CHAPTER FOURTEEN
If my entire world hadn’t been shaking around like a snow globe, I would have been ashamed to hand the keys to Evie’s half crushed car over to the valet at Cristiano’s. Instead, I didn’t so much as look at the man’s face. I beat it to the elevator, taking a ride that seemed to last way too long up to the top floor.
Cristiano’s floor. His home. In a way, it already seemed like my home and not just because I’d been staying there for the last few days but because he made me feel so welcome.
I blinked back the tears as I opened the front door. So this whole thing was the other shoe, the one I’d been afraid would one day drop. But instead of it being about some petty issue like jealousy or mixed obligations, it was about our right to live without being constantly harassed.
Voices made me halt in the foyer. One of them was Cristiano’s, speaking in a hushed tone. The other was a female’s. I held my breath to listen better.
Evie.
Speeding up my steps, I catapulted myself into the kitchen. They sat at the island, facing each other, Evie’s hands wrapped around a mug of what was probably some hot beverage brewed or steeped with the intention of comforting her.
At the sight of me, both of their backs straightened.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Evie, I told you to go to your aunt and uncle’s.”
Evie’s eyes fell closed like she was tired. When she opened them, there was a look of pity in their depths. “Blaire, I told Cristiano about what happened.”
My mouth fell open, then snapped closed before falling open again. “You didn’t have to come here for that. I was going to tell him myself...”
Cristiano stood up from his stool. “What were you thinking?”
My throat constricted. “I was thinking... that I would do whatever I needed to do to protect you.”
His shoulders sagged. “Oh, Blaire.” He sounded just as tired as Evie seemed.
“I know what I did was reckless,” I quickly explained. “And I was stupid to get someone else involved, but now I need to get to the bottom of this. I’m going to the police.”
Cristiano’s head cocked. “I don’t know if they’ll be of much help.”
“I have to try. There are no other options. They’re coming for me anyway. Once they get hold of the footage from that parking garage—”
“There is no footage.”
I stared at him. “What?”
“Or at least there soon won’t be. I’ve already taken care of it. The tapes will be destroyed.”
All I could do was continue to stare. I waited for further explanation, but Cristiano didn’t seem to feel he needed to offer it.
“B-but how?” I sputtered.
His jaw ticked. “It was... fairly easy.”
He’d paid someone off. Of course... and all in the twenty or so minutes that he and Evie had been there without me. Maybe if I hadn’t taken the long way to his place in an attempt to evade the main roads, I would have walked in on whatever phone call was needed to take care of things.
The room sat in silence, both Evie and Cristiano watching me.
“No footage,” I repeated. Relief washed over me, but a second later, it dissipated. The other matter, the primary and original problem, still remained.
I felt like I needed to sit down. I swayed on my feet but didn’t move. If I tried to take so much as a step, my knees could very well buckle.
“Th-the people,” I blustered. “They’re still out there. And who knows what they’ll do next? Cristiano, we don’t know what they want, and they know we’re on to them. That’s bad. That’s really bad.”
Cristiano came closer and took one of my hands in his. “We’ll leave. We can get out of Chicago. I can go anywhere I want to, Blaire. I’m not tied here.”
I’m not tied here. The words echoed in my head.
“Maybe you’re not.” My tongue felt thick in my mouth. “But it’s not so easy for me.”
His face darkened.
“I want to go,” I quickly said, “God, I want to. But there’s Evie, there’s my mom... and others. If we leave, these men might just go after the people we love.”
Cristiano shook his head. “I just don’t get what they could be after. I have no—”
I interrupted him. “You still don’t believe me?”
His lips pursed. “Teresa would have told me.”
“Have you talked to her since I told you what I found out?”
He hesitated. “No.”
I shook my head, hardly able to believe his stubbornness. “Even with what’s happening, you can’t believe it.”
His mouth tightened. “We’re done talking about that, Blaire. What’s important is that we’re all safe.”
“We all get safe when you decide to face the truth!”
I took a step away from him, my hands shaking. “I don’t want to do this,” I whispered. “We can’t fight. We can’t turn against each other. Not now.”
Cristiano’s nostrils flared. “I need to go out for a while. I’ll be back soon. We can talk more then.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Evie, feel free to stay here if you decide not to go to your aunt and uncle’s. It would probably be for the best.”
“Okay,” she rasped. “Thanks.”
Cristiano stormed past me without another look my way. Half a minute later, the front door slammed.
I looked at Evie sitting immobile on her stool like an ice sculpture. “Why doesn’t he believe me?”
“He’s in denial.”
I sputtered and shut my eyes. “Denial?”
