Love or Justice Page 3

  Cheyn grinned, chuckling. He leaned over to Max.

  “Boy, he’s not in the mood tonight. He ain’t playin’ with you.” Cheyn nudged Max’s ribs with his elbow. Max glared at him and Cheyn chuckled even more.

  Dante pulled Laurie’s bag from the backseat. Then he opened her door. She looked at him wearily. Her eyes were glassy and her lips compressed into a thin line.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go inside.”

  “Okay.” She slid out of the seat.

  Dante shut the door. He put his hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the house.

  Cheyn fell into step beside them.

  “Hello, Miz Laurie, I’m Cheyn. I’m your protector for the evening.” He extended his hand with a grin.

  Laurie smiled and laughed.

  Dante scowled. He hated the way his men looked at Laurie. He hated the way that Jim guy looked at Laurie. “Introductions tomorrow. We’ve had a long night.” Dante quickened his pace, pulling Laurie along with him. “Cheyn, I want Max to take the first watch, you’re the second. David’s fourth.”

  “Yes, sir, boss man.” Cheyn gave him a little salute.

  Laurie chuckled again.

  Max jogged up behind them as they all climbed the stairs, entering the house. David was keeping watch at the living room window.

  “David.” Dante nodded in greeting.

  “Boss.” David gave a little salute.

  Dante steered Laurie up the stairs toward her bedroom, at the back of the rooms on the left. “Laurie, this is where you’ll sleep. You’ll have your own bathroom, in there.”

  He gestured to a wooden door, half open. He put down the bag by the bed, which was bare. Dante sighed. He thought his men would have the forethought to make the lady’s bed.

  “Let me get you some sheets.” He turned toward the hall.

  “I’m going to change into some night clothes.” Laurie unzipped her bag.

  “Wait.” Dante doubled back.

  He moved to the half-opened door. He inspected the bathroom before coming back into the bedroom. “After our earlier bathroom encounter, I wanted to be sure it was clear. At least this one isn’t on the ground floor.”

  Laurie laughed, and Dante gave her a smile. He went to the hall closet, and brought back a set of light green sheets and a pillowcase. Laurie was already in the bathroom. He made the bed for her. Dante heard her rummaging around in the plastic bag of beauty products she brought. Then he heard running water. By the time she emerged, he was finished with the bed, and ready for his own.

  “All right.” Dante turned toward her.

  He felt the air evaporate from the room. She stood there in a simple light blue cotton nightgown, with tiny little straps snaking over her shoulders. It fit over her narrow waist, flaring out down to her knees. It made her fair skin almost sparkle. Her blonde hair was down. It hung a few inches past her neck. She looked like every angelic picture Dante had ever seen.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him. She walked right up to him and looked up into his face.

  His heart gave a sharp thump. He realized her eyes were a deep blue, almost sapphire.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  Dante’s brain moved in slow motion. He didn’t move or speak, as Laurie threw her arms around him in gratitude. After a couple of minutes, he registered her floral scent, her softness as her upper body melted into his, and her heat pulsed through his shirt. He stared at the bathroom door. Then he patted her shoulder blade. After a few moments, she broke the embrace, to climb into bed.

  “Good night,” she called to him as he left her room.

  “Good night.” He hesitated as he flicked off the light. He let his gaze linger on her for a moment before he closed the door most of the way and went to his room for some well-deserved rest.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Laurie

  When Laurie awoke, sunlight peeked through the edges of the closed curtains. She rolled onto her back, staring at the white ceiling. This was a blank room. Everything was white, and it was sparsely furnished. Just a bed on a metal frame, a wooden nightstand with a lamp, and a chair. The wood of the nightstand looked like someone had taken a chunk out of it. The lamp had a crack that ran from the upper right corner of its oval surface almost to the bottom left of the base. There was a closet, but no dresser. This room was not a room you lived in; it was one you stayed in—for as little time as possible.

