Page 26 of They Found Us (Found #5)

Leo

Katie has made tea and coffee and placed them on the coffee table.

I can see she is trying to hold back her emotions while we wait for Stephanie to be shown into the house.

I’m worried about my wife’s heart with everything that has happened.

Thankfully the medication the medics gave her last night have settled her blood pressure and heart, but the sooner I can get my family settled in a better environment, the better.

“Mr and Mrs Guerra.” Van introduces us to Stephanie as he leads her into the room. “Stephanie, daughter of the late—”

Katie cuts him off. “Yes, Van, thank you. Please, Stephanie, come in. Take a seat, and please call us Katie and Leo.”

“I will just stand if that’s okay. I won’t take much of your time.” Stephanie looks just like her mother, though her hair is darker and her skin more olive, but the resemblance is certain. Her eyes are glazed and her cheeks swollen with emotion.

“Stephanie,” I begin. “Please accept my sincere apologies for the loss of your parents. They were both very highly regarded, and we thought of them more as family. Whatever you want to know or anything you need, please, it is yours.”

“My only request is the cause of death on their death certificates. I don’t know if you are aware, but I am high up in the medical field, and I know they would not want anything to jeopardise my future.

” Stephanies eyes fill with tears. She takes a deep breath and continues.

“I’m sorry, I know it must sound very selfish of me to come here and ask for this, but my parents did everything for me.

They worked so hard to give me everything I have got, and they would be heartbroken if anything they had done ruined that. ”

“We understand,” Katie sympathises.

“I know who you are and what you do. And while I have never felt comfortable with my parents working for you, I know how highly they thought of you and how well you treated them. If it wasn’t for your loyalty and kindness to them, I would not be where I am today.”

This is not how I thought this conversation was going to go.

“I therefore know it will be within your power to arrange the death certificates as I wish.”

“It is something I can arrange. Have you a reason in mind?”

“Yes. My mother had terminal cancer. Twelve months ago, she was given six months to live. Obviously she surpassed that. At six months, she was still going, and she refused to stop working, as she said that was what was keeping her alive. She said her time wasn’t up until she was ready.”

“Oh, Stephanie, I’m so sorry. We had no idea.”

“That was how she wanted it. She wanted to be treated the same, not as a dying woman.”

“She was an amazing woman,” Katie agrees.

“The diagnosis broke my father’s heart. I know that he did not want to live without her.” Stephanie sobs and wipes her face with her hands.

Katie passes her a tissue and stands beside her. “I’m so sorry, Stephanie.”

“I guess what I am trying to say is, I don’t want to know any details. My mother died of her terminal illness, and my father died of a broken heart. They are both at peace together, and all I ask is that the paperwork reflects that.”

“Done,” I agree.

“Thank you.” Stephanie breathes a sigh of relief.

“Your mother and father had a pension and life insurance with us. That will of course go to you. They lived in the house on our grounds, which will need to be emptied. We can leave that until you are ready.”

“Here, this is my number, and this is Leo’s. Let us know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Okay. I’ll be going now.”

Katie shows her out, and I retreat to my office, pour myself a scotch, and light a cigar.

The guilt I felt for the death of Alga and Sergio has lessened slightly now that I know that Alga was terminally ill.

But Sergio still had years ahead of him.

Then again would he have wanted those years without his wife?

It’s a decision I hope I never have to make.

I turn on my computer, login into the Guerra accounts, and wire a one-million-pound transfer to Alga and Sergio’s account. This will then get passed on to Stephanie. Better to not send it straight to her, as she won’t want any connection to us.

Katie appears at my door looking panicked. “Marco is coming down the driveway with my parents.”

“Come here.” I wave her over and stand from my desk. “It’s going to be emotional and hard. It may take time, but they will get there. We all will.”

Katie takes a deep breath and nods.

“And luckily, we have two amazing boys that will steel their hearts in an instant,” I add.

“Yes—oh my goodness, they are grandparents, and they don’t even know it.”

