Reluctant Runaway

by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

  Desi’s chest filled. If she got any happier, she’d pop.

  Agent Ortiz stopped in front of her. “Great to see you made it through another tight spot.”

  “Where did all the cavalry come from? And how did Jo get in on it?”

  Ortiz smiled toward the family group swaying in each other’s arms. “We took Jo into protective custody after Brent and Adam disappeared. Looked like someone was after the whole family. Then our researcher figured out the location of the O’Keeffe painting around the same time as this distress signal started blipping out of the desert from the same spot. Fair bet, we’d find you two and maybe the other missing people. When Jo got wind we were ready to move in, she wasn’t about to be left behind.”

  Desi chuckled. “I suppose not. She’d probably have grown wings and flown out here on her own. But what’s this about a distress signal?”

  “From that helicopter.” Ortiz pointed toward Romlin’s chopper next to the bulldozer.

  “Ohhhh.” Desi pictured Tony falling between the front seats almost into the control panel. Close enough to flip a switch. Clever man. But where was he?

  “Oh, Mrs. Lucanoooo.”

  Tony!

  “Got to go.” Desi waved to Ortiz and darted around the kiva, wheezing as her lungs drained of burning chemical. A man was being carried on a stretcher toward a waiting helicopter.

  She ran up to the EMTs. “That’s my husband. I’m riding along.” She took Tony’s good hand—the other was strapped to his side. “Pretty smart, triggering that emergency signal.”

  Tony winked. “The chopper transmitted our location the whole time we were down in the kiva. Good thing you took your time preparing to be sacrificed.”

  “Ewww! And we had a wedding ceremony.”

  His face sobered. “Ah, honey, I wish we were married for real.”

  “What? Stop this gurney!”

  The EMTs continued toward the chopper.

  Tony nodded to them. “Do as she says.”

  “Sir, you need—”

  Tony shot them a look, and the technicians stepped back, frowning.

  He sighed. “You didn’t think about it yet?”

  Desi shook her head. Think of what?

  “Romlin had a license, but we didn’t.”

  She lowered her head. They weren’t married. Her heart fell. “So the marriage proposal was to buy time? That was some dirty trick, Lucano.”

  “Don’t take it like that, sweetheart.” He squeezed her hand.

  She snatched it away.

  “Des, the proposal was 110 percent sincere. Just the ceremony was bogus. We can fix that anytime you’re ready. And this time we’ll do it right.”

  She studied him. “You weren’t making fun by calling me Mrs. Lucano?”

  He shook his head. “I love the sound of those words.”

  “You do want to marry me?”

  “I’d cross my heart, but it would hurt too much.” He chuckled. “Ah, that did hurt. To paraphrase the most beautiful, outrageous woman I know: You drive me nuts sometimes, Jacobs, but I can’t imagine a future without you.”

  Desi glared at the EMTs. “Let’s get this man some medical attention. He has to be able to drop down on one knee with a ring in his hand.”

  “Des.” Tony groaned. “Quit making me laugh. You’re killing me here.”

  “Not hardly Lucano.” She followed his stretcher into the helicopter. “I sentence you to ancient age with me. Just a couple of old codgers rocking on the porch.”

  “I can live with that.”

  Twenty-Three

  The rental car left a trail of dust in its wake as Desi drove up the gravel road toward the country church in rural Minnesota. Ripe brown cornfields alternated with plowed black earth as far as the eye could see.

  Tony sat beside her, stiff against the seat. “We’re cutting it close, but I’m glad we made it at all.”

  “We’re walking wonders, sweetheart. And seeing Karen back with her family … ” Desi shook her head, tears pricking her eyes the way they’d done off and on for the last twenty-four hours.

  “I’m with you, babe. Being an FBI agent isn’t all about the seamy side. Sometimes we get moments like those.”

  Desi pulled a face. “I can’t say I’m thrilled that the Bureau found a document at Gordon’s house granting me power of attorney. That’s going to be one monster of a mess, especially with him headed for an asylum.” She glanced at her passenger. “And I got an opinion from HJ Securities’ legal department. They say that nuts or not, since I’m Ham’s closest relative, the paper will probably stand up in court?’

