by Eliza Watson
Bella didn’t continue with her story.
“You can trust him,” Olivia said, smiling at Ethan. “I do.”
But was it too late? Ethan’s expression was unreadable. He rested a hip against a pillar on the porch but appeared far from relaxed, undoubtedly still on an adrenaline high.
Bella looked slightly apprehensive, but continued. “Vinnie Carlucci sent a hitman up here to hurt you and your mother, to intimidate your father not to testify. At that time, he hadn’t planned on testifying. He’d planned on going to prison without revealing who else was involved with the ring. All the authorities knew was that he was selling the forgeries. They didn’t know they’d stumbled onto an international ring. Your dad would only have done a few years in prison, which he was more than willing to do to keep the family safe. But Vinnie Carlucci didn’t believe this.
“Late one afternoon Stan was out in the woods turkey hunting a mile up the road, when he heard a car crash. He took off in the direction of the crash, said he had a bad feeling as soon as he heard it. He came across Annie’s car in the ditch, a thug standing over it with a gun in his hand. Stan shot him with his hunting rifle. Good thing we live down a road without much traffic. After making sure you and Annie were alive, Stan dragged the body to this guy’s car and drove it back to the house. He hid it in the garage and called an ambulance for you and Annie. Imagine my surprise when I came home and found a dead body rather than a turkey in the garage. Not that Stan generally shot a turkey. Wasn’t much of a hunter.
“Anyway, after going to the hospital and making sure you and Annie were okay, we came home late that night and buried the guy in the petunia bed. Figured if the mob found out Stan had murdered him, they might send someone after him. Roger Donovan got a tow truck and dumped the car in a remote, marshy area of Sunset Lake. That lake wasn’t much good for anything, so it had few cottages on it. He pulled the car away from shore with his boat. Nobody ever came looking for the guy as far as we ever knew.” She gestured to the petunia bed. “They never did find him anyway.”
“He was undoubtedly a contract killer,” Ethan said. “Not part of the Carlucci clan. Nobody probably gave it much thought when he vanished, since they figured he’d accomplished the hit. I certainly don’t give a crap about some hitman killed twenty-four years ago. It was self-defense, the guy had a gun, and Stan did the world a favor. Besides, Stan’s dead, and I guarantee my boss wouldn’t push to have you brought up on accessory charges. We don’t have the manpower to put the scumbag criminals away; we’re not about to go after the victims.”
Olivia gave him an appreciative smile, confident she could trust him to keep their secret.
Bella continued, “Your dad called the Feds, and they arranged for Annie and you to be flown to a hospital in Madison and for your supposed deaths. Amazing what they were capable of doing.” She stared teary-eyed at Olivia. “Like making you vanish.”
Olivia hugged Bella and kissed her cheek. “I think you should get some rest. I need to go talk to Roger and Kate, but I’ll be back to spend the night with you.”
Bella smiled. “That’d be nice. I’ll change the sheets for you in Annie’s room.”
Bella probably hadn’t changed the sheets in twenty-four years. Hopefully, this was a sign she was moving on.
Bella walked over and gave Ethan a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, not looking the least bit uncomfortable with her display of affection. “Thank you for saving our lives. And for bringing Livvy back to me.”
Ethan smiled. “My pleasure.”
Bella turned and walked inside.
Ethan took Bella’s place next to Olivia on the porch swing. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and she relaxed against him.
“Bella was the forger. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to put you in the position of having to make a decision on whether to pursue it.”
“If I don’t care about pursuing murder charges, I certainly don’t care about Bella’s involvement in the forgery ring. Just called my boss to let him know about Roy and got put on another assignment. Need me there tomorrow.”
“Where?”
He glanced down. “Ah, I can’t say.”
She nodded. “Can you say how long?”
He shrugged. “Probably a few weeks.”
She drew away from him, straightening. He was about to run off and risk his life for another witness, and she wouldn’t even know where he was. If he was killed in the line of duty, nobody would know to contact her. Anxiety clenched her stomach. She wanted to ask him to stay. But his life was in San Francisco, or wherever his job took him, and right now hers was here.
“Sorry I can’t stay for your dad’s funeral. I need to fly back to San Francisco late this afternoon. I’ll go with you to talk to Kate and Roger.”
She had to start distancing herself from Ethan. She couldn’t allow him to get any more involved with her or her family. She’d never relied so heavily on someone, and she needed to learn to stand on her own again.
She stood. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“Keep me posted. You’ve got my number. Let me know when you’re back in San Francisco. I’d like to see you.” Ethan stood.
