Текст книги "Love or Justice"

Автор книги: Rachel Mannino

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Dante

The rain began to pour down, running into Dante’s open window. In the minute it took to roll up the window in the piece-of-crap rental car he was in, his arm and shoulder were soaked. Annoyed, he brushed the drops from his arm with more force than necessary.

His father sat beside Dante in the passenger’s seat. Albert hadn’t moved at all during the three hours they sat outside of the house they were watching.

Dante jumped when Albert suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Dante’s annoyance grew as he turned to his father.

Albert nodded toward the house.

Dante glanced back at the house. They had been watching it for the past four days. After culling through all of the CIA reports on Kaimi, they had narrowed the pool of potential hideouts to three. This house was at the top of the list. Owned by one of Kaimi’s long-standing rivals in the gun trade, it appeared in report after report after report, going all the way back to Kaimi’s first rise to law-enforcement attention. Though it had never been a reported safe-haven, the shear frequency of its occurrence in the documents outnumbered other locations almost two to one. Kaimi’s men had come here for numerous meetings, Kaimi had come for parties and dinners. There had been an altercation or two between Kaimi’s men and the men in his rival’s staff. It would also make the perfect hideout, since the Feds would discount it because of who owned it. The mansion was on a hill near Kukio Bay in a multimillion-dollar resort, within easy reach of a marina. The dark foliage around the walled mansion also made surveillance almost impossible. Albert had sniffed out the only real vantage point after a day or so of searching. It was the driveway of a deserted home downhill from the mansion.

Even though it was past midnight, three cars were leaving the compound on the hill. There hadn’t been anyone to come in or leave the house since they started their surveillance, except for the cleaning service and the gardeners. Albert and Dante sank down into their seats as three town cars passed by, rolling down the hill toward the marina. After they passed, Dante took out their infrared binoculars. He pointed them toward the house. There were three people around the perimeter, but everyone else was gone.

“There are three security guards left. The rest are gone.” Dante put the glasses down.

“That’s a lot of people to leave all at once.” Albert flicked his eyes at Dante.

“Yes it is,” Dante ran his hands through his hair. “We’ve got to figure out if he’s in there, Dad. The binoculars only tell us so much, and the listening devices we have aren’t working from this distance.”

“I know. I’ve been thinking a lot about that.” Albert tapped the newspaper in his hand against his palm. “I think it’s time for me to go back to work.”

“You are back at work.” Dante slid his eyes over to him.

“No, I think I’m going into the gardening business.” Albert tapped the paper again. “This paper right here says the resort is looking for a gardener, and well, I guess I didn’t save enough for retirement.”

Dante swiped the paper from his hand. He read the small advertisement that his father had circled. Then he threw into the back seat so hard the paper bounced off the seat, hitting his father’s seat before falling to the floor.

“No.” Dante shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I’ve been doing this for much longer than you’ve been alive. Of course it’s dangerous, but it has to be done.” A note of finality entered Albert’s voice.

“No.” Dante pinned him with a look. “We’ll find another way. Or I’ll do it.”

“There is no other way, and you have Fed written all over you. No one would suspect a lonely old man. I’ve spent so many years on a farm, there isn’t a plant I haven’t met. I can get on that property, and drop off some of our bugs. Then we’ll know if he’s here.”

Dante brooded for a while, thinking over the plan, trying to find any possible holes, any reason to protest. But his father was right. There wasn’t another way to find out unless they got onto the property. There were very few people coming and going. He sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“I will let you do this under one condition; you have to wear a hidden mic. If anything goes wrong, anything, I’m coming in.”

“I knew you were going to say that.” Albert smiled.

“Did you?”

“Of course.” Albert lifted his eyebrows. “It’s exactly what I would have said.”

Dante smiled and gave a little laugh. He was surprised to find that being compared to his father didn’t quite irk him as much as it did before. He turned the key in the ignition.

