Picking up the dirty clothes from the floor, she was about to throw them in the laundry basket. On a second thought, however, she dropped them back on the floor. She was going to throw them away, not wanting anything to remind her of the house she was kept captive in. Besides, they weren’t even hers.
Feeling pretty tired and hungry since she didn’t have time to finish her moussaka, she walked toward the kitchen, following the smell of spaghetti sauce.
“Mmmm… It smells delicious,” she said and uncovered the saucepan to take a peek. Dan was cutting up some vegetables for a salad. He had already set the table by the bay window on one side of the kitchen.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Go sit down,” he said. “You’re my guest.”
Christina sat down and watched him bring to the table a huge bowl of salad and some baked rolls. She could hardly wait and was glad when he said, “Dig in. Don’t wait for me.”
Christina started eating her salad while he served the spaghetti and brought it to the table, along with a bottle of red wine.
They sat there, eating and talking about all kind of things—music, movies, and things they like to do in their spare time. Christina appreciated Dan’s effort to help her relax and forget for a few minutes that someone was out to kill her. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she had enjoyed a meal that much. She had to admit he was a good cook, and she enjoyed his company immensely.
After they had finished their meal, Dan told her to take her glass of wine and go downstairs. Following his advice, Christina walked down the steps and sank on the comfortable sofa. She could hear him upstairs, cleaning up the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he came downstairs, turned all lights out, and sat next to her with a glass of wine in his hands. A blissful silence stretched between them as they enjoyed the magnificent view of the dark waters shining like liquid silver from the reflection of the moon.
***
Christina placed her glass on a round end table and laid her head on his shoulder. Dan remained still, listening to her breathing becoming deeper and deeper as she drifted off to sleep. He was tired, too, but he had to stay alert. He had a security system in the house, but still, he couldn’t take any chances.
After a while, he stood up slowly and lifting Christina into his arms, he carried her upstairs and into the guest room. He laid her on the bed and covered her with a light blanket. Turning to leave, he hesitated at the door, watching her sleeping. She looked like an adorable child, with her pretty face halfway covered by her silky golden-brown locks.
Dan straightened his back, and after checking the window for the second time, he walked outside the room, softly closing the door behind him. He walked back downstairs, and from the bottom shelf of a bookcase, he took out a cell phone he kept registered under another name for security purposes and called Miles.
***
The bright rays of the morning sun woke Christina up. Startled, she let her gaze wander around, trying to get her bearings. Recalling where she was, she glanced at her watch. Almost ten o’clock, she realized, amazed she had slept like a log, all night long.
Relaxed and refreshed, she stretched lazily in bed and lay there for a few minutes, enjoying the serenity of the moment. She couldn’t help but feel utterly grateful to Dan for bringing her into his home and offering her a shelter to recuperate from the horrifying ordeal she’d been through during the last few days.
The house was pretty quiet, but Christina was sure that Dan was already up if he had slept at all. She climbed out of bed and pulled up the window shade. The bright sunlight filled the room, and she let her eyes wander around the cozy bedroom since she had been too tired to pay attention to it the day before. Oak wood furniture combined with the sapphire and cream decorations to create a simple but warm atmosphere. A beautiful, silk flower arrangement on a round end table blended in with the bedspread and the curtains. Christina smiled, thinking that Janet and maybe Emily had something to do with this. She could hardly imagine Dan matching curtains and bedspreads and worrying about flower arrangements.
She exchanged her wrinkled shirt with a clean one and rushed to the bathroom. A few minutes later, all ready and refreshed, she walked into the kitchen, following the smell of bacon.
“Good morning,” Dan said, with a smile on his handsome face while his amazing blue eyes magnetized her gaze.
His face, freshly shaved, appeared more relaxed, and his dark brown hair shone from the shower. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to his muscular body like a glove. Christina drew a deep breath, staring at him, feeling her mouth going dry. Be careful, she warned herself. Don’t get the wrong idea...he’s only doing his job. But then again, how could she help herself from staring at this amazing incarnation of an ancient Greek God?
“Breakfast is ready.” His deep voice brought her back to reality.
“All this for me?” Christina inquired, unwilling to draw her eyes from him to glance at the food on the table. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, slices of bread with butter and marmalade, coffee, and orange juice.
