Love at First Flight (30 page)

“What?”

He sat up. “Unless they're planning
something big and needed to buy some time to get their shit together.” Getting
up, he tugged on his jeans.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to call Tom. I'll be right back.”

CHAPTER 25

MICHAEL'S LATE-NIGHT PHONE CALL TO TOM
HOULIHAN set off a full search of the city jail where the Benedettis were being
held during the trial. Both their cells were tossed, all the common areas were
torn apart, drains were even removed from shower stalls, but nothing suspicious
was found. The search succeeded only in further shredding Michael's already
frazzled nerves.

He couldn't figure out what the
defendants might be up to. Since the rock sailed through the window at his house,
the judge had suspended their visitation rights, forbidden the brothers to have
any contact with each other in jail, and revoked their phone and mail
privileges. If they were planning something else, Michael had no idea how they
were managing to do it.

He spent most of the morning on the
phone with his office, discussing their trial strategy in light of the week's
developments. Thankfully, they had videotaped Rachelle's sworn statement, and
Michael planned to introduce it as evidence. The defense would object on the
grounds that they couldn't cross-examine videotape, but because he'd videotaped
her under oath with a court reporter taking a transcript, he was going to try
it.

***

While Michael was upstairs on the phone,
Juliana went through the mail she picked up earlier in the week at her house.
She paid the bills from the joint account she shared with Jeremy and sorted out
the junk mail until only his two letters sat unopened on her lap.

All morning she had tried not to think
about what might be ahead for her if she had to identify Rachelle's attacker.
The girl was headed for the witness protection program. Juliana wondered if
that's what would happen to her if she had to identify and testify against
Escalada. She let her mind wander to the possibility that she could end up
living anonymously in some strange place.

The idea wasn't without benefits—no more
dealings with her dysfunctional family and a whole new life where no one knew
her. Naturally, she wondered who would be with her in this fictional scenario.
Did either of the two men in her life love her enough to give up their whole
world to keep her safe? If right now, today, she had to pick one of them to
accompany her into anonymity, which one would she choose? The answer came to
her without a moment's hesitation. Michael. She would choose Michael.

A feeling of peace settled over her as
she understood that at some point during the last few weeks, she had made a
decision. Jeremy was her past. Michael was her future. He had asked her to
marry him, and in the next few weeks, after she ended her relationship with
Jeremy for good, she would be able to say yes.
Yes, I'll marry you, Michael.

She wanted to run upstairs and tell him,
but she had things to resolve before she could do that, and so did he. If Paige
really was pregnant, he would have to deal with it before much longer. He'd
have a child with another woman. They would handle that somehow. After everything
they had already been through together, there was no doubt in Juliana's mind
they would get through that, too. He didn't love Paige anymore, but he would
love their child, and Juliana would give him her full support.

Energized by her decision, she felt
ready to read Jeremy's letters and to keep them in proper perspective. She
checked the postmarks to see which one came first and opened it. He had written
it on his company's letterhead.

Dear
Jule,

I'm
sitting here at work, and I'm supposed to be figuring out why two of my
circuits are down, but all I can think about is you. I'm wondering what you're doing
right now. It's Tuesday morning, so I'm picturing you at the salon making
someone beautiful. You've always been so good at that. Remember when we were in
high school and you gave everyone haircuts all the time? We'd end up at
some-one's house after a football game. When I'd go looking for you, you'd
usually be in the bathroom giving one of our friends a trim. That was even
before you'd been to school for it!

I
like thinking back to those days, when we first knew each other and all we
thought about was finding time to be alone together. I remember looking for you
in the stands during football games. Sometimes thinking about being with you
after the game would be so distracting I'd forget what I was supposed to be
doing on the field. The only times I really screwed up playing football were
because of you—so there's something you never knew! Even back then, you had
such an ability to invade my thoughts and distract me. Ten years later,
nothing's changed, babe. Here I am, all grown up with a real job, but I'm at
work thinking about the same girl who drove me crazy when I was playing high
school football. How many guys can say that?

The
other day I was driving home and I heard that Peter Gabriel song we've always
loved, “In Your Eyes.” He says he's complete when he can see her eyes. It's so
true—I never realized just how true it was until you weren't here anymore. I
keep reminding myself this is temporary, but I worry that maybe it's not, that
maybe I hurt you so badly, nothing I do will ever fix it.

I've
had far too much time to think over the last month. I think about all the tough
stuff we dealt with when your parents were still together. Like the night they
had that big fight and the neighbors called the cops. I can still remember the
way you sounded when you called and asked me to come get you. I took you home
with me, and you were so upset that my mother didn't even care that you slept
with me in my room. That was the first night we ever slept in the same bed. My
mother has always loved you, Jule. She's been after me for years to marry you.
I should've listened to her. If I had I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in now with
you. Anyway, I remember waking up with you that next morning and being so
thankful you'd called me when you needed me. I've always hated how your family
treats you like their own personal Cinderella, but you know I could write a
book on that subject!

Well,
I'd better get back to work. I just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you and
hoping we can find our way through this. Nothing in my world makes sense
without you by my side. If you give me another chance, I promise I'll spend the
rest of my life making this up to you. I love you,

Jeremy

PS—Are
you okay for money? If you need any, you know where it is. There's plenty in
the Bank of America account. What's mine is yours.