  She ran her hand over the sea foam green sheets Dante used to make her bed. At least he tried to make her feel more comfortable. Laurie sat up on the bed and stretched. There would be no work today. No more cleaning rooms. The thought made Laurie lighthearted for a moment.

  She got up, and saw a note on her bag at the foot of the bed.

  Morning,

  When you’re up and ready, come downstairs for breakfast.

  Dante

  Laurie smiled. She went to the bathroom to get a shower. She was hungry, and she was anxious to see her new home, even if it was temporary. She had fallen asleep on the drive here. She had no idea where they were. Between work and law school, she never had time to go anywhere. Laurie glanced out the bathroom window as she ran water for her shower. The view was breathtaking. The volcano was in the distance, barren and grey, the top shrouded in clouds. In front was a swath of brilliant green that led to a clearing where the house stood. She was in the middle of a lush forest. Probably one of the reserves. The realization made Laurie even more anxious to get ready.

  She showered with lightning speed and walked back to her bag to pick out some clothes. Maybe Dante would go hiking with her. She had always wanted to hike the volcano, but never had the time. Now she had plenty of time. Her stomach growled as she pulled on shorts and a light green tank top.

  She ran back into the bathroom to put on make-up. She almost never wore it, but—well, she didn’t know why she was putting it on now. No, she did know, but she didn’t want to admit it. Not even to herself.

  Finished, she exited her room and tried to remember where the kitchen was. She walked past several doors in the hallway. She supposed they belonged to the other men staying here. The hallway opened up halfway down to give her a clear view of the living room below on one side, and the kitchen on the other.

  Dante sat at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. David stood in the living room, surveying the yard outside.

  “Good morning.” Laurie leaned over the banister of the kitchen with a smile.

  Dante glanced up at her.

  She bounced down the stairs at the end of the landing, which ended in the living room. The living room had two beautiful windows to the outside. They had heavy, dark green curtains, which were currently drawn back to let in the light.

  “Ma’am.” David nodded to her.

  David was tall and lanky. He had wheat blond hair brushed over to the side of his off-center part. He wore his gun in a shoulder holster. He had on a blue pin-stripped shirt, grey slacks and shiny black shoes to match. The suspenders he wore slung over each shoulder amused Laurie the most. Altogether, he looked like he just stepped out of a Dick Tracey novel.

  “You can call me Laurie.” She shook his hand. “What time is it?”

  “Time for breakfast,” replied Dante. Laurie turned to see him leaning against the doorway. His gun was at his hip, belted to his jeans. He had on a dark blue t-shirt that fit him loosely. He looked at home, at ease. “You slept late. You must be hungry by now.”

  “Starving.” She smiled up at him. She followed him into the kitchen.

  “You can have any of the food in the fridge.” He gestured to the appliance in question on her right. “It’s for all of us. We stock up once a week, so if you need anything just put it on the list.”

  “Where are we? Where do we get food from?”

  “We’re in the Hilo Reserve.” He turned to face her, leaning on the counter. “But you don’t get the food. We get the food, and we change where we get our food from weekly. Eggs?”

  “Sure
, I’d love eggs. Do we have toast?”

  “Yes.” Dante reached for a small breadbox beside the microwave. Laurie moved toward the refrigerator to get the eggs. Dante took the frying pan from the drain board. “I’ve got it, Laurie. You can sit.”

  Laurie took a seat at the island counter. The kitchen was bright and open, thanks to the cathedral ceiling. Long counters of pinewood ran from the refrigerator down the length of the room. Behind her, there was a large, wooden oval kitchen table. There were two large windows in front of where Dante worked. There was another one to her left at the end of the room.

  “Do you like to cook?” Laurie watched Dante’s impressive juggling act as he started the toast and the eggs at the same time.

  “Sometimes. Depends on what I need to make and who I’m making it for.”

  “I wasn’t able to cook often at the resort. I ate the food they served the staff. I asked some of the cooks in the restaurant to teach me, but they never had time. They had families.” Laurie shrugged, and Dante eyed her over his shoulder.

  “Well, now you’ll have plenty of time to learn. There are recipe books over on that shelf.” Dante gestured to a bookshelf by the door to the living room.