“Well, I guess we should go back to the hotel. I’d hate for you to be late for your second career.” Dante pulled out of the driveway.

Dante headed toward the highway that ran to the hotel where they were staying. It was a run-down sort of place, but it was quiet and clean. If someone updated it to the current decade with new paint, carpet and fixtures, it would be a nice hotel near the ocean. For what they needed it to be, it served them just fine.

Dante pulled into the parking space outside their ground floor room. When they opened the door, Bob sat on one of the twin beds, watching TV. Albert and Dante sat down beside him. They explained the new plan of attack. Bob protested, but eventually relented to their logic. Bob and Dante spent the rest of the night helping Albert pull together a false resume.

First thing the next morning, Albert put on a button-down shirt and some loose khaki pants. He pulled a floppy sun hat out of his suitcase, laying it on the bed. Dante watched his father reach into a hidden pocket in his suitcase, extracting a false social security card and license. Albert took out his real license, stored it in his bag, then stuck his new identity into his wallet.

“Ready to go?” Dante gestured to the door.

“Yes.” Albert snapped his wallet closed. “I will only answer to Jesse from now on, understand?”

“I think I’ll just stick with Dad.” Dante, the newly created Jesse, and Bob drove to the resort management office. While the head landscape artist interviewed his father, Dante tested the sound recording equipment, to make sure he would be able to hear his father without any problems.

After a short interview, the manager sounded impressed. He excused himself to go into his office to call Jesse’s references. After a few minutes, Dante got a call on his cell phone. He went into his rehearsed and well thought out opinion of Jesse: his work ethic, knowledge of plant life, strengths and weaknesses. The manager sounded ecstatic as he hung up the phone. Then Bob got a phone call. He went through his own version of the speech.

After his ten-minute conversation with Bob, the manager emerged from his office and offered Jesse the position. The manager asked Jesse when he could start, and Jesse told him he could start anytime, so the manager asked him to come back the next day. He gave Jesse a polo shirt with the resort logo right before he left. Albert emerged from the office victorious. On the way back to the hotel, they stopped at a bookstore so they could pick up a couple of books on native Hawaiian horticulture. ‘Jesse’ spent the rest of the day learning about the exotic plants growing all around the island.

The next morning, Bob and Dante dropped Albert off at work before they drove over to the hiding spot near Kaimi’s suspected hideout. It was a long wait, well into the late afternoon, until they started picking up Albert’s signal. The landscaping van drove past them up the hill to the mansion. Albert wasn’t alone; his new boss was with him.

“Jesse,” they heard through the mic. “This next owner doesn’t like new people, so don’t take it personally. He’s a paranoid guy. There’s always a few security guards around, and when he’s home he’ll watch you while you’re working.”

“Sounds like a pretty private man,” Jesse said. “What’s his name?”

“Yes, private—very private. Kimo Kimura. His wife can also be a bit demanding. Very loud and demanding. She tends to want everything a certain way. If she’s not happy with what you’ve done, she can get pretty mad.”

“Sounds like a fun house, Mike,” Jesse replied.

“Yeah. Of all the owners, these people can be the most stressful to deal with. So if you can handle them, you’ve got it made,” Mike replied.

Dante and Bob heard the car door slam. They heard more muffled sounds as the gardening van door slid open and equipment was retrieved from the truck. Mike greeted the two security guards.

“Who is this?” one of the guards asked.

“New hire, guys. This is Jesse Birch. Jesse this is Mitch and Carl.”

“Boss needs to meet him,” the security guard said without missing a beat.

“Sure!” Mike replied. “Is he in the office?”

Dante smiled over his iced coffee. Mike’s voice had gone up half an octave. His nervousness oozed out from their receiver in the rental car.

“Yeah, and he’s not going to be in the best mood either. Good luck,” said the other guard.

“Thanks for letting us know,” Mike said. There was some rustling and footsteps before Mike continued in a whisper. “Just let me do all the talking. I mean, answer his questions, but just let me handle the rest.”

