Twilight (29 page)

There was a neatly tended flower bed outside the sliding glass doors, which substituted for windows around most of the house. Oblivious to the destruction, she stepped on bright pink impatiens until she was close enough to touch the glass.

And then she waited. She waited for so long she was certain that Peter Drake had only meant to torture her by making a promise he had no intention of keeping.

Then suddenly Bobby was there, shoved from behind so hard that he stumbled as he came into view. Dana pressed her hands to the glass.

“Mom!”

He sounded on the verge of tears, but he squared his shoulders bravely. He stepped closer to the doors and blinked at her through his glasses. She noticed one lens was cracked.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Dana’s own tears spilled down her cheeks unchecked. “I’m doing just fine, now that I see you.” She pressed her hand against the glass and Bobby placed his against it on the other side. “I love you, sweetie. We’re going to get you out of there.”

Bobby swallowed hard, his chin wobbling. “I’ll be okay, Mom. Try not to worry.”

Just then the pane of glass between them shattered. Dana didn’t hesitate to consider what had caused it or whether she or Bobby was likely to be cut. As the shards fell away, she snatched him into her arms and ran. Before she’d taken two steps, they were surrounded by half a dozen officers in bulletproof vests.

Even as they escorted her and Bobby to safety, she could hear the two-way radios blaring with confused exchanges.

“What the hell happened?” the SWAT team commander was demanding. “Nobody had an order to shoot.”

Dana glanced up then just in time to see Peter Drake being led away in handcuffs as two very familiar men looked on. She guessed then who had come up with the daring rescue plan. She glanced at her father.

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew what they were going to do? How did they manage it?”

The color had finally come back into her father’s face in the past few minutes, but his expression remained totally bland. “I think you’ll have to talk to Mr. Sanchez about that.” He leaned down and scooped up his grandson in a bear hug. “Come on, boy. Let’s let your mom have a minute of privacy.”

Bobby stared as Rick left the house and crossed the yard. A furious SWAT team commander was about to intercept him when Dana stepped between them.

“In a minute,” she told the policeman. “I have a few words to say to Mr. Sanchez.”

“One minute,” the man replied tersely. “Then I get a crack at him.”

Her gaze never left Rick’s face. “I will never forget what you did here today. I have no idea how you accomplished it, but I don’t care. I will always be grateful.”

“I owed you one.” His eyes locked on hers. “What will you do now that you have all your answers?”

“Not all of them,” she replied, “but I’m sure the police will fill me in.”

He nodded. “Are you going to stay here?”

She hadn’t thought past this moment, but she nodded slowly. “For a while.”

His expression blank, he said quietly, “Yes, that makes sense. The boys will need you with them.”

Suddenly she felt as if she were talking to a stranger, making small talk, when far more important things remained unspoken.

Before she could say precisely that, the patience of the SWAT team leader snapped. “You’ll have to excuse us, ma’am. This man has some explaining to do.”

“Where are you taking him?”

“To headquarters for a little chat.”

Dana turned to her father, who was waiting nearby. “Dad, go with them.”

Rick’s mouth quirked into a full-fledged grin at her protective tone. “I do not need an attorney,
querida.
”

“Humor me,” she countered. “And if there’s anything else I can do for you,
anything,
you can always call.”

His dark eyes challenged hers. “Then this is goodbye?”

Tears stung her eyes, and her heart felt like lead, but she forced herself to nod.

Rick’s steady, dark-eyed gaze locked with hers.
“Adios, mi amor.”

Only after he had walked away without a backward glance did she reply softly,
“Adios, mi amor.”

32

D
ana couldn’t seem to let Bobby out of her sight, much to his chagrin. He finally told her to lay off, or he’d wind up being known all over Florida as a mama’s boy.

“I won’t even be able to show my face on the streets. I’ll have to quit school,” he warned.

“Okay, okay.” She studied him worriedly. “Are you sure everything’s all right with you, though? No nightmares or anything?”

He rolled his eyes. “Mom, I’ve told you and told you, Mr. Drake never hurt me. Mrs. Vincenzi threatened to cut off his—”

“Never mind. I know what she threatened.”

In fact, if Peter Drake ever left jail and got together with Carolina Vincenzi, Dana wasn’t sure which one she’d pity more. She had heard a few days ago that Carolina had put her house in Illinois on the market, as well as the house in Fort Myers. She and her sons had vanished. Some thought they were living in Grand Cayman on money Tony had stashed away before his death.

As for Rick, he and Tico had flown back to Chicago as soon as they’d been released by the police. Her father had stayed with them the whole time and reported back that both men had been cleared of any possible charges, even though the local police were mad as hell that a couple of vigilantes had jumped into the standoff with a daring rescue attempt. Rick had shattered the window so that Dana could grab her son while Tico had jumped Drake from behind.

Joey had gone back on the same flight, in police custody, until he could make his statements to the Chicago police about Ken’s murder.

She had heard from Kate the night before that Lawrence Tremayne was in custody, as well, though the infamous Carlos had conveniently disappeared. When she’d asked about O’Flannery, Kate had been coy, but she sounded happier than she had been since that sleaze of a husband had run out on her.