  “Yes, so what do we do now?”

  “I make you breakfast and you eat it.”

  “No, but after that, what do we do now?”

  “We wait.” He turned to face her. “We wait here until the DA can give you a more thorough interview, and we get you signed up for the Witness Security Program.”

  He turned back to the stove. His back was to her, but Laurie saw every muscle as he worked. There was fluidity in his movements as he bent back his elbow. Power surged up his forearm as he flipped an omelet in the pan. Then he reached for the toast with one hand and slid the omelet onto the plate at the same time.

  “Coffee?” He gave her a sidelong glance over his shoulder.

  “Yes, please! Skim milk if we have it. Two sugars.”

  It was one of her few vices.

  Dante turned to the cabinet on his right. He got out a blue porcelain mug and poured her a cup of coffee. Then he turned to pick up her plate, bringing it to the kitchen table.

  Laurie slid off the counter high-top chair. She sat down where he set her food. The table was a long, smooth slab of maple, with seats for eight people. It occurred to her that whole families must be under protective custody from time to time. She felt a little small sitting there. She was used to eating with over forty staff members. It was too quiet for her to eat breakfast.

  “I don’t think we have skim milk, is whole okay?” He ambled over to the fridge.

  “Yes.” Laurie waited for him to join her. “Thank you for making me breakfast.”

  “Whoa. What did you just say?” asked a voice from above them. Laurie looked up to see Cheyn standing at the railing, looking down into the kitchen. He had on a blue button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His almond shaped eyes were alight. The smooth lilt in his voice was a dead give-away for mischief, and he wore an easy smile to match. Laurie saw Dante grimace as he extracted the milk from the refrigerator.

  “Miz Laurie, did I hear you right? Did the boss make you breakfast?” Cheyn leaned over the railing.

  “Yes.” His grin made her laugh.

  “I’ve never seen him make anyone breakfast before. How come you don’t make me breakfast?” Cheyn nodded at Dante.

  “I thought you were going to bed.” Dante set the milk down in front of Laurie.

  “I’m gettin’ there. I had to come say hello to our lovely lady.” Cheyn turned and came down the stairs.

  He emerged from the doorway to the living room. His grin widened when he saw Dante’s pointed expression.

  Dante sat down with his back toward Cheyn, which put him right at the head of the table, next to Laurie.

  Cheyn walked up to the chair across from Laurie. He extended a hand to her. She clasped it and Cheyn brought her hand up to his lips.

  “Good morning, Miz Laurie.” Cheyn kissed her hand. Laurie laughed.

  “Good morning, Cheyn.” She chuckled.

  “Are you done? She’s trying to eat. She doesn’t want you slobbering all over her breakfast.” Dante glared up at Cheyn.

  “Relax, bossman.” Cheyn released Laurie’s hand. “I won’t spoil your hard work. It’s awful nice of you to make breakfast for her though.”

  Cheyn took the seat in front of Laurie, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  “He probably feels guilty for yelling at me last night.” Laurie took a bite of her eggs with a wicked grin of her own.

  Dante flicked his newspaper open and buried his nose in it.

  “What? The bossman yelled at you? Why did you yell at the lady, boss?” Cheyn tapped the newspaper.

  “Because I hit one of the guys that broke into my room. Knocked him unconscious.” Laurie glanced at Dante’s motionless form.

  “Wait a minute. You took down one of the attackers? What did you hit him with, your hands?” Cheyn leaned forward onto the table, balancing on his folded arms.

  “No, a porcelain lamp in my closet.” Laurie took another bite of her breakfast.

  Cheyn erupted into laughter.

  “He told us last night he had to fend off the two guys. He never said anything about you taking one on!” Cheyn laughed and pounded his fist on the table.

  Dante crumpled his newspaper as he scowled at them.

  “That’s because it was foolish, and I yelled at you because it was foolish. You could have gotten us both killed.” Dante’s face flushed.

  Cheyn laughed harder.

