make excuses for him! He killed my mother. Shot her in cold blood!”

  “What?” Ana gasps. “Mom!”

  “She broke the agreement, Ana. Secretly met with Raphael every summer.” Mrs. Sorrentino slashes the tears off her face, smearing mascara over her cheeks while she weakly tries to justify it. But she can’t. There is no justification for what he did. “She wrote me to apologize, and to warn me that her heart couldn’t stay away. Their love was perfect, and she wouldn’t let fear stop them from being together. But she was pregnant with Raphael’s child, and to keep him safe she named Matt as the father. Raphael became Uncle Rafe, and they only saw each other in the summer.”

  I let out a wailing groan and slump onto my butt. Squeezing my temples, I try to ward off the distant sound of a gunshot and screaming.

  Uncle Rafe’s my dad? This is too much.

  “They got away with it for so many years, but one day Lucca came home early. Surprised me. Caught me reading a letter. He was furious. I tried to stop him but he was set on making her pay. There was nothing I could do.”

  “How did you come off unscathed?” My voice is dark with bitterness.

  “He wouldn’t kill the mother of his child. But he dragged me up here. Made me watch.” Her voice is barely audible.

  “
And you just stood there while he did it?” I shout.

  “I begged him. I pleaded.” She bends over, sobs racking her body.

  Ana grips my knee, her expression warped with horror.

  “He let Raphael run. I was hysterical by then, and he was in shock. He didn’t mean to kill her. He…he wanted to kill Raphael, but she stood in his way.”

  “And what about Matt Duncan?” I shout. “They shot him too! Was he there?”

  She shakes her head, guilt obvious in her brown eyes. “He was with Marco. He… They used him to get the location of the cabin.”

  “Used him?” I ask.

  But realization dawns before she can answer me.

  Used him.

  Tortured him for information.

  Hot bile lurches up my throat.

  I manage to swallow it…just.

  Mrs. Sorrentino pulls in a ragged breath, her voice now husky and dead. “When it was over, Marco devised a plan. He convinced Lucca that they had to set a scene, take any suspicion away from what really happened. So they ransacked the cabin, taking anything that would link the place to Sophia Sorrentino. Matt was already dead. He died the second he confessed where Sophia was.” Pressing her hand to her lips, she closes her eyes, unleashing a fresh wave of tears. “The investigation was tampered with. Reports of his torture were hidden. Any evidence that she was here, taken away. They drove through the night to Bozeman. Set up the bodies to sell a lie.” Her jaw trembles as she works it to the side. “Money can hide a multitude of sins. The only thing it can’t pay off is an honest heart.” She looks to her daughter, a touch of pride in her weak smile. “You’re the biggest threat our family has ever faced. Fear never would have kept you silent.”

  “But it did,” Ana whispers, her expression crumpling with shame. “I should have testified months ago.”

  “No.” Mrs. Sorrentino shakes her head. “You’d be dead if you had.”

  Dead.

  The word rings in my head like a gong.

  Dead…Dead…Dead.

  My mother is dead because she fell in love with the wrong man. Like freaking Romeo and Juliet.

  The guy I thought was my father is dead because the truth was tortured out of him.

  And my real dad is no doubt dead too. Spent his last dying hours trying to save me.

  Dead.

  All three of them treated like worthless pieces of trash because they didn’t follow Lucca Sorrentino’s fucking rules!

  My rage has never been so blinding.

  So vast.

  So devastating.

  #23:

  The Heavy Weight of Betrayal

  Caitlin

  I can’t do it anymore.

  Sitting here is killing me.

  I have to move. Do something…drive up to the cabin to make sure everyone’s still alive!

  Running down the stairs, I grab Dad’s keys without even asking and race for the door.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!” Dad stops me before I can make a break for freedom.

  I grip the handle and wince.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Out,” I murmur and look over my shoulder with the sweetest smile I can muster. It’s an effort. My mind starts racing with excuses. Lies.

  Shit. Until Riley pointed it out before, I didn’t realize just how much I do lie.

  But it’s not like I can tell Dad the truth.

  Yeah, so Dad, unbeknownst to you, I’ve been hanging out with a bunch of fugitives up in that haunted cabin you never want me to visit. You don’t mind, right? I mean, it’s not like one of them has been discovered by her mother because I did something really stupid and there’s a chance her dad will find out and arrive fully armed and loaded.

  I swallow and look to the floor.

  “So, you’re just taking off without even asking to borrow the truck?”

  Guilt swamps me.

  I really am a bad person.

  Lying to my dad.

  Screwing everything up!

  “Do you need the truck?” My voice is small, meek…so unlike me.

  Dad’s eyebrows dip, but then he gives me a soft smile. “No, I don’t need it. You want to go see that Ryan kid, don’t you?”

  I nod.

  “You really like him?”

  I nod again.

  Running a hand over his thinning hair, he lets out a slow sigh. “I know being up here hasn’t always been easy. It’s not exactly a thriving city with a bunch of kids your age. I just find it weird, him living up in that place by himself.”

