The last message was just a phone number - the one listed on Gia’s call logs.
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked, shell shocked.
“This can’t have been our Mum. Cara said she was barely cognizant for months before she died. Cara was drugging her to keep her calm. How could she have reached out to Gia like this?” Rafe questioned.
“Cara was telling the truth. Whatever this is, it doesn’t involve her!” Dante growled, defending Cara without any doubt.
“I agree, Dante. I held Cara as she cried in my arms, consumed by guilt that she had drugged our Mum, and terrified that had aided Isabella’s murder. Cara worked herself near to death to pay for those pills to sedate our Mum,” Rafe agreed easily, andI nodded my own with him. Cara was an honest person. She couldn’t have deceived us all on such a huge scale.
“We need to speak to Cara. If anyone’s gonna know anything, it’ll be her,” Arran suggested.
“We need to speak to Gia,” I hissed. “She’s been keeping all of this from us. Who knows who she’s been speaking to, or what she’s told them? This could all be some elaborate plan to get inside information, for all we know!”
“Maybe. But if it is all some complex ruse to trick Gia into giving information over, it’s extreme, and a lot of trouble to go to. It’s much more likely, knowing how manipulative my Mother could be, that she was playing Cara, and not as impaired as she pretended. Some act to ensure she got a regular supply of drugs or alcohol, I’m betting,” Rafe argued.
“It definitely sounds plausible. Whoever Gia spoke to, one thing’s for sure,” I pointed out. “They filled her head with poison about Cara, and maybe about you too, Rafe. This explains Gia’s behaviour.”
“It might even explain the Armenians comin’ after Cara,” Arran said, and we all looked to him. “If Isabella wasnae as out of her mind as Cara believed, we dinnae ken what else she could’a been up to. Maybe she owed the Armenians some money after all.”
“Fuck!” Rafe raged as he turned to the wall closest to him and smashed his fist through it three times, the plaster crumbling under his ire. “I’d kill that bitch if she weren’t already dead!”
“Rafe…” I eventually spoke after giving him several minutes to calm down. “What do you want to do?”
“First thing, we head home. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but until I do, Cara is never left without one of us closebyat home, and stuck to her hip any time she leaves. I hate saying this, but we need to keep Gia away from her too. We have no idea what she’s been brainwashed to believe, and I can’t risk her hurting Cara.”
“Agreed,” I nodded. “Are you bringing Gia home early, or leaving her to finish the trip with school?”
“Leave her for now. It’s unlikely that she’ll be honest with me anyway, and it’s better for Cara if Gia’s not in the house for now. Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this without Gia’s drama.”
“I’ll contact Joey. He’s still in Chicago. I’ll tell him to gather surveillance footage from around the apartment building that Cara and your mum lived in. If Isabella was playing games, surely we’ll be able to catch sight of her coming and going,” I mused.
“Good. Is it possible for you to access all of Gia’s social media accounts? I want you to check them all for contact from any unknowns. Bring me anything you find, even if it looks innocent. I want to see everything.”
“Nae bother. I can get Cal to help when we’re back at the house, if ye don’t mind him knowin’ everything? He’s better with breakin’ into accounts than we are,” Arran suggested.
“Fill him in, but I don’t want to bombard Cara with any of this until she has at least slept and eaten, and is looking a hell of a lot stronger than she did when I left her,” Rafe stipulated.
“What’s wrong with Cara?” Dante was on his feet again as he glared between Rafe and I.
“She had an anxiety attack. A bad one,” I told him.
“Is she okay? Why did you leave her?”
“Cal is with her, and she was fine when we left. Drained and a little shaky, but back to herself,” I hurried to add before Dante lost his shit and made everything worse.
“Maybe we should talk wi’ her about getting’ some counselling or somethin’? I think she needs some help to deal wi’ it all,” Arran suggested.
“We already discussed it. I’m going to look into a therapist, then I’ll broach the subject with her, but you’re right. She does need more help than any of us can give her,” Rafe agreed.
“Speak for yourself. I can help Cara. I can give her whatever she needs, but only if I’m contacted when she needs me!” Dante bit out.
“Dante, enough brother,” Arran cut in as he got to his feet and shoved Dante back from Rafe.
“Listen to him, Dante. I put up with a lot of shit from you because not only do I respect the way you work, but you’re family too. Regardless of any of that though, when it comes to my sister, you’d be wise to tread very fucking carefully,” Rafe threatened in the deadly cold and calm voice he rarely used.
“Come on. Let’s get home. Like you said, we’ll all feel better when we’re there with Cara,” I interjected, once again trying to avoid shit breaking out. The last thing Cara needed was us all walking in bloody. Rafe’s fist was already messed up from him hitting the wall.
I decided to take the fact that Rafe hadn’t killed Dante on the spot, for almost claiming Cara out loud, as a good sign. There had still been a threat of course, but maybe there was hope for me to be with Cara. I was going to cling to it, anyway,
