Love or Justice (26 page)

“You love me?”

Laurie was shocked, amazed. She knew he cared for her, but she hadn’t expected him to say it.

Dante nodded his head. He cleared his throat.

“I love you,” he repeated.

Laurie smiled up at him with all of her heart.

“I love you, too.”

The words rose up from her heart, unbidden. She knew she didn’t have to say it to him, but she wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know how much she cared for him as well.

Dante let out a breath. He kissed her for a long time, gently deepening the kiss when her lips parted beneath his. When he pulled away to take a breath, he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m happy. I didn’t expect you to say you loved me, and what you said about us never meeting. Well, I guess it just hit me how lucky I was to find you.” She clutched at his shirt.

He pressed his forehead to hers. He ran his hands up her back and into her hair.

“Yes, very lucky.” He kissed her again, more insistent now.

The tiredness that weighed Laurie down disappeared. In its place, was a brilliant need to show him how much she loved him.

They leaned back onto the bed together, helping one another undress. They made love slowly, savoring their good fortune in finding one another. Dante caressed every inch of her like he was memorizing it. They dissolved into each other like melted chocolate. Then they curled into one another, and Dante covered them both with blankets. They both said, “I love you,” before they drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dante

The next few days passed in a haze of cooking, cleaning, basting, and laughter. Every opportunity they had, Laurie and Dante slipped away to be alone together. Though they spent almost every day together for the past several months, they couldn’t seem to get enough time alone to satisfy either of them. Laurie was asked to cook or clean or decorate. Dante was pulled away to work on their ‘project’ brewing in the barn, which only intensified his need to spend time with Laurie.

Thanksgiving itself was a flurry of activity, with the kitchen as a central hub. They spent all day there, except for the young boys. The dinner took place in the early evening. The table was full of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes. It was every inch a celebration of the harvest and an occasion to be thankful for time spent together. Emma even choked up at the table, when she said how grateful she was that Dante was home.

For Dante, that was torture. He hated the idea of leaving, but he knew he had to do it. The plane was ready for take-off and waiting for them outside Omaha. He had packed his bag and hid it in the truck the night before. His resolve was sure, but it tore at him.

That night, he hardly slept. He awoke in the early morning hours. He rolled over to watch Laurie sleep for a while. Then he woke her up to make love to her one last time before he left. As she lay on his chest to fall back asleep, he just kept telling her that he loved her. He didn’t know if there was a God, but he took a minute to pray to whatever was out there that he would come home to her safe, and she would forgive him for leaving and not telling her.

When 4:00 a.m. came, he slipped from the bed. He took a few items from the room he wasn’t able to pack earlier, things he knew Laurie would notice if they went missing. Then he bent over the bed, kissed her goodbye, grabbed his coat, and walked across the floor to door. Without looking back, he opened the bedroom door. He saw his father at the top of the stairs, headed down.

Dante moved down the stairs, joining him at the front door. Dante peered into the living room, where the boys were sleeping. He saw Bob giving them both a parting kiss on the forehead. Bob joined them. Without a word, Albert opened the door. Dante and Bob moved outside, and Albert slid the door close without even a click. They opened the doors of the pick-up truck and they began pushing the truck down the driveway.

Dante’s hands felt like ice from touching the chilled metal. He smelled the frost and the cold earth in the early morning. It was quiet, pre-dawn quiet. Even the birds took no interest in being awake at this hour.

Halfway down the driveway, they all got in, turned on the engine, and Albert drove the rest of the way down the lane. He pulled out onto the two-lane road that ran toward the highway. The road was empty, the early morning still.

Crammed in the back of the cab, Dante watched the farmland fly by in a blur. It was a little over an hour before Albert pulled into a parking spot at the State Airfield. The attendant yawned as he unlocked the door, letting them in.

“The traffic controller’s still getting his coffee. He should be here soon though,” the teenager told them. Then he sat down in a chair beside the door to wait, his hoodie zipped and pulled over his eyes.

The three men nodded curtly and moved out onto the airfield. The plane was in the hangar, ready for take-off thanks to Bob’s friends. Bob ushered them onboard, then he began testing everything in preparation for take-off. Once he was satisfied, he radioed the tower. The sleepy voice on the other end didn’t give them much comfort, but Bob didn’t have much of a choice.

They taxied for a few minutes, lifted off smoothly, and began the long flight to the Hawaiian islands.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Laurie

Laurie was cold when she woke up. She felt around with her eyes still closed, but Dante wasn’t there. She opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the window. There wasn’t a clock in the room, but she guessed she must have slept late. She smiled as she remembered why. Then she stretched. She lay with her eyes closed for a few minutes, but the cold got to her, and she rolled out of bed.

After dressing, she paused to stare at the top of her dresser. Some of Dante’s things were missing. His coat was gone. Agitation settled in her chest, but she tried to put her troubled mind to rest. He loaned some of his things to Bob, or maybe there was a camping trip in the works. She would find out where he was when she went downstairs. She threw her hair back into a ponytail and went down for breakfast.

When she reached the kitchen, Gabriella and Emma were sitting at the table. They were both tense, with their shoulders hunched up to their ears. They sat a few inches from one another, whispering together. Gabriella sipped her tea, with her hands wrapped around her cup for warmth, while Emma tapped Albert’s morning paper on the table, mimicking a ticking bomb with her perfect meter.

“Good morning.” Laurie crossed over to the coffee pot. “Where are all of the men this morning? Dante must have gotten tired of waiting for me to get up.”

Emma and Gabriella exchanged looks with each other.

“Honey, I think our foolish men left long before we got up.” Emma stopped tapping the newspaper.

“Where’d they go?” Laurie took a seat across from them.

