“What the hell is she up to now?” I uttered as we walked back to where we had left our car.
“Nothing good. I’m going to wring her neck when I get my hands on her. She’s called me every night with her bullshit lies about her trip. Where is she?”
“I don’t know, but wherever she is, she won’t be without her luxuries. I think a quick check of her bank account will clue us in on her location,” I assured him. “Let’s get back to the house.”
“What if someone took her? The Russians, or the Armenians?” he worried.
“No, Rafe. She planned this. She made excuses to school, and sent e-mails to back them up. She has called you every night, like you just said, phone calls filled with lies about her being in Germany. If she were in trouble, you’d have heard it in her voice. She’d have tried to tell you in some way. This is just her playing more games.”
“I don’t know who she is anymore. What am I supposed to do? Her behaviour is so out of line, it’s insane. I have no idea where to even begin reining her back in!”
“Isabella has gotten to her. Who knows what that bitch filled her head with. We need to get her home, and then try to undo it all. Gia’s going to need to be honest and willing to listen to reason. And if we get that far, she’s also likely going to need some professional help too, to handle the lies, but you will get her back. We all will,” I tried to convince him, even though it sounded far fetched even to my ears, considering how messed up things with Gia had become.
Inside I was fuming with myself for not noticing sooner how much Gia had been changing. I should have. She was a sister to me in every way that counted. I hated the idea that she had been manipulated so badly, and filled with so much hatred, all because of Isabella’s lies. Our mother had torn both of her daughters to pieces, all to feed her addiction and it was sickening. I had to find a way to put an end to all of this. Rafe needed his sisters safe, and preferably getting along. I just wanted to help them all get over the hell that their parents had put them all through so they could each find some peace to move forwards – so we all could.
“Something’s going on. I don’t like it. Schedule the plane to get Cara back here first thing tomorrow. I want her at home, where I know she’s protected, and we need to find out where the hell Gia is too.”
“We’ll get them both home, Rafe. I’ll schedule the flight for the morning, and we’ll check Gia’s bank records as soon as we get home,” I assured him.
If I could, I’d have Cara on a flight home that night. I didn’t like any of what was happening either. I wanted Cara home, as soon as possible. I wouldn’t feel she was safe until she was in my arms.
CHAPTER 18
CARA
I’d woken up alone the next morning. Cal had stayed with me through the night. I knew that because I had slept fitfully after Dante’s drunken outburst, and every time I had jolted awake, Cal had been there with me, either asleep and holding me against him, or woken by me jumping, and soothing me until I dropped off again.
I felt terrible as I thought it all over while climbing stiffly from the bed. I had likely kept Cal up most of the night, and now he was up early too. He’d be exhausted.
I moved straight through to the en-suite bathroom, my body aching from the events of the night before. When I stood before the mirror over the sink and lifted my shirt, the bruising spread sporadically over my torso didn’t come as a surprise. Dante had been rough, and held me too tight, and that was the result.
I fought not to cry as I stared at my bruised reflection, but I failed. I knew it was ridiculous for me to cry over bruises. It was hardly the first time I’d been covered in them, or faced the violence that put them there. I was used to that happening in my life. But that time was different, because those bruises had been put on my body by a man I trusted – by a man I had been so sure would never hurt me, but he had.
I forced myself to look away from the mirror and turned to set the shower running. I didn’t want to fall apart again. I’d allowed it to happen too many times. I needed to sort myself out, get dressed, and get the wretched trip to Chicago over and done with, so I could get the fuck out of there again.
I rushed through my shower as usual, skipping washing my hair, knowing lifting my arms that much with bruised ribs would hurt too much.
I felt calmer as I stepped out and dried off, then brushed my teeth. As long as I didn’t think about having to face Dante again that morning, I could almost pretend everything was alright.
I dressed in my black clothes, just as I had the day before, still clinging to that hope that they would make me feel and appear stronger than I was, but before I left the room I grabbed the sweatshirt Cal had been wearing the day before – a perfectly soft, royal blue sweater with some designer name emblazoned across the front. I pulled it on over my clothes not caring that it was too big on me, It smelled like Cal and I found comfort in that.
I surprised myself when as I opened the door from my room, into the rest of the hotel suite, I found myself thinking of Rafe, and wishing he were there. For the firth time since I met any of them, I wasn’t feeling completely confident in my trust of the other guys, and I wanted my brother there so I could feel safe again.
Thankfully, the room I stepped into was empty. I didn’t know where the others were, but it didn’t matter. I would take being alone, over Dante walking in. I still wasn’t sure how exactly I wasgoing to react when I faced him again. I was wary of him now, to say the least.
I busied myself making a coffee with the fancy coffee maker, then took a seat at the table and chairs that overlooked the city view outside the vast windows.
It was still pretty early, the sun having risen not long ago, leaving the sky in pretty tones of purple and pink. The snow had stopped falling, but icicles hung from the balcony railings outside the sliding doors, and I knew it would be bitterly cold when we eventually ventured out. I hated the cold, especially the cold there in Chicago. It always seemed to eke right through to my bones and leave me feeling frozen for days at a time.
I was battling my emotions again, as I curled up in the chair, tucking my legs up to my chest and nursing my cup in my hands. I just wanted to go home though. I was doubting the determination I’d had about returning there at all. What had I been thinking? Nothing good in my life had ever happened to me in that country and it seemed that wasn’t about to change either.
I was seriously contemplating calling Rafe and asking him to arrange for me to travel back to London when the door opening startled me. I tensed as I looked over with a gasp, my heart pounding at just the notion of Dante walking in.
“Ah, yer up lass,” Arran sighed as he strode in and looked right at me, “I was hopin’ ye’d sleep in a while yet.”
“Where’s Cal?” I worried.
“He went down to the gym. He’ll no’ be long. Do ye want me to gi’ him a ring? Ask him to come back up?”
