Love or Justice (25 page)

“Your mother can take care of Laurie.” Albert pinned him with a look. “She was one of my best agents, after all.”

“No.” Dante walked away from his father. “That was years ago. There is no way we can find Kaimi, and leave Laurie and Mom here. Mom would kill both of us!”

“It’s the only way, son.” Albert came around the table towards him. “It’s the only way he’ll ever leave her alone. You’ll never get a good night’s sleep if we don’t do this.”

Dante grimaced. He turned back to his father and uncle.

“We can’t.” Dante held up a hand. “It’s too dangerous for Laurie and Mom. If we’re caught before we catch him, then all of us will end up in jail. Both of you aided and abetted the kidnapping of a federal witness. They won’t care that she went willingly; they’ll find some way to make it stick. It won’t matter to them.”

“Then we’ll have to find Kaimi and the mole before anyone finds us.” Albert put his hands on his hips.

Dante laughed.

“It will never work. There’s no way it can work.” Dante turned away.

His father took a couple of steps to close the gap between them.

“Why wouldn’t it?” Albert asked. “You are the best Marshal in the federal service. You know that. So do I. Hilton’s been feeding me your evaluations for years.”

Albert’s eyes held a mixture of confidence and admiration. His father had never said one word to him, not one, of praise. Then his father put his strong, work-worn hands on Dante’s shoulders.

“You and me.” Albert shook him. “We can find this man. We can put him away where he can pay for everything he’s done, where he can’t hurt Laurie anymore. It’s just one mission.”

Dante’s brows knit, trying to decide between the safe defensive road, and the long-shot offensive path. One small step on that path, and it could blow up in all their faces. He thought hard, torn between wanting to protect, and wanting justice.

Albert pressed on Dante’s shoulders in a firm grip.

“It’s one last mission. You and me. We can find him.” His eyes were pleading Dante to agree.

Dante realized how much his father needed him; his father just needed him to say yes. He took a deep breath.

“Okay. You’re right. It’s the only way,” Dante said softly.

“Yes. Yes, son, it is the only way.” Albert shook Dante’s shoulders. He released his hold on Dante, turning to his brother. With eyes alight, he smiled at Bob.

Bob rolled his eyes while heaving a great sigh. He stretched out his forearms to lean forward onto the worktable, shaking his head at Albert.

“Bob. Come on Bob, don’t hold out on us.” Albert ambled back to the table. “Your nephew needs you.”

Bob started laughing. He laughed until he doubled over. He stared at the floor, shaking his head and laughing. A minute or two later, he leaned against the worktable.

“We have to be back by Christmas. Gabriella will kill me if I’m not there for Christmas,” Bob said finally.

Albert smiled. He approached the table to extend his hand out to Bob. Bob playfully smacked his hand away.

“I’m not doing this for you.” Bob pointed at the table with his chin. “I’m doing this for Dante, and for the woman and child. No one deserves to die like that.”

Still smiling, Albert leaned over the map of Hawaii.

Dante joined his father and uncle at the worktable to see his father unroll another map, this one a map of the United States. There were several other maps Dante had never seen before. They were sections of the country between Nebraska and Southern California.

“What’s our flight plan?” Albert took a pencil, handing it to Bob.

Bob swiped the pencil out of Albert’s hand with overexaggerated force. Then he took the ruler and began sketching out a flight plan crisscrossing several air bases until the Pacific Ocean. Then they debated on where they should start their search on Hawaii. They settled on Molokai, since that was the freshest lead. Finally, they debated on where on the islands they should land. In the end, they settled back on Bradshaw, despite the distance to Molokai.

“Do you have any friends with a boat?” Bob’s eyes flicked up to Dante.

“I can’t contact any of my friends. They’re all in law enforcement.” Dante leaned over the map.

“I can rent one as a tourist looking to fish.” Albert nodded.

“We’ll need one for the entire time we’re there. You got enough cash in that safe to make it work?” Bob quirked an eyebrow at Albert.

Albert gave him a sly smile.

“I’ll have plenty.” He rolled up the map of Hawaii.

“All right then. When should we plan on leaving?” Dante asked.

“Day after Thanksgiving. No one will be at the airbases. They won’t care about a little plane with a couple of vets. But we’ll all have to promise Gabriella you’ll have me back before Christmas.” Bob nodded to Albert.

“We can’t tell the women.” Albert’s hand cut through the air.

“Why?” Bob stood up straight.

“Would your wife just let you up and leave to go track down a mob boss?” Albert’s expression grew impatient.

Bob thought about it for a minute, then shook his head no.

“Neither would mine. His would insist on going with him.” Albert pointed to Dante.

Dante smiled and gave a small laugh—his father was right.

“The women can’t know.” Albert laid a hand on the table, his expression sober. “It’s for their protection. In case anything happens, or Kaimi’s men track Laurie here, it’s better if they don’t know where we are.”

Dante nodded absently. He couldn’t let his thoughts wander too far down that road. The idea of Kaimi’s men even being in the same state with Laurie made every muscle tense. He assured himself they were well hidden, they were safe, and Laurie would be safe until he returned.

Bob agreed not to tell Gabriella. Next, Bob plucked his cell phone from his pocket and began to call in a few favors at the airbases he wanted to pass through.

With plans now laid, Dante’s heart sank. He had a handful of days left with Laurie. This plan was one thing he wasn’t going to share with her. His father clapped him on the shoulder, distracting him from his thoughts.

“His days are numbered now. I’ll keep up on the investigation. Hopefully, we’ll get a good lead from there.” Albert grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes.

