So I was right to worry about Johnny. He lied to me. He did know who I am, and he lied. She glanced at Dan, again. Does he know, as well? she wondered. No, he would have said something. Besides, he’d told her that Johnny hadn’t talked about her at all. I have to tell him, she decided. It’s now or never. If I lie to him now, he would never forgive me or trust me anymore.
“Dan,” she started and covered his hand with hers. “I have to talk to you.”
He turned his palm upwards and intertwined his fingers with hers while staring deep into her eyes.
Christina was silent for a moment, not knowing where to start.
Dan squeezed her hand and looked at her, reassuringly.
“Listen,” she said. “There is no easy way to say this...so I’ll just come out and say it. I’m not Christina Connors…” She held her breath, watching the surprised expression on his face.
Dan remained silent for a moment, studying her closely. “What do you mean, you’re not Christina Connors?” he inquired and pulling his hand away from hers, he stood up. “Then who are you and where is the real Christina?”
“You don’t understand,” Christina said and swallowed hard. “I don’t mean that I’m not Christina. This is my name now, all right. But it’s not really who I am.”
“And who are you?” he asked carefully, seeming unable to comprehend what she was telling him.
Christina rose to her feet, stood right in front of him, and raised her chin to stare at him straight in the eyes. “I’m Sophia Rosetti!” she said simply and kept watching the emotions on his face.
He stared at her, shocked, without being able to utter a word.
“Danny…” she said and touched his arm.
He yanked his arm away, watching her with anger and disbelief.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked, furiously. “What kind of game are you playing?”
“I’m not playing any game,” Christina reassured him.
He grabbed her by the arms and shook her hard. “Talk to me!” he demanded.
Christina screamed, feeling the pain in her arms, but he didn’t seem to understand that he was hurting her.
“Danny!” she screamed. “You’re hurting me!”
He glanced down at his hands and immediately let go.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said and walked away from her. He went to stand at the edge of the porch, staring down the cliff.
“Christina…or should I call you Sophia?” he asked and turned to stare at her.
“Christina,” she said simply.
He took in some deep breaths, obviously trying to calm down. “Is there any way you can explain to me what’s going on?” he asked. “Why would you use another name, and what is your relationship with Antonio Rosetti?”
Christina sat back down on the swing and stared at her hands.
“I’m Sophia Rosetti,” she repeated. “Daughter of Paolo Rosetti, Antonio’s brother, and Natalie Daliani.”
Dan stared at her, probably trying to assess the situation. “You’re Antonio’s niece?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“And where is your father?” he inquired.
“Dead…” she replied simply, sure that Dan was already aware of that. After all, Paolo’s death was all over the papers when it happened a few years back.
“And why did you change your name?” he asked, staring into her eyes, probably wondering who this woman—the woman he had confessed his love to—was…
***
Christina started unfolding her story for Dan, revealing the well-buried secrets of the otherwise glamorous life of the Rosetti’s, and the threat casting a spell on her life to this day. She explained to him about her mother, Natalie Daliani, who couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of a sparkling life rotten to the core with crime and violence and ran away, taking little Sophia with her. Hunted down by her mobster husband, Paolo, and his notorious family, Natalie had no one else to turn to but her long-lost friend, Alicia Connors.
Alicia and Natalie used to be best friends, growing up in Tampa, Florida. Afterwards, Natalie met Paolo Rosetti and moved away. Alicia lost track of her for years, until the day Natalie showed up at her doorstep, carrying a three-month-old baby girl in her arms. She told Alicia about her husband and his powerful family involved in drug smuggling, illegal gambling, prostitution, and all kind of other criminal things. She was scared for her life and the life of her child. She begged Alicia to take care of the baby for a few days while she would make arrangements to leave the country. Natalie took off the locket the baby was wearing and gave it to Alicia to hide.
“You have to promise me!” she’d begged Alicia. “I need to know that if anything happens to me, you will take care of my baby. Don’t ever let him get his hands on her.”
Alicia promised her friend and kept the baby. But the days went by, and Natalie never came back. Alicia didn’t know what to do or where to look for her. A few days later, she read in the papers that the body of an unidentified woman was found dumped behind an empty warehouse. Somehow, Alicia was sure that the body belonged to Natalie. Scared to death, she decided to take her two-year-old son and the baby and leave Tampa. She moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where Christina lived a happy life with her new family.
Her adopted mother kept her secret from everybody, even Christina herself. Even her brother didn’t know she was adopted.
She was sixteen years old when Alicia fell ill. Three days before she died, she told Christina about her past and the locket with the Rosetti’s crest on it. Alicia had hidden the locket in a safe-deposit box in a bank, along with a letter Christina’s mother had left for her.
After Alicia’s death, Christina went to the bank. She found the locket, along with the letter from her biological mother explaining everything to her and asking for her forgiveness for having to walk out on her like this. Devastated, Christina realized that Natalie knew she would never be able to get away. She wasn’t fooling herself that her husband Paolo would allow her to leave the country and take his daughter with her. She knew he would find them anywhere.
