Love Against the Law

by Justine Klavon

  “Gaping hole,” Sammi admitted quietly with a theatrical frown.

  The doctor chuckled and shook his head at Sammi. He patted her knee on her uninjured leg before updating her chart and saying goodnight.

  “I like him,” Sammi said happily after Dr. Brock had left the room, her eyelids still heavy. She turned toward Mack again, holding his hand and pulling his arm toward her to nuzzle against.

  “I think he likes you too,” Eli replied smartly and smirked at Mack.

  “Who wouldn’t like Sammi?” Mack shot back at him, petting his wife’s hair.

  “No fighting,” Kodi warned the boys from the windowsill.

  Sammi seemed oblivious as she snuggled closer into Mack’s arm. Her eyes were getting more and more difficult to keep open and her husband was so warm and comfortable. She wanted nothing more than to be at home in bed with the man she loved holding her. And that’s all she thought about as she drifted back to sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I’m Gonna Love You

  The next four days were similar to the first day Sammi woke up in the hospital. Eli, Kodi, and Mack were by her side with Kodi keeping the peace between the testosterone-fueled boys every day. Dr. Brock kept his routine of checking in on Sammi twice a day and was pleased with the decrease in drama in the room. Local detectives came around on the second day to take Sammi’s statement, which made Eli visibly uncomfortable and was the only thing that got him out of the room.

  On the fifth day, Sammi was finally released and got to go home. She was walking with a bit of a limp until her calf muscle healed, but it was better for her to be taking it easy anyway. Dr. Brock sat down with her before releasing her to go over her restrictions and medications. She wasn’t supposed to return to work for two weeks and, even then, she was going to have to be on desk duty until her side was healed almost entirely.

  “I want to see you once a week to start out with, just to make sure your side stays on track,” Dr. Brock told Sammi after explaining everything.

  “That’s fine by me. I’m going to miss seeing you every day,” Sammi teased, playfully bumping his arm with her shoulder.

  “Are you done flirting with the doctor yet?” Mack asked, lighthearted, as he waited by the door for his wife.

  Mack had already been by the house to make sure the front porch was free of blood and the house was completely cleaned and fully restocked so that Sammi had nothing to worry about. Kodi was going to stay in the spare bedroom for the two weeks before Sammi went back to work so Mack could return to his job awhile. Nobody knew what Eli’s plans were as they all finally left the hospital together and Eli went his separate way.

  Sammi had the backseat of Kodi’s car to herself but she sat in the middle, popping her head upfront between Kodi in the driver seat and Mack riding shotgun so she wouldn’t feel left out. She couldn’t believe how great it felt just to be out of that hospital room and back in the real world.

  “Here, this is yours,” Mack said from the passenger seat and handed the still flawlessly brand-new wallet containing Sammi’s detective badge to his wife behind him.

  Sammi took the badge from him and sat back in her seat to look at it. The day she had gotten the stupid thing was the day she almost died and that meant something to her. She just didn’t know what yet.

  When they pulled into the driveway, Sammi held onto the badge as she got out of the car. She knew that Mack had cleaned off the front porch, but she still expected to find something that would spook her as she approached the scene of her attempted homicide. There was nothing to be seen that would even hint that somebody was nearly murdered there, but Sammi still got the chills as she stepped up onto the cement porch. As she stopped to take a look around, her face fell at the absence of her off-duty pistol.

  “I guess the detectives have my gun,” Sammi pouted and stuck out her bottom lip for dramatic effect.

  “We’ll get you a better one,” Mack offered sincerely as he hooked his arm around her back to guide her inside and away from the bad memories.

  Mack steered Sammi into the kitchen where Kodi was already organizing her medications at the counter. Sammi sat down at the kitchen table and placed her badge on the tabletop. The excitement of coming home had drained her of energy and every one of her muscles ached with weakness. Her body slouched forward in the chair and she had to stop herself from resting her head on the table.

  “Hey, babe, are you okay?” Mack asked and put his hand on Sammi’s shoulder from behind, watching her body language closely.