Juliana wiped away the tears that flowed
as she read his heartfelt letter. She was almost reluctant to read the second
one, but she opened it because she promised him she would.

Dear
Jule,

I
had an awful day today. I wish I could call you and tell you about it the way I
used to. I can't seem to do anything but wish I was with you, so of course I'm
screwing up at work. I'll be lucky if I don't get fired before this separation
of ours is over. If they didn't need me so badly to finish this stupid job down
here, they probably would've already fired me. Whatever. I don't even care
anymore. All I care about is fixing what's happened between us.

I'm
finding I have an amazing ability to torture myself with memories. Do you know
what I can't seem to stop thinking about? Making love with you. Remember how
scared we were the first time? It was pretty bad, huh? But we got better at it,
didn't we? Sometimes I think I'll go mad craving your soft skin, or thinking
about the way it feels to be inside you, and that sound you make way in the
back of your throat... Okay, I've got to stop this before I seriously go
insane. I can't believe I thought for even one second that I could do that with
someone else... I'm sorry. You're the only one for me. You always have been,
and you always will be. Don't stop loving me, Jule. I don't think I'd survive
it.

I
love you.

J

And just that simply, the decision
Juliana had been so certain of a few minutes earlier was once again back in
play.

***

An hour later, huddled under a heavy
blanket on a lounge chair on the deck, Juliana revisited all the memo-ries
Jeremy's letters resurrected. He had reminded her that for a very long time,
he'd been the only person in her life who truly loved her.

“Hey,” Michael said. “Aren't you
freezing?” Startled out of her thoughts, she said, “What?”

“What's wrong?” he asked, rubbing his
hands together vigorously. “Nothing.”

He tilted his head to study her. “Are
you sure?” She nodded. “Everything okay at work?”

“Yeah. The judge wants to see us all on
Monday morning, and then he's resuming the trial.”

“That's good, right?”

“I'm anxious to be done with it, so,
yes, that's good. Can we go in? It's freezing out here.”

She took the hand he offered and let him
help her up.

“Christ, Juliana, your hand is like ice.
How long have you been out here?”

“Not long.”

He closed the sliding glass door and
hustled her over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. After he threw two more
logs on the fire, he sat down next to her and held her close to him. “Tell me
what's wrong, baby.”

“Did they find Escalada?”

“No, but they found the place in
Annapolis where he'd been hiding out. His prints were everywhere, and they
found traces of arsenic.”

She looked up at him. “Let me guess, he
was long gone, right?”

Michael nodded, his mouth set in a
frown. “They don't think he's in the area anymore. The FBI has issued a
nationwide alert. They'll find him.”

“I almost wish they wouldn't,” Juliana
confessed. “But then I think about him getting away with poisoning Rachelle and
Scott...”

“I know.” He rubbed her hands between
his to warm them. “But hey, we have three more nights here before I have to go
back to the city. Can we just put everything else aside and try to enjoy being
here together? For just a few days I don't want to think about anything but
you.” He kissed her. “Can we do that?” He kissed her again. “Can you do that?”

“I'll try,” she said, but her heart was
burdened by her worries about Escalada and the knowledge that she still had a
big decision to make—a decision that was going to hurt one of the men who loved
her.

***

They did their best to put their stack
of troubles aside for the time they had left at the beach house, and for the
most part they succeeded. On their last day, they cleaned the house, did a load
of sheets and towels, and packed while trying not to think about what was ahead
in the next few weeks. Just after midnight on Sunday, they were driven back to
the lives they put on hold a week ago.

“What are you thinking about?” Michael
asked as they crossed the Bay Bridge.

Juliana rested against him in the back
of the police car. The cops had closed the panel to the backseat to give them
some privacy. “I was remembering when you said this bridge looks like a yard
sale bridge.”

“Well, look at it.”

“I agree with you.”

He rubbed his cheek against her hair.

“Michael?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Remember that night when we came back
from Florida and you gave me your card and we said good-bye?”

“Of course I do. Why?”

“Well, ever since then I've wondered: if
my car had started, would I have ever seen you again?”

“A lot's happened because that car
didn't start, hasn't it?”

“Yes.”

He tilted her face up so he could see
her. “If your car started and you drove away that night, I think I would've
suddenly been in desperate need of a haircut. I might've lasted a day, maybe
two, but that's about it.”

“Really?”

He leaned in to kiss her. “I've told
you, Juliana, I already knew then that you were going to matter to me. I never
could've imagined how much, but I already knew. What about you? Do you think
you ever would've used that card I gave you to get in touch with me?”

“Truth?”

He winced and nodded.

“I don't think so. I would've been
afraid to see you again.”

“Why afraid?”

“I was such a mess over everything with
Jeremy that I probably would've gone into my shell and hid out for three months
until it was over.”

“You might've been better off. At least
you would've been safer in your shell.”

“But I wouldn't have known you.”

“That might've been better, too.”

“No. I wouldn't have missed this time
with you for anything. I could never be sorry for loving you.”

He brought her hand to his chest. “You
still make my heart pound, Juliana.”

“There's another reason why I would've
been afraid to call you.”