Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella)

by Nina D'Angelo

  “The woman he loves isn’t dead yet,” Jase said quietly to Delucci, as they followed Gena down the hallway.

  Delucci arched an eyebrow at Jase, amusement lacing his voice. “Is there anyone who isn’t in love with Stephanie Carovella?”

  Jase chuckled softly. “You’ll understand once you’ve met her.”

  Gena stopped in her tracks at the sight of Jake Carlisle standing in the living room. She drank in the sight of the man who’d once been her lover. Dressed in jeans that molded to his thighs and a t-shirt emphasizing his broad shoulders, she couldn’t prevent the sigh falling from her lips.

  Her heart started beating wildly when he looked up to smile at her with his trademark, wise-ass smile. Her lips automatically curved into a matching grin. Striding into the room, she headed straight for him, her face alight with pleasure.

  “Jake Carlisle, well I’ll be damned. You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she exclaimed, her playful greeting hiding the rush of pain that had almost stopped her in her tracks.

  “Gena, you’re still as gorgeous as ever,” Jake greeted her warmly, moving towards her and enveloping her into a tight hug. He lifted her off the ground, grinning when she squealed in delight.

  Jase watched the scenario, smiling at the lighter side of Gena. It was a side she didn’t show often. His eyes scanned the living room, stopping on Jesse. Studying the frustration on his face, he asked, “Where’s Stephanie?”

  “Well, that’s debatable. She told us she was going to lie down,” Jesse growled, exasperation written on his face.

  “She’s not there?” Gena asked in concern. Her face flushed slightly, she stepped out of Jake’s lingering embrace. Darting her eyes around the room, she tried to ignore her pounding heart and Jake’s cocky grin.

  No, it would seem not,” Jesse said, furiously shooting Jase and Rafe a filthy glare.

  “Hell Jess, you can’t blame us. How the hell were Rafe and I to know she would climb out the fucking window?” Jake snapped, glaring back at his brother.

  Turning his attention back to Gena, Jake rolled his eyes. “First she tried to brain Rafe and then she almost breaks my nose. Now she blatantly ignores the fact we’re trying to keep her safe.” He glared at Jesse. “What did you tell me, Jesse? Sure Jake, Stephanie will do exactly what you tell her. Sure Jake, protecting her will be a piece of cake. “

  Snorting in disbelief, he added, “Being at war is safer compared to this shit, and it’s a hell of a lot easier than looking after your girlfriend.”

  Ben chuckled at Jake’s frustrated expression. “First of all, she’s not Jesse’s girlfriend and secondly Jake, did you really expect any differently? This is Stephanie after all.”

  Gena watched Jesse pace the room agitatedly. “Should we be worried?” she asked distractedly, unable to stop her gaze returning to Jake.

  Jesse curled his lip up in disdain, snarling at her. “You have to ask, Gena? There’s some god damn psycho fixated on her and you’re asking if we need to worry? She’s disappeared. Jesus, what’s wrong with you?”

  Ben walked over to Jesse, putting his hand on his shoulder in reassurance. “Stephanie will be fine. She has more lives than a cat and has always landed on her two feet. Besides, I think she’s just letting off steam.” Smiling at Gena, he explained, “She wasn’t very appreciative or happy about finding out she was being shadowed.”

  “I’m going to take a guess that you’re talking about Jake and his silent friend over there?” Gena asked, jerking her head towards Jake and Rafe.

  “Sorry, Gena. This is Rafael- Rafe. Rafe, meet the lovely Detective Evans. Gena, since we’re making introductions?” Jake said, looking at Jase and Delucci inquisitively.

  Gena’s brow furrowed, her concern for Stephanie growing. Absentmindedly indicating to Jase and Delucci with a wave of her hand, she said, “Jake, this is Jase Devlin...Angel’s Jase.”

  Waiting for them to shake hands, she continued her introductions. “And this is Detective Franklin Delucci. Frank’s heading up Ana’s murder.” Giving Delucci a dazzling smile, she said softly, “I don’t think you’ve met Jesse. He’s the one glowering from the couch. You met Ben at the door and next to him is Jake Carlisle.”

  “Related?” Delucci asked Jesse, watching him scowl angrily.

  “You think?” he snapped.

