Fate Book Two (17 page)

“Promise,” he said, “you’ll get on that bus and not stop until you’re safely in Chicago.”

I nodded. “Promise me you’ll be right behind me.”

He cupped my face with both hands and kissed me deeply. “I promise. And when I see you again, we’ll finish what we started.”

“Sex. Really? At a time like this, you’re thinking of sex?” I was too, actually.

A sly smile spread over his lips. “When it comes to you, I’m always thinking of sex; but I was referring to our life together. I think I owe you a wedding.”

“Oh.” I grinned. I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone more than I loved Paolo.

He kissed me quickly one last time, and I hopped from the taxi. As I watched Paolo ride away, my stomach tied into nauseating knots. I wanted this so badly. I wanted us to have a life. But I just wouldn’t believe it until I saw it. Because every damned time things seemed to be going in one direction, they would take a sharp turn.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I looked at the schedule posted on the side of the bus stop and saw that a tour bus came every two hours, but I had no clue what time it was. I dug through my nearly empty purse—I’d left almost everything behind in that funky hotel—but Paolo had returned my credit card and passport. That’s all I pretty much needed. Except…

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
That knot in my stomach turned into a fifty-pound lead weight. I’d forgotten to swap out identities. Paolo had nabbed me before I’d gotten the chance to go to my locker at the train station. And now that my Leah Gablenz “reporter” identity was blown and every Abelli along with anyone on their payroll would be looking for me, I wouldn’t get far. The moment my passport was scanned in Naples, someone somewhere would be notified. That’s how these people worked.

Goddammit!
I was faced with risking my neck to get my backup stuff from the train station or getting taken in Naples.

Okay. You probably have a ninety-percent chance of getting picked up at the airport with your Leah passport. But you have a fifty-fifty chance of getting to your locker without being spotted
. If what Paolo had said was correct, that the “family” probably assumed I’d already slipped out of Italy, then my chances were even better.

I had to go for the locker.

I raised my hand into the air and an empty taxi immediately pulled over.

Twenty minutes later and four blocks from the train station, I walked into a small tourist shop—the kind that sold everything from snacks and postcards to film (who used that anymore?) and sunglasses. I bought the largest pair of “mommy glasses” I could find and a straw fedora. I tucked my very recognizable red hair inside and prayed for the best. Because this time, I didn’t have a backup plan. If someone spotted me, I was toast.

I walked to the station, mingling casually with the flow of pedestrians toward the turnstiles, making a quick detour into the bathroom. I waited for a few moments to catch my breath and then beelined it to the locker area. I tried not to look suspicious, because there were police all over the place, but I had to keep an eye out over my shoulders to watch for anyone approaching. To my surprise, there was nobody.

Feeling rather proud, I punched in my code and snagged my little shopping bag filled with a credit card, a passport, and a few hundred euros. I shut the door and turned, slamming my body into a large man.

I looked up and saw a familiar pair of green eyes.

“Horse? What are you doing here?”

He looked pissed. “Princess Leah, so nice to see you again.” He grabbed my elbow and began pulling me with him.

“Horse,” I hissed, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m taking you to see my uncle.”

I pulled back and dug in my heels. For the record, Horse was not as large as Paolo—no, I wasn’t talking about his manhood, although I really doubted Horse’s claim to fame, anyway—but he still outweighed me by a lot. He could easily drag me with him, in which case the police would likely interfere and I might end up in the hands of the Abellis regardless, because they just happened to have police “friends.”

“I’m not going with you, Horse. So you can either kill me here or let me go.”

“Or I can drag you, kicking and screaming.”

“Why, Horse? Why do this for them? You’re not a bad person.”

“No. But you are,” he said.

“Wait. What?”

“Don’t pretend, Dakota. We know who you are. And now Felix is missing. Did you kill him because he figured it out? Or does your father have him?”

So, because Paolo hadn’t shown his face for a day or so, they thought I’d taken him? The good news was Horse didn’t seem to be doubting that Paolo was Felix. On the other hand, there were so many lies being spun that if I said the wrong thing, I could really make a mess.