The sound of footsteps stopped a little while later, and there was a knock. There were some muffled sounds until Jesse said, “Sounds like an argument. Maybe we should just come back?”

Dante smiled while Bob chuckled at Albert’s sly narration. Then they heard a heavy wooden door fly open.

“I told you—” the voice stopped cold and there was an awkward pause.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Kimura. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I just wanted to introduce you to our new assistant landscape artist, Jesse,” Mike said.

“A new hire?” asked Mr. Kimura.

Mr. Kimura’s voice was silky, elegant, but sharp. Dante heard the suspicion there too, in the low rumble of his three-word question. Dante gripped his coffee cup tighter. He held his breath as he listened.

“Yes. Jesse’s from outside Honolulu. His son and grandson live here though,” Mike answered.

“Come in,” Mr. Kimura said. The door creaked as it opened. There were some footfalls and muffled noises before Mr. Kimura continued. “So, Mr. Birch, who have you worked for?”

Jesse rattled off the first three positions from his resume. There was a pause.

“You ever worked anywhere else? Done anything besides gardening?” he asked.

“I’ve worked a few other places, but those are the most recent. Wanted to be a landscaper my whole life though. Never did anything else,” Jesse answered.

“You sound like a mainlander,” Mr. Kimura stated. It sounded more like an accusation.

“Yeah, I grew up mainland,” Jesse said. “Back east. But in college, I took a trip out here with a few buddies, met a girl. After college, I married her and moved here.”

There was a thoughtful pause.

“Must be a very pretty woman,” Mr. Kimura said. Jesse chuckled.

“Yes she was,” Jesse replied. “She passed a year or so ago. My son convinced me to move here. He wants to keep an eye on me, I guess.”

Albert’s voice had turned to just the right mixture of sadness, acceptance, and underlying good humor. It made Dante shift in his seat as he put down his coffee.

“I hate that he’s so good at this,” Bob said to Dante.

Dante nodded. He didn’t know whether he should be alarmed or impressed that his father could make up an entire life for himself on the spot.

“Sounds like your son is an honorable man,” Mr. Kimura replied.

“Well, that’s why I let him think he’s taking care of me,” Jesse told him. The men all seemed to chuckle. “But, you know, I hate being cooped up. I need some fresh air and sunshine. I convinced him to let me take on gardening again. Just part-time.”

“Hmmm. Where did you say you lived near Honolulu?” Mr. Kimura asked.

“Manoa,” Jesse answered.

“Ah, there is a great bakery in Manoa—a famous one. What’s it called again?” Mr. Kimura asked.

Dante and Bob tensed. They leaned toward the speakers, as a long paused settled in.

“A bakery?” Jesse asked.

“Yes, yes. Great malasadas. Do you know its name? I can’t think of it just now. A tiny little place, but you must know it, everyone goes there. It’s famous,” Mr. Kimura continued.

Jesse seemed to think for a little while. Dante reached for his gun. If this was going to go wrong, he knew his best chance to save his father was to leave this rust-bucket where it was and scale the wall himself. He placed his hand on the door handle, and Bob echoed his movement.

“Do you mean Leikela’s bakery?” Jesse asked.

Confusion darkened Albert’s voice just a shade. Dante’s eyebrows raised in shock. How did his father know about that bakery?

“Yes, exactly,” Mr. Kimura said.

“Oh, well, that’s really Makiki. It’s not Manoa at all,” Jesse replied.

“Ah, you’re right. You’re right. I forgot,” Mr. Kimura responded.

Dante and Bob let out a breath. Dante slumped into his seat. He dragged his hand over his bleary eyes.

“How the hell did he know that?” Dante asked.

“No idea. He hasn’t lived here in decades,” Bob said.