  Gena rolled her eyes, giving Delucci another warm smile. “Jake and Jesse are brothers,” she explained, touching his arm.

  Feeling Jake’s eyes on her, she lifted her own to meet his. She realized he was watching her interaction with Delucci, his own expression hooded. Dropping her hand from Delucci’s arm, she moved to sit down next to Jesse.

  Delucci nodded politely to everyone. Smiling coolly at Ben, he asked quietly, “You mentioned Ms Carovella received flowers?”

  “Are you sure they’re from him?” Gena asked, feeling the need to take control of the questioning. She didn’t want Delucci to get the idea he was in charge. This was still her investigation.

  Jesse leaned back at the couch, tilting his head up to look at the ceiling. Lifting an arm up to cover his eyes, he groaned. “Hell, I don’t know, Gena. Neither Ben nor I gave them to her and she certainly didn’t buy them. I didn’t even notice them until she was throwing them out.”

  “Then maybe they’re not from him,” she said, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Jesse dropped his arm away from his eyes, turning his head slightly to pin her with eyes filled with fear. “No, they’re from him, Gena. He was in my house again. It’s just like it was with Angel. It’s happening all over again.”

  Gena place her hand over one of his hands, squeezing reassuringly. She smiled when he lifted her hand up to his mouth, brushing his lips against it gently.

  “So, it’s beginning,” Jase said gruffly. His eyes settled on a photo of Angel.

  “You said he was courting her?” Delucci said, addressing Ben. “What did you mean by that?”

  Ben shrugged. “It’s something Stephanie said before she took off. She said in his twisted way he was courting her. I didn’t ask and she wouldn’t tell. Either way, it’s fucked up.” Ben said.

  “How did Stephanie find out you were tailing her?” Gena asked Jake, lifting her foot and resting it against the coffee table edge. She flicked her eyes over his body, longing racing through her. Scowling, she realized he was aware of her ogling him, his lips twitching in amusement.

  “That’s my fault. We tailed her this morning. I started to get worried about her though and broke cover.”

  “Worried? Why? Where was she?” Delucci questioned sharply.

  “She went home,” Jake said, emotion deepening his Texan accent.

  “What do you mean home? She sold her apartment when she left L.A. The only home she has –” Jesse glared at his brother. “She was at Dominic’s? Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

  Jake shrugged nonchalantly. “You didn’t ask.”

  “Good to see you can keep secrets,” Gena mocked.

  He arched an eyebrow, smiling wickedly at her. “There are some secrets I’ve managed to keep nicely, Gena.”

  Gena flushed. She remembered only too well how carefully they had hid their passionate love affair. For one summer she’d been his and he had been hers. They’d loved, laughed and spent stolen moments in bed together. It had been her last year in L.A before she left for New York to join the N.Y.P.D and Jake left to join the marines. She’d never wanted to let what they’d had go and she also knew she’d never felt the same way about anyone else again.

  Clearing her throat, she said quietly, “You said you were worried about her being at the house.”

  Jake nodded, running a hand over his military cut. “Hell, you guys aren’t the only ones who love her, or hurt for her when Dom died. You weren’t the only ones who saw her shut down. She blocked me out too,” he said angrily. “I knew it had been a while since she’d been to the house, not since before...” He ran a hand over his jaw.

&n
bsp; “Not since before Dominic died,” Jesse finished.

  They were all quiet, each of them lost in their own memories of Dominic. Ben broke the silence. “What was she doing at Dominic’s?” he asked curiously.

  “You mean apart from trying to brain me?” Rafe asked, speaking for the first time.

  Gena turned her head towards him when he finally spoke, studying the dark-haired man, dressed completely in black. Standing near the window, he had been the silent observer until now. His eyes met hers and inwardly she shuddered, deciding he was one person she never wanted to meet in a dark alley. There was an almost savage expression on his face, his eyes glittering as he stared her down. He had to be Black Ops, like Jake. She’d met a few of Jake’s friends before and each one of them made her feel the same way. They emitted danger. It only drummed into her head the reality of how dangerous Jake’s job really was.

  Jake chuckled, his tawny eyes dancing with laughter. He smiled at his friend. “You’re never going to forget that, are you Rafe?”