Shit. What do I do?
I had to say something.

Deflect.

“Okay, Horse. You think that my father has Felix, and that I helped. But you’re missing the big picture.”

He looked like he wanted to throttle me.

“You are a decent human being. And you love your family regardless of who they are and what they’ve done. But do they love you? Will they put you first? Because you’re working hard to build a life for yourself, and someday you’re going to meet a special woman you can’t live without. Do you think she’ll be safe around your family? I would have been raped by your dear Uncle Alberto if Felix hadn’t shown up. So think. Think long and hard, Horse, who you’re fighting for, because your family won’t protect you or your wife or your children. And God forbid you have a daughter. She won’t make it past fifteen without someone putting his disgusting hands on her.”

I could see the wheels turning in Horse’s head.

“And what about the day you have everything,” I added, “and your uncle Giuseppe makes you do some favor for him that lands you in prison?”

“Enough, Dakota.” He held up his hand. “I will not betray them for you.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking you to let me leave. Pretend you never saw me here.”

“What about Felix? Do I pretend your father didn’t take him? Or isn’t torturing him right now?”

Poor Horse. His family didn’t deserve his love.

I looked him straight in the eyes. “I don’t know where Felix is. That’s the honest truth, Horse. But I can tell you that you need to run. Get as far away from here and your family as possible—what they’ve done—” I paused and shook my head. “You’re a good person. Just get out.”

“They made the deal with those fucking terrorists, didn’t they?” he seethed.

I held my poker face, but my jaw dropped on the inside.
He knows.

“
Cazzo!
The family voted, and they went ahead anyway.” He shook his head. “I knew my uncle wouldn’t keep his word. I knew it.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“The entire family made a decision to stop helping those people. In fact, we’ve been moving all of our businesses slowly over to legitimate investments. My uncle said he wanted to cleanse our family name before he died. But it was all a bunch of bullshit.”

“I’m so sorry, Horse.”

“Don’t be. They made their choices, and now they have to live with them.” He turned to leave.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“To see my uncle Giuseppe.”

“You can’t do that. You have to let everything play out.”

“What?” He laughed bitterly. “You think they’ll get arrested? You think they won’t buy their way out of any charges?”

“I’m not talking about that. They need to…”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I really didn’t want to tell him anything I knew. This was about more than letting this deal happen and catching the buyers. “Please, just trust me. You can’t say anything. It’s important. More important than anyone going to jail.”

He looked at me with those big green eyes, calculating. “I want to see your father.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I want to make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I want him to guarantee me that this will all end—they go to jail, every last one of them.”

“Uhhh…Okay. I’ll make it happen. I mean, the meeting.” I didn’t know how, but a meeting wasn’t impossible.

“Good,” he said.

“But it might take a week or so. I don’t know where he is.” Although, I had a feeling my father was somewhere near. How could he not be?

“You have my number?” Horse asked.

“I lost it.”

He shook his head at me and then handed me another card. “How will I know you’ll keep your word?”

“You don’t, but…” I wondered what would happen to Horse if he stayed put. Wouldn’t he get tangled in the weeds with the whole lot of them? “Come with me.”

He looked at me, clearly confused.

“No. I’m serious. Come with me. Leave Rome. Leave your family and start over. Find somewhere safe to live and…well, live.” That was something I could give him.

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’ll help you set up anywhere you want—new life, money to start off, whatever.”

“And what do you want in return?” he asked.

“Nothing—wait; I do want you to get away from your family. No more contact. At least for a while. Then it’s your choice if you stick with it.”

“Why would you do that for me?” He narrowed those big green eyes.

“Because I know exactly what it’s like to be a part of a family who puts you last, that despite your unconditional love, they can’t be trusted. And I believe you’re a good person who deserves better.”

He pondered my words for a moment. “I need to think about it.”