“I think so,” she softly said. I opened my eyes back up to see her sad smile. “Based off of everything you told me. You know, the way he feels about his mom and all. Didn’t he say he’s not ready to forgive her? Well, maybe that makes the prospect of actually meeting her terrifying.”
“I never said anything about him meeting her,” I quickly said.
“Yeah, but if Cristiano knows about his lost identity, won’t that make it easier for him to find his mom? She hasn’t forgotten who she is. So maybe she’s out there looking for him.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “We just don’t have time for him to be in denial. I mean, I understand his feelings and all, but this is a dreadful time to freak out. If he could put the strained processing aside, that would be great.”
“Try telling him that.”
I sighed and went to sit on Cristiano’s vacated stool. “Are you okay?” I asked her. “Really?”
She gave one quick nod. “Yeah, I am. Really.”
“I got your car here without it falling apart.”
“Let’s just hope you weren’t followed.”
I grimaced.
“So what’s next?” Evie asked.
I looked down at my hands, clasped together and resting on the counter top. “I don’t know,” I sullenly said.
“We wait?”
I looked up at her. “No,” I fiercely answered. “We do anything but that.”
***
It took some heavy persuading to convince Evie to let me leave Cristiano’s without her freaking out or calling Cristiano and ratting on me. The fact that I wouldn’t tell her where I was going made her doubly nervous. When I finally promised her I would check in every hour with a texted picture of where I was, she relaxed some.
Evie at least trusted me. Unlike Cristiano.
It stung like hell to know he still didn’t believe my story. Heck, it wasn’t a story, it was the facts he wasn’t buying, plain and simple!
“Denial,” I muttered to myself as I took an Uber — which I hoped would be harder to follow — to Chicago Ridge Mall. “Freaking denial.”
The Buffalo Wild Wings seemed like the most conspicuous place for a meeting, and that was actually good. By that I meant that even though I was possibly being followed there, once I sat down at a table and started a conversation, it would be near impossible for anyone to eavesdrop unless they sat at the very next table.
During the walk from the Uber car to the restaurant, I scanned the whole premises, giving each person in the vicinity a good once over. I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly, since if someone had followed me there, they probably weren’t going to be either of the two men I’d cornered. Those two were down for the count. Whoever ran the whole operation had probably already sent out new puppets.
I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early and asked the hostess for a table for two, then described the person meeting me. The spot she took me to was perfect, all the way at the back of the restaurant and behind the bar. I tried to look casual and at ease, but I was a ball of nerves, jumping around in my skin, trying my hardest to look normal.
After a few minutes, my boss entered the restaurant, his salt and pepper hair in its usual side part and the crimson tie he always seemed to wear hanging loosely about his neck. Though Evie’s cousin, Michael had been born a good twenty years before her and didn’t possess the same bronze skin a lot of her family members did. Maybe it was because he spent most of his time working inside his dark downtown office.
He spotted me and headed in my direction.
“How’s it going?” he asked, taking a seat across from me.
“Good,” I automatically answered before catching myself. “Actually, no. It’s not good at all. I don’t know why I said that.”
His eyes squinted a little bit, and I knew he was confused. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Hi, guys!”
I nearly jumped ten feet. The pretty blonde waitress only smiled bigger, not seeming to notice how freaked out her sudden appearance made me. “Can I get you guys some drinks?”
“I’ll take a light beer,” Michael said.
“Um, yeah, that sounds good,” I muttered.
“All righty.” She spun away on her heels.
Michael rested his hands on the table and leaned back into his seat. “So what’s the matter?”
I tried to figure out how best to put it. “There’s, uh, there’s just a lot going on. I want to ask you something. Something about this job I’ve been doing.”
“All right.”
I licked my lips. “The woman who came... Florentia. Did she say anything to you that wasn’t related to just finding her son? I mean, did it sound like she was worried about something? Like money... or people.”
Michael’s entire body posture changed. His hands came off the table, and he leaned closer to me. “Blaire, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know for sure. It’s just...”
I couldn’t finish. Michael knowing even a bit about the craziness could put him in danger. He’d want to help. And if he tried to help, he could get burned. I couldn’t do that. He’d been so good to hire me on to work with his PI company.
I’d been so excited at first to become a private investigator. It was the kind of job I’d never even dreamed of having. Michael helped me get certified, set me up with my first client. It was amazing. At first.
But then I realized that I didn’t want to tell anyone what I was doing. As exciting as it initially seemed, I also knew the possibility that I wouldn’t stick with the job. After all, I’d sworn off my old army lifestyle, dropped it to pick up fun and quirky Blaire, the kind of girl who volunteered at orphanages and maybe got a job at a clothing store. While I was busy trying on skins and figuring out just who I wanted to be, I wanted to keep my experiments a secret.
