Code of Silence

by Heather Woodhaven

  “What? Luke, don’t you dare tease about this.” His mother’s voice rose an octave. “If you boys keep getting yourselves mixed up with the mafia, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

  Luke glanced at Gabriella’s eager face and thought of her own mother, who did end up having a heart attack. “Ma, I’m serious and don’t even joke about that. They’re holding my friend Gabriella’s great-aunt hostage. The switch is supposed to happen here in—”

  The sound of wind chimes filled his ear and then, nothing. He pulled the phone down to take a good look. His shoulders sagged. “The battery died. There’s a chance she got enough information to send for help, but now—”

  “We’re on our own.”

  FIFTEEN

  Gabriella pulled out the strap from the deposit bag, attached it to either end and twisted the key to lock the bag. She slipped the key into the pocket of her jeans. A steely calm settled over her nerves.

  Help wasn’t on the way because she’d refused to ask for it until too late. If she’d listened to Luke earlier, she might’ve had more options, but she couldn’t see reason until Rodrigo spelled out the truth. Even if she did convince Benito that her great-aunt wasn’t a risk, they were likely going to kill her.

  But the Mirabella family didn’t know about Luke yet, and she intended to keep it that way. “I’m going alone.”

  He laughed aloud, but his eyes flashed with frustration. “If you say that one more time, Gabriella...”

  “I’m not trying to be a martyr here, Luke. I have a plan to stall them until help arrives. I’ll turn the tables on them. I let them know I have Rodrigo. That he plans to be a witness.”

  “Keep me out of it,” Rodrigo shouted. She ignored the threats he unleashed yet again.

  “So you want me to stay here,” Luke stated. “Not going to happen.”

  “To stay with Rodrigo.” She gestured at the weapon on the top of the counter. “I imagine his gun alone will tie the family to some more crimes.”

  He gritted his teeth and took a step closer to her. The intensity in his gaze made her breath catch. “For me it was never a rebound, Gabriella.” He shook his head. “I was totally head over heels in love with you.” He looked at the ceiling. “But too immature to handle rejection.” His eyes met her gaze. “Even though that wasn’t your intention. I understand that now. But seeing you again...you haven’t changed. You’re the best friend I haven’t seen in years. My heart missed you, Gabriella, and if you think I’m going to let you walk through that door alone when you might not come...” He swallowed and shook his head. “We go together or not at all.”

  She pressed a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, willing her throat to stop throbbing with every beat of her heart so she could speak again. He’d loved her? He had been her best friend, and no one had ever matched the friendship they’d developed...

  If she was honest with herself, her heart missed him, too, but could she really say that she loved him with everything going on? What if it was all adrenaline induced? What if he changed his mind and moved on, leaving her to take years to recover again? If they got out of this, there would be so much to sort through before her life calmed down. Could he really be there for all of that? After her name would likely be dragged in the mud?

  “I just want you to hear me, Gabriella. I’m not expecting you to say anything. My timing, as usual, probably stinks.”

  She opened her eyes and her chest warmed. It was exactly what she needed him to say. Another exhale helped her focus. “I love my great-aunt, and I have to at least try.”

  He raised an eyebrow, but his blue eyes never strayed. “So let’s go.”

  “And Rodrigo?”

  “Look at him. He can’t go anywhere. And even if he made it around the room, he’d never be able to get up those stairs.”

  It was true that Luke helped her keep a level head, and he didn’t look ready to back down. Had he really meant that? Was he really in love with her? She reached for his right hand. Luke wrapped his fingers around her hand. “Okay. Let’s go,” she said. “The clock is ticking. We have less than an hour to get across the property, and we don’t even know the weather and...”

  He moved her hand to his heart and bowed his head. “Be with us, Lord.” His eyes flashed open. “Now, we go.”

  The pain of constantly tense muscles vanished. She inhaled. “Together.”

  “Help me move the mini fridge?”

