Off The Record (With Me in Seattle Mafia #3) -Kristen Proby Page 0,44
murmurs. “No tire tracks at all.”
“Also, can we just talk about the fact that her front end isn’t mangled?” Ivie asks. “If she hit the tree, and it set the car on fire, why isn’t the front end totaled? It looks like someone just pushed it over to the tree and set it on fire.”
“You think?” Carmine says bitterly. “Of course, they did. Like Pop said, she was murdered. This was no accident, and these photos prove it. Not that they prove much else.”
“I’m going to keep looking at them,” Ivie says thoughtfully. “Something else might pop out at me.”
“Good idea.” I return to my pile of papers and sit on the floor. “I could use some pizza while I do this.”
“Same.” Nadia reaches for her phone. “I’ll order some in. Everyone tell me what they want.”
“She saved everything,” Rafe says later after we’ve consumed four pizzas and made our way through two boxes. “For a woman who was so tight-lipped and didn’t keep anything helpful in her office, she sure saved a lot of shit.”
“I went through most of this before,” Carmine adds. “But I just skimmed, looking for Elena’s name since that was the focus. I should have been more thorough.”
“You’re one person,” I remind him. “Now there’s seven of us. We’ll get through it.”
“Your parents are here,” Rafe says, checking his phone. “Security just texted me.”
“Oh, I’ll go say hi. I’ll be right back.”
I stand, jump over a box, and hurry from the room.
“Mama!” I rush over and pull my mom in for a hug. “You guys were supposed to be here yesterday.”
“Your father had some things to wrap up,” she says. “But we were very safe, don’t worry. And we’re here now.”
“Where is Dad?” I ask, looking around.
“He’s already off to find Igor and Carlo,” Mom says, shaking her head. “He’s eager to talk business.”
“Typical.” I loop my arm through hers. “You have a beautiful room upstairs.”
“This is such a beautiful home,” she replies. “I enjoyed being here for Nadia’s wedding. I guess, if we have to be locked up somewhere, there are far worse places to be.”
“No kidding. And you aren’t exactly locked up. You just can’t go anywhere without an escort.”
She glances at me with eyes so much like mine and then giggles. “Yes, I see the difference. I’d like to get settled into our room and maybe take a little nap. You know what a nervous wreck I am on airplanes. I didn’t get any rest at all.”
“I know. You hate to fly. Well, you’re here now.” I show her up to her room, and once we’ve fussed over the beautiful décor and hug twice more, I leave her to nap.
But I’m not in a hurry to find the others. Not because we’re working through all of the boxes of documents but because I could use a few minutes by myself.
I glance to my left and grin.
I’ll just take a short walk through the yard.
The estate is beautiful and vast. Carlo’s mother was a classy woman, and from what I gather, a little extra.
She loved fancy things, and that shines through in her home. Outside of museums, I’ve never seen so much artwork in my life. I’m afraid to touch anything. Rooms like the family room are comfortable to relax in, but other spaces are quite formal.
I’m sure it was a formidable place to host gatherings in. If she wanted to intimidate other families, all she had to do was invite them here.
I take a deep breath, sucking in the fresh air. It smells like it’s going to rain, and if the dark clouds overhead are any indication, we’ll have plenty of it by this evening.
But for now, the sun is still peeking through. I set off down a path that winds away from the house toward a row of trees.
I love being here. Even though we’ve only been in Seattle for a short time, it feels good. Like home. The air is fresh, and I just love how green everything is.
Not to mention, being with Rafe is a dream come true.
It was surreal last night, sitting in that room with Rafe’s parents and Uncle Igor as if we did it all the time as a couple. Rafe even held my hand at one point. I almost jerked back, afraid that Uncle Igor would notice.
And then I remembered.
We can be together.
So much warmth and joy filled me at the thought, I was surprised it didn’t radiate from me.