It seemed so stupid now. How come I just hadn’t told Evie and my mom about what I did? Or Derek? Or Cristiano? Or any freaking person?
“Blaire,” Michael said in a low voice. “If something is going on with a client, you need to tell me.”
I inhaled so sharply it hurt my lungs. I’d already said too much. It was too late to go back.
“Someone’s been following me,” I said in a hushed voice. “And I think it has something to do with this job.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “What makes you say that?”
Out of the corner of my eye, the cheery blonde waitress came over, her ponytail swinging as she carried a black tray with our beers on it. Michael and I both kept quiet while she set them down, other than his murmuring, “Thank you.”
Once the waitress left, I spoke up.
“I...” This next part would be the hardest. “I’ve been seeing Florentia’s son. We’re dating.” My cheeks grew hot, but I forced myself to keep my eyes trained on Michael as he absorbed my news.
“Ah. All right then.”
“I know it’s not professional. I know it’s...” I shook my head, ashamed beyond belief. “But what’s critical is that no one gets hurt. And I’m afraid something big is about to happen. I think there are some people after Cristiano, people who want to get to him for whatever reason.”
Michael looked at me with even more interest. He’d been the one to connect me with the woman looking for her long-lost son, but beyond that, he knew next to nothing about the case.
“This sounds like something fit for the police.”
I propped my elbow up on the table so I could rest my head in my palm. I was tired, so tired, but anxiety and the need to finish things once and for all kept me going. “I don’t have enough evidence. All I know is that someone has been following me. I don’t have any proof of it though, except...” I thought about the video footage from the garage and shut my mouth. It was best if Michael never found out about that.
“I just wanted to know if you knew anything else,” I quickly said. “About Florentia’s story. I kind of thought you might even know something she didn’t know.”
“Like what?”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
I opened up my purse and threw some cash down on the table next to my untouched beer. “Thanks for meeting with me. I’ll figure it all out. Don’t worry.”
Michael held his hand out in a gesture for me to wait. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m sure.”
***
I had to get out to the suburbs. The problem was figuring out the best way to get there. I’d assumed having an Uber come and pick me up might throw off anyone on my trail, but the issue of accessibility remained. What if I needed to run, and fast? I couldn’t wait for someone to come and pick me up.
I settled on walking to a rental car place several blocks down from the mall. Taking the journey by foot made it easier to keep an eye out for anyone following me.
Luck and a slow afternoon got me a car within thirty minutes. While I waited for an employee to bring the white Civic around, I took a pic of myself smiling in the waiting room and sent it to Evie. She texted back right away, asking when I was coming back.
Soon, I promised. I’m going to get someone who can help us.
On the drive to Florentia’s duplex, I practiced what I would say to her. Then I practiced what I would say to Cristiano... and to Evie. I’m sorry was the biggest thing the three conversations had in common. I’m sorry for keeping things to myself.
I stared at the road in front of me until it blurred. A strong possibility that Cristiano might never want to see me again after this all ended existed. If that happened, if we split up, maybe I deserved it. I knew I couldn’t live a lie forever.
But it had been too easy to. Florentia hadn’t wanted me to tell Cristiano about her. Not right away at least. She was guilt stricken over not finding him sooner and didn’t know how she would ever apologize. She was terrified he wouldn’t forgive her. Knowing that to be an actual possibility, I kept my mouth shut and went with the flow.
I hadn’t thought too much about it then, as caught up as I was in my brand new romance. I’d seen it as a convenient way to just keep my own true identity a secret. But as mine and Cristiano’s relationship grew, so did the guilt. Even if I’d decided to tell Cristiano about how I was hired to find him, I couldn’t do that. My first obligation was to his mother, and she hadn’t given me the go ahead yet.
The web of lies was woven so tightly I couldn’t make sense of it anymore, I couldn’t find my way out of it. As far as Florentia knew, I’d only been seeing Cristiano at the orphanage, and I knew nothing about their past lives in Cyprus.
The route to the little divided house was easy enough to remember after taking just a couple trips there. By the time I pulled into the paved driveway, the late afternoon sun slanted sharply across the yard, making me squint. I checked the surrounding lawns and street before climbing out of the car and ringing the doorbell.
The door opened, revealing a small, raven-haired woman. She seemed so different to me now, a far cry from the lady I’d first come to meet, the one who worked in housekeeping at a nearby hotel and had crow’s feet forming around her eyes. She seemed more regal, stronger. I couldn’t begin to imagine everything she had lived through.