What was there to think about? On the other hand, I really did need to get the hell out of Dodge, and it wasn’t like I could drag the big man with me. “I’ll call you tomorrow, and if you want my help, just say ‘This isn’t Ricardo. You have the wrong number.’ I’ll have everything sent overnight to the Excelsior in Naples to…Mr. Bonanza.” I knew the hotel, because I’d seen a picture on the Internet. I really needed to start traveling for real.

He laughed. “Mr. Bonanza?”

“I have no idea why I said that.”

“My grandmother used to watch a show called
Bonanza
. She said she liked the shoot-outs.”

“Why doesn’t that shock me?” I looked up at the giant clock above the turnstiles. “I have to go.”

He nodded and dipped his head to kiss my cheek. “May the force be with you, princess.”

“Thanks. You, too, Mr. Bonanza.”

When I rode away in a taxi, I flashed a glance over my shoulder. Horse still stood there staring at me, a deeply conflicted look on his face, and once again, I found myself wondering if I’d made the right decision or made another mess of things.

Time would tell.

Part Three

Get Your Paws Dirty

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The moment in the train station felt like the turning point. It should have been a disaster in which I ended up a hostage and ruined everything. But it hadn’t. In fact, I’d left Rome, caught the bus to Naples with ten minutes to spare, and had no issues buying a seat on the next flight to London. In less than twelve hours I was walking through the door of my Chicago safe house. I felt worried as hell about Paolo but grateful to be greeted by clean clothes and a freezer full of Lean Cuisine enchiladas and a pint of “Everything But The…” ice cream.

I immediately booted up my laptop and hoped to God I didn’t receive some horrible flare from Paolo. At this point, no news was good news. But I did need to talk to my father, so I left a message on my mom’s answering service to reach me on a new prepaid cell I’d picked up.

By the time I did all that, it was about 10:00 p.m. Central and about 4:00 a.m. in Rome, so I still had a few hours before I needed to call Horse. As for Paolo, I could only hope he’d show up as promised.

Sitting on the khaki couch, nerves frazzled, I forced myself to close my eyes for a few moments. My head was pounding and my jaw muscles ached from all of the clenching. But when I opened my eyes, it was five in the morning.

Oh crap.
I grabbed my phone on the small table beside the couch and checked to see if there were any messages.

Nothing.

And, obviously, Paolo hadn’t shown.

I slipped Horse’s card from my pocket and logged into this weird Internet app thing Paolo had given me to make calls from my laptop. Not untraceable, but the calls were routed through a few servers in several different countries, so it would take a few days—with serious effort—for anyone to find the origination point of the call.

Horse immediately answered the phone, his voice gruff and cold. “
Pronto
.”

“It’s me.”

There was a long, awkward pause.

“Hello?” I said.

“The ranch is burning.”

What the hell did that mean? “Sorry?” I said.

“Maybe you should try watching the news sometime.”

“Uh…hold on!” I opened up my laptop and logged on to CNN. The first report was about the arrest of the entire Abelli family on charges of terrorism, money laundering, bribery, and intent to commit genocide. They’d been connected to a major terrorist plot to “infect every major city in the Western world.”

Why was this happening now? Paolo had said they were going to wait a while to arrest his family because they’d wanted to catch the buyers first.

“Holy crap, Horse. Where are you?” And where the hell was Paolo?

I thought about asking, but it would seem strange for me to give a crap about “Felix.”
Maybe this arrest thing is what’s tying Paolo up.

“I’m in the countryside,” Horse said, “lying low. Apparently, the authorities are looking for me.”

Oh great.
This was exactly what I’d been afraid of.

“Dakota?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll take that offer, if it still stands.”

Crap.
I didn’t know. I would be aiding a wanted man.
How do I get myself into this stuff?
I was way over my head and desperately needed to talk to my father. Or Paolo. On the other hand, I’d committed to helping Horse get the heck out of there, and I knew he’d done nothing wrong. I had to make the best decision I could, but above all, I had to do what I felt was right.