Dante nodded as he watched his father roll up the maps. He stared at the table, before they headed for the door of the barn. Switching off the light, he followed his father and uncle out into the frigid November air. Dante shivered, quickening his step, anxious to spend time with the woman he now had to leave.

Dante was first in the door, and the smell of his mother’s lasagna hit him like a cloud, mingled with the warmth of the kitchen. He looked over at the table to find Laurie busy setting out plates and cups. She looked up at him and smiled, setting down the last plate in her hand. He strode over to her. He pulled her hard against him, and gave her a short, searing kiss—a promise for more to come later. She squeezed him back, laughing into his ear.

“What was that for?” She tilted her head back, looking up at him with a bewildered expression.

“Nothing.” He shrugged. He wanted to kiss her again, but he thought better of it as he caught his father’s sour expression out of the corner of his eye. He just smiled, hugging her tighter, despite his father’s disapproving grimace.

His mother however, beamed at him, as she walked to the table with a steaming casserole dish. He gave Laurie a final squeeze and released her so they could sit down for dinner.

“So what is your project?” Gabriella asked. Dante stared at the plate in front of him, not moving a muscle.

“New posts for the fence.” Albert glanced up at her.

“Aren’t you finished with those yet?” Emma frowned.

“We have a long border, dear.” Albert looked at his dinner. “I want to make extra so I don’t have to work so hard when I don’t have all of these extra hands around.”

“Well, when you’re finally done with those posts, we need to check the fence around the orchard.” Emma slid her eyes over to Gabriella. “Maybe we can go over there tomorrow.”

“That was a masterful suggestion, Emma.” Bob winked at her. “Say, you wouldn’t be trying to sell the place off to me and Gabriella now would you?”

“Oh, Bob.” Emma’s voice filled with exasperation. “You should at least look at it!”

Bob chuckled, picking up his napkin to settle it in his lap.

“It’s a beautiful house. I’d move into it in a heartbeat.” Laurie smiled at Emma.

“Did she pay you to say that?” Bob poked at his dinner.

“No. It’s beautiful. Really.” Laurie laughed.

“We’ll go over and see the orchard tomorrow, we promise.” Gabriella’s voice flowed over the chaotic conversation like warm honey.

“Wonderful.” Emma clapped her hands together.

“Wonderful,” Bob repeated, shaking his head.

Emma leveled a frustrated stare in his direction.

“Gee, Emma, with the way you’re looking at me, it’s no wonder I don’t want to live any closer.” Bob grinned. The boys started laughing, and a smile broke over everyone’s face.

Emma struggled to keep her stern expression, but a smile bubbled to the surface.

Dinner took well over two hours, as the adults talked and talked over dinner, pie, and coffee and tea. The boys finally gave up and went into the living room to watch TV. Around 10:00 p.m., Laurie began yawning behind her hand, while staring out into space. Dante leaned over, rubbing her back.

“I think it’s time for us to head upstairs.” He smiled at her.

***

Laurie

Dante strode upstairs behind Laurie. When they got to the bedroom, Dante caught her hand as she headed toward the dresser.

She smiled up at him.

“Hi,” she said.

She gave him her sexiest smile as she walked back toward him.

He smiled into her bedroom eyes, shaking his head.

“I need to talk to you for a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” Dread crept across her shoulders.

“Let’s sit down.”

He led her to the bed. She felt an icy chill sweep through her. He squeezed her hand.

“Laurie, my dad got a call today. They found Katherine and Easton James.”

Sadness swept over Laurie. She looked up at Dante’s warm brown eyes. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she had to know for sure.

“Are they dead?”

He nodded.

Laurie’s mouth went dry. She swallowed hard, tasting ash and dust. She looked away from him. A sharp pain knifed through her heart as she thought of the boney little boy with the haunted blue eyes.

“Their bodies were found in a reservoir on Kauai.”

She swallowed hard again, fighting the tears. He put his arms around her, pulling her to him. He held her head against his heart, and he rocked her as she began to sniffle.

“I was right there.”

“There was nothing you could do, Laurie.” He ran his fingers through her hair.

“But I should have done something, Dante, screamed, shouted, something.”

“He would have killed them both and you before the police even made it to the room. He wanted revenge more than anything.”

She shook her head against his chest. She let out the breath she’d been holding in a blast of air. Dante pulled her back, holding her face in his hands.

“You didn’t kill them.” Dante wiped away a few years. “He did. It’s his fault, Laurie. He’ll pay for that.”

“When? They can’t even find him!”

“Soon. He’ll be found soon. He’ll pay for what he did.”

Laurie nodded, though she felt a bottomless despair. Her chest ached. Dante held her for a while, running his hands through her hair and down her back. He kissed her forehead.

Laurie listened to Dante’s heartbeat, letting that soothe her. She closed her eyes. She’d known Katherine and Easton might not survive. She knew this moment might come. Yet, she’d hoped. She’d hoped that somehow, the FBI would find Kaimi with his hostages still alive. Now, Katherine and Easton could only be remembered and avenged. Laurie would make sure that happened. She would make sure Katherine and Easton had their day in court.

“You know, as much as Kaimi is a criminal, I think once he’s behind bars I might just have to pay him a visit to say thank you.” Dante kissed her temple.

Laurie turned her face up to him. She looked at him in confusion.

“Well, it occurs to me that if Kaimi hadn’t done what he did, I never would have met you. I’d have taken another assignment, and you would have finished up in law school. We never would have met. Even though I despise the man, I do owe him for bringing me to you.”

Laurie’s heart melted as she looked up into Dante’s eyes. She kissed him, touched by what he’d said.

When he broke the kiss, he held her face in his hands, stroking her cheek.

“I love you,” he breathed.

Laurie’s eyes widened.