Love or Justice (17 page)

The next flight was far shorter than the first. They passed over the Rocky Mountains in those few hours, which had Laurie glued to the window again. Afterwards, Bob announced they were going to be landing. They landed at another air base, which Dante didn’t recognize at all, but Bob seemed to have many friends there, since he left the plane to talk to the ground crew for quite a while before re-boarding. He brought sandwiches and chips back with him. It had been hours since they had eaten.

Dante and Laurie were famished.

Bob took a seat across the aisle from Dante.

Laurie took the opportunity to stretch her legs while the plane wasn’t moving.

“They have a few cargo planes coming in, but we should be able to take off after that.” Bob unwrapped his sandwich and bit into his lunch.

Laurie unwrapped her sandwich, taking an enthusiastic bite. Her hair was mussed from their long journey.

Dante’s hand itched to brush through it.

She rocked back and forth, trying to work the stiffness from her joints.

“We appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone through to help us.” Holding the sandwich in one hand, she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder with the other.

Bob waved his hand.

“No trouble at all. Haven’t seen my favorite nephew in years.”

“Well, that would be because the last time you visited you drank me under the table. I just recently recovered.” Dante grinned at him.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that trip.” Bob rubbed his chin.

“Hmmm. I think I know why you can’t remember it.” Dante buried his smile in his bag of chips.

Bob laughed and winked at Laurie.

Bob brushed the crumbs from his jumpsuit, while he regarded Laurie with a steady gaze. Bob turned his eagled-eyed gaze on Dante.

Dante braced himself.

“So, uh. Does your father know about the two of you?” Bob gestured between him and Laurie.

“We didn’t really talk when I called, so no.” Dante flinched.

“You had better just tell him straight out. If he sniffs it out, it will go much worse for you,” Bob’s lips drew together in a serious, thin line.

“Why?” Laurie asked.

“My father is…” Dante fished around for a diplomatic answer. “Very down to business. He believes in following rules.”

“If he knew Dante got into a relationship with one of his witnesses, he’d turn Dante inside out,” Bob finished for him.

“Well, we don’t have to tell him. We were hiding it from the other Marshals.” Laurie wrapped her arms around her middle. Bob let out a ferocious laugh.

“You didn’t tell her about him did you?” Bob asked Dante through his laughter.

“I told her where he worked. She knows that much.” Dante ran his hand down his face and back up to rub his eyes. He was getting a headache just thinking about his father.

Bob managed to calm his fit of laughter.

“Laurie, my dear, his father was very good at his job. All he has to do is look at you. He knows what you’re thinking, somehow. The best Dante can hope for is to just tell him straight out and get it over with.” Bob pointed his sandwich at Dante to emphasize his point.

“Sir?” called a young man from outside the plane.

Dante craned his neck to see a very young airman on the stairs to the plane.

Bob strode to the door of the plane and the young man sprang to attention on stairs, thereby almost falling off before he balanced himself.

Laurie tried to hold back her laughter since she was in the willowy young man’s line of sight.

Dante coughed and hid his smile in his hand.

Bob spoke to him for a couple of minutes. The young man scurried back down the stairs. Shaking his head, Bob pressed a button to close the cabin door.

“That runt was scared of his own shadow. How do they expect these airmen to go out and sacrifice their lives when they can’t even stand on the stairs in front of a retired officer?” Bob huffed his way to the cockpit.

“They all start out that way, uncle. They’ll do what they have to do when the time comes.” Dante rested his chin on his hand. Bob just shook his head.

“Well, we’re almost there. We should be there in about two and half hours.” Bob grabbed the cockpit door to close it.

“Where are we going?” Laurie took her seat. Bob smiled.

“Nowhere. You’re going to the middle of nowhere. Which is the way Albert has always wanted it.” He disappeared into the cockpit.

***

Laurie

Laurie turned to Dante, who shook his head, shrugging. Then he put his arm around her as they began to taxi down the runway.

Dante fell asleep on the last leg, while Laurie read. This was her last book. She wished she had access to her class syllabus now. She left it at the resort in all of the commotion leading up to her departure. She mused at how far away that life felt now, even though it had only a been a couple of short weeks. She wondered what her friends were doing now, if they were working, cooking, or surfing. She wished she could just talk to some of them, tell them she met a man. If she were at the hotel, they would have questioned her relentlessly, so they could giggle about it as they cleaned. It made the workday go faster. Laurie sighed, checking her watch.

She peered out the window. Below her was a world of neat squares and circles carving up the landscape. She never saw such a peculiar site. The volcanos and shorelines she had always known were half a world away, replaced with uniform farmland. Homesickness hit her hard. She hugged the book in her lap, a book from her home, to her chest.

Dante awoke. He turned in his seat, about to get up when he noticed Laurie clutching her book to her chest, stroking it. He frowned, until he heard a sniffle.

“Laurie? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh—” She tried to suppress a sniffle, but she didn’t succeed. “Nothing.”

“What’s wrong?”

She let out a heavy sigh, wiping her watery eyes.

“I think I just got a little bit homesick.”

He nodded, rubbing her shoulders while stretching his legs.

“You’ll make a new home after the trial. In a safe place. I promise.”

But where? Laurie wondered. Would Dante visit her there? Why couldn’t she just move to another island? Her stomach tied itself in knots. She had already started over once in her life. She didn’t want to have to do it again. But she had to. She had to testify. She had to put Kaimi away. She took a deep breath. Somehow, she knew she would find a way to start from scratch again. She just wished Dante would be a part of it.

Dante stretched out his arms, then wrapped one around her.

Laurie sank back into his shoulder, resting there as she laid her hand on his thigh.