Her own world should be settling back into something resembling normalcy, Dana thought, as she sat on the beach with the boys playing nearby. It seemed like a lifetime since she had sat in this very spot and made up her mind to go home and solve her husband’s murder. She had her answers now, but she was no less restless. The longed-for peace of mind continued to elude her. This time, though, another man was at the center of her thoughts.

She had her eyes closed when she sensed someone standing over her. She glanced up just as her father dropped down to the lawn chair next to hers.

“When are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Sanchez?” he asked.

So much for pussyfooting around the touchy subject, she thought resignedly. “There’s nothing between us,” she said.

His eyebrows rose skeptically. “Really? I wonder, then, why he told me to tell you that he loved you if anything happened to him when he was playing hero the other night.”

She removed her sunglasses and peered at her father. She wasn’t sure which stunned her more, that Rick loved her or that he’d told her father. “Rick said he loved me? You’re not just putting words in his mouth?”

“No, and even if he hadn’t said the words, it was plain as day when he looked at you. I know the signs, baby. The man’s a goner.” He regarded her intently. “How do you feel about him? No evasions this time.”

She sighed. It was a question she had asked herself, repeatedly. “I don’t know,” she said, being as honest as she could. “For a time, I thought I did. But before that, I had so much anger and resentment where he was concerned. Then, while I was investigating Ken’s death, I kept bumping into more suspicions and doubts. How can I get past all that?”

“Maybe you can’t,” her father said simply. “But you won’t find out by hanging around down here on the beach.”

She grinned at him. “Are you kicking me out?”

He studied her face for a minute. “I love you, baby, but yes, that is exactly what I’m doing. Go home. Find out what’s left there for you.”

For some reason—fear, maybe—she was reluctant to make that commitment. She lifted a handful of warm sand, letting it sift through her fingers.

“Mom thinks we should move down here,” she said eventually, testing the idea on him. “She thinks it would be good for the boys to have family nearby.”

“True, but your mother doesn’t know what I do.”

“Which is?”

“That your heart’s still in Chicago.”

* * *

“Where do you want this?” Kate asked, precariously balancing a huge box.

“What does it say?” Dana asked. “I marked everything.”

“If I could see what you wrote, do you think I’d be asking?” Kate retorted.

Dana stood on tiptoe to peer at the top of the box. “Kevin’s room. I think those are his stuffed animals.”

“What does he have, a blessed zoo?” Kate grumbled as she headed for the stairs. “And would you tell me why you had to buy a three-story town house and put the boys in the top floor?”

“Just to torment you on moving day,” Dana replied.

She had been back in Chicago for three hectic months. She had spent most of that time settling Ken’s legal affairs and house hunting. Though she’d looked at several places within blocks of the church, time and again she had been drawn into the city, into a neighborhood of old town houses that had been gentrified in recent years.

Before she had made the final decision, she had gone into the cemetery by the church to talk it over with Ken, as she had done with any major decision she’d made since they’d married. As she’d planted daffodils and tulips around his tombstone, she’d told him about all of the emotional upheavals that had happened since he’d left them.

“I’m not angry at you anymore,” she had said finally. “I’ve made peace with what happened, though I’ll go on missing you until the day I die.” And then, after taking a deep breath, she had told him about her feelings for Rick. “I’m scared, though, scared of moving on, scared of losing another person I love. He’s right out there, you know, right in the thick of the very neighborhood where you were killed. How will I be able to stand knowing that something could happen to him at any second?”

She touched the cold marble of the angel and, ironically, it was that fleeting contact that gave her the answer she’d been seeking. Soon enough, they would all die, but for now, she and Rick and their passion were very much alive.

She had glanced up at the sky, a smile on her lips. “Thank you,” she whispered to Ken, or God, or whoever had led her to the answer she’d been so desperately seeking.

She hadn’t told Rick yet of her decision, had made no overtures of any kind to bring him back into her life. She had wanted to get settled in her new home and bring the boys back from Florida first. Her parents would be arriving with them next week. They were bursting with enthusiasm about coming home and about living in the city. She wanted Rick to see that she had made her choice to stay because it was the right one for all of them, and not solely because of him. Soon, though. Very soon.

She caught Kate staring at her curiously. “What did you do with O’Flannery?” Dana asked her. “He’s supposed to be hauling the big stuff.”

“Last time I saw him, he was sitting in a chair on the sidewalk cursing the day he ever met the two of us.”

“Uh-oh,” Dana said. “That doesn’t bode well for your future.”

“Sure it does. He complains about everything he loves—his job, me.”

Kate started up the steps with Dana right on her heels. “He loves you? When did that happen?”

“It happened the day he set eyes on me.” Kate grinned. “He just got around to figuring it out the other day, though. Some men have to be blindsided by a bat before they get it.”

“If you two would stop gabbing, we would finish this move a whole lot faster,” the man in question announced from downstairs. “Where do you want this blasted sofa?”