“Well, gentleman, it has been a pleasure. But it’s getting late, and I’m sure you have some more work you need to do before the end of the day,” Mr. Kimura told them. Dante and Bob heard chairs scraping against the floor as Jesse and Mike stood up.

“Is there anything special you want done with the yard today, Mr. Kimura?” Mike asked.

“No, no. Just the watering and the weeding will make my wife happy,” Mr. Kimura answered.

The heavy wooden door creaked open. Footsteps sounded as the three men walked down the hall to the patio entrance.

The rest of the afternoon passed smoothly as Mike and Jesse weeded, watered, and trimmed an expansive lawn. Dante was hopeful his father was able to lay down at least one bug in the office so they could gather more information on Mr. Kimura and all of the people who seemed to be in the house. A little after 4:00 p.m. his father called and asked to be picked up.

Bob and Dante stopped by a nearby café to pick up some sandwiches for dinner and coffee for what they hoped would be a productive night. When they picked up Albert, Dante turned around from the driver’s seat.

“How the hell did you know about that bakery?” Dante knew his voice was sharp, but he wanted to know.

“I didn’t choose that neighborhood by accident. Always do your research.” Albert smirked back at him.

“Thanks for giving us a heads up about it.” Bob threw his voice over his shoulder. “We almost had a heart attack when he asked you. You’d have a real tough time catching Kaimi with us in the hospital, so next time, tell us something like that.”

“All right, all right. How was I supposed to know he would test me? I just come prepared.” Albert reached through the seats, plucking the sandwich bag from Bob’s hands. He rustled through it for a few minutes, searching for his usual dinner.

“Were you able to lay down some mics?” Dante drove over toward the mansion.

“I was able to drop both bugs. One in the office and one in the kitchen.” Albert wrestled with the wrapping on his sandwich. “Don’t park in the same spot. We have over a mile radius now. Let’s use it.”

“Yes, sir.” Dante pulled into the empty parking lot at the resort spa.

The spa overlooked the ocean. The sun hung low in the sky, and the water was a deep, velvety blue. Like Laurie’s eyes. Dante thought about Laurie’s eyes. Everything reminded him of her. God, he wanted nothing more than to get off this island and go home. The thought made Dante’s lips twist in an ironic smile. Technically, this island was his home, but without Laurie, it didn’t feel like it anymore. It felt more like prison. Yet, he couldn’t go home to Laurie a failure. He had to ensure her safety.

“We should be able to flip back and forth between the two channels from here.” Dante turned the dials on the recorder beside him to the frequency of the office device. They all turned their attention to the sound of silence.

“What was the argument you overheard in the office?” Bob asked Albert in a half a whisper.

“Don’t know, couldn’t make anything out. But what I do know is that it was two men arguing, and that office has one entrance and exit.” Albert bit into his sandwich. “There wasn’t anyone in there when we went in.”

Dante turned his head, and Albert grinned like a cat that had just caught a mouse. The fact that Albert’s mouth was full of a BLT sandwich added to the picture. Dante shook his head, turning back around.

“Could have had the TV on, or he could have been watching something online.” Dante flipped from the silent office to a bustling kitchen.

An hour or so went by, with nothing but the buzzing of the fish tank in the office. The kitchen was much busier; with Mrs. Kimura berating her staff over what she claimed was an over-cooked tuna for dinner. Mr. Kimura broke up the tirade by promising to hire a full-time chef. Dante was more relieved than the kitchen staff; Mrs. Kimura’s voice grated on his nerves.

Dante’s thoughts drifted back to Laurie as he listened to the quiet office again. He had sent his mother one brief message the other day, but hadn’t heard anything back. He didn’t even know if she got the coded e-mail. She may have just deleted it not knowing what it was. He was starving for something from his mother, or Laurie, even more than he was for information on Kaimi. He wondered if she would ever forgive him for leaving. He knew she loved him, but their love was so new, so fragile. His desperate attempt to keep her safe may have destroyed everything.