  Tony shrugged and winced. “You don’t have to take the job. The document isn’t fully executed until you sign it.”

  “I’ll sign. Family needs to look after each other—even family you wish you didn’t have. Besides, I can’t stand the thought of any more goofball stuff going on with this man’s affairs. There’s too much power in that much money. I’ll put most of the tasks on my legal department.”

  “Like you’re having them look into purchasing a piece of the desert, mineral rights and all? What about Karen? Doesn’t she want a slice of the pie?”

  “Doesn’t even want to know what she knows. She found her treasure—or rediscovered it. We’ve agreed to keep our mouths shut. I’ve got my treasure, too.” She fluttered her lashes at him.

  He smirked, and they both laughed—though his was more of a wheeze as he clutched his ribs.

  They came to the church, and Desi pulled into an almost full parking lot on the far side of the building. She stepped onto gravel and waited for Tony to ease out of the passenger side. Stubborn man wouldn’t let anyone help him. Except for his tie. She had to do that this morning.

  She joined him as they crunched between cars toward the front walk of the white clapboard church. A square steeple rose tall against a deep blue sky.

  Desi took Tony’s good arm. “This is so Norman Rockwell. I love it.”

  He nodded. “Suits Ben. He was so wholesome he put milk and cookies to shame.”

  “Wait a minute, sweetheart.” Desi tugged Tony’s sleeve.

  He stopped, and she adjusted the lay of his tie and smoothed the knot at his neck.

  “You do that great.”

  “Fix ties?”

  “The wife thing.”

  “Practicing.” She frowned. The pinched look at the corners of his lips said he was in pain. “You should have worn your sling.”

  “Negative, babe. This is about Ben today. I’m not inviting attention to myself.”

  “Well, don’t try any heroics. The minute you need to lie down, we’re out of here. The doctor about hog-tied you to the bed when you said you were leaving the hospital without at least an overnight stay. That bruised liver is nothing to fool around with.”

  “Gotcha, Mom.”

  Desi narrowed her eyes. “Now I’m your mother? Not hardly. And when we have kids, please remember I’m still not your mother. There’s one person you should call mom, and she deserves a medal for putting up with you.”

  Tony chuckled and winced. “When I called her last night, she said the same thing about you.” He shook his head. “You ladies have a mutual admiration society going, so I can see I’m in for it.”

  “Poor baby.” Desi gave the tie a last pat. She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Well, that was her intention, but he turned his head quicker than thought and caught her on the mouth. A shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with the fall breeze.

  He grinned. The lout knew the effect he had on her. She should mess up his hair for fun.

  Tony tugged her toward the steps. “Let’s go say good-bye to Ben.”

  In the small foyer, a man in a clerical collar greeted them. “I’m Pastor Bob.”

  Desi looked up into eyes as kind as the Minnesota prairie was long. “Desiree Jacobs.” She shook his hand. Calloused palms. A man who did manual labor as well as spiritual.

  Tony offered his left hand. “Anthony Luca
no. Ben’s supervisor.”

  Pastor Bob smiled. “I guessed that much. The rest of your squad is here. They’ve saved you a place toward the front.” The man looked at his watch. “We’ll start in five minutes.”

  Desi and Tony moved toward the casket that sat outside the sanctuary doors. A dark-skirted mortuary attendant had begun to close the lid, but she put it back up when she saw them approach. She ducked her head and stepped back.

  “They did a good job with him.” Tony’s voice was hoarse. “Got that ‘I can’t wait to share a big joke’ look spot-on.”

  Desi didn’t answer, just let him squeeze her hand until the bones creaked. She heard a ragged breath fill his lungs, and then he moved with her into the sanctuary. The church was full, and ushers were setting up folding chairs in the back. She and Tony went up the aisle. A break in the heads in one pew led them to the Boston delegation. Hajimoto, Polanski, and Slidell looked up and nodded. No smiles. Tony stood aside, and Desi took the spot beside Valerie Polanski. Tony settled in with the caution of a man twice his age.

