Love or Justice

by Rachel Mannino

  “We can’t tell the women.” Albert’s hand cut through the air.

  “Why?” Bob stood up straight.

  “Would your wife just let you up and leave to go track down a mob boss?” Albert’s expression grew impatient.

  Bob thought about it for a minute, then shook his head no.

  “Neither would mine. His would insist on going with him.” Albert pointed to Dante.

  Dante smiled and gave a small laugh—his father was right.

  “The women can’t know.” Albert laid a hand on the table, his expression sober. “It’s for their protection. In case anything happens, or Kaimi’s men track Laurie here, it’s better if they don’t know where we are.”

  Dante nodded absently. He couldn’t let his thoughts wander too far down that road. The idea of Kaimi’s men even being in the same state with Laurie made every muscle tense. He assured himself they were well hidden, they were safe, and Laurie would be safe until he returned.

  Bob agreed not to tell Gabriella. Next, Bob plucked his cell phone from his pocket and began to call in a few favors at the airbases he wanted to pass through.

  With plans now laid, Dante’s heart sank. He had a handful of days left with Laurie. This plan was one thing he wasn’t going to share with her. His father clapped him on the shoulder, distracting him from his thoughts.

  “His days are numbered now. I’ll keep up on the investigation. Hopefully, we’ll get a good lead from there.” Albert grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes.

  Dante nodded as he watched his father roll up the maps. He stared at the table, before they headed for the door of the barn. Switching off the light, he followed his father and uncle out into the frigid November air. Dante shivered, quickening his step, anxious to spend time with the woman he now had to leave.

  Dante was first in the door, and the smell of his mother’s lasagna hit him like a cloud, mingled with the warmth of the kitchen. He looked over at the table to find Laurie busy setting out plates and cups. She looked up at him and smiled, setting down the last plate in her hand. He strode over to her. He pulled her hard against him, and gave her a short, searing kiss—a promise for more to come later. She squeezed him back, laughing into his ear.

  “What was that for?” She tilted her head back, looking up at him with a bewildered expression.

  “Nothing.” He shrugged. He wanted to kiss her again, but he thought better of it as he caught his father’s sour expression out of the corner of his eye. He just smiled, hugging her tighter, despite his father’s disapproving grimace.

  His mother however, beamed at him, as she walked to the table with a steaming casserole dish. He gave Laurie a final squeeze and released her so they could sit down for dinner.

  “So what is your project?” Gabriella asked. Dante stared at the plate in front of him, not moving a muscle.

  “New posts for the fence.” Albert glanced up at her.

  “Aren’t you finished with those yet?” Emma frowned.

  “We have a long border, dear.” Albert looked at his dinner. “I want to make extra so I don’t have to work so hard when I don’t have all of these extra hands around.”

  “Well, when you’re finally done with those posts, we need to check the fence around the orchard.” Emma slid her eyes over to Gabriella. “Maybe we can go over there tomorrow.”

  “That was a masterful suggestion, Emma.” Bob winked at her. “Say, you wouldn’t be trying to sell the place off to me and Gabriella now would you?”

  “Oh, Bob.” Emma’s voice filled with exasperation. “You should at least look at it!”

  Bob chuckled, picking up his napkin to settle it in his lap.

  “It’s a beautiful house. I’d move into it in a heartbeat.” Laurie smiled at Emma.

  “Did she pay you to say that?” Bob poked at his dinner.

  “No. It’s beautiful. Really.” Laurie laughed.

  “We’ll go over and see the orchard tomorrow, we promise.” Gabriella’s voice flowed over the chaotic conversation like warm honey.

  “Wonderful.” Emma clapped her hands together.

  “Wonderful,” Bob repeated, shaking his head.

  Emma leveled a frustrated stare in his direction.

  “Gee, Emma, with the way you’re looking at me, it’s no wonder I don’t want to live any closer.” Bob grinned. The boys started laughing, and a smile broke over everyone’s face.

  Emma struggled to keep her stern expression, but a smile bubbled to the surface.

  Dinner took well over two hours, as the adults talked and talked over dinner, pie, and coffee and tea. The boys finally gave up and went into the living room to watch TV. Around 10:00 p.m., Laurie began yawning behind her hand, while staring out into space. Dante leaned over, rubbing her back.

  “I think it’s time for us to head upstairs.” He smiled at her.

  ***

  Laurie

  Dante strode upstairs behind Laurie. When they got to the bedroom, Dante caught her hand as she headed toward the dresser.

  She smiled up at him.

  “Hi,” she said.

  She gave him her sexiest smile as she walked back toward him.

  He smiled into her bedroom eyes, shaking his head.

  “I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dread crept across her shoulders.

  “Let’s sit down.”

  He led her to the bed. She felt an icy chill sweep through her. He squeezed her hand.

  “Laurie, my dad got a call today. They found Katherine and Easton James.”

  Sadness swept over Laurie. She looked up at Dante’s warm brown eyes. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she had to know for sure.

  “Are they dead?”

  He nodded.

  Laurie’s mouth went dry. She swallowed hard, tasting ash and dust. She looked away from him. A sharp pain knifed through her heart as she thought of the boney little boy with the haunted blue eyes.

  “Their bodies were found in a reservoir on Kauai.”

  She swallowed hard again, fighting the tears. He put his arms around her, pulling her to him. He held her head against his heart, and he rocked her as she began to sniffle.

  “I was right there.”

  “There was nothing you could do, Laurie.” He ran his fingers through her hair.

  “But I should have done something, Dante, screamed, shouted, something.”

  “He would have killed them both and you before the police even made it to the room. He wanted revenge more than anything.”

  She shook her head against his chest. She let out the breath she’d been holding in a blast of air. Dante pulled her back, holding her face in his hands.

  “You didn’t kill them.” Dante wiped away a few years. “He did. It’s his fault, Laurie. He’ll pay for that.”

  “When? They can’t even find him!”

  “Soon. He’ll be found soon. He’ll pay for what he did.”

  Laurie nodded, though she felt a bottomless despair. Her chest ached. Dante held her for a while, running his hands through her hair and down her back. He kissed her forehead.

  Laurie listened to Dante’s heartbeat, letting that soothe her. She closed her eyes. She’d known Katherine and Easton might not survive. She knew this moment might come. Yet, she’d hoped. She’d hoped that somehow, the FBI would find Kaimi with his hostages still alive. Now, Katherine and Easton could only be remembered and avenged. Laurie would make sure that happened. She would make sure Katherine and Easton had their day in court.

  “You know, as much as Kaimi is a criminal, I think once he’s behind bars I might just have to pay him a visit to say thank you.” Dante kissed her temple.

  Laurie turned her face up to him. She looked at him in confusion.

  “Well, it occurs to me that if Kaimi hadn’t done what he did, I never would have met you. I’d have taken another assignment, and you would have finished up in law school. We never would have met. Even though I despise the
man, I do owe him for bringing me to you.”

  Laurie’s heart melted as she looked up into Dante’s eyes. She kissed him, touched by what he’d said.

  When he broke the kiss, he held her face in his hands, stroking her cheek.

  “I love you,” he breathed.

  Laurie’s eyes widened.

  “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.

&n
bsp; “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.