Dante came back to the present moment when the door to the office slammed closed. Dante, Bob, and Albert heard Mr. Kimura let out a frustrated sigh. Dante felt for him. They heard him pull out the chair from his desk. There was silence for a long time. Then a tentative rapping sound.

“Enter,” Mr. Kimura said. They heard the sounds of scraping and squealing. This was not the heavy office door opening. All three men leaned over the microphone receiver, staring at it.

“Your wife didn’t seem to enjoy dinner,” came a low, rumbling male voice.

“It’s always something—the tuna, the salad, the flatware,” Mr. Kimura replied sighing. “Now will you talk to her?”

“She’s never listened to me. She’s too much like her mother,” the voice replied.

“Unhappy servants are likely to start complaining to anyone,” Mr. Kimura said. “I’ll do what I can to make them happy. But you have to talk to her.”

“I will do what I can,” replied the voice.

“Thank you,” Mr. Kimura replied.

“Who were the men here earlier?” the voice asked.

“Gardeners; there’s a new one,” Mr. Kimura said.

“Is he a concern?” the voice asked.

“No,” Mr. Kimura replied. “Mike does research on his new hires. Background checks, credit checks. This new gardener is just a grandfather.”

Dante smirked into the front windshield of the car, as he watched the sun begin to set. There was a slight pause, some shuffling of papers.

“Jiao-meng contacted me. He said my federal friends are getting a bit…discouraged in their search. Their grip on the private airports is loosening. I will be dining in Shanghai by the end of the month,” the voice said.

Dante’s heart skipped a few beats, and he sucked in his breath.

“Good,” Mr. Kimura said. “That should be enough time for you to tie up loose ends.”

“Yes. Though it has been enjoyable spending so much time with my daughter and son-in-law, I’m sure you would like to have the house to yourselves again,” the voice replied.

Mr. Kimura seemed to chuckle.

“What are you going to do about the girl? Have you found her yet?” Mr. Kimura asked.

“No,” the voice answered. “The Marshal protecting her has hidden her even from the view of the agency. I had to use other means. But I’m close.”

Dante’s heart lurched into his throat. Now he was sure; they had found Kaimi. Kaimi was using every means to find Laurie.

“Got him,” Dante heard Albert whisper.

“Will you keep the informant, or should he be disposed of?” Mr. Kimura asked.

There was a thoughtful pause. The question had been direct, emotionless. Mr. Kimura talked of killing a federal agent like taking out the garbage or poisoning a rat.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Kaimi replied. “I’m meeting him next week. He said he has information on where the girl might be hiding. I will decide when I get there, I think.”

“I have to transport you to another meeting?” Mr. Kimura asked.

Mr. Kimura’s volume rose a few notches. Dante couldn’t imagine a man such as him yelling, so this might have been the closest thing to it.

“I will be gone in a few weeks. You won’t have to think about me for a long time,” Kaimi replied.

There was a tense pause.

“Where is this meeting supposed to take place?” Mr. Kimura asked.

“Hilo Forest Reserve,” Kaimi replied.

“Why so far north?” Mr. Kimura complained.

“He’s leading a Marshals training near Hilo all week and through the weekend. He can only break away for a few hours,” Kaimi replied.

Dante’s mind started racing. The annual training? Max would never lead that.

“If I transport you to this man, then I need something in return,” Mr. Kimura responded.

“What is that?” Kaimi asked.

“Keep him alive. I can use him,” Mr. Kimura told him.

There was a pause for a moment or two. Dante gripped the steering wheel. He fought with his sharp disbelief. He couldn’t believe it wasn’t Max. Max would never lead the training. It didn’t make sense.

“Fine. It’s all in the family, as they say,” Kaimi responded. Mr. Kimura chuckled.

“Where in the Hilo Reserve?” Mr. Kimura asked.

“Deep in the forest near the volcano, along a small access road. It used to be a safe house for the Marshals Service,” Kaimi told him. Dante took in a deep breath.