  “I’m just tired,” Sammi sighed in reply without turning to look at him, trying to shake him off. She started to yawn but quickly fought it back to hide it from her hovering husband.

  “Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Mack said, wrapping his fingers around her slender arm.

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon,” Sammi argued with a feeble attempt at yanking her arm away from him.

  “Sam, I’m exhausted too. I haven’t slept much in five days. I know I’d sleep a lot better with you by my side,” Mack told her, feigning innocence.

  Sammi finally turned toward her husband and glared at him, knowing he would say anything to make her go to bed. But she had been dreaming about sharing a bed with Mack again for five days, so she willingly stood up and followed him into their bedroom. She waited for Mack to lie down first, prepared to continue fighting him if he was just tricking her, then she lay down beside him and snuggled into his solid chest. He was gentle with her, still afraid of breaking her, as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him. Having been truthful about being tired, Mack was asleep within minutes and his steady breathing lulled Sammi to sleep as well.

  *

  Mack woke up two hours later, feeling super comfortable and refreshed. Sammi was still sleeping peacefully across his chest so he gently kissed the top of her head before carefully rolling out from under her and off the bed. He made sure he hadn’t disturbed Sammi enough to wake her before slipping quietly out of the room.

  Kodi was in the kitchen making dinner for everyone and Mack felt bad about disappearing on her the moment they had gotten home. They had talked about her staying there for the two weeks just to keep an eye on Sammi while Mack went back to work, but he hadn’t expected her to take care of all of them. He was grateful for her ability to make herself feel at home, though.

  “Aren’t you tired?” Mack asked Kodi as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

  “Yeah, but I’ll sleep tonight,” Kodi told him. “Is Sammi up too?”

  “No, I’m kind of hoping she sleeps through the night,” Mack replied, picking up the detective badge on the table and absentmindedly playing with it.

  “Well, she’s gotta eat, Mack, and take her meds,” Kodi reminded him.

  “Then you can wake her up,” Mack said jokingly, having no intention of waking Sammi up himself.

  Kodi finished cooking and serving three dishes of pot pie before realizing Mack really wasn’t going to get Sammi. Sticking her tongue out at him, she snatched up Mack’s cellphone from the table and used it to dial Sammi’s number. They both heard Sammi’s Mötley Crüe ringtone in the next room and then it stopped suddenly, followed by a thud as the phone hit the bedroom wall. Kodi quickly put Mack’s phone back down in front of him as Sammi emerged groggily from the master bedroom.

  “That’s how you wake up your injured wife?” Sammi asked, exaggerating a frown as she limped sleepily over to her husband.

  “Thanks a lot, Kodi,” Mack grumbled as he took Sammi’s hand and swept her onto his lap.

  Kodi smiled victoriously and slid the third plate of pot pie across the table to Sammi. Sammi tried to eat as much as she could but her appetite hadn’t been normal since she’d been shot. Then she took her meds and excused herself to go take a shower, seeming to be in a bit of a hurry to get away from her friends.

  While Sammi was in the shower, Kodi and Mack hung out in the loft. Mack was hoping Sammi would be up for a movie, overly eager to sp
end some quality time with her, so he was flipping through the choices on the television to find a good one. Kodi was pretending to browse the shelves that lined the walls of the loft for something to read, but she was looking for the notebooks that she and Sammi had used to write out their heists. Suddenly they both heard a strange thump that rang throughout the house and caused Kodi and Mack to look at each other.

  “Sammi!” Mack and Kodi cried out at the same time as they dropped what they were doing and ran to the master bedroom.

  The shower in the master bathroom was still running so Kodi stayed back while Mack entered the bathroom to check on his wife. Sammi was picking herself up off the shower floor and reaching for the foggy glass door as Mack readied a towel for her. As soon as Sammi opened the shower door, all Mack saw was the tiny drop of blood on the corner of Sammi’s forehead.

  “What happened?” Mack asked more aggressively than he had intended.

  “I’m fine!” Sammi replied angrily, ripping the towel out of Mack’s hand.

  “No, you’re not,” Mack told her, softly now, as he wiped the blood off her forehead with his thumb and showed it to her.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Sammi said defensively. “I just underestimated how drowsy my meds make me.”