“We’ll keep them upstairs until you’re ready.

Remember, you tell them as much as you think they can handle.

I’ll be by your side as always.” I hold her face and kiss her firmly.

She starts to melt in my arms like she always does, but I pull away, turn her round, and smack her ass before her parents see their next grandchild being conceived.

We wait in the sitting room for Marco to bring them in. Katie cannot settle and is pacing the room, biting her nails. She stops when she hears the front door open.

We can hear Katie’s father protesting, accusing Marco of kidnapping and some sort of sick joke. He still obviously doesn’t believe it. As a father, I can imagine the pain he must be going through.

Marco enters the room first, with Katie’s parents, Paul and Heather, close behind him. Marco’s large frame covers their view until he steps aside.

Paul’s eyes land on me first. They widen in disbelief, and then they then land on Katie, who stands at my side.

His expression is one that I am sure will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The colour drains from his face. The idiom he looks like he has seen a ghost is a correct way to describe it.

He is frozen because the daughter he mourned has in fact returned from the dead.

“Oh, Katie,” Heather gasps. “How, why?” She screams with emotion and runs towards Katie. She puts her hands on her daughter’s face, kissing her cheeks as if to check she is real.

Paul continues to stand and watch, not saying a word. I wonder whether to say something to him. But I’m not sure what I would say.

“Is it really you?” Heather continues.

“Yes, it’s me, Mum.”

There’s a sound from Katie’s father that I can only describe as a wail. He bends and puts his hands on his knees.

Worried he may pass out, I go to him.

“Come and sit down.” Gently, I put my arm under his and lead him to the sofa.

Katie sits down beside him, her mum clinging on to her arm as if she may disappear again. “Dad. Are you okay?”

“I didn’t believe it. I can’t believe it. We had your funeral.” He cries and puts his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Dad. We had no other option.”

“But why? Why did you do this? Oh, I can’t believe this.” He’s short of breath, and I think he may be having a panic attack.

“Marco, bring us some water and refreshments,” I command.

After comforting him for a moment, Katie says, “Here, drink this.” She hands her dad a glass of water from the tray Marco has just plonked down on the table.

He doesn’t like being a server. “I want you both to just listen while I explain. Then you can shout and scream at me or ask any questions, but let me just get it all out first.”

Katie begins by explaining why the Martelé wanted us dead. That it was them who kidnapped her back in London and that I had killed their leader, so this was their revenge. She explains how I had planned it all to keep her safe and that she had no knowledge of it until it happened.

“I was heartbroken. I lost everyone I loved. I wanted to tell you, but I had to keep you safe. If you had known, you would have been in danger.”

“There must have been another way. You could have gone to the police, couldn’t you?”

“Dad, please let me finish,” Katie pleads. “There was no other option. But now that things have changed, we have been able to return.”

“But are you safe now?” Heather asks.

“Yes, we are safe now,” I reply.

“You did this!” Katie’s dad stands in anger. “You put my daughter’s life in danger. Then you took her away!”

Marco steps forward, ready to restrain him. I put my hand out for him to stand down and give him the nod to bring down the boys. I think we need to diffuse the situation before it gets to be too much.

“Dad, please. Leo did all this to protect me. He saved me.”

Katie’s mother then starts to argue with her dad. “Can’t you just be grateful to have your daughter back?”

“Mummy?”

Mark’s voice interrupts the arguing. He runs to his mother, and Katie picks him up and gives him a cuddle. Katie’s parents watch in shock.

“Mum, Dad. This is your grandson Mark.”

Katie’s mum starts to cry, and the angry red drains from Katie’s dad’s face.

“And this is Zander,” I say, having taken him from Van’s arms.

Heather immediately goes to Katie and Mark. Tears stream from her eyes.

“Hello, Mark.” Heather sniffs through tears.

Marks shyly hides his face in Katie’s shoulder, probably a little taken aback by Heather’s emotion. Katie wraps her free arm around her mother.