Christina read the letter over and over again. She cried her heart out, feeling sorry for this hurt woman who had to give up everything and sacrificed her own life trying to save her baby. Christina never told her brother, Steve, about all this. There was no need anymore, and besides, she thought that it would be better for him not to know. She loved Steve very much and wanted to protect him. She was devastated when he was killed in a car accident three years ago. After Steve was gone, she started thinking about moving away from Birmingham and everything that reminded her of her happy childhood years. A year later, she finally landed a job in Atlanta and moved right away. That was two years ago, exactly how long she knew Johnny.
Christina explained to Dan that she didn’t want anything to do with the Rosetti family. She was scared to death of them, after reading her mother’s letter and suspecting what they did to her. Without knowing why, during these last few years, she’d being collecting newspaper clippings about the Rosettis. That is how she had found out about her father’s murder three years ago. She had read in the paper that the murder was never solved and that the police believed that Paolo was a victim of a mob war going on for years between the powerful families of Rosettis and Grimaldis. Somehow, she had felt satisfied when she had read about Paolo’s death. She thought of it as some kind of justice for her mother’s murder.
***
Dan was overwhelmed by Christina’s story. Knowing what people like the Rosettis were capable of, he could imagine what Christina’s mother had to face, the sacrifices Alicia had to make in order to keep the promise she had made to Natalie, and what Christina had been through after she had found out about her past.
He pulled Christina from the swing and into his arms, squeezing her tenderly. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “You must have gone through hell all this time.”
He cupped her face with both hands and raised it to meet his gaze. Her ey
es were filled with tears. He kissed the tears on her face, softly caressing her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” Christina whispered. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared.”
“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I just wish I knew sooner. I might have been able to clear things up faster.”
“If I have to testify, am I going to have to reveal my real identity?” Christina asked him, searching his face intensely.
“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. “We’ll see about that.”
She swallowed hard and glanced away. She didn’t want to go through this; she didn’t want people to associate her with the Rosseti family. And on top of that, even if Antonio were sentenced to jail, there would always be someone out there working for him who would come after her.
She pulled back from his arms and glanced away. Dan realized that she wanted to be alone for a while—so did he. He walked down the steps and toward the woods. He needed to take a walk and clear his thoughts. Things had become very complicated. He had to decide whether he was going to let the police know about Christina’s real identity or not. He didn’t want to complicate things for her, but on the other hand, withholding evidence was a crime, and he could get in serious trouble if they ever found out.
Plus, he was still upset with her for not telling him sooner. It seemed that she didn’t trust him, after all. But he had to admit that he hadn’t been so honest with her, either. He had withheld information about her friend, Johnny Powell. But that’s different. That’s police business, and I’m doing it to protect her, he thought. She will still get upset, though, when she finds out, a little voice in his head argued. Why do things have to be so complicated? he wondered and walked down the trail leading to the creek.
He drew a deep breath of fresh mountain air and sat there, listening to the water, trying to relax. This place was so beautiful. He wished he could come back when all this was over and spend some time up here with Christina…or maybe he should call her Sophia. No. She would always be Christina to him. Sophia Rosetti didn’t exist anymore; she was just a baby who vanished along with her mother. Christina Connors was the girl who grew up with the Connors—the girl he met and fell in love with.
***
The next couple of days, Dan seemed on edge. He’s probably tired of all this, Christina thought. She was tired herself. Sometimes, she wished for the whole thing to be over, even if that meant for her to testify at the trial.
Dan kept in touch with Miles but avoided going into details whenever Christina asked him how things were going. She understood that he was under a lot of stress, and she didn’t want to pressure him anymore.
Late that night, after dinner, they were sitting by the fire, listening to the wind howling outside. They’d been at the cabin for over a week, and Christina felt anxious to get out of there. Not that she would mind spending a week with Dan in a cabin like this, under different circumstances. But not this way. For now, all she needed was some peace of mind. Wishing for the nightmare to end, she glanced over at Dan, who was very quiet.
“I’m going to bed,” Christina said and rose to her feet. “Are you coming?”
“You go on,” Dan replied. “I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes.”
Realizing that he wanted to be left alone for a while, Christina went to bed. Lying there sleepless, she listened to Dan walking around downstairs. Has he told Miles about our conversation the other day and who I really am? The question burned in her mind once more. He hadn’t talked about that, and Christina hadn’t asked him. She knew he was trying to protect her, but on the other hand, she didn’t want him to get in trouble because of her. He could lose his job over that or, even worse, face charges.
She tossed and turned for quite a while, trying to decide what would be best for both of them. Little did she know that fate had already made the decision for them.
Chapter Eleven
CHRISTINA WOKE UP the next morning and stretched lazily in the bed. Dan was gone, as usual. He must be walking around, keeping an eye on things, Christina thought. By now, she knew his habits.