Dana rushed back down. “How did you get the sofa in here by yourself?” Her voice trailed off when she saw Rick standing silently at the opposite end of the sofa, his expression wary. O’Flannery glanced at Dana, then back at Rick.

“I guess the sofa can wait,” he said, lowering his end to the floor. He brushed past Dana to head upstairs.

“How did you get here?” she asked eventually just to break the silence. “I mean, how did you know we were moving?”

“O’Flannery and I have stayed in touch. He filled me in. I thought maybe you could use some extra help.” He watched her warily. “Do you mind?”

“No, of course not. It’s...” Her voice faltered. “It’s kind of you.”

He regarded her wryly. “
Por favor, querida,
enough of the polite small talk. You look wonderful.”

She glanced down at her filthy jeans and baggy T-shirt. “Oh, I’m a beauty, all right.”

“Yes,” he said fervently, “you are. I’ve missed you.”

It couldn’t have been even a quarter as badly as she’d missed him, she thought, remembering the lonely nights when all she’d been able to think about was the single time they’d made love. She had wondered if they would ever risk a second chance. If she dared.

“I’ve missed you, too,” she said in a choked voice. “I, um, I saw that Rosa had an ad in the
Tribune
last Sunday.”

He grinned. “She was over-the-moon, as they say.”

“And her father? What did he say?”

“He bought up every copy he could find and gave them to all his friends.”

“Then I guess it was a good thing it was an ad for cosmetics, instead of lingerie.”

“Or maternity clothes,” Rick said. “Though I think he is coming to terms with her pregnancy. It’s just in the nick of time, too. The baby’s due any second.”

“And Marco? I’ve been meaning to check on him, too.”

“Marco has gone to Hollywood,” he said proudly. “You friend sent his pictures out there to a coagent, and he got him a commercial two days later. I think maybe Rosa will join him eventually. You did a good thing for them.” He fastened his gaze on hers. “The others ask about you, you know. They are waiting for you to come and help them.”

She was surprised by that and pleased.

“Will you come to Yo, Amigo again? Maybe teach another photography class? Ileana has been taking pictures like a crazy woman. She says she wants to have a portfolio ready when you come back.”

“Ileana? With the scorpion tattoo?”

He grinned. “She pretty much terrorizes her subjects into sitting for her, but she’s actually gotten some interesting results.”

“I’d love to see them.”

“I could pick you up tomorrow. We could have lunch at Tico’s. He’s been asking about you, too.” He shrugged. “Bullying me, actually. He thinks I’ve been wasting too much time before coming after you. Was he right?”

She shook her head.

“I thought maybe you needed time to get your bearings,” he explained.

“I did,” she admitted.

“And now? Do you know what you want,
querida?
” His hands were shoved into his pockets, as if he feared he might reach for her, only to have her slip away.

She nodded. If she had doubted it before, she would have known it the minute she had seen him in the living room, filling the room with his very masculine presence, just as he had done in the house she had shared with another man she had loved heart and soul.

She realized then that she had bought this town house with him in mind. She had chosen the vibrant colors for the walls and selected huge pots of hibiscus and bougainvillea to sit beside the French doors in her den, because they reminded her of the passionate man who’d brought her senses back to life. She had especially liked the privacy of the master suite on the second floor, far from the prying eyes of little boys.

“You,” she confessed softly. “I want you.”

A smile began slowly at the corners of his mouth, then spread. His hands came out of his pockets, and he opened his arms. She flew across the room into his embrace. As his arms closed tightly around her, it was like coming home again, finding a safe haven in the midst of turmoil.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. It was enough just to know the comfort of being held. Then he pulled back and gazed into her eyes.

“We’ll fight,” he warned her.

She laughed. “But you’ll let me win.”

His expression rueful, he nodded. “Sometimes. Because there is very little I could deny you.”

She touched her fingers to his lips. “Making up will be extraordinary.”

“You are extraordinary.” He stepped backward, deliberately tumbling them onto the couch with her on top. His mouth sought hers, slowly, gently, and then with a passion that made her blood roar. Everything, their surroundings, the noises from the street, the proximity of Kate and O’Flannery, all of it faded away. The only thing real was Rick and the hunger of his kisses, the heat of his body.

“Think they’ve forgotten that we’re here?” Kate whispered.

The softly spoken words broke the spell. Dana chuckled. “A good friend would have slipped discreetly out the door.”

“And left all the rest of the furniture sitting in the street?” O’Flannery asked, then added pointedly, “Including the beds?”

Rick sighed, his gaze locked with hers. “They have a point.”

“Yes,” she conceded. “Especially about the beds.”

“The faster we move, the sooner we’ll have this place to ourselves,” Rick added. He was already lifting her to her feet as he said it.

But as Dana started to follow Kate and O’Flannery outside, Rick caught her hand and tugged her back. “In case I didn’t mention it, I love you,
querida.
”

“I love you,” she said quietly.

He had been with her in twilight and in the darkest moments of her life. With any luck, the shadows were gone and the rest of their days would be all sunshine. And if that was too much to hope for, at least they both knew with absolute certainty that their love was strong enough to weather the most volatile of storms.

* * * * *