When he returns to the car with a donut and coffee for himself, and an orange juice and bottle of water for me, I answer him. “Because he wasn’t court martialed. He was tried in federal court. The fucking president threw the book at him.”
“Well, there’s a new administration now. Maybe they’ll be a little more sympathetic.” He’s thoughtful and silent again as he drives back toward Winston. When we arrive back at my house, he says, “I have to contact some people, to find out if we can get this together in four days.”
“If you don’t go with me, I’ll break him out myself,” I inform him. “I have some money saved up. We can get lost in a trailer park anywhere in the US.”
“I don’t want to be the one chasing after you, Lani. Just wait a day. I’ll get back to you tomorrow, I promise,” he assures me before I close the door. He waves as he drives off.
Doctor Dad stops by to see me as I’m eating dinner. It’s a frozen grilled chicken breast, warmed in the oven, and microwaved frozen broccoli, but it’s better than a hamburger and fries.
“You should have a salad,” he states, when he see what I’m eating.
I frown at my plate. “I’m not that hungry. I’m going to be a horrible mom.” I begin to cry when the words come out.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder. “You can still have the abortion,” he murmurs. I stop crying at the mention of it. He sits a box down on the table in front of me. “Or you could use this. It’s your decision.” He smiles at me, pats my head, then walks out. Once he’s gone, I pick it up and throw it in the trash. I’m not taking another pill to end this pregnancy. I head to my bedroom, and I take a long, hot bath. I can pee by myself. I don’t have to use a communal shower. I can come and go as I please.
Why do I wish I was in Tony’s cell right now?
Tony
I wish I could just talk to her. I wish I could just sit across from her in a restaurant, and watch her eat. I don’t even know what kind of food she likes. I wonder if she has anything planned for Saturday. I wonder if she visited her ex in the FBI. I can’t help but be jealous. I don’t even want her talking to another fucking man.
It’s probably best that I’m locked up in here. If I was out, I’d probably already be locked up again. I am foolishly crazy about her. Maybe it’s just being in here. Maybe if she was coming home to me every night, I would feel a little more secure.
I’m daydreaming. I’m never going to be with her.
Chapter Sixteen
Lani
“It’s a go,” Killian says when he wakes me up. It’s ten o’clock in the morning. I should have been awake three hours ago. But I didn’t set an alarm, and I didn’t sleep well last night. I kept thinking about the baby, and him or her growing up without a father. I mean, I can do it alone, with daycare, or a babysitter, or both. My parents might help. But I don’t want to do it by myself. I want Tony here with me. Now I’m in my kitchen, drinking my orange juice after taking my vitamins. I’m staring down at the box in my trash. I pull it out, and sit it on my counter. If I can’t get Tony out, I’m going to have to take it.
He’ll never know.
Thank God. If he found out, I’m sure he would be furious. Doctor Dad’s right. I’m not cut out to be a single parent. I work odd hours. I drive a convertible. I like casual sex and running around. I like my freedom. If I had a reason to settle down, and want to be a parent, if Tony miraculously was free, things would be very, very different. But if it doesn’t happen, I have options. I don’t like the options, but I have them.
Tony
“Who do you want if you win Saturday,” the guard says through the hatch, when he gathers my breakfast tray.
“I don’t want anyone,” I reply.
“It don’t matter. You’re fighting the beast Saturday, his broken arm is healed.”
“Who is the beast?”
“He won twelve fights before he broke an arm in a match. And he still beat the guy afterwards. You have no hope of winning. No need to order you a girl anyway.” The guard is laughing. He thinks this is some kind of joke. I guess I wouldn’t have cared, if they hadn’t thrown Lani into my cell with me the first time.
I hear the hatch close, and I start doing push-ups. I have to fucking win Saturday, for Lani.
Lani
If I’m going to be there Saturday night, I can’t look like me. They’ll know me as soon as I walk up to the door. If I go in with Killian, they’ll know it’s a set up.