“I don’t want you to complain that I starved you to death,” Dan replied, cheerfully while bringing a plate filled up with eggs and bacon to the table. “I didn’t know if you preferred pancakes?” he added apologetically.
“Are you kidding me? Everything is perfect,” Christina reassured him. “I don’t think I can eat all this.” She surprised herself, though, when she emptied her plate in a few minutes.
“My! My! Someone was hungry!” Dan pointed out, teasingly.
Staring into the blue ocean of his gaze, Christina realized she had forgotten all about her troubles for a while. It was as if they were friends, spending a few days together at the lake. Just friends? she wondered and quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.
***
“I’ll do the dishes!” she offered and pushed her chair back. Dan started to complain, but she had already picked up her plate and was taking it to the sink.
“You just sit there and enjoy your coffee!” she ordered him. “You’ve done enough, already,” she continued, and he realized she wasn’t talking only about the food.
Dan sat back in his chair and watched her going back and forth, cleaning up the table, and doing the dishes. He was surprised to realize how content he felt at that moment. He wasn’t a very social person and enjoyed his solitude immensely. However, right now he was happy. He liked having Christina there and spending time with her. And he had to admit it wasn’t only because he wanted to protect her.
When Christina finished the dishes, she poured herself another cup of coffee and sat at the table again, staring out the bay window.
“It’s so pretty and peaceful,” she said, watching the dark waters of the lake sparkling in the morning sun.
“Yes, it’s nice this time of the year,” he replied. “I like fall. It’s also nice during summertime, but it gets too noisy with all the speedboats going up and down, and people water skiing and swimming all over the place. So when summer flows to autumn, I love the peace and quiet that comes with it.”
“I bet it’s beautiful all year around,” she said with a dreamy expression on her face. “However, I prefer spring. I love it when nature awakens, flowers bloom, and the weather is beautiful and warm but not too hot.”
Dan stared at her face. She’s so beautiful. Most women would rush to put their makeup on, even early in the morning. But Christina was stunning just the way she was. He felt her eyes turning on him and smiled at her.
“Everything is going to work out,” he reassured her. Feeling her tense up, he realized he had unwillingly rekindled her fears. Inwardly cursing himself, he sprung to his feet to wash his cup.
“How long are we going to stay here?” she asked him.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, truthfully. “Are you fed up with me already?” he asked, trying to lift the tension in the air.
“No, it’s not that,” she replied. “I ju
st want this whole thing to end.”
“I talked to Miles last night,” he said. “We have enough evidence to go to trial. You might not have to testify, after all,” he lied, trying to sound reassuring.
He was going to do his best, he promised himself, to avoid putting her on the stand. He knew how dangerous it could be testifying against people like that. Even if some of them were in jail, there were always others to come after you.
Of course, she could be placed in the witness protection program. However, he didn’t want that. I don’t want to lose Christina, he thought selfishly and was surprised to realize how much he cared about her. He’d been a loner all his life. He’d had a few relationships in the past, but things never worked out.
Eventually, he had come to the conclusion he was too involved with his job for anyone to put up with him for too long. Women often came on to him, but it never lasted for too long. They would walk away after he left them waiting at a restaurant or canceled the weekend trip they had planned once too often because something had come up at work.
Then Jennifer came along—a witness to a bank robbery, assigned under his protection. She was a beautiful, sweet girl, and Dan fell madly in love with her. Allowing his feelings to affect his judgment, he made the wrong decisions, and Jennifer was killed…
Dan glanced out the window, and for a moment, he thought he saw Jennifer’s face staring back at him through the glass. He looked away, trying to clear his thoughts. Will the pain every go away? It’s been five years… It’s time to let go. However, he couldn’t; he blamed himself for her death. I was supposed to protect her, he thought bitterly. It was his fault; if he hadn’t fallen in love with her, he would be thinking straight and not let his feelings affect his judgment. After that, he swore he would never get involved with anyone like this, again. When he was on a case, he would be strictly professional and keep his distance from the people involved.