  The service was solemn and liturgical, but Pastor Bob’s glow of quiet joy made it anything but dry. Tony made a choked noise when the pastor spoke of Ben’s personal faith, and Desi looked at him. But the light in his eyes told her all she needed to know. That was a happy sound. Then came a time of reminiscing by family and friends. A sister got up, a brother-in-law, a cousin. Every story brought a ripple of laughter.

  Desi glanced up at Tony. The shadows had left his face, and he was smiling. Thank you, Ben, even now you make him lighten up.

  The pastor called for any more testimonies. Tony eased to his feet. He walked to the front, gaze roaming the congregation. Desi’s heart swelled for the peace she read on his face. He turned his attention to Ben’s parents on the front pew.

  “I’m Tony Lucano, Ben’s supervisor with the FBI. I only knew your son a few months, but I’ll never forget him. He was an outstanding agent and a good man. We can get a little intense around the office sometimes.”

  A snicker came from the pew full of agents. Desi covered her mouth and looked down.

  “Yes, I know that’s an understatement,” Tony continued. “And if my squad will please remember their manners, I’ll get to the point.”

  More chuckles, and not just from the agents.

  A smile played around Tony’s mouth. “Ben knew how to put life into perspective for us. We’d be out on a case, all of us strung tight as piano wire, but he’d say something off the wall, and we’d quit stressing and just do our job.”

  Ben’s mother’s head began to nod.

  Tony took a step toward the family section. “But I never knew until this moment that he had faith in Jesus Christ. We didn’t talk about spiritual things, and when he was killed I … Well, I blamed myself for neglecting something so vital. This service has been a great comfort to me.” He nodded at the pastor, who inclined his head. “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned a lesson about talking important things over with people who matter.”

  His warm gaze settled on Desi, and her heart melted. She reached for a tissue from her purse.

  “That last day … ” Tony cleared his throat. “That last day, Ben’s actions saved my life at the cost of his own. There’s a passage of Scripture that says there’s no greater love than a man giving his life for another. I wanted you to know—”

  “My uncle was a hero!” A boy not much taller than the pew leaped up. “That’s what I tell everybody at school.”

  His parents shushed him and tugged at him to sit down.

  Tony motioned the boy forward. “Let him come here.”

  The kid trotted up to Tony, face bright. No mistaking that this boy was related to Ben, and in more than just the hair color and profile that Desi could see from where she sat. From the few times she’d socialized with the squad, she caught on fast that the towheaded Minnesotan didn’t have a shy bone in his body

  Tony offered his hand, and the young man shook it. “You can tell anyone you want that your uncle was a hero.”

  “Will you be my supervisor when I’m an FBI agent?”

  “More likely the director,” Polanski stage-whispered.

  Tony glared at her. She grinned back.

  Ah, Tony, you’ve got your hands full with this squad. A laugh froze in Desi’s throat. She’d let herself forget that Tony was on the fast track upward. He wouldn’t be in Boston forever. What did that mean to her? To their relationship?

  Boston was her home. She’d lived in that city her whole life. Every memory with her father was there. And the center of her business. Could she give up HJ Securities? Walk away from the legacy Daddy died to give her? The church walls shrank in on her.

  But she loved Tony, wanted a future with him, a family.

  Her pulse roared in her ears. Words passed over and around her. As if from a distance, she felt Tony settle in beside her again. More words; then the service was over. Desi stood beside Tony, forced her face into neutral, and shuffled out with the group.

  Tony took her hand, brow puckered, as they walked across the lawn to the little cemetery at the rear of the church. “What’s up?”

  She shook her head at his whisper and kept her eyes on the canopied grave site. Her feet halted.

  Tony hissed and stopped with her.

  Desi looked up at him. “I’m sorry That was an abrupt stop. It’s just that … ”

  “You’re thinking about your father’s funeral.”

  “And other things.”

  “We can leave.”