I could get a wig. Or I could do something a little more drastic. I have to save Tony. I should also probably get a lawyer, just in case I can’t keep him in Winston.
I need to make a few phone calls.
I show up at the police station, just in time for lunch. Jamie is sitting at his desk, looking at his watch. “Hey,” I call out, to get his attention.
“Hey,” he replies, and jumps out of his chair. He hugs me, then he decides that’s not very professional, and pats my shoulder.
“Did you hear what happened in the ambulance?” I ask, as I sit down in the chair beside his desk.
He sits back down as well. “Yea, I heard. You’re pregnant?” He says it as low as he possibly can, but there are always ears in a police station. I nod. “I never thought you’d get pregnant before Connie.”
“Me either. It’s a shocker, that’s for sure.” I glance over his shoulder, and see Barrett’s ice blue eyes glaring at me from his office. “Does the lieutenant know where I’ve been?”
“God, no, and the fewer people who know, the better. Neither Connie nor I need to get in trouble over this. I can’t lose my job.” His phone vibrates, and he smiles. “Want to go with us for lunch?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to go see my dad. Listen, I want you to shred everything, okay? And I want Connie to delete everything as well.”
“She didn’t even do any of that shit here, they log everything. She did it at home with photo shop.”
“She’s so smart,” I say with a grin. “She really is a genius.”
“She’s glad you found out who killed Addy, but she’s upset you didn’t get a chance to arrest him.” He stands up, and puts his jacket on. “We’re all worried about you. I’ll see you when you come back, okay?”
“Okay,” I nod. As he walks away, I walk toward Barrett’s office. I am dreading this. I don’t even knock, before he opens the door and pulls me inside.
He closes the blinds on the window that looks out into the bullpen, and then he shoves me against the door. “I’ve missed you,” he whispers, before he kisses me. Three weeks ago, I might have appreciated this gesture. I might have actually got off on it, for a change. But not now.
I keep my lips tightly closed, and I gently but firmly push on his chest. He steps away, and looks shocked for a second. “I’ve met someone, Lt. I can’t do this with you anymore.”
“What the fuck do you mean you’ve met someone?” He doesn’t yell. His voice is oddly low, and rough, and his blue eyes flash anger at me.
“I’m not available to play anymore. I’m taken.” I’m not smiling about it. I’m very serious. “I’ve grown up, and moved on.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, moved on?” His voice is a low rumble, like thunder threatening when a storm is brewing. His lips are a straight line.
“Just what I said. I’ve moved on. I hope you understand.” I place my hand on the doorknob, and before I turn it, I say, “I’m going to go see my dad now. You know, your boss? I think I’m going to take him to lunch. I’ll call you and let you know when I’ve worked through my personal issues, if it’s earlier than four weeks.”
“Whatever,” he spits out, and opens the blinds again. I open the door, and close it quietly when I leave.
I take the elevator to the next floor, where my dad’s office is. When I get there, I’m nervous before I knock. But I have to tell him everything. I don’t have to tell Barrett shit, but I’ve got to come clean with my dad. I wave at his secretary, and she waves back, then I knock.
/>
He opens the door with a frown, even though he doesn’t know who’s on the other side. And when he sees me, his frown deepens. He shuts the door behind me, then returns to his desk. “I have to hear through department gossip that my daughter takes a month off for personal issues?”
Dad is an older, manlier, crabbier version of me, with what used to be dark auburn hair and fading green eyes. When he was younger, he was pretty good looking, from the pictures I’ve seen. He never remarried after he and Mom divorced, so he lives alone in a tiny house. When I bought the cottage, and Doctor Dad gave me the down payment, Dad was the one who presented me with the rest of my college fund, since I didn’t use it all for community college. I had enough to pay the payments for the first two years. Dad’s always been there for me.