  Rafe grunted, his expression one of displeasure. “It’s not like you’re ever going to let me, Jake.”

  “You should have told me she was at the house. What was she doing there?” Jesse asked icily, repeating Ben’s question.

  Jake rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why she was there, Jesse. She just was. She refused to tell me. I believe she was too busy being pissed with you to answer anything I asked her.”

  Shaking his head in disgust, he drawled, “Did you know that house is like a fucking shrine? Not one thing has changed since Dom died. I swear to God, as soon as I walked into the house it was like stepping back into time. I half expected to see Dom there. It scared the fuck out of me.”

  Leaning forward, Ben clasped his hands together. “I’m not surprised. Stephanie hasn’t set foot in the house since she walked out on Dominic. I wonder what drew her back.”

  “Dominic? This is Dominic Delaney, her husband?” Delucci asked.

  Ben slid his eyes over the man heading up Ana’s case. He took in everything – from the neatly manicured fingernails to the expensive Brooks Brothers’ suit and Italian loafers. With a look of disdain, he dismissed Delucci completely.

  Gena grinned at Ben’s expression, not missing the way he sized up Frank Delucci. She could understand why Ben felt the way he did. When she’d met Delucci for the first time, she’d reacted the same way. Despite his appearance of established wealth, Delucci was a tough cop. He was a good cop, one who would stop at nothing to find this killer.

  Jase answered Delucci’s question. “Yeah, he was Frank,” he said, ignoring Ben’s dark scowl.

  Jesse nodded in affirmation, his voice bitter. “Dominic was, and still is, the love of Stephanie’s life. He’s the only man who has ever broken down those damn walls of hers.”

  Jake smiled sardonically, hearing the bitterness in his brother’s voice. His eyes settling on Gena, he carefully shielded his emotions. He knew only too well the pain of loving someone who didn’t love him back. He’d experienced the same with Gena. He’d spent a reckless summer trying to convince her he was worthy of her love. In the end she’d still walked away without a backward glance.

  His eyes moved to the man who’d once been Angel Monroe’s lover, when Jase asked, “Are you sure Stephanie let Dominic completely in?”

  Ben curled his lip in contempt. “She married him, didn’t she?” Jase ignored him, refusing to let Ben bait him.

  “Jase is asking because he and Frank did some digging into Stephanie’s past,” Gena said. Irritation crept into her voice at the petulant way Ben was still acting around Jase.

  “Like what?” Jake asked unabashedly.

  Gena paused, waiting for confirmation from Jase and Delucci to continue. Delucci nodded his head and she plunged forward. “What do you know about Stephanie’s family? I mean what do you really know?”

  Jesse frowned, unsure where Gena was heading with her questioning. Glancing at Ben’s equally confused expression, his frown deepened. “Gena, I’m not sure we understand,” he said, before stopping to look down at his clasped hands. “I know she lived with her aunt until she was sixteen.” Lifting his head, he said slowly, “Stephanie’s never really discussed her family with me. I got the feeling she didn’t have the best relationship with them. To be honest, I never probed any deeper. Stephanie isn’t exactly an open book when it comes to her feelings.”

  “Ben?” Gena asked, swallowing hard.

  “I know her folks died when she was eight,” Ben said, pulling out a pack of Marlboros from the inside of his leather jacket. Tapping out a cigarette, he lit one and took a long drag. “I know as much as Jess does. After her folks died, she was sent to live with her aunt in San Francisco. They didn’t get along and as soon as she was old enough, she split and headed back to L.A.”

  Studying Gena’s ashen face, he tensed, uncomfortable with her line of question. “Why are you asking about Stephanie’s family?”

  Gena breathed deeply, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Stephanie lied to all of us. Her parents didn’t just die, they were murdered and she witnessed it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Gena tore her eyes away from her scuffed boot as she dropped her foot off the table and studied the room of stunned faces.

  Ben rocked back on his heels, shock vibrating through him. “Jesus Christ. Gena, are you sure?”

  She nodded mutely, her tortured gaze meeting his. “I wish to God, Ben, that it wasn’t true, but it explains why she is the way she is.”

  “It certainly explains the nightmares,” Jesse said grimly, leaning over and reaching out to take her hand. She smiled shakily when he stroked his thumb against the inside of her hand reassuringly.