  She shook her head. “No, I think the family would like a chance to talk to you over lunch. I’ll be fine.”

  They went on, Tony hovering close like she was the wounded one. She edged away from him when they stopped with the crowd. A little space to think, that’s all she needed.

  Pastor Bob began the committal service. Ben’s mother hunched over a white handkerchief, and his father kept an arm around her. Next to Desi, the husky agent Hajimoto shifted and bumped her, forcing her to move closer to Tony. She glanced up at him. He stood stiff, chin like a rock. He hurt, but in a way bed rest couldn’t help. Behind her, Slidell whispered to someone, Polanski probably, “You buy that next life stuff?” The woman hushed him.

  Desi looked down at the thick grass. Dell might be light on social skills, but at least he was asking questions. He might find his answers a lot easier than she was going to find hers.

  Forget thinking. Just be here—now—with Tony. She squared her shoulders and tuned in to Pastor Bob.

  He finished a reading and closed his prayer book. “We’ll miss Ben, and that’s why we grieve, but not as those who have no hope.” The kind eyes traveled the crowd, and then settled on the immediate family. “If Ben had been asked about it, I doubt he would have chosen to go at the time and in the way he did, but I’ll never forget what he said when he announced to the church that he was leaving the family farm and heading for Quantico to become an FBI agent. We were so proud of him that day and still are today.”

  Ben’s mother’s head came up, and the pastor smiled at her. “Ben said, I’ve got a whole trunkful of memories to pack up and take with me. So this move isn’t about leaving my world behind. It’s about stepping into a new one.’ That’s what Ben did last week. But he won’t come home to visit. We’ll go to him, and you’d better believe he’ll have an eternal stockpile of jokes to keep us from taking ourselves too seriously.”

  A cool breeze whispered around Desi, and tree leaves tinted with gold rustled together. The air smelled of rich soil. A beautiful place Ben had called home, but he left for a higher calling.

  You’re talking to me, aren’t You, Lord?

  She touched Tony’s arm. He slid it around her waist and pulled her close. She wasn’t married to Boston, but she would be married to this man who made her heart trip over itself like a lovesick duck with two left feet. The move would be a wrench when the time came. And as a wife, hopefully someday a mother, her role with HJ Securities would
change … eventually But it wasn’t etched in stone that the company had to be headquartered in Boston. The headquarters could go wherever the head went.

  Too simple. Too obvious. Which is why she hadn’t seen the path in front of her feet.

  And there was something else she needed to do. She hadn’t called Max yet to let her know what she’d decided about visiting Dean in prison.

  The service ended and people dispersed, quietly talking, toward the church for lunch in the basement. Desi stayed where she was. Tony questioned her with his eyes. She smiled and pulled out her cell phone. She punched in Max’s number.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” she said when Max answered.

  “Hey, yourself. When are you comin’ home so I can squeeze the stuffin’ out of you for all you did for my family?”

  “Tony and I’ll be back in Boston tomorrow. Before then, would you do me a favor?”

  “Girl, I’ll lie down across a mud puddle and let you use me as a bridge. What’s up?”

  “Tell Dean I’m coming to visit him.”

  “Oh, Des.” Max started to cry. “You have no idea how much that will help.”

  “It’ll help me, too. Gotta go now. A certain FBI agent has this gooey look on his face.” She put the phone away.

  “Gooey look?” His eyebrows climbed toward his hairline.

  “Yeah, like you might kind of like me or something.”

  “Woman, you’re delusional.” He tickled her under the chin. “Guess I’ll have to try harder to show you how I feel.”

  “Oh, yeah, and how would you go about that?”

  “How about I start by keeping my word?”

  “What promise is that?”

  He grinned. “I hereby place myself on the shopping altar, so we can look for that rock to put on your finger. I want the world to know that Desiree Jacobs is all mine. The future Mrs. Lucano.”

  Desi took his arm, and they strolled toward the church building. “How far in the future would that event be, Mr. Lucano?”

  “Not one second longer than it takes you to put together a wedding that’ll make your father shout in glory.”