“That’s a very good question.” Gabriella’s jaw clenched. “All three of them left, with their belongings, and the truck.”

“Dante didn’t say they were going anywhere. Why would they take their things with them?” Laurie cocked her head to the side.

“Laurie, has Dante said anything to you about the Kaimi investigation lately? Anything at all?” Emma gazed pointedly at her.

Laurie squirmed a bit, not wanting to implicate Albert.

“Yes.” She stared down into her coffee cup. “They found Katherine and Easton’s bodies. Kaimi dumped them in a reservoir. Why?”

“When did he tell you this?” Emma’s eyes were cold, angry; they made Laurie shiver. Now Laurie could believe Emma was ex-CIA.

“The night that Bob and Gabriella came.” Laurie flicked her eyes up at Gabriella.

“Was it Albert that told him that piece of news?” Emma’s voice turned icy.

Laurie flinched but said nothing.

“Oh, I can’t believe my foolish, foolish husband.” Emma rapped the paper on the table with a sharp swat.

“You don’t think they would have—” Gabriella started.

“No, I don’t think. I know.” Emma flushed with anger. “This is exactly what he used to do all the time. Take an assignment and vanish, then show up a few weeks later. When he was in the agency I understood, but now…”

“But Bob and Dante wouldn’t let that happen. They wouldn’t go with him.” Laurie shook her head.

“Wouldn’t they?” Emma waved the newspaper at her. “All three of them have spent their entire lives charging into war, or dangerous assignment after dangerous assignment. They would hardly say no to one more.”

Emma left the table, stalking over to her cabinets. She pawed through her pots and pans until she clunked one down onto the stove.

Laurie and Gabriella looked at each other.

“I have done nothing except give Albert a nice, restful retirement. Yet, all he does is find excuses to keep on living in the CIA.” Emma went to the pantry and yanked the door opened. She pulled out the large bag of oats as she boiled water for the oatmeal. Then she turned toward the two other women.

“How long has my husband been feeding Dante information?” Emma asked Laurie.

Laurie flinched.

“Almost since we got here.” Laurie stared into her coffee.

Emma swore under her breath.

“I should have known those posts were taking too long. I had just hoped they’d finally…” Emma paused, sighed and went back to the pot on the stove. She started to measure the oats, adding them to the pot.

“Emma, do you want me to just stay here with the boys?” Gabriella set down her tea.

“Don’t they have school?” Laurie raised her eyebrows.

“I homeschool them. Besides, when my husband comes back I want to be able to give him a piece of my mind the minute he comes in the door.” Gabriella folded her arms across her chest.

“Do you really think they’ve gone after Kaimi?” Worry settled into her stomach.

“Absolutely.” Emma slammed a cabinet door as she got out the juice glasses.

“I doubt they will even find him before they give up and come home. They’ll be fine.” Gabriella gave Laurie a reassuring smile.

This news did little to comfort Laurie. She nodded her head, but felt heartsick.

“Why didn’t they tell us they wanted to do this?” She looked up at Emma. Emma turned to her from the stove.

“Because they knew we flat out wouldn’t let them do it. A retired general, a retired CIA agent, and a discredited U.S. Marshal traipsing about Hawaii looking for a well-known murderer. They’ll be arrested before they even get near Kaimi. When it happens, I’m not bailing them out. Furthermore, if my son hasn’t lost his job for vanishing with you, than he will when he shows up in Hawaii without you.” Emma turned back to the stove stirring the oatmeal vigorously.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I’m sorry I caused all this.” Laurie crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh, no, honey. You can’t take any of the credit for this. It’s their fault, Kaimi, my husband, my son, and Bob. They’re responsible for this havoc. I cannot believe they would do it.” Emma slammed the wooden spoon down on the stove.

Laurie nodded, as she peered into her coffee cup for answers. Now what was she supposed to do? She had followed Dante’s lead up until now, but he was gone without a word. She wanted to chase after him. She wanted to board a plane and go back to Hawaii, but Hawaii equaled death for her. He was all that stood between her and Kaimi’s hit men; well, besides herself and her own instincts. No, no. She had made a home here now. As long as Emma would let her stay, she would. She had to stay hidden, she had to stay safe. She was going to testify at Kaimi’s trial even if it was the last thing she did.

“Emma, can you teach me to shoot? To protect myself?” Laurie asked. Emma turned with a quizzical look.

“Why?” Emma’s eyes narrowed. Laurie lowered her voice, so the boys couldn’t hear over the TV.

“So if anything happens, I can fight back. Dante, Albert, and Bob could all shoot, but they’re all gone now. You learned to shoot at the agency, and Gabriella learned in the Air Force. Everyone can defend themselves but me, and I’m the one that needs to defend myself more than any of you.” Laurie gestured to herself.

Emma looked thoughtful for a minute or two, studying Laurie.

“Yes, we can do that. I can show you a lot about self-defense. But you can’t shoot my son when he comes back.” Emma pointed the wooden spoon at her.

Laurie chuckled.

“I promise it will only be for defense. I don’t want to shoot him.” Laurie shook her head.

“Really? I know I’m tempted.” Emma leaned over the oatmeal. Laurie and Gabriella smiled at each other for the first time that morning, as Emma began scooping the oatmeal out into large bowls. Then she brought the bowls over to the table.

Laurie looked at the oatmeal, but her stomach turned sour. She wasn’t hungry, at least not enough to counterbalance the ball of nerves rolling around in her stomach. The boys joined them for breakfast.

As soon as the boys wandered back to the TV, the women began making plans to train Laurie in firearms and self-defense. Then they made plans for schooling the boys while they were staying in Nebraska, and upkeep around the farm for the winter. They didn’t know when the men would be back, but the women were going to make sure they didn’t have time to miss them very much.