  “I can’t believe she never told us,” Ben groaned, closing his eyes. Opening them again, he asked abruptly, “How did you find out?”

  “Frank and I did some digging into Stephanie’s past,” Jase said, holding up his hand when Ben opened his mouth to speak, his eyes hardened in anger. “Let me finish.”

  “Of course, we will. Right, Ben? Jesse?” Jake said, grinning at the disgusted look Ben shot him.

  “After Ana’s murder, I started thinking about the main connection to all the murders and every single one of them links back to both Gena and Stephanie. They both knew the victims, but it was Stephanie who was still in touch with all of them. It’s Stephanie he sent the flowers to.” Leveling his gaze on Jesse, he said, “Stephanie is central to this. It made me wonder if he knew her. If there was something in her past, triggering events. I didn’t mean to stumble across her parent’s murder. That was unexpected.”

  Sweeping his gaze across the room, he said in exasperation, “Look, the last thing I wanted to do was investigate Stephanie. Hell, she was Angel’s best friend, but these murders are all connected to her in some way.”

  “You did what?” Stephanie asked icily. She stood shadowed in the archway of the living room.

  “Stephanie!” Gena exclaimed, beginning to rise from the couch.

  “Did you know about this?” Stephanie demanded, her icy glare pinning Gena to the spot.

  “No, of course I didn’t. At least I didn’t until Jase told me,” Gena stuttered.

  Stephanie dismissed her, her gaze contemptuous. Curling her hands into clenched fists at her side, she snarled at Jase, “How dare you? How dare you invade my privacy like this? You had no damn right!”

  “Stephanie, be realistic. Three of your friends are murdered. Of course we’re going to run background checks on you,” Jase said calmly, fascinated by the fire burning deep within her eyes.

  “How many?” she asked icily.

  “What do you mean how many?” Gena asked warily, seeing the barely concealed rage within Stephanie’s eyes.

  “How many people did you investigate? Did you look at Jesse or Ben’s past? Or was it just my past you were particularly interested in Detective Evans?” Stephanie spat, stepping back from Gena.

  “Ms Carovella, I u
nderstand your distress and I assure you it was never our intention to upset you,” Delucci said, giving her an apologetic smile.

  Stephanie twisted her head to look at him with steely contempt. “And you would be?”

  “I’m Detective Franklin Delucci,” he replied, moving towards her and holding out his hand in greeting.

  She ignored it, furiously looking past him to Jase. “You haven’t answered my question, Devlin. Was it just me you investigated or all of us?”

  “You’re the only one connected to all these murders. You’re the key to why Ana was murdered and why Carolyn Mathers was murdered. Damn it, to why Angel was murdered as well,” Jase said angrily. He cursed when he saw the grief slide across her face before she carefully hid her distress. “Stephanie, we’re only trying to protect you. It was never my intention to hurt you. Surely you believe me,” he pleaded.

  “It doesn’t mean I have to like the intrusion into my personal life, the digging into my past,” Stephanie whispered, her voice warming slightly.

  “What are you afraid of us finding?” Gena asked frostily, her own voice dropping in temperature. She watched Jake swiftly move to Stephanie, wrapping protective arms around her rigid body. Stephanie studied Gena with such an undisguised animosity it made her step back in muted surprise.

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” she bit out, stepping out of Jake’s arms and moving to the fireplace. Taking a calming breath, she held out her hands to the heat in front of her. She stared into the fire, almost mesmerized by the flames. “There isn’t anything you could do that could be worse than what I’ve already seen.”

  Tearing her eyes away from the fire, she said harshly, “There is nothing anyone can do that could even begin to compare to the hell I’ve already been through.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell us Steph?” Ben asked quietly, moving to stand behind her. His hands crept up to touch her shoulders, turning her around to face him. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

  She laughed mirthlessly, pushing Ben’s hands off her shoulders and stepping away from him. Her eyes hardened with fury as she sneered contemptuously at Jase. “You may have had the right to investigate me but you sure as hell didn’t have the right to divulge my personal life.” Her fury bubbled to the surface and she struggled to speak. When she finally did, it was in broken bursts. “You didn’t have the right...” She paused. ‘To tell them. I will never forget this.”