by Gina LaManna
“Don’t tell me you and your kidnapper became friends,” Anthony said.
“The whole thing was sort of a misunderstanding,” I said, feeling my body sway back and forth. “He’s not so bad. I think he and Meg have a connection. Between their lips…” I giggled, starting to feel really loopy.
“All right, all right, I think you need medical attention. We have help en route.”
“You never told me why she’s here.” My torso tipped sideways, unable to hold itself upright. I crashed into Anthony’s firm shoulder and let my head droop onto his lap.
Anthony’s fingers ran soothing circles through the un-bumped portions of my head. “She’s the one who figured out you’d be here.”
I glanced at the woman who’d stolen Meg’s boots. Or, at least her style. She was watching us, a look on her face I couldn’t quite decipher. Amused, almost. I held up a finger and pointed at her. “Please stop smirking at me. I don’t know you, lady.”
Anthony tipped his head back and let out a long, loud laugh.
As I flirted with the edge of consciousness, I couldn’t figure out what was happening. “Why are you laughing?” I slurred.
Anthony cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But Leanne deserved that – she works with a certain style that can come off as...well, misinterpreted.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Leanne is a cop here in Tonka,” Anthony said. “We’ve known each other for years, but there’s nothing between us except work, I promise you that. Leanne is engaged. And even if she wasn’t, I’m taken.”
I looked up at Anthony, warmth flooding my already tingling body. “Really?”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Taken by the most beautiful, amazing, accident-prone woman in the world.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” I murmured, letting my eyes sink shut.
“It never is,” Anthony said. His voice was soothing, but his words firm. “Stay awake, Lacey. Hang in there. A few more minutes.”
“Talk to me, please,” I said into his lap.
“After you left, I wanted to follow you,” Anthony said. “You see, Leanne works for the local cops. I went to her and her team yesterday when I needed information. She gave me Facelli’s name.”
“That took ’til two in the morning?” I tried to raise an eyebrow, but it hurt my head.
Anthony gave a grim smile. “No. But they had a tip that one of the diamond crews had planned an exchange for last night. She invited me to tag along.”
“Just for fun?” I asked. “You went for fun?”
“No, I went to see who the men were. After what Carlos asked of you, well, I couldn’t believe the corpse and the diamonds weren’t related.”
“But Luke’s not so bad…” I drifted off.
“It wasn’t your friends here, last night. It was a different crew. The bunch from last night turned out to be unrelated to Facelli and Chicago. I had known it was a long shot, but I had to run down the lead anyway.” Anthony’s voice grew soft. “I gave my word to Leanne and her co-workers that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. I couldn’t take the chance someone would overhear and spoil months of their hard work.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything.” I tucked my arms under my head, curling as close to Anthony’s warmth as possible. I shivered, and his arms hugged me tighter.
“It wasn’t you I was worried about.” A note of exasperation lined his voice. “I was worried about one of the clowns you were hosting at the Luzzi Inn over there picking up on something I said. Subtlety isn’t their forte.”
“But Leanne, at the bar…”
“We’re friends, Lacey. We’ve known each other for years. I used to come up here with your family and we ran around in the same group of friends. That’s it. That’s all. We haven’t spoken in years, and the only reason I got in touch with her was for your safety.” Anthony paused. “You have to believe me. I never would...I wouldn’t…”
“Anthony, I believe you. I never doubted you.” I rolled over so I could see his face, careful not to bang my head. I reached up a hand and touched his cheek. “I believe you.”
The tension eased from Anthony’s face. He tilted towards my touch like a sunflower towards the light, his muscles relaxing as I traced my fingers down the side of his face. “I would never—”
“You can stop talking now and kiss me instead,” I said, the loopiness giving me confidence. “I trust you, Anthony. Otherwise this – us – could never work. And I want it to. Very badly.”
A smile quirked at the corners of his lips. “I do, too.” The world disappeared as he pulled me into a hug so tight I could hardly breathe. He dragged his lips along my neck and whispered into my ear, “I want us to work, too.”