  She didn’t understand what he meant until she helped haul it to the bottom step. Luke closed the door and then kicked the fridge so it leaned against the door to block it. “A precautionary measure.”

  Her heartbeat reminded her of a ticking clock. Time moved too fast. There were several miles to cover to get back to the front gate. And depending on the weather, they’d never get there fast enough. Rodrigo said he had a vehicle in the foothills, but that again would take too long to reach. Besides, as soon as he knew her intentions, she couldn’t trust a word out of his mouth. Not that he had been truthful anyway.

  They crossed the wooden floor, and Gabriella shoved the barn door open. The rainfall had diminished to a drizzle, but the air smelled dirty, like a wet dog who sat too close to a campfire.

  “This isn’t going to be a fun hike,” Luke remarked.

  Gabriella threw the strap diagonally over her torso. She had put her mother’s and Rodrigo’s guns in the deposit bag with the rest of the evidence. It had to weigh at least thirty pounds, and her shoulder already smarted with the pressure. Luke carried the other guns. One thing was for sure: neither of them would be able to run.

  Her mind made up, she turned due south.

  “This is the fastest way?”

  She cringed, knowing she’d be testing their friendship. But it was the only way. “It will be,” she acknowledged.

  Every step kicked up dust around her ankles. They passed the final corner of the barn. She spotted the stable in the distance, a little way up the hillside. Luke staggered to a stop. “Wait a minute.” He gave her a questioning look.

  She worried her lip. “Sorry.”

  He groaned and dropped his head. “Horses. Why’d it have to be horses?”

  “I’ll take care of everything. They’ll come to me. I’ll saddle them. You don’t have to get near them.”

  “Until we need to ride them.”

  She shrugged. “Or you could...”

  He held up a hand. “Don’t even start that again.” He shook his head and trudged forward. “Horses,” he muttered.

  “I hope they’re okay. They’re able to access the stables at all times but even in storms, sometimes they favor standing together in the pasture rather than coming in. I’m worried about them. If they inhaled all the dust...”

  “Then they won’t be very speedy,” Luke finished.

  She flicked open the latch on the front of the stable door. Inside there was a long row of stalls, but only two of them had the back end open. There was some dust on the floor, but thankfully nothing like she imagined. She opened the gate to the two stalls in question and walked past the water and grain bucket. The water would need to be changed immediately. She pointed to the hose hanging over a beam. “Are you up for it?”

  “Pretty sure I can do that one-handed. Why don’t these two stalls have a divide between them?”

  “Horses are social. Ours don’t like to be separated.”

  Gabriella walked through the stable and into the second hallway behind the stable—the one that led to the open pasture. Here the dust and sand looked to be almost an inch thick. But there were hoofprints leading up to the stables and back out.

  “Good news. I think they sought out shelter during the storm.” She reentered the stable and ducked her fingers underneath the stream of water out of the hose. “I hope they still come when I call. I haven’t done this
in ages.” She flung the water off her hands and stepped back into the hallway.

  Unfortunately, Luke stared right at her. She turned away slightly. She’d never had an audience before, and what she was about to do was a bit...odd. Gabriella tucked her lips underneath her teeth, stuck her index fingers inside her mouth and released a high-pitched, loud whistle.

  “I can’t believe you.”

  Gabriella turned to the sound of Luke’s voice, her cheeks flaming. “I know...it’s a little unladylike, but it works.”

  He frowned. “You’ve known how to do that all this time and never taught me? I’ve always wanted to be able to whistle like that.”

  Gabriella laughed. Luke never ceased to surprise her. Was there anything he wouldn’t accept about her? Her face fell at the thought. She really was falling for him, wasn’t she? She gritted her teeth and inhaled. If she softened now she wouldn’t be able to do what was necessary to save her aunt. “Maybe I’ll show you sometime.”

  His eyes glinted. “My brothers will be jealous.”