  “Oh, Sammi,” Mack sighed as he pulled her into a hug and held her for a moment.

  Sammi’s passing out in the shower made Kodi and Mack worry more about her and want to keep much closer eyes on her. Mack considered delaying his return to work and Kodi supported the idea, but Sammi put her foot down and insisted that they both give her room to breathe and that Mack go back to work already.

  *

  So the next morning, Sammi slept in while Mack got ready and left for work. Sammi was in such a deep sleep that Mack couldn’t have woken her if he wanted to. When Sammi finally did wake up, she was sad that she was alone in bed but happy that Mack had respected her need for space to heal. She loved Mack with everything she had, but his lack of confidence in her, even after the number of times she’d proven her strength, was enough to drive her away.

  “Sometimes I like it so much better when it’s just you and me,” Sammi said casually to Kodi over breakfast later that morning.

  “That’s because I don’t hover over you like Mack does,” Kodi told her and Sammi nodded in agreement.

  After breakfast, the girls continued their Mack-free day by making themselves comfortable for a movie in the loft. Sammi, who was usually one for a cheap, gruesome horror flick, opted for a mindless comedy that day. She was dozing off before the opening credits had even finished but managed to pull through the sleepy haze with the help of Kodi keeping conversation with her. Once the movie was over, Kodi got up to shut the television off and glanced at the shelves in the cornering wall.

  “Hey, Sammi,” Kodi said suddenly, still looking at the wall. “What did you do with those notebooks we had up here?”

  Sammi’s face fell and her body froze on the couch. The notebooks she had wanted to remove from plain sight had been left out in the open when Shay had broken into the house. Sammi tried to remember if she had seen Shay with them or not but she couldn’t recall seeing Shay until she was standing over her on the front porch.

  “Um, I’m kind of hoping Shay has them,” Sammi admitted with a big gulp of guilt. “Because if she doesn’t, the police department does.”

  Suddenly, the doorbell rang and both girls jumped from surprise. Sammi got up to answer it, but Kodi quickly threw her arm out in front of her to stop her. Then she took Sammi’s hand and led her into the guest bedroom where there was a window with a view of the driveway. Kodi looked first and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  “It’s the lost puppy,” Kodi said with a giggle and headed for the front door. Sammi followed her with a look of confusion but she understood when Kodi opened the door and let Eli into the house.

  Eli’s eyes took in every inch of the house as he entered. He uncomfortably ran his hand through his hair as his gaze landed on Sammi. It was strange for Sammi to see him in her home and she was all of a sudden very aware of how much she had changed in the past two years.

  “Sammi, can we talk before I lose my nerve?” Eli asked quietly, his voice shaking with anxiety.

  Nodding, Sammi led Eli through the kitchen to the back door. It was nice outside and Sammi had been craving fresh air since her hospital stay, so the former lovers sat on the back porch to talk in privacy.

  “You know I’ve always believed that people design their own future and create their own luck. That’s why we’re thieves,” Eli told Sammi, leaning in towards her and talking nervously with his hands. “But this whole thing has left me feeling like some things do happen for a reason. What are the chances that I showed up in time to save your life? And you’re going to think I’m crazy, but I swear that you woke up in the hospital right after I kissed you. I never believed in fate until you came into my life. But you are my fate, Sammi. I know this in my heart.”

  As Eli finished speaking, he looked deep into Sammi’s widened blue eyes. Sammi had not been expecting anything he had just said, and she was too surprised to reply right away. The only part she immediately agreed with was that she thought he was crazy. She took a moment to collect her own feelings and took a deep breath before responding.

  “Eli, I will never not want you in my life. We’ve had a rocky past, but I’ve seen you grow into a better person,” Sammi spoke kindly and softly. “But I am in love with Mack. He is my husband and I adore him and his selflessness. And it would make me incredibly happy if you guys could get along.”

  “Well, I’m not going anywhere,” Eli assured her. “So, Mack is either going to have to accept me or kill me.”

  Eli smiled, but there was a nervous gleam in his eyes. It wasn’t a secret that he believed Sammi to be worth killing for. He just had to hope that Mack didn’t feel the same way.