“All right, love bugs, the medical team is here,” Leanne said. “You’ll need to stop making out long enough for them to look at the back of Lacey’s head. It’s a nasty bump she’s got there.”
I forced myself into a seated position, made possible by Anthony’s hands grasping my shoulders and holding me steady.
“I guess I owe you a thank you,” I said, looking Leanne in the eye. “If you hadn’t gotten here when you did...well, that doesn’t matter. Thank you. I’ll make sure Carlos knows what an important help you’ve been to our Family.”
“Carlos knows Leanne,” Anthony said. “Like I said, she’s a Family friend.”
“Carlos treats the town well,” Leanne said. “And I didn’t mean to come between you two. Lacey, Anthony and I are like siblings. He’s the younger brother I never had, and I keep an eye out for him. Who he dates.”
“You know who else Anthony has dated?” I asked, curiosity creeping into my voice. “This could be interesting.”
Leanne grinned. “I can tell you all sorts of stories about Anthony.”
“What was his last girlfriend like?” I asked, as the medical team started to swarm the boat. Their first order of business was Luke, who was still holding on, thanks to the medical attention of Marvin and moral support from Meg.
“His last serious one?” Leanne asked. “Let’s see…”
Anthony’s face wavered between livid and uncomfortable.
I held my breath, curious to see the type of girl who’d come before me. I partially suspected it might be someone just like Leanne – beautiful, smart, good head on her shoulders, and apparently a great cop.
“There was nobody before you. Nobody serious enough for me to know about, at least,” Leanne said, her grin shining brighter. “So you can imagine my surprise when he showed up attached to Carlos’s long-lost granddaughter.”
I was Anthony’s first serious relationship? I was speechless; if that were true, I was not only lucky, but flattered as well. One could say that Anthony was a catch.
“What have I ever done to get you?” I asked, turning my gaze back to Anthony.
“Well, if you want the truth,” Anthony paused, “you got into a lot of trouble.”
I laughed.
“And you just never stopped. Eventually, I looked forward to your fiascos just so I had an excuse to talk to you.”
“That’s when he knew he had it bad,” Leanne sighed playfully. “What a love story. But do me a favor, Anthony. Next time you want an excuse to talk to your girlfriend, have her kidnapped in your own county. I was just about to go onstage. Do you know how long a waiting list Laurelei has for that microphone?”
“Did someone say karaoke?” Meg hollered from across the room. She stood up so quickly, the paramedics had to catch Luke’s head as it dropped from her lap. “Shoot man, I bet my song is almost up.”
Chapter 38
Thirty minutes later, I begged to be dismissed from the hands of an overzealous paramedic. I had more gauze wrapped around my noggin than a mummy.
“I like the turban look,” Anthony said, reaching for my hand.
I stuck my tongue out playfully, grasping his hand tightly as we strolled down the long driveway from the Luzzi cabin. Meg, Leanne, and the rest of the crew ha
d already left for the bar. Meg was determined that nobody would stop her from getting on stage to sing her final request.
Luke and Marvin had been hauled off to the hospital. I imagined they’d get in some sort of trouble for their involvement with illegal activities, but I personally hoped it was more of a “slap on the wrist” and a warning to get their acts together. But that wasn’t for me to decide. After all, Luke had taken a bullet trying to save Meg; between that and his willingness to work with us on a deal, most of my bad feelings against him had faded.
Despite the bump on my head and the stress-wrinkles I’d gained from the weekend, I was happier than ever. Leanne was nothing more than an old friend, and if it weren’t for her, I might have vanished from the boat by the time Anthony discovered something had gone wrong.
While the medics fixed my head, she’d even invited Anthony and me over for dinner the next night. I’d politely declined, but not because I didn’t want to go. Frankly, this vacation hadn’t been nearly as relaxing as I’d hoped, and I just wanted to go home first thing in the morning.
As for the three stooges, their car wasn’t in the driveway when we’d stepped off the boat. Now that I knew they weren’t involved with Facelli’s murder, I really didn’t care enough to stop inside and see if they’d cleared out their bags. I’d be gone in the morning, and after that, they were Nora’s problem.