“I’m not sure when that’ll be.” Even when she did return, he’d likely not be there, since he’d only been home five days in the past month.
“I’ll keep in touch.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss across her lips. He deepened the kiss, and she drew back.
She wrapped her arms around her front, glancing away. “Don’t. It’ll just make things harder. I can’t do this right now. I’m too emotionally drained.” She attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. “But thanks for everything. I never would have made it through all of this without your help.” And not just because he was good at his job and had protected her family as promised. He’d given her the strength to meet her family, to belong, and to put something other than her career first. To truly trust someone.
He hesitated, as if he might once again attempt to reach out to her, but then turned and walked down Bella’s porch steps. Out of her life, like she’d been dreading. Tears filled her eyes, and Ethan became a blurry haze as he headed across the yard toward Roger’s truck down the road. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, choking back a sob. Her entire body trembling, she turned and escaped inside, unable to watch Ethan disappear, possibly forever.
Chapter Twenty
Father Michaels had married Olivia’s parents thirty-one years ago, baptized Olivia, and buried her mom. It was only appropriate he’d conduct her dad’s burial service. It was also fitting that her parents would spend eternity together in a cemetery situated on a hilltop, overlooking a peaceful lake.
Unlike at her dad’s funeral, where she’d been accompanied by virtual strangers, loved ones now surrounded her, with the exception of Ethan. He’d said he’d call but hadn’t. Olivia wiped a tear from her cheek, gazing over at her dad’s green marble urn, mourning the loss of both men. Although Ethan had only been in her life a short period of time, she couldn’t imagine her life now without him. She’d have thought an entire family would fill the void, but it didn’t. This was an emptiness only the man she loved could fill.
Olivia gave Bella’s hand a squeeze. Her grandma smiled, a smile that now included her eyes, which held a sparkle. In just three days, she was more full of life and her complexion had more color. Olivia made sure she ate regular meals and that she stopped taking sleeping meds.
Bella had packed up Olivia’s mom’s belongings and insisted Olivia take some of them back to San Francisco with her, including the painting of her mom seated at the white vanity and of them dancing in the sunflower field. Olivia couldn’t wait to hang the paintings on her wall. Bella planned to turn the bedroom into a guestroom for when Olivia visited, which would be in another two weeks. Olivia was looking at purchasing a small cottage and opening an art gallery with her grandmother. She’d split her time between San Francisco and Five Lakes until she and Rachel deci
ded what to do with the art gallery. Then she’d be in Five Lakes full time, as long as her grandparents were alive.
She was safe now in Five Lakes. The Carlucci crime family’s presence in Chicago had diminished over the years. Besides, Ethan had been right, the mob would have no reason to come after Olivia with her dad gone. However, her dad’s crime could still be detrimental to her career. She planned to keep her former life and Olivia Donovan a secret, even from Rachel. It was best for everyone involved.
Olivia peered over at Roger and Kate holding hands, crying. They’d taken the news as well as could be expected. Always trying to look on the bright side, Kate was happy her son had at least returned to Five Lakes to rest in peace.
Kate and Roger had accepted Olivia’s financial assistance to help save the inn and cottages. Real estate values in Sausalito were much higher than rural Wisconsin, so the sale of her dad’s house would not only save her family’s business but provide them with a nice retirement nest egg. Exactly what her dad would have wanted.
A raindrop fell on Olivia’s nose and trailed down onto her lips, then another fell on her hand. She glanced up at the dark clouds, which had moved in out of nowhere. Before long, raindrops covered her fuchsia sandals and spotted her white cotton dress.
Father Michaels glanced from the Bible in his hands to the heavens above, then over at a large maple, debating whether to continue or head for cover. Then the sky opened up, unleashing a glorious downpour. Having been no call for rain, everyone was without an umbrella. Father Michaels ran for cover under the tree while Olivia’s family remained.
“Hot damn!” Roger yelled. He’d admitted he’d been praying for rain for months. The bit of rain that had come through with the storm had done little. He tilted his face toward the sky, opening his mouth and drinking up the raindrops as if being showered with beer after his long dry spell.
Kate gazed over at her son’s urn, tears of sadness turning to ones of joy and relief. “God bless you, Andrew. I knew you were watching over us!”
Roger slipped his arm through Kate’s and started twirling her around, dancing.
“Alleluia!” Bella cried out. She wrapped Olivia in a tight embrace.
Tracy and Jack weren’t privy to the murder cover-up, but they joined everyone in the celebration. Father Michaels watched their unorthodox display from his shelter, looking a tad disconcerted by such joyous behavior at a burial.