Her eyes went wide. “Blaire. What are you doing here?”
I never thought before to try and analyze the hint of an accent in her words. Now I could see how hard she worked to hide it.
“I need to talk to you.”
A frantic look crossed her face. “Is it...?”
“He’s all right,” I quickly said. “For now.”
She stepped aside. “Come in. Have a seat.”
I settled myself onto the floral couch, the one on which we’d sat for our very first meeting. I’d been so excited then, eager to begin my second job. After that initial meeting, I’d come back to report that I’d found Cristiano. He was doing well for himself, I told her. I offered to introduce them, but she hesitated, suddenly afraid of what his reaction might be. Knowing Cristiano was having trouble forgiving his mother, I agreed some more time might be a good idea, and promised to report back on any changes in his attitude.
So they were both afraid to meet each other. Years of being apart, years of torment and wondering just where the other one was... and now they finally had a chance to be reunited, and neither one of them felt like they could take it. The whole thing was more complicated than I would have previously imagined.
“Would you like anything?” Florentia asked.
“Some water would be great, thank you.”
I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day, but also knew I wouldn’t be able to force down any actual food if I tried.
Florentia retrieved a glass of water and set it on the coaster on the glass coffee table in front of me before settling into a nearby rocking chair. She looked at me expectantly, her eyes as wide as when she opened the front door.
I took a big gulp of water, refreshing the throat I didn’t even know was dry as a desert. Setting the glass back on the coaster, I took a deep breath and looked back in her dark, soulful eyes. “I’m just going to go right into it. Someone has been having me followed, and I don’t know who it is, but it all started around the time I... met Cristiano.”
Florentia’s lips tightened, and I went on. “I know about your past. About Cyprus.”
A sheen fell over Florentia’s eyes. She shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, her face falling into her hands. “I didn’t tell you because I thought...” She hiccupped harshly in an attempt to stop herself from crying. “I thought you would not want to take the job. You seemed like such a nice girl, someone who would not want to get involved in my problems. But I, I could not afford to hire someone else.”
“I understand,” I said. My initial rates were set lower than most private investigators, something I’d done intentionally to attract clients and get myself started.
“And now you quit?”
“I...” I shook my head and sighed. “No. I don’t quit. This is more than a job now. I’m way too involved. I can’t let you or Cristiano get hurt. Florentia, do you think that my being followed could have anything to do with someone from your past looking for your son?”
Her hands clenched together tightly in her lap. “Yes,” she admitted. “I am afraid to say, but it is very possible.”
“Who? Who could it be?”
She shook her head. “Anyone. My husband had so many enemies. As many people hated him as loved him.”
I leaned forward to catch her eye. “I think Cristiano is in danger, and you are too. I think... it’s time you two met.”
A flicker of pain flashed across her face, but she nodded. “Yes.”
I ran my hand through my tangled hair, my fingers catching on a little knot. “He doesn’t know anything about you. I still haven’t told him, just like you asked me not to. And he doesn’t know about my job.”
“He thinks you work at the orphanage.”
“Uh, yes. I mean, I do go there. But we’ve been... hanging out outside of the orphanage. And though I volunteer there, he doesn’t know that I have a job.”
“Oh.” She looked slightly confused.
“I’ve only told him about the people following me and what I discovered about his past life. I told him he’s Aydan Erul, but he didn’t believe it. He said it sounds too crazy, but I think he just doesn’t want to believe it. I think he’s freaking out. It’s a lot happening all at once.”
Florentia buried her face in her hands. “I should have come to him sooner.”
“No,” I said sharply. “That wouldn’t have made a difference. These people would still be after us.”
She removed her hands to reveal puffy, red eyes. “But at least we would be together. And that is everything.”
My heart ached for her. “You did what you had to do. You always have. Even now, keeping your distance and waiting until he seemed ready to meet you, that’s been right.” I paused. “We all question ourselves. I let my feelings get in the way. I didn’t treat this as just a case.”
Florentia looked at me in curiosity.
“I’m in love with Cristiano,” I explained, the words tasting bittersweet and the older woman squeezed my hand, then held it between hers. “And he doesn’t even know who I am, what I do. He doesn’t know that I’ve been hiding you from him.”
A lone tear trailed down Florentia’s cheek. ”Because of my choice, Blaire.”
I sadly nodded. “But soon there won’t be any more secrets. Everything will come out.” I sat up straighter, doing the best I could to gather my energy. “I think it’s time you two met. And then after that, you need to leave Chicago. It’s not safe here.”
