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She gave me a ‘duh,’ look, and I chuckled. “Do you really think they’d be able to save me if whoever killed my parents wanted to murder me or finish what they started with Kyle?”
“Point taken,” I agreed. “So, who do you think killed your parents?” I had my suspicions and reasons, but I wanted to hear her ideas on the subject.
“You’re taking this awfully well. You told me in my interview, if I lied to you, you’d fire me.” Again, she peered up at me. Those impossibly long lashes fluttered against her cheeks, and my heart squeezed.
“Do you want me to fire you?”
She shook her head. “No. I like Rocca.”
“How about we not worry about that for now? We’ll discuss the issue of you lying later. For now, I need to know how I can help you, Stephanie.” I liked how her real name rolled off my tongue.
“Are you going to keep saying my name?” She quirked a brow and the defiant edge of her voice sent a bolt of lust through me, soothing the rage agitating my stomach.
“Yes, is that all right?”
She nodded. “It’s nice to be me again.”
I could only imagine. Having to take on a new name and personality was hard. Doing so because your family had been killed, was a whole different monster of a situation. “I’m glad. I’m more than sure none of this has been easy on you or your brother.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t bury our parents. I couldn’t say goodbye.” Her tears spilled again. “I don’t even know why they were killed.”
Nor did I. Nothing Soren had turned up so far showed a motive. I didn’t believe the stories about Theo Hollis stealing money from the families. It was too easy, yet also too messy. With him being the accountant for several of sitting members of the Syndicate of Families, unless someone brought in a replacement, no one would ever know he was skimming off the top. The only exception, someone caught him in the act. Then, of course, it made sense. “I wish I could explain it myself.”
“Daddy wouldn’t have stolen anything from anyone. He enjoyed his job.” She wiped her eyes. “He was a good man.”
“When did you arrive home?” From the photos Soren showed me, I could now say those bloody marks on the door to Kyle’s closet were hers and Kyle’s, solving a small piece to a rather large mystery.
“After it happened. I was surprising my parents. I didn’t tell them I was coming home,” she said, her voice so small, so innocent, it broke my heart. “When I walked in, I just felt something was off.” She shook her head. “It was odd. Quiet. Not normal quiet either. Eerie. Like someone sucked the air out of the space. Destroyed the warmth and peace.” She let out a shuddered breath, her hands fisting in my shirt, anchoring herself to me. “I went to daddy’s office first and found him, then my mother.”
Those photos would be etched in my mind forever. Whoever had been sent to kill Theo and his wife was sloppy. They made a mess. I would have made an example of them. Also, leaving the son and daughter alive was another mistake. One I was personally grateful they’d made. “Jesus, Stephanie...”
“Kyle moaned. Had he have stayed silent, I wouldn’t have known he was there.” She swallowed hard again. “I’d have left him. Oh God.” She cried harder. “I took what I could before I helped him out of the house, then we ran when we thought someone was still there.”
“His shoulder?” I pressed, realizing if I didn’t get her to tell me in one go, she’d never speak of what happened again.
“Took him to an emergency clinic that accepted cash and didn’t ask questions. Within six hours, we were on the road. Deep down, I knew that part was stupid of me. He needed to rest and recover, but I couldn’t leave us out in the open. If we stayed there, they’d find us.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “We moved around every two or three weeks. Mostly when I had the feeling we were being watched.” She looked up at me. A ghost of a smile and pride shone in her eyes, then sadness swallowed her whole. “Other people lost their lives because of me—us, too. The last time I ran, I told myself I had to find someone to turn to and not the police. So, I started looking for help while also being proactive.” She sat up a bit, gaining an ounce of courage. “I bought a cheap version of a bug detector and went over everything Kyle and I had, including my car. That came in handy. Then I saw your ad on the internet.”
My mind swirled with the reality of her situation. The fact she had presence of mind to check her belongings and her car shouldn’t have surprised me, yet it did. She’d done everything right. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. She’d been alone in this for a year. In my estimates, she should have been dead.
“You didn’t do anything. This time, I messed up. I thought... I was getting the feeling of being watched again and I...”
“Went with your gut,” I said.
She nodded. “When we left here in my car—”
“Stupid decision,” I teased, trying hard not to let the anger seep through.
“Yeah, well, I told you, I don’t enjoy feeling like an object and not a person,” she retorted in a haughty tone. “Anyway, I believed it was more inconspicuous than, say, your Land Rover.”
Touché.
“I wasn’t followed,” she said. “I left here and was free for a few hours, but by the time I got done shopping...” She shrugged.
“You were never alone,” I whispered. “You need to know that. I’d never allow you to get hurt.” Her current condition notwithstanding. “As soon as you left, I had Benny and Robbie follow you at a distance.”
“Well, I can’t be too mad. They saved us.” She gave a small lift of her shoulder. “Guess I owe them one. Or several, as it seems.”
“From what Robbie told me, two of the men were from Mario Torino and the other, like you said, was trying to impress Mario.” I pressed her head to my chest. “You’ve never seen them before, you’re sure?”
