by Gina LaManna
I pressed my body against the wall, making myself as small as possible. More smoke in a variety of colors exploded above and below the deck, enveloping all of my senses. My eyes teared, my tongue tasted the burn, and my nostrils became coated with thick layers of charred smog.
Footsteps thundered above deck. I didn’t know who they belonged to, though I hoped for my sake they were Luzzi feet. Anthony, maybe? I didn’t dare get my hopes up. It could just as easily be any number of persons or groups wanting in on the action.
My back pressed against the wall, I slid to the floor. I flopped onto my stomach and tried to army crawl up the staircase. If I could just get a breath of fresh air...
An icy hand clamped down on my wrist. I couldn’t help the shriek escaping from my lips. Smog flooded my mouth, and I coughed, knowing without being able to see that The Fish had found me. It didn’t matter who was on deck, dumping one smoke bomb after another down the staircase. The Fish was getting away, and it didn’t look like he planned on leaving me behind.
“Follow me, or you and your friend are dead,” The Fish warned.
Judging by his terse tone, I guessed that he didn’t know anything about the surprise attack. Which, if it wasn’t Luke or Marvin’s doing, left a wide-open chance that Anthony might have figured out something was going wrong and come to help.
I shouted a stream of nonsensical words as loud as possible. Anthony’s name came up a few times, as well as Meg’s and Clay’s. I wasn’t really paying attention to the letters I’d strung together, I was just stream-of-conscious-ing in the moment. I might have mentioned mashed potatoes and cookies, but it didn’t matter. I just wanted someone to hear me.
Unfortunately, my shouting had only one result. A firm smack to the head with the butt of The Fish’s gun.
“Shut up, Lacey,” he snarled. “Come with me, or next time I’m firing.”
The dizziness set in, full force now. The stairs wobbled before me as The Fish half-dragged me up them, cursing me to use my legs and walk. But his words seemed farther and farther away. Blood dripped from the back of my head – I could feel it, wet and sticky, when I reached my hand back. Not to mention, I didn’t like blood. So when I noticed the small splatters of shiny red liquid dripping on the floor near my feet, a strong wooziness drowned out anything The Fish was saying.
I took one more step before my body gave out, and I sprawled onto the steps. I reached out, clasping someone’s hairy ankle before succumbing to the darkness. The swirling smoke twisted before my eyes as I faded deep into unconsciousness.
Chapter 37
“SUGAR, ARE YOU OKAY?”
The words pricked at my brain through a black fog, confusing the heck out of me. I could pick out Anthony’s voice, but then there was a girl...Meg, where was Meg? It wasn’t her voice I could hear murmuring above me. A warm hand clasped my wrist and I flinched; the last time someone had yanked my wrist, a blow to the head followed soon after, and my reflexes still remembered it.
“It’s me.” The fog started to dissipate and I could make out Anthony’s calm voice. But there was a note of something else. Hurt? Fear? Sadness?
I wanted to explain that I wasn’t flinching from his touch, that it’d been a gut reaction left over from The Fish, but I couldn’t get my voice to work.
“Come on, sugar. Open your eyes,” Anthony commanded me gently, slipping his hand behind my head and trying to pull me into a sitting position.
When his fingers grazed the wound on the back of my head I flinched again, but the pain helped to shock me back into consciousness as I swatted Anthony’s hand away. Finally, I opened my eyes, meaning to thank him for rescuing me, but it wasn’t his face holding a penlight and staring into my eyes. It was her.
“What are you doing here?” My voice came out harsher than I intended. I raised a hand to block the light blinding my pupils.
“Lacey, please, everything is okay now, let me explain. It’s not what you think, I promise you.” Anthony eased closer to me, brushing Leanne out of the way as he took both of my hands in his. “I wanted to tell you, but I needed—”
“It’s okay, I reacted badly back at the bar,” I said, hanging my throbbing head. “I was so worried when they took me, worried you’d think—”
“Shh, relax.” Anthony twisted so that he sat next to me on the staircase. He guided my head so it rested gently on his chest, careful not to touch the back of my skull. “It’s nothing you did. If anything, I was worried I’d messed up the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.”
“You’re not talking about her, are you?” I peeked out from one eyelid.
Anthony opened his mouth, fear and terror widening his eyes. “Of course not, Lacey, I meant you!”
I gave him the smallest of smiles. “I was just kidding. I really care about you, Anthony...I don’t want anyone, or anything, to come between us.”
“I won’t let that happen.” Anthony squeezed me tight, and I could sense the promise in his arms as he swaddled my body with warmth and protection. “You’re mine.”
“Just one thing before we continue this romantic moment. Did you see The Fish? Is he...?” I glanced around wildly, having forgotten about him in the heat of the moment.
“We’re aware he was here.” Anthony’s voice turned grim. “But he escaped.”
I sighed. “I suppose that’s fitting, seeing as how he was a Fish out of water.” Anthony just stared at me with an unamused expression.
“I thought it was a good joke,” I said with a lame smile.
Anthony shook his head. “Do you see what I mean? How can you ever think someone could take your place?” A small smile quirked up Anthony’s lips. “I don’t know anyone else in the world who can get herself kidnapped, and then find humor in it. And then make a terrible joke while her head is still bleeding.”
By the time Anthony finished speaking, we were both smiling.
“It wasn’t terrible,” I said, leaning my head back on his shoulder. “Plus, I think I might have a concussion, so we can agree that it was a mediocre joke, considering the circumstances.”
“It was brilliant,” Anthony said, tilting my head upward and planting a kiss on my lips. His lips were soft, sweet. A rush of dizziness nearly caused me to pass out again. It could have been the kiss, or it could have been the quick motion of my head. I steadied myself.
“Speaking of,” I said, my words groggy. “Luke needs medical attention.”
“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 had 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.”