Speaking of, a bit of guilt lingered in my stomach from my argument with Nora. I hated to think that I might have left things unresolved with her, if…well, if The Fish had succeeded in taking me away. My phone weighed heavy in my pocket, and I was tempted to call her and apologize.
But I hesitated, knowing I could speak with her in the morning when I returned. For now, I wanted to enjoy my evening with Anthony.
“We’re headed back to Laurelei’s?” Anthony asked, a note of sadness in his voice. “If you’d like, I can jimmy up a bed frame and we can relax. Rest your head.”
“Rest my head?” I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I don’t need a bed frame to do that.”
“I thought you might want something to take your mind off the pain.” Anthony’s devilish grin caused the butterflies to knock against my rib cage, and I reached up to give him a peck on the cheek.
“It’s taking all my willpower to say no to you right now.” I grinned against his cheek. “But I owe it to Meg to give her at least one standing ovation. I don’t know how, but I’ve managed to miss all fifty-two of the songs she sang tonight.”
Anthony inhaled deeply, but he didn’t argue. “I propose a deal. I promise you that I will stand next to you, and I will wholeheartedly pretend to enjoy Meg’s singing, if you’ll agree to one thing.”
“What’s that?” Our hands swung loosely along the moonlit path, little puffs of dust swirling about our feet.
“You let me take you on a date next weekend. Alone.” Anthony stopped and gave my wrist a light tug, twirling my body into him like a clumsy dancer. I laughed as he caught my haphazard whirl and crashed into his chest.
“A date, all alone?” I asked. “Do I finally get to see where the infamous Anthony lives?”
“That depends.” Anthony held me close, slow dancing to silent music in the darkness. “If you’re ready.”
“If I’m ready?” I bounced my fingers up his chest until I reached his chin, and then brushed my thumb against his barely stubbled cheek. “I’ve been ready all weekend.”
Anthony’s grin shone bright against his tanned skin. “You don’t have to ask twice. So, it’s a date?”
“It’s a date.” I reached up on my tiptoes and paused just out of reach from Anthony’s lips. I gave him my most seductive eyes, which might or might not have worked. Luckily, Anthony got the picture. His lips met mine, warm and soft and just as delicious as always.
Something about the moment, the unique scent of him combined with the fresh cabin air, made for a heady cocktail of sensations. My eyes closed against my will, and I fell into a place so happy, so special, that a sense of contentment I’d never known bubbled up inside.
He pulled away before I was ready for it to end.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Wrong? Nothing,” Anthony said. He blinked, as if surprised that he’d ended the kiss. Then a look crossed his eyes – a thoughtful expression, as if there was something he’d forgotten to tell me.
“Is everything okay?” I fixed my gaze on his, but he didn’t meet my eyes. He was too busy looking over my shoulder. I stepped backwards and waved a hand in front of his face. “Anthony?”
“Yes, it’s fine,” he said, distracted. “But there’s someone here who wants to see you.”
I spun in a slow circle, and my heart caught in my throat. When I saw my grandmother’s frail figure standing in the distance, her hands twisted before her body and her shoulders bent, my heart nearly cracked in half.
“Nora,” I said, my voice cracking.
My feet found a way to drag my body across the road to the open field underneath the water tower. I hadn’t realized Anthony and I had strolled so far from the cabin, but now I wondered if he hadn’t led me here on purpose.
“Did you know about this?” I asked, stopping to turn to Anthony.
“Lace, when it comes to your safety, I don’t hesitate to get everyone involved. Both Carlos and Nora know everything.” Anthony shook his head at my shocked expression. “She wanted to come up and see you. I called as soon as I knew something was wrong.”
I swallowed, meaning to thank him, but I couldn’t.
“Go,” he said gently. “I’ll wait here.”
I gave a grateful nod and turned away from him, taking the last few paces before I reached Nora’s open arms. I paused for only a moment before I fell into them.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean what I said. I want you involved in my life. I’m sorry I kept things secret.”