“Mark, this is your grandma. She’s not sad. She’s just very happy to meet you.”

Mark lifts his head slowly to look at her.

“It’s okay, Mark. It’s a lot to take in for me too.” Heather smiles at my eldest son.

“Would you like to hold Zander?” I say to let Mark have a minute to adjust.

“I’d love to.” Heather takes Zander from my arms, and her face lights up.

“He’s got your nose, Katie,” she says as she kisses to top of his head.

“Look, Paul. Look how much he looks like Katie when she was a baby.” Heather turns to Paul, who is still staring at the situation in front of him.

His mouth opens slightly, like he’s not quite believing what he is seeing.

“Come on, Grandad. Come and meet you grandsons,” Heather pushes him.

For a minute, I think he is going to refuse, but then he laughs.

“Grandad. Me, a grandad.” His face breaks into a big smile, and he stands and joins us.

Zander is then passed between each grandparent, both of them wanting to hold him as much as possible. They both slowly gain Mark’s trust and have him showing them his latest favourite toy, a train that Alga and Serigo got for him when we arrived.

After a few hours of catching up, Mark is playing in the garden with his new grandad, and Zander is being given copious amounts of cuddles.

I can see my wife is getting tired, so I interrupt.

“We know this has been a lot to take in. It will take a long time for us all to adjust. But we would both be very happy if you would be part of our future, especially the boys. I have booked you in at a nearby hotel, and we would like it if you would join us again tomorrow.”

Katie smiles at me, appreciating my words. Paul and Heather are grateful for my invitation and excitedly promise to return tomorrow. I’m relieved that Katie’s parents finally know the truth, and I’m happy it went as well as can be expected for Katie. Hopefully she can start to relax more now.

Katie

Once my parents leave to go to their hotel, I breathe a sigh of relief.

I’m completely drained. After an emotional and difficult start, we had a really lovely afternoon.

Dad played football and catch with Mark for hours, and Mum sat and cuddled Zander so much, I’m worried he won’t want to be put down now.

Before that, we sat outside, and they filled me in on their lives from the past few years.

It was painful listening to their sorrow of losing their daughter and the struggles they’ve been through. But hopefully now we can spend a lot of time together and start creating new memories.

One very surprising and good thing (I hope) to come out of all of this is that my parents are in a relationship.

It was strange seeing them so comfortable in each other’s company.

Ever since I can remember, my parents have always been apart.

They were very young when they had me. My dad was always the more sensible one, while my mum had her fair share of boyfriends when I was growing up.

Most of them she was just with for their money.

Whenever Mum and Dad got in the same room together, they would always bicker like they were teenagers again.

But something has changed. They have matured.

Their shared grief brought them back together.

They were even talking of moving here to Italy.

It’s early days, but I am feeling very hopeful about our future as a family.

I’ve really missed them. I’ve missed being part of a larger family, having people to talk to and experience things with.

When I go down into the kitchen the next morning, I’m met with a familiar smell of freshly baked goods. I’m shocked to see a tall woman preparing food in the kitchen.

“Ahh, good morning, dear.” The lady is English and has a very big smile and warm aura. “You must be Mrs Guerra. I’m Poppy. It’s so lovely to meet you.” She wipes her hands on her apron and offers one to me.

“It’s lovely to meet you too. Please call me Katie.”

“As you wish.”

“I’m Mark.” Mark holds his hand out to Poppy.

“Well, how do you do, Mark?”

Leo appears behind us.

“Good morning, Mr Guerra.”

“Good morning, Poppy. I see you have met my family. This is Poppy. She is the new housekeeper.”

“Housekeeper, cook, washerwoman, you name it. I’ll make sure I look after you all.”

“Thank you. We are pleased to have you here,” I lie, missing Alga and Sergio. I’m sure Poppy is very lovely, but the place just doesn’t feel the same without them.

“Right, everyone. Have your breakfast and get dressed. I have a surprise for you.” Leo grabs one of the freshly made croissants off the island, takes a bite, and leaves the room.