  “Come on boss, don’t lie. You just hate being the protected instead of the protector!” Cheyn held his stomach as he threw his head back and laughed.

  Laurie tried not to laugh, but between Cheyn’s raucous laughter and Dante looking like he was about to kill Cheyn with his bare hands, she couldn’t keep it together. She almost choked on her toast.

  “Hey David, did you hear this? It wasn’t the boss that fended off those two men, it was Laurie.” Cheyn pushed away from the table, conveniently out of Dante’s reach.

  Dante sent his eyes skyward. He pulled his hands through his hair and glared.

  “Well, no, Dante had one of them, I just hit the other one.” Laurie stopped talking when Dante turned his glowering expression on her.

  Cheyn laughed for several more minutes until he wiped tears from his eyes. Dante crossed his arms and stared at him across the table. Finally, Cheyn’s laughter petered out to a chuckle.

  “We appreciate you saving the boss’ life. Even if he did yell at you. Yelling at the poor girl who saved you, not very nice, man, not very nice.” Cheyn shook his head at Dante.

  “Are you done? I have to explain the rules to her, go over the MOU, and show her the safe rooms. Cheyn, she can’t eat with you making her laugh like that. She’s about to choke.” Dante turned a deeper shade of red, as he pushed Laurie’s coffee toward her hand.

  “Then you’ll be able to return the favor and save her life.” Cheyn winked at Laurie.

  Laurie erupted into a fresh burst of laughter, sputtering as she tried not to spit eggs everywhere.

  Dante’s scowl darkened.

  “All right, all right. I’ll go to bed. Miz Laurie, it was a pleasure having breakfast with a bona fide hero. I will see you later tonight.” Cheyn gave her a wink and a little salute.

  He clapped Dante on the shoulder as he walked past, chuckling the whole way out of the room.

  Laurie took a gulp of coffee, still smiling.

  “He seems nice.” She looked up at Dante, trying to hide her grin behind the rim of coffee cup.

  Dante tried not to smile back at her as he leaned forward onto the table. He coughed and shifted in his seat.

  “Don’t ever believe a word he tells you about anything.” Dante looked at her, then his gaze darted away and then back again.

  “Okay.” She shook her head. “What rules do you have to tell me?”

  He c
leared his throat and adopted a serious expression.

  “The most important rule is that you do what we ask you to do. For instance, if I say ‘stay in the closet until I come get you,’ you need to stay in the closet until I come and get you.”

  Laurie’s smile faded a tiny bit, but Dante continued.

  “This is just a safe house. You won’t stay here for long. Once the DA has interviewed you, and you’re accepted into the program, you’ll be relocated somewhere else. The DA left for Washington, D.C. on business. He might call to talk to you over the phone, but he won’t be able to interview you until he gets back. In the meantime, we’ll get all of the paperwork together so you can enter the program.”

  “Do I get to choose where I live?” Laurie wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, and found comfort in its familiar warmth.

  “No, but I need as much information from you as possible so we can find a suitable place for you to live. While you’re here, and whenever you’re in a safe house, you should never be outside, unless you’re with us. If a car pulls into the driveway, we go out to see who it is. You stay in here, until we bring that person inside. If someone ever comes up to the door, we answer—not you. We have internet here, but we don’t want you contacting anyone. Do you have any family I should contact?”

  Laurie’s gaze drifted down to the table.

  “No.”

  “Your mom, dad—aunts, uncles?”

  Laurie took a deep breath.

  “No,” Laurie said. “My mom and dad died in a car accident with my little brother. I think my dad has a brother, but they live in Oregon and I’ve never met them. I don’t have any family here.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Laurie looked up at him. His eyes were gentle and warm. His gaze didn’t hold the look of pity everyone else gave her when she imparted that same bit of information. There was just the slightest hint of sorrow. She nodded and sat back in her chair.

  “Are there any friends we should contact then? A boyfriend?”

  “Jim will tell everyone at the resort that needs to know. Stuff gets around the hotel. All my friends work there. I’m not dating anyone.”