  A soft neigh and the sound of hooves approaching echoed against the cement walls as two magnificent animals entered the long hallway. “There are my ladies. You want some hay?”

  They knew that word. They quickened their pace toward her. Gabriella flicked her hand. “Get out of sight, Luke. They don’t know you.”

  Her gaze drifted to the bale of hay. Dust in hay meant dust inside the horses’ lungs. “This won’t do.” She picked up the bale and carried it past the gate. She closed the gates and talked in hushed tones. “Let me get the hay, ladies.”

  They stuck their muzzles in the space over the gate, as if waiting to see a show. Gabriella strode past the other stalls to get to the gargantuan pile of hay bales. Luke stood in the third stall. “Is this really necessary?” he whispered. “Or are you doing it for my sake?”

  She shrugged. “Does it have to be one or the other?” Even the light banter drove her crazy. They should be at the front of the gate by now. She hurriedly grabbed the first couple of hay bales and threw them behind her. Hopefully the bales more toward the center would have less dust. Something buzzed past her, but she didn’t hesitate to grab the next bale and then...

  Gabriella froze. Bees buzzed past her head.

  “Don’t move,” Luke said behind her. “Looks like they thought they found a good place to gather during the storm.”

  Acknowledging him would mean opening her mouth, and she wasn’t about to do that. More buzzing around her. Had they built a hive somewhere in the stable walls? Or worse, at the back of the hay bales?

  She took a step backward. One buzzed into her hair. She flinched and an uncontrollable screech escaped. A sharp sting on the side of her neck. She slapped the side of her face, arms flailing, and ran down the hall until the buzzing stopped.

  Luke ran to her, his face pale. “Did you?”

  She lifted her chin. Please let him say it was my imagination.

  “Stay still.” Luke’s fingers grazed the area just underneath her chin. A small scratch and then he straightened. “I think I got the stinger out.”

  Gabriella rubbed her forehead. Her eyes burned. Whether it was psychological or not, her face already itched. “We can’t win.” Her voice sounded as pitiful as she felt. How could she save her aunt when her body would start attacking itself?

  * * *

  Luke’s stomach twisted. He exhaled forcefully after realizing he’d been holding his breath. A look over his shoulder confirmed the bees were still buzzing around the hay bales, but they were leaving them alone farther down the hallway.

  Gabriella scratched her face.

  His heart lurched to his throat. “It’s starting? Can you still breathe?”

  She nodded and tears ran down her cheek. “It doesn’t happen immediately. At least it didn’t last time.”

  “How soon?”

  “I don’t know.” She sniffed and ran her fingertips underneath her eyes to stop the tears. “Soon.”

  “The EpiPen. You said you had one in the glove compartment of your car.”

  The area just below her chin turned into a red circle. Her lips seemed puffier than they had a second ago. Was it his imagination? He racked his brain. His friend from junior high had a bee allergy. What had he said? That they should move the least amount possible so the bee venom doesn’t spread as fast.

  “Stay here.”

  “But...”

  He held up a finger. “Don’t talk. Stay still.” He strode to the gate and flung it open. Mercifully, the horses didn’t run. But to ensure that at least one of them would stay put he’d need to step behind them and close the back exit. His scalp tingled, and his breathing grew shallow. He could do this. He just needed to make sure he didn’t spook them.

  Luke lifted his shaking right hand and let the horse on the right smell him. She eyed him and lifted her head slightly as if she was saying, “Whoa. What happened to you?”

  “It’s been a bad day,” Luke said in hushed tones. “And I could really use your help not making it an even worse one.” He glided his hand up her neck and across the side, so the horse would know where he was at all times. “So, if you could please not kick me in the head, that’d be great.”

  He froze at the back flank. The horse whipped her tail, seemingly annoyed.

  Luke closed his eyes and took another step. So far so good. He opened his eyes and gently pulled the back door closed. He took a giant step until he was back at the flank and realized he’d been holding his breath. “Thank you,” he exhaled.