Climbing out of bed, she went downstairs to take a shower. Then she walked upstairs to dress. I need to do some laundry, she realized, thinking how lucky she was that the little cabin had a small laundry room in the back with a washer and dryer. She didn’t like the idea of leaving the cabin right now, but laughed, trying to dispel her doubts. You can’t hide in here forever, she told herself though she wished she could leave the whole world behind and stay up here with Dan. She knew that the moment they arrived back in Atlanta, their whole life would change, and there was a big chance that she might never see him again.
Christina walked downstairs and made some breakfast. Dan must have already had his—he was an early riser. So was Christina, most of the time. But lately she felt pretty tired and was dragging herself around. She sat there eating, thinking about everything. Even though she had just woken up, she was still tired. It must be psychological, she decided. There’s absolutely nothing physically wrong with me. Even the pain from my broken ribs doesn’t bother me that much anymore. It’s just all these emotions and stress that is putting me down. I have to snap out of it, she told herself. I have to regain control of my life.
Then she thought about the upcoming trial. What if I have to testify? she wondered. Then what? She drew a deep breath and realized that she would have to deal with that when the time came. After all, she thought, I’m used to hiding my real identity; nothing new there. She didn’t have any relatives or friends, besides Johnny. And now, she wasn’t sure about him, either. Her job? She didn’t care much about it. It might not be bad making a fresh start. Christina tried to cheer herself up. But what about Dan? I would never be able to see him again…
She let out a deep breath, filled up her cup with some more coffee, and walked out on the front porch. Glancing around, she realized that Dan’s car was gone. Apprehension washed over her, and she warily scanned the surroundings. Don’t be ridiculous, she cautioned herself. He has probably driven up the road to check on things there. He would have told me if something was up.
Stepping back inside, she sank on the sofa, making sure that all curtains were closed—being cautious had become a habit. After a while, she felt uneasy sitting there, not having anything to do and started pacing back and forth. Where on earth is he, and why did he take the dog with him?
Having to wait, without knowing what was going on, was driving her crazy. She approached the small desk by the window and scanned through the drawers. Finding a pad and a pencil, she went back to the sofa. Sitting back comfortably, she tried to do some work. It would keep my mind off of things.
After a while, she gave up. The only thing she was able to draw was the crest on her locket—the Rosetti crest. Christina tore the paper apart and threw it in the trashcan. Then she stepped back outside. She couldn’t stand being all cooped up in the cabin anymore. Where on earth is Dan?
The sound of a car approaching made Christina rush down the steps. Thank God! He’s back! However, as soon as a black Chevy truck with tinted windows came around the corner, Christina smile froze on her face… Who the hell is that? Her heartbeat accelerated as she fought back the urge to run back inside the cabin. Don’t be foolish. It’s probably nothing—a neighbor or someone who got lost on these mountain roads.
The truck stopped, and Christina felt her heart pounding. The doors opened, and two guys jumped out and rushed toward her. A scream escaped her lips, and she fled toward the woods.
“Christina!” The familiar voice made her stop.
“What on earth?” she asked shocked and turned to face… Johnny.
“Christina! I’m so glad you’re okay,” he cried out and took her in his arms.
Christina peered at him cautiously and then at the other guy who was standing a little bit farther back.
“What’s going on Johnny?” she asked. “And how did you find me up here?”
“It’s a long story,” he replied. “
We’ll have plenty of time later. But for now, we need to hurry up.”
Christina remained silent, trying to decide whether to trust him or not. Besides, she still couldn’t believe that he was standing there, right in front of her.
“Christina!” Johnny shook her by the shoulders. “We need to move fast. They have found you, and they’re on their way up here.”
“Who has found me?” Christina asked warily. “And how did you know I was here in the first place?”
Johnny glanced around uneasily. Christina noticed in terror the other guy reaching for his gun. Without a second thought, she turned and ran around the side of the cabin, toward the woods. She heard the men running after her and Johnny calling out for her. But she wasn’t about to stop. She stormed down the path toward the creek, trying not to fall on the slippery ground. Branches scratched her face and arms, and she stumbled to the ground a couple of times but kept going…
She reached the creek and hesitated for a moment. Hearing footsteps behind her, she went right in. Slipping and sliding and wet to the bone she made it to the other side. With shaking hands, she pulled herself out of the water and started climbing the hill.
Reaching a point higher up, she stopped for a minute to catch her breath and glance behind. The wild pounding of her heart covered every other noise.
I can’t stop now. I have to get as far away from them as I can. She took off again but after a few steps, she slipped and landed on her side, feeling a staggering pain on her wrist. Oh! God! she prayed. Don’t be broken. She tried to stand up, but the pain kept her immobilized. Hearing a noise from somewhere behind her, she crawled underneath some bushes to hide. Next thing she knew, the guy who had come with Johnny was next to her, pointing his gun down at her. Christina drew a deep breath, feeling her heart fluttering wildly in her chest.
“Get up!” he ordered her, and Christina tried to follow his order, but as soon as she tried to use her hands to support her body, the pain stabbed her and she fell back down.
The guy seemed impatient and glanced around, anxiously. He reached down, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her to her feet. Christina screamed from the pain. He dragged her down the hill, going back the way they had come from.