Florentia nodded ferociously, brushing the tears away, a small smile quivering on her lips. ”Okay. I do what you ask. I trust you, Blaire.”
I trust you.
I hated hearing those words. Could I be counted on to take care of things, keep everyone safe? If my morning with Evie was any evidence, the answer would be no.
But I had to keep trying.
“Let us call him now,” Florentia suggested.
It took forever to open my heavy jaw. “All right.”
My hands shook a little bit as I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. I hit Cristiano’s name and held my breath while it rang. I’m here with your mother, I would say. She needs to see you. Florentia would explain the past to Cristiano, tell him he really was Aydan Erul. After that, when we saw each other, I could tell him about my private investigator job. One thing at a time. That’s how I would handle it.
And if he pushed me away because I kept something so big from him, then that was his choice. There would be nothing I could do about it.
The phone rang and rang, then went to voicemail.
“He didn’t answer,” I said out loud, fear growing in me.
The beep sounded, signaling I should leave a message.
“Um, Cristiano, hi. Listen, I know I shouldn’t tell you this over voicemail, but... I’m here with your mother. And it’s imperative that you come and talk to her.”
I finished the message by giving him the address, then hung up.
Florentia nodded with satisfaction. “That’s good. He has to come now.”
I gnawed at my lip. “I don’t get why he didn’t answer. That’s not like him. Not with everything going on. I need to call my friend. She’s at Cristiano’s waiting for me.”
I sat on the edge of my seat while Evie’s phone rang. When her voice mail picked up, I started to become frantic. This wasn’t right. Evie herself had insisted that I send her a text every hour so she could make sure I was okay. Her not answering her phone didn’t make sense.
I bolted up from the couch. “I need to go over there.”
Florentia stood as well. “I will go with you.”
I hesitated, not wanting to put her in danger, but then realized she wasn’t necessarily safer sitting at home.
“All right,” I agreed. “Let’s go.”
We hurried out to the rental car. The shadows had grown. They stretched across the driveway, reaching out for us with their dark fingers.
For a few minutes, we drove in silence, Florentia sitting next to me like a statue and me leaning forward, pressing myself against the steering wheel like that might help us get there faster.
“What is he like?” Florentia asked after a while.
I hesitated. She had never asked me about her son before. Granted, when I reported that I found him, our conversation had been quick. I told her he was doing fine, and she expressed her desire to remain at a distance for a while.
“He’s... strong.” I swallowed down the burning in my throat. If anything happened to him, I would never get over it. “But he’s also gentle.” I glanced at her. “I’m sorry, I know that doesn’t explain him very well.”
“It is good,” she murmured.
I looked back at the road. “The best thing about Cristiano is that he knows when to be one or the other. He knows when to be soft and kind, and when to take charge.”
I blinked back the tears forming there.
“He was the sweetest little boy,” Florentia said. “Always hugging. Always telling me he loved me. And he was so friendly too. He talked to everyone, all the time.” She made a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a sob.
“He’s smart too,” I added, half to calm myself. “He made himself a fortune. He knows how to read people. If anything has happened, he’ll be all right. I know it.”
I didn’t know it for sure but saying it out loud helped me believe it might be possible.
I glanced at her. “Do you know exactly who might be looking for him?”
She looked worriedly at me. “Rebels killed his father. It was an act of retaliation for an embargo.”
“Could it be related to that?”
She sighed. “I do not know. It seems unlikely. Like I said... many people are looking to gain power.”
The question was harsh, but I needed to ask it. “And would killing him do that?”
“I do not see why.”
“Money then, perhaps,” I mused, half talking to myself. “Your family in Cyprus, your extended family... they have money, right?”
“Yes, but they think we are dead. I never let them know we lived because it was too dangerous.”
“You haven’t talked to any of them since... since you... I’m sorry, but what did you do exactly? You snuck away?”
“On a boat. My husband’s counselor found a smuggler to take us across the sea.”
“And no one knew you left?”
“Not one person, no.”
These were details I already imagined but hearing them come straight out of Florentia’s mouth shook my world. I couldn’t imagine having my husband murdered, then making the hard decision to get on a boat and leave behind everything I ever knew. And then, on top of that, leaving my young son, the only person I had left, at an orphanage. Saying goodbye for what I knew might be forever.
Florentia was the strongest person I had ever met, simply because she had done what needed to be done no matter how much it hurt, and then she survived the pain.
My throat grew thick. “Cristiano is lucky,” I rasped, looking out over the steering wheel. “To have a mother who loved him that much.”
Florentia said nothing, and we rode the rest of the way in silence, the car full of our unspoken prayers and worries.