“It’s no longer in use?” Mr. Kimura asked.

“No, apparently too full of holes,” Kaimi said. He and Mr. Kimura both laughed.

Dante clenched his left fist, pressing it to his lips. He lost David in that house. They were laughing about it. His gut burned with instant, white-hot rage.

“It’s a bit arrogant of him to hold the meeting there, after what happened,” observed Mr. Kimura.

“Yes. I suppose it was a subtle reminder of why I still need him. Even though he has proven to be nothing but a disappointment. But if he is of use to you, then I will let it pass,” Kaimi said.

“Yes, I think he would be very useful. If he’s in a position to train all of the other Marshals, then I might be able to use him to make even more friends. I don’t mind if he comes to me with some minor damage. Might make him a little less cocky and a little more useful,” Mr. Kimura said.

“Easily done,” Kaimi told him. “Now, I think I will go finish some work downstairs and then retire.”

“Good night,” Mr. Kimura replied.

“Good night,” Kaimi said, as the door squeaked and scraped its way close.

Dante sat stone still for the next few minutes as the noise in the office turned to the sound of the aquarium and the tapping of the keyboard as Mr. Kimura took up his work. Half of him wanted nothing more than to drive over to the mansion, storm the door, and drag Kaimi down to the nearest Marshals office to dump on someone’s desk. The other half wanted desperately to not have heard what just came through the speakers. He knew who conducted the yearly training session, but Dante didn’t want to believe he was the mole. Dante was willing to accept almost anyone as the mole except him.

Dante switched off the receiver for the listening devices, and sat at the wheel of the truck.

“I’ll be damned,” Albert said. “We found him.”

“Yes, now what are we going to do with him?” Bob turned in his seat.

“We gather intel, of course.” Albert took a sip of coffee.

“We don’t have time to gather intel. His mole in the department has information on Laurie. We have to get to Kaimi before that meeting.” Bob slapped his leg.

“Before the meeting or during that meeting?” Albert gave Bob a sly smile. “No one knows that safe house like my son does. You can have both Kaimi and this mole next week.”

Albert directed his comment to Dante, but he didn’t respond. He sat in silence. His heart sank to the bottom of his chest. All of the exhilaration in finding Kaimi drained straight out of his soul.

“But we don’t know when they’re having the meeting.” Bob lifted a hand and gestured to Albert.

“Exactly. Until we know when the meeting is, how Kaimi will get there, and who is going to be there, then we need to continue doing what we’re doing. Once we’ve gathered all of that, we go back to the safe house and get ready to catch ourselves a killer.”

Bob and Albert both nodded at one another in agreement before turning to look at Dante.

“Dante?” Bob asked after a few minutes.

“The mole isn’t Max.” Dante’s throat strained with emotion.

“You know who’s supposed to lead this training?” Albert sat forward in the backseat.

“Yes.” Dante blinked. “Only one man has led that training since I came here.”

There was a lengthy pause.

“Who?” Albert prompted.

“My boss, Rick.” Dante looked from his uncle to his father and back at the steering wheel.

He was too hurt to be angry. Rick had trained him, mentored him. He thought of Rick as the father he never had. This betrayal poked holes in Dante’s confidence in everything he knew, everything he’d ever been taught.

“I’m sorry, son.” Albert placed a hand on his shoulder. “He trained you, didn’t he?”

“Yes. I thought it was bad enough it was one of my own men, but Rick? Rick?” Dante ran a hand down his face, rubbing his eyes.

“We still don’t know it’s him for sure.” Bob’s tone was gentle. “They didn’t say a name.”

Rage shot straight out of Dante’s heart, into his arm, coursing its way through his veins. Dante slammed his fist into the steering wheel. Then he did it again, and again. He cursed his way through every terrible word he knew. He turned to look at his uncle, and he knew his anger burned in his eyes as his uncle shrunk back from him.