  “I know,” I squeak. “But he’s a really nice guy.”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, I think he might be. But you’re my baby girl.”

  I snicker and shake my head. “I’m not a baby anymore. I can look after myself, you know?”

  “I’ll always want to look after you, Sweet Pea.”

  “You can’t look after me forever. You’ve got to let me go at some point.”

  He grunts and mutters, “When you’re a parent one day—a long, long time from now—you’ll understand this torment.” Looking up with a dry expression, he then surprises me with a swift wink. “Drive safe. Stay the hell out of his bedroom and have the truck back in a couple of hours.”

  It’s kind of hard to hide my shock. “O-okay.”

  He nods and then points at me, his expression stern. “And no getting naked in the woods.”

  I chuckle and bob my head. “I promise, Dad. Thank you.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you.” I dash out the door before my eyes glass with tears. I don’t know why I’m so freaking emotional. Dad’s letting me go see Riley. I should be ecstatic, but I still can’t shake my guilt.

  Climbing into the cab, I check the road is clear before pulling out.

  Just as I’m reversing I spot the creepy guy again. He’s standing by his car, crushing a cigarette out with his shoe. My nose wrinkles as I drive away. I glance in the rearview mirror and am pleased to see him getting into his car.

  Good riddance, Mr. Creepy.

  “I hope you find a different town for you and your lady,” I mutter, shaking my head and focusing all my attention on getting to the cabin.

  Riley probably won’t even be there. He said Ana was waiting in the forest. But which part? After his reaction in that shack, there’s no way he’d take her back there.

  Anyway, he told me to stay out of it.

  Will he be mad if I go looking for him?

  Chewing on my lip, I accelerate up the hill and decide the best thing to do is go to the cabin and wait for them there. If Ana’s said goodbye to her mom, then she’ll probably be emotional. Maybe I can be a friendly support or something.

  Doubts scratch at me the entire trip up, but they don’t hurt enough to turn me back. I can be one stubborn chick when I want to be.

  I’m not sure if that’s something to be proud or ashamed of.

  I used to think my ability to lie while looking someone in the eye was a great skill, but now I’m not so sure.

  Easing up the last part of the driveway, I park by the cabin and tentatively get out of the truck.

  As I’m closing the door, Trey bursts out the sliding door. His hopeful expression folds into a sharp frown. “What are you doing here?”

  “I…uh…” Dammit! I should have brought some supplies with me.

  I’m scrambling for excuses when Kade walks out. “Do you know where Ana is?”

  “Um…”

  “She left this note and it’s not right.” Kade walks down the stairs and holds it out to me. I meet him halfway and read the scribble.

  Hey baby,

  The sun is shining. The sky is blue.

  It’s too beautiful to be inside today.

  Gone for a walk to get some fresh air and breathe in that pine scent.

  I’ll be back soon :)

  Love you! xx

  A

  “It’s way too sweet and cheerful. The style’s off.” Kade’s eyebrows bunch
together.

  “Is it her handwriting?” I glance at his worried face, my heart stuttering as I race for a way out of this.

  “Yeah, it’s her writing, but something’s wrong.” Trey storms up behind Kade.

  Jules is on the porch now, holding Ellie and looking worried. “I didn’t even hear her leave. I was sleeping.”

  “I’m sure she’s okay. The note says she just needed to get some fresh air.”

  “It also has a smiley face on it.” Trey snatches the piece of paper out of my hand. “My girl doesn’t use those. Something is wrong. Something’s happened.” Trey scrubs a hand down his face, his jaw tensing as he looks around us.

  I swallow and glance at Kade. He’s watching me, his eyes narrowing when I try to smile at him.

  “Have you seen Ry today?’

  “Uh…no.” I look to the ground. What’s happening to me? Have I lost my ability to lie or something? Looking to the ground? That’s a dead giveaway!

  “You know something.” Trey grabs my arm, giving it a gentle shake. “What’s going on?”

  “Um…” I lick my lips and grimace. “I can’t tell you.”

  “Caitlin.” Trey’s voice is low with warning. “If Ana is in any kind of danger…”

  “He’ll look after her,” I quickly interject. Possibly a mistake.

  Trey’s eyes flash and he slams his hand down on the hood of Dad’s truck. “Where are they?!”

  “I don’t know!” I back away from his wrath, putting some space between us.

  Kade steps over to Trey and lightly squeezes his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re going to find them.” Looking back to me, he raises his eyebrows. “What’s your guess, Caity? Where have they gone?”

  “I’m pretty sure they don’t want you to find them right now.” I scratch the side of my neck. “Maybe when they get back you can ask them to expl—”

  “Why?” Trey’s in my space again. “Why are they hiding from me?”

  The flash of panic in his eyes breaks my heart. He’s scared, worried, jealous, enraged. The emotions are all swirling together and I desperately want to squeak out what I know.

  But I can’t! I can’t betray Riley that way. I’ve already let him down once today.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “But it’s not my place to say. You need to hear it from them.”