  Kodi ended up ordering sandwiches for the three of them for lunch and they all sat around the kitchen table to eat. Eli hung out until after lunch then hugged both of his friends goodbye. After he had gone, Sammi told Kodi about their conversation on the back porch but Kodi didn’t look the least bit surprised.

  “So, is he on the team again, too?” Kodi asked, sounding annoyed. She and Sammi were still sitting at the kitchen table and Sammi was taken aback by her best friend’s sudden attitude.

  “I haven’t even said anything to him about it,” Sammi replied defensively. “It’s not like we’re stealing anything anytime soon.”

  “I knew you were going to flake out again,” Kodi said, shaking her head in disappointment. “Your indecisiveness is giving me whiplash.”

  Before Sammi could respond, Kodi stood up and walked into the guestroom. Sammi was aware that she was constantly back and forth with what she wanted to do, but she had other people in her life to consider and was having a hard time trying to make everyone happy. Plus, things kept happening and people kept coming back into her life that were pulling her in all different directions.

  Kodi didn’t come out of the bedroom so Sammi decided to give her some space. The morning had been eventful enough to leave Sammi feeling sleepy, but she didn’t want to seclude herself in the master bedroom in case Kodi wanted to talk. So, she went up to the loft, threw Die Hard in the DVD player because she’d seen it a hundred times, and snuggled onto the couch with a heavy blanket. Two minutes later, she was out like a light.

  *

  Hiding in her room until Mack got home, Kodi eventually felt bad about taking her frustration out on Sammi. It was Sammi who was frustrating her, but she knew she could’ve handled the situation better and just talked to her best friend instead of getting short with her. She really just wanted Sammi to be happy and she knew all Sammi had to do was rob one place and she would get her spark back. She wasn’t so sure about involving Eli, though.

  When Mack got home, Kodi met him out in the kitchen. He had picked up a pizza for dinner and was in a good mood, looking forward to seeing his wife
after an exhausting day at work and the lonely drive home. But his entire demeanor changed as Kodi told him about Eli’s little visit earlier that day.

  “I’m getting really sick of this,” Mack growled.

  “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Kodi calmly requested. “Sammi shot him down and proclaimed her love for you to him.”

  “Where is Sammi?” Mack asked, suddenly realizing there was no sight nor sound of his wife.

  “I haven’t seen her in a few hours,” Kodi admitted, immediately feeling guilty.

  Mack gave her a look to let her know that he was pissed off at her for not keeping an eye on Sammi before darting into the master bedroom to look for her. On a hunch, Kodi ran up to the loft and found Sammi fast asleep on the couch, curled up in a ball with a blanket wrapped around her. Kodi knelt down beside her and gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.

  “Hey, bestie, dinner’s here,” Kodi said quietly as soon as Sammi’s eyes opened.

  “Kodi, I’m so sorry,” Sammi said, sitting up right away. “I don’t want to jerk you around anymore. We’re going to steal again, I promise. I just need to be a hundred and ten percent before I’m ready.”

  “No, Sam, I’m sorry,” Kodi replied and sat down next to her friend on the couch. “I have no right to rush you after what you’ve been through. The whole team has to be ready, not just me.”

  Then the friends went downstairs and joined Mack to eat dinner without any mention of Eli. Mack talked about work and told Sammi that everyone missed her and hoped she’d make a speedy recovery. Sammi hardly believed him and found it difficult to care either way.

  Mack finally asked Sammi about Eli as they got ready for bed a little later that night. Sammi was honest with him about everything Eli said and how she assured him that she was in love with her husband. Hearing these words coming from his wife, Mack couldn’t help but smile. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soft golden hair.

  *

  The next day, Sammi’s and Kodi’s friendship was back to normal and they sat down to rework their heist plans that had been stolen. Agreeing that physical copies were too incriminating, they chose to keep everything in a secured folder on Sammi’s laptop instead this time. They still planned on it just being the two of them and Howard, partly out of distrust of Eli and partly out of greed with wanting to split everything three ways instead of four.