“Rick is in charge of the entire Witness Inspectors office. He’s the longest serving Marshal here. He’s the only person who has led that training session in seven years. He looks forward to it every year. He talks about it all the time.” Dante’s voice rose in pitch and speed with every other word. “It can’t be anyone else.”

Bob nodded, looking away, out the windshield, into the distance.

“Dante, I know this is a shock for you, but don’t take it out on your uncle. This is a bloody business. If Rick is the mole, then all of the witnesses here are in danger. Laurie’s life will continue to be in danger until both he and Kaimi are put behind bars. I’m afraid you have to put your feelings about this aside. You have to focus on what we came here to do.”

There was something kind in his father’s eyes that made Dante bite back the response that leapt to his tongue. Dante thought about what he said for a few minutes. He turned to sit forward in his seat, just staring at the pavement in front of them.

“I’m sorry.” Dante glanced at his uncle askance.

“Don’t worry about it kid.” His uncle gave him a faint smile, clapping him on the shoulder. “It’s been a hell of a day.”

Dante nodded agreement. With heavy movements, he turned the key in the ignition and drove back to the motel in complete silence. Dante dissected every word that had come out of Kaimi’s mouth. He thought about Rick, and he began to see everything Rick had ever done in a new light. He thought of Laurie, and he began to wish like hell she was there. She knew how to console him; she would know what to say to ease the blow he’d just received. He looked down the road to see the faint lights of the motel in the distance, but his thoughts were thousands of miles away.

***

 

Laurie

“Pregnant?” Laurie asked.

The doctor nodded. The doctor was in his late forties, and silver hair was beginning to show at his temples. His smile was genuine, lighting up his green eyes, even though he probably delivered this same news to dozens of women a month. Laurie was less than thrilled to be one of those women.

“Pregnant? How? How could this happen? I’ve been using birth control. I’ve been using it every day since I was seventeen!”

“Birth control isn’t one hundred percent effective.” The doctor gave her a knowing smile.

The man seemed very sweet, kind, and gentle, but right now, Laurie wanted to throttle him.

“But how? Oh God. What am I going to do?” She moaned as she covered her eyes, her head in her hands.

“I know this might not have been expected, but a baby is an indescribable joy.” He patted her shoulder in what he obviously assumed was a reassuring gesture.

Laurie just nodded her head, her shocked expression still etched across her face.

“Now, I’m going to go get you some pamphlets and a referral for an OB/GYN. I’ll send in your mother and friend, so you can tell them the good news yourself.” The doctor hummed his way out of the door, leaving Laurie alone.

She sat on the exam table, huddled in the little white gown, holding her nauseous stomach. Dante was going to kill her. He was going to be so angry. She had forced him to flee Hawaii because of a man who wanted her dead. He lost his job because of her, and now she was pregnant. She had ruined his life—his entire life.

Fat tears coursed down Laurie’s cheeks when Emma opened the door to the exam room. Laurie stared at the wall in shock and horror. She let go of the little white gown she had in a death grip.

“Laurie? What is it, honey? What did the doctor say?” Emma asked, as she and Gabriella rushed into the room.

“I’m…” Her eyes glazed over. “I’m pregnant. Dante’s going to hate me.”

Laurie buried her face in her hands. She heard Emma suck in a breath.

“Pregnant? I’m going to have a grandchild?” Emma’s face broke out into a smile, as she hugged Laurie.

“He’s going to hate me.” Laurie grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake.

“No, no, he won’t, Laurie. My son loves you. He will love this baby too,” Emma crooned into Laurie’s hair.

Laurie doubted that. She looked to Gabriella, who was also beaming at her.

“I know it’s unexpected, but the baby news will make Dante happy.” Gabriella squeezed her shoulder. “You’ll see.”

Laurie took in a deep breath and expelled it slowly. She could only hope they were right. She brushed her tears away. There wasn’t anything she could do now but wait for Dante to come back.