“Dad,” I sob, as I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him tight. He hugs me back, a little too tight, and rubs my back as I cry. When I finally calm down, I say, “Let’s go to lunch. I’m starving.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he replies as he pats my cheek. When we’re in my car, the convertible, I begin the story. By the time we get to the restaurant, he’s been mad, sad, and happy.
After we order, I ask, “Dad, are you really happy for me? Doctor Dad scheduled an abortion. I’m so confused, I’m actually considering taking the pill he gave me.”
“I think that’s your decision, sweetheart, but I am really, very happy.” His smile says it’s the truth. “But I can’t help you break a prisoner out of federal custody. And I won’t let you house him here.”
“But Dad,” I whine loudly.
“Now, if Special Agent Burke asks me to house him, that’s a different story,” he gives me a sly grin. “And I know a fantastic lawyer, who was in the Marines. I bet he’d be glad to help you. I’ll give you his number.”
“I should have come to you when I was planning the break in.” I smile as I take a sip of water.
“Oh, hell no,” he says as he throws up his hands. “I don’t know anything about that. And the less I know, the better.”
“Dad…”
“Zip it,” he insists, as our meal is carried out to us. “Not another word. Eat your steak, you have a strong, future SEAL to feed.”
I laugh, and dig into my lunch. “I’m so glad I came to see you today.”
“Blonde,” he says with a firm nod. “And wear the lowest cut dress you can find. The men will be too busy looking at your tits to look at your…” He catches me frowning. “I’m not Captain for nothing, sweetie.” He pats my hand, and I hold his tight. “You’ll be fine. Get a holster for your inner thigh, and a tiny gun.”
“Dad!”
“What?” he asks innocently. “I’m just saying.”
“Blonde, huh?” I wonder if Tony likes blondes. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
I walk into the salon I frequent without an appointment, after lunch with my dad. When I walk out four hours later, I have light honey blonde hair. I had no idea it would take so damn long. I look at myself in the window, and I’m not sure I like it. I guess it doesn’t matter what I think. I can’t wait to see Tony’s reaction. Dad also told me where to get that holster, and a gun. I buy both, and because I’m a cop and a licensed gun owner I get to take both home with me. I pack them both in the trunk of my convertible, then I go shopping at the mall. I go into a store I’d never usually be caught dead in, and when I walk out I’m carrying the shortest, lowest cut, red dress, with the highest red heels to match, and a tiny red leather purse. I’m literally going to have to learn to walk in them.
Tony
“You have mail,” the guard says when he opens the hatch to bring my dinner tray. He flicks a postcard, and it lands at my feet. I take the dinner tray, and hand him the lunch tray. After the hatch is closed, I bend down and pick up the card. The front is a reprint of a painting of an apple tree. When I turn it over, it reads, Thinking of you, M.
I smile. I kiss the card, and then I hold it up to my face. Inhaling deeply to try to catch a trace of her scent on it, and I notice it smells like apples. I wonder if that’s what she smells like, when she’s not behind bars. I’m so fucking hard now, it hurts. I ignore my dinner. I lean my head back against the block wall, close my eyes, and imagine how she felt that first night, when she fell asleep cradled in my arms.
Chapter Seventeen
Lani
I sent Killian a text to ask him to lunch on Thursday, to get ready for what’s happening on Saturday. He replied, I’ll let you buy me lunch, and we’ll talk about Saturday.
So, I stop at the information desk, just like I used to do when I’d visit him for lunch. They call upstairs to let him know I’m coming up. I think two men in the lobby actually ran into each other staring at me. I knock on his door, and when he opens it, his eyes grow wide.
He looks right at my breasts, and says, “I think you’re lost, I’m Killian Burke.” He takes several moments for his eyes to roam over me. When I don’t say anything, he looks upward. “I’m sorry, miss…Holy Mother of God, Lani? What in the heck are you wearing? And what have you done to your gorgeous hair?”
“It’s my disguise for Saturday. It was my dad’s idea. Do you like it?”
“Jesus Christ, Lani, I don’t know what to say,” he tries not to look down past my neck, but he can’t stop himself. “Jesus Christ!”