Rain matted Olivia’s hair against her forehead and over her eyes. She smoothed her hair back from her face and spied a black Mustang parking on the cemetery road, fifty yards away. The door opened, and Ethan stepped out, wearing black dress slacks and a short-sleeved tan shirt rather than his usual jeans and T-shirt. She blinked the raindrops from her eyelashes and shielded her face from the rain with her hand, making sure she was seeing clearly. Their gazes locked, and she swallowed hard, her heart racing.
Bella followed her gaze over to Ethan. “He’s a keeper,” she said with a wink.
Olivia nodded. “I hope so.”
She and Ethan headed toward each other, their gazes never wavering. With each step, the apprehension fluttering in her chest increased. She couldn’t believe his assignment was already over. Or had he returned to arrange shipping Roy’s body back to San Francisco and to close the case with the local authorities? She prayed with all her heart his visit was strictly personal, not professional this time.
Approaching, he raked a hand through his wet hair, sweeping it away from his eyes. Those incredibly dreamy brown eyes, much softer than the first time they’d met, when she’d tried to blast them with pepper spray. Her gaze wandered down to admire the way the rain had molded his shirt across his broad chest. She flexed her fingers, itching to splay her hands across his chest, to collapse against it, to feel the strength of his arms wrapped around her. Only three days since he’d left, yet her body ached for his touch like it’d been years.
Their paces slowed, and they hesitantly stopped a few feet apart under the canopy of a tree, unsure how close to get.
“That was a short assignment.” She tried to appear calm while inhaling a shaky breath and the scent of his sandalwood cologne.
He nodded, a faint smile curling the corners of his mouth. He glanced down at her soaked—and now see-through—dress clinging to her curves, and his look turned steamy. Her cheeks flushed, despite the cool rain against her skin. She wiped the slick moisture from her face.
He raised his gaze to meet hers, holding out a floral gift bag. “Thought you might need some comfort.”
She took the bag and peeked inside it to find a half dozen bags of gummy bears. She smiled. “Thanks.”
He glanced over at her family still dancing around in the rain, then back at her, smiling. “Perfect day for a burial.”
“Couldn’t be better.”
His expression turned serious. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too.”
Her initial impulse was to throw herself in his arms and tell him she loved him. With every fiber of her being she wanted this to work, but a long-distance relationship would be too difficult. She didn’t want to have to choose between Ethan and her family. She wanted them both.
“Decided I don’t want to end up like Roy. I want a cookie jar.”
She smiled.
“I went to work for the Service to help people disappear. But I’d rather help innocent people, like my mother. If I freelance, I can pick and choose who to help.” He took a step closer. “And I’m tired of disappearing for days or weeks at a time. I want to come home at night…to you.”
His confession embraced her with hope. Yet, she wouldn’t always be in San Francisco for him to come home to. “I’ll eventually be moving here, at least for several years. Bella and I are going to operate a gallery. I may still keep my share in the gallery in San Francisco, though. Not sure.”
“That’s the beauty of having my own business. I’m flexible. Wherever you are, I want to come home at night and tell you about my day. Tell you about the people I helped.” He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. He brushed several wet strands of hair back from her face and rested his hand on the side of her cheek, his thumb massaging her skin. “Tell you I love you.”
Before she could respond, he placed his hands on the sides of her waist and drew her to him. He leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss to her lips, then slipped his tongue inside her mouth, deepening the kiss, sliding his hands around to the small of her back and pressing her snugly against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tunneling her fingers through his wet hair. The thought of ever being away from Ethan again increased the urgency of their kiss. She longed for their bodies and lips to remain fused forever, except she had something she needed to tell him.
She drew her head back slightly, their lips almost touching, “I love you. And I trust you. To keep me safe. To make me smile. To be open and honest with me.” She brushed a soft kiss to his lips. “I just plain trust you.”
He looped a finger through her mom’s wedding band resting against her chest. “I’d rather see this on your finger than on a chain.” He peered deep into her eyes, his sultry gaze reinforcing how badly he wanted her. “Would you consider changing your name one last time?”
She smiled. “Can I keep my identity?”
“Wouldn’t want you to change a thing about yourself.”
Gazing deep into his eyes, she curled her fingers around his hand holding the ring. He leaned over and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. At that moment she knew, the name Olivia Ryder would be hers forever.
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading Identity Crisis. If you enjoyed Olivia and Ethan’s story, I would greatly appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Reviews encourage potential readers to give my stories a try and I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!
About Eliza Watson
When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she
is at home in Wisconsin working on her next novel. She enjoys bouncing ideas off her husband, Mark, and her cats Frankie and Sammy.
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