Dante started tapping his foot on the floor. They felt a slight pressure change as the plane began its descent.

Bob’s voice, muffled but audible, came over the announcement system for the last time.

“Good evening. This is your uncle speaking. We are beginning our final descent. Please take your seats and buckle your seat belts. Thank you for flying with Family Airlines.”

Laurie smiled up at Dante, who just shook his head, rolling his eyes.

The descent was smooth and graceful. They pulled up toward the main building at the airport. The airport resembled concrete World War II bunkers. Laurie felt she had gone back in time.

Bob exited the cockpit, smiling at them as he opened the door. The ground crew wheeled a set of stairs up to the door. Weary from the long hours on board, they disembarked.

As a group, they moved toward the square concrete buildings with peeling cream paint. The heavy, metal door was propped open with a large rock. The room beyond the door was clean and desolate. It had bland, short blue carpeting with white concrete walls. There were two people in the building, an older man and woman. The woman, with salt and pepper hair, cried out when she saw them. She ran to Dante with open arms, her bright, hazel eyes shining with tears.

“Mom!” Dante dropped his bag and opened his arms.

“My son, my son! Oh God, I had thought I would never see you again.” Tears flowed freely down her bronze cheeks as she smiled.

Dante’s mother cupped his face.

Dante hugged her tightly. He rested his chin on her head.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry it’s been this long,” Laurie heard him whisper into her ear, his voice husky with emotion. “It’s really good to see you.”

Laurie unconsciously laid her hand over her heart. Their emotion touched her, and she was still a bit homesick herself. She was on the verge of tears. She looked down to clear her throat, taking a deep breath before she made a fool of herself. Then a heavy arm wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up to find Bob leaning against her.

“Well, gorgeous, I guess this is goodbye.” His eyes twinkled.

“Not staying for dinner, Bob?” asked Dante’s father.

Laurie had overlooked him in the ecstatic exchange between mother and son.

Dante’s father ambled over toward her and Bob. He was tall, lean, with long, muscled limbs. His face was sharp, angular, and tanned from ample time outdoors. He wore a red flannel shirt with a faded leather vest. He had a non-descript belt over faded jeans. With his work boots on as well, he looked like every farmer Laurie had ever seen on TV or in pictures. Unassuming, unnoticeable. Laurie guessed that was very deliberate.

“No, no. Gabriella will want me home for dinner. I’ve had some fun with these kids, but it’s time to get on home to my family.” Bob gave Laurie’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Bob, I can’t begin to thank you,” Dante’s mom said. Her emotions now spent, she was content to stand beside her son with an arm wrapped around his waist, while he rubbed her shoulders.

“No thanks necessary, Emma. It was a lot of fun to get in the air again.” Bob sounded a bit wistful. “Gabriella and the kids and I will come for a visit real soon. I imagine these two will need some entertainment after they settle in.”

Bob winked at Laurie.

“Behave yourself now. No more getting in the way of mobsters.” He gave her a gruff hug. Laurie laughed.

“I’ll try really hard this time.” Laurie squeezed him right back.

Then he released her and went to Dante.

“You—take care of her and your mom. I want a good report when I come back for a visit.” He pulled Dante into a bear hug.

“Yes, sir, Lt. General Stark.” Dante smirked. Bob shook his head.

“Don’t. Don’t even get me started.” He laughed as he walked back toward the door to the airstrip. “I’ll see you all soon.”

He gave a short salute and disappeared out of the airport door. When Laurie looked back at the room, both of Dante’s parents were now staring at her. Laurie smiled, blushing while her stomach fluttered.

“Mom, Dad—this is Laurie. She’s a witness I’ve been protecting.” Dante put his hand on her shoulder.

“Hello, Laurie. I’m Emma.” She clasped both of Laurie’s hands in hers.

“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you so much for taking me in.” Laurie looked from Dante’s mother to his father.

“Oh, of course. We wouldn’t have thought twice about saying yes. I hope you’ll feel right at home.” Emma gave Laurie a hug, which caught Laurie off guard, but she was extremely grateful. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased. After a slight pause, she hugged Emma back.

“This is Albert.” Emma gestured to her husband. Albert gave a polite nod, extending his hand to her.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Laurie shook his hand with all the warmth she could muster.

Dante’s father didn’t intimidate Laurie at all. He was nothing like what she had imagined after listening to Dante and Bob. She could see an underlying sternness, a hard edge in his features. Yet, his brown eyes softened when he looked at Dante. Laurie wondered if he wanted to hug his son as his wife had.

“Dad.” Dante extended his hand.

Dante shifted on his feet. His father’s gaze was guarded. Dante and Albert tensed, as Albert’s eyes flickered to Dante’s hand with a frown.

“Son.” Albert shook his hand. “Glad to see you made it out here all right.”

“Yeah. Bob had everything under control.” Dante took a step back.

Albert nodded thoughtfully. There was a lull in the conversation, as Emma stood beside Laurie, both of them watching father and son. Neither of the two subjects moved nor spoke. They just stood there, staring at the floor or the ceiling, both struggling to speak. Albert coughed.

“Well, we should be on our way. We don’t live too far from here.” Albert gestured to the door.

“Where exactly is here?” Laurie fell into step beside Dante.

“Nebraska.” Emma answered the question over her shoulder. “Farm country. I hope you like gardening!”

“I’ve never gardened before.” Some of Laurie’s anxiety returned.

“Well, I’ll teach you, honey.” Emma smiled and put her hand on Laurie’s forearm.

“Oh, okay.” Laurie’s brow furrowed. Taking gardening lessons wasn’t something she associated with protective custody.