“No, I’m sorry.” Nora looked broken, older than her usual sparkling self.
“Let’s just...can we forget about it?” I asked with an apologetic smile. “I hate arguing with you.”
“Lacey…” Nora expelled a long sigh. “I’ve been trying too hard to forget. Do you have a moment to walk and talk? I think it’s time I try to remember.”
Chapter 39
Nora and I set off after Anthony gave her explicit instructions where we could and couldn’t walk, based on his ability to provide cover for the two of us. The Fish was, after all, still loose and in the surrounding area.
Setting off at a leisurely pace, Nora hooked her arm around mine. “Your mother.”
I’d been watching the grass beneath my feet, but at Nora’s words I looked up. “That’s not what I expected you to say.”
“Of course not.” Nora smiled sadly. “Because I don’t talk about her. I’ve avoided it for so long, I’m not sure that I know how to start. I’m sure you have so many questions…”
I didn’t deny it, but I clasped my hand over her wrist. “I imagine it’s difficult, and that’s why I haven’t pressed.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s fair to you, or to her. What good is it for me to keep all those memories locked up inside? Someday I’ll be gone, and it’ll be too late. And that’d be a shame.”
“Don’t say that,” I said sharply. “You’re going to live forever.”
Nora nodded. “Yes, I like to think so. But the truth is, I owe you some answers. And I apologize I haven’t opened up to you about this earlier. It’s just…” Nora hesitated, as if what she had to say was physically painful. “My daughter left me, Lacey. She walked away from her family. From what we were, and what we are. I’m not sure I knew how to cope with that.”
My own eyes pricked with tears of sympathy for Nora, and I finally understood. I was looking at the broken part of her soul, the part who’d lost a daughter. Who’d missed out on two and a half decades of her granddaughter’s life. The portion of her that she kept locked away, hidden behind the charade of a bubbly, upbeat grandmother with noth
ing but happiness and sunshine to offer.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, my voice thick. “Don’t think that.”
“But it is,” she said. “Do you want to know why I sent those three suitors to stay with you this weekend?”
“You mean those goons that showed up the first night we were here?” I asked. “Yeah, I’m pretty curious about Marco and company.”
“I sent them because I could tell you were hiding something, dear.” Nora shook her head, and a true smile tugged at her lips. “Your relationship with Anthony. Of course I see how he looks at you, honey. I see the way his fists clench when Carlos gives you an assignment. I see the way he pours your water first at the dinner table. I see him watch your every move. He stands at the window, you know, every single time you leave the estate, and he watches until your car has disappeared beyond the block.”
I swallowed, my heart swelling with appreciation for all of the little things Anthony did that I didn’t even bother to notice. That I couldn’t notice. Things he did when he thought nobody was watching.
“I didn’t know all of that,” I said, clearing my throat.
“But darling, don’t for a second believe you don’t deserve it. It’s a two-way street, and you deserve him as much as he deserves you.”
“Hang on a second.” I wagged a finger at Nora. “You knew all this, and still you tried to set me up with these suitors?”
“Don’t you see?” Nora’s voice rose a few octaves. “I wanted you to tell me about your relationship, be honest and up front. Why did you hide it, Lacey? I want the two of you to be happy.”
“I was going to announce it after the weekend. Anthony wanted to tell you before we left.” I put a hand to my chest. “It’s my fault we didn’t, not his. The timing worked out wrong, and...well, to be honest, I selfishly wanted some private time with him before it became the dinner talk of the week.”
Nora remained silent, our feet swishing through the grass as we strolled in a small circle, Anthony watching from out of earshot.
“Our family is wonderful, but they also like to chitchat.” I smiled. “And gossip. And make fun and crack jokes. Which is amazing – truly, I love it. But Anthony and I are new at this whole relationship business. We’re both still figuring things out, and I wanted a little bit of privacy. We’ve barely dated a week, and we’ve been alone for about an hour total. Please, you have to understand, it wasn’t personal.”