  He grabbed the saddle with his right hand. He’d need to make quick work of it, but that’d be difficult—almost impossible—with only one good arm to do the job. The horse stepped slightly to the side. Luke jerked and spun around. Gabriella’s face looked splotchy, and her forehead was creased.

  “What are you doing? I told you to stay put.”

  “If you want to save me in time, you’ll need help.” She slipped on the bit underneath the horse’s tongue and flicked up the reins over its ears.

  Luke strained his back as he flung the saddle on top of the horse. “Sorry,” he muttered to the mare. “But if you help, the venom will take hold faster—”

  Gabriella grabbed her throat with both hands, her eyes wide. “It’s so itchy.”

  They were running out of time. He groaned as he enlisted the help of his other arm. The searing pain of the movement almost sent him to his knees. Hot moisture seeped through the bandage and into his shirt, but he’d rather die fighting to save Gabriella than lose her when he hadn’t given it his all. He latched the saddle, kicked the water bucket over and used it as a stepping stool.

  Luke mounted the horse and situated himself as far back as possible. He reached for Gabriella with his good arm. She pressed off the bucket and mounted just in front of him. With slight pressure from his left heel, he guided the horse closer to the gate. As soon as they were into the front hallway he shoved the gate closed to keep the other horse from running free.

  “Hang on,” he whispered, gave the mare a light kick and launched into motion.

  They ducked as they ran through the front stable entry into the open. Luke wrapped his arm around Gabriella to help her balance and kept the reins in his right hand. She said nothing but pointed in the northeast direction.

  His fist clenched the reins. If she pointed without talking did that mean her throat was closing? Luke pressed his right knee into the horse, leading its canter in the right direction. The movement and the struggle to align his hip movements with the horse’s movements pulled at his other wound.

  The dizzy sensation returned. Help me stay conscious, Lord. I need Your help. If he were a lighter man he’d no doubt have passed out by now. He had all those double cheeseburgers and weight-lifting sessions to thank for his mass and the fact that he could probab
ly stand to lose more blood than the average fellow.

  They passed the alfalfa fields and weaved between trees. The lake was in sight now. He guided the horse on the grass, as close to the beach as possible. If they stayed on this course, then...there! He could see the house.

  Luke leaned forward slightly, pushing the horse to go faster. Gabriella jostled in his arms for a moment, then drooped. “No, no, no. Hang on. Hang on, Gabriella!” She didn’t move or respond.

  The horse slowed to a trot until Luke pressed his leg into its side again. “We need to help her!”

  All the pain from his wounds disappeared from his awareness. The only sensation—lava in his core—remained. He rode past the shed, the shovel on the ground... “Faster!” They rounded the corner of the house and onto the driveway. The horse trotted to the side of his truck. Luke jumped off the horse onto the top of his truck, dragging Gabriella with him, tucking her within the safety of his arms. His back hit the roof, but he moved before the pain could set.

  He slid Gabriella off his torso and onto the hood of his car. Her face was a sickly shade of purple, her lips swollen, her neck covered in splotches. “I can’t lose you. Gabriella, hang on!”

  Luke sprinted to her car. He dove for the largest rock he could see near the lake’s edge and smashed it into the passenger side window of her car. The glass shattered, sprinkling all around his feet. The car alarm pierced the still air around him.

  He reached past the jagged remaining shards to the glove compartment. He pulled up the lever and felt it give way. “Be there, be there...”

  Underneath an auto manual and the car registration he spied the corner of a green box. He grabbed it and ran to the hood of his truck as he opened the box. He yanked out the first injector, flicked off the yellow lid and stabbed the pen into the side of her thigh.

  His own breathing ragged, he watched her face. “Please...breathe...”

  She didn’t move, she didn’t flinch. “Come on...” He pressed the area that he’d injected, hoping that’d help the medicine absorb faster into her body. Though he had no idea if that would do any good.