“You’re a good Irish Catholic boy, Killian, you shouldn’t be saying that,” I reprimand him with a smile.
“You make me forget that, and I almost want to propose to you all over again,” he says, flabbergasted. He points at my breasts, and my shoes, then he covers his mouth. “I mean, Jesus Christ, Lani. I need to sit down.”
“Does this mean I can come with you Saturday?” I ask hopefully.
“I don’t know, but I’m definitely taking you out for lunch. I’ll buy, if you don’t mind me staring at your tits the entire time.”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” I say it sweetly, and bat my eyelashes.
“I don’t fucking care,” he answers, as he shakes his head. When we leave his office, after he’s calmed down, one guy gets off the elevator when we get on, and walks into the wall of the hallway staring at me. “Yes, you’re definitely going,” he says, as the door closes and we’re both staring at him.
“Yay!” I exclaim excitedly, and clap my hands.
All day Friday, I’m nervous. I go to the nail place, and have my normally natural nails painted bright red to match the dress. Then, I hang out at Dad’s after he gets off work, and we have steaks and baked potatoes, and watch a hockey game. Well, he watches, and drinks beer. Giving up beer and wine is going to be the worst part of this pregnancy. When he asked what I wanted for dinner, and I told him I was craving steak, he laughed, and reminded me that I’m carrying a future SEAL.
He notices that I’m nervous, and he pats my hand. “I have faith in Killian, and the FBI. It will go off without a hitch, and everyone will be fine.” He rubs the top of my head, messing up my newly blonde hair. “I like it, and so will Tony.”
I wish I was that sure.
Tony
“Are you sure you don’t want a girl tomorrow night?” the guard asks me, and flicks another postcard through the hatch.
“Fuck, no,” I reply. I don’t want anyone but Lani.
“Your loss,” he says.
“Hey, there is one thing.” I hurry before he closes the hatch. I’m nervous, but I have to ask. “I want to see the barber tomorrow.”
“I get it. You want to look good in your coffin. We’ll see.” He laughs as he closes the hatch.
I pick up the card, and on the front is a painting of a boat. The scent is familiar, but I can’t place it. When I turn it over, she’s written, My favorite. I miss you, M.
I wish she would include a return address, but I’m sure she knows they’re watching. One way or the other, I expect to see her soon. I know she will try her hardest to get me out of here. I know she will.
Lani
Killian and I drive up in my convertible, much less conspicuous than the fed-mobile. We’ve decided if we’re not in the right place, we’ll drive to the other spots, and keep driving around Mason County until we find it. Thankfully his FBI task force is on alert, parked at a high school just across the county line. The helicopters are in the air, and several less conspicuous cars are parked at the fast food restaurants near the prison and the jail. Two cars will be parked near the abandoned warehouse, but not close enough for comfort, and those guys are dressed in plain clothes, like Killian, and will enter the make-shift arena after us.
“I swear, even in street clothes you look like a fed,” I comment, even though I said I wouldn’t. He’s wearing jeans, and a denim button down shirt. “Stop right there.”
He’s standing at the driver’s side door of my car. I undo several of the buttons of his shirt, showing his pecs. I untuck one of the sides of his shirt, and push his brown hair off his forehead. “You don’t look half bad,” I say with a nod when I’m finished.
“Well I can guaran-damn-tee you that no one is going to be looking at me,” he says as his brown eyes take in my dress for the thousandth time. “If you’re wearing that gun you bought, and we get caught, I’ll shoot you with it myself.”
There are now three armed men at the front of the building. I’m suddenly nervous, and think about putting the gun back in the car. “It’s just a small gun, they won’t find it.” He’s given me a temporary, laminated ID badge, and I’ve got it hanging on a silver chain around my neck and tucked against my rib cage. I’m also wearing five other silver chains in varying lengths, so I don’t think they’ll notice.
Prisoner and Together: All of You series complete set Page 12