The truth was he had never had to worry about anything like that happening again because he’d never found anyone like Jennifer. However, staring back at Christina’s emerald eyes, he realized that things had changed. So much for keeping my distance, he reprimanded himself, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted her… He wanted to be with her, go on weekend trips, spend time with her, and forget all about his job for a while.
“Was the older guy arrested, too?” Christina inquired suddenly, keeping her eyes on the floor.
“What guy?” Dan jumped startled as she drew him from his thoughts.
“The older guy with the gray suit who was riding in the limo with Reynolds,” Christina said. “He seemed to be the boss.”
Dan thought for a minute, puzzled. “No one like that was among the people arrested,” he said, carefully. “Adriano Reynolds is believed to be the leader. The rest of the people arrested were working for him.”
“No!” Christina insisted. “I’m talking about the other one who was with Reynolds,” she continued and described the man as best as she could.
Dan sat quietly for a couple of minutes, thinking. “I know you’ve already given a statement, and you’ve gone over all this again and again, but do you mind going over everything for one more time? Maybe there’s something we’ve missed,” he said, realizing that Antonio Rosetti fit Christina’s description of the older guy who accompanied Reynolds.
“No, not at all,” Christina said, even though she probably did mind.
Dan knew how tiresome it was to talk about things over and over again. Witnesses complained about it constantly. However, it was unavoidable sometimes. It seemed that every time a statement was repeated, some new piece of information was included, perhaps vital to solving the case.
They poured some more coffee and went downstairs to the family room, where they spent the rest of the morning going over everything. Dan couldn’t help but admire the girl for her courage. Even though she looked so weak and fragile, she had handled the situation a lot better than a lot of people he knew would have.
He remembered having those same thoughts first time at the hospital in Savannah, when Christina described to him how she had searched the house and found the sick guy and the crates with the coffee grounds in the basement. Christina was surprised to find out that the police had found drugs hidden in the crates with the coffee.
The police had located the house Christina was held captive in. It belonged to Malcolm Hazel, the owner of an Atlanta newspaper with wide circulation. Hazel was the older guy Christina had found, who was kept sedated by Reynolds’s people. It seemed that Hazel had some business dealings with Reynolds, and after Reynolds had asked him to hide the drugs in his house he got scared and tried to back out. However, nobody backs out from deals with people like Reynolds.
Christina had also talked about the young maid who may have been raped by the three mobsters. So far, the police hadn’t been able to find out what happened to that girl. The other maid was arrested though since she was also working for Reynolds.
Dan thought of Emily Lawrence again and wondered about her connection with the mob. His mind was miles away when he suddenly realized Christina was watching him.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’m just trying to make some sense out of all this.”
***
Christina shook her head in understanding, rose to her feet, and stood by the window. Puzzled, by everything going on, she wished she could confide in Dan, and tell him the truth about Antonio Rosetti and who she really was. She knew he would be furious with her if he ever found out. Then again, she was too scared to say anything.
I might be able to keep my secret, she thought wistfully. Maybe Antonio will end up in jail, and I’ll be free to live my life and not be scared anymore. She glanced at Dan, who once again seemed lost in his thoughts.
***
Agitated, Dan went through his notes, again. What the hell is wrong with me? How did I miss that? he wondered. Even though the police suspected Reynolds worked for Rosetti and Christina had described the older guy before, neither he nor Jefferson had grasped the possibility of Rosetti being with the convoy during the bust.
Damn! he cursed inwardly, thinking they let Rosetti slip right through their hands. Then he thought about the notebook—the one Christina took from the house. They already knew Madison was the name of a ship, but what about the initials P.C.? What about Peter Collins? The initials fit all right.
“Have you heard anything about Johnny?” Christina asked.
“No,” Dan admitted, frustrated. “He seems to have vanished from the face of the earth.”
“I hope he’s still alive,” she whispered, taking a deep breath.
Dan glanced at her without saying a word. So far, they hadn’t been able to find anything on Johnny Powell. No one seemed to know anything about him, and the police hadn’t been able to find anything about his past. Odd enough, every lead they had on him ended up against a brick wall; almost as if this character never existed.
Chapter Six
CHRISTINA SAW DAN lost in his thoughts and felt even more worried than before. She was almost sure now that something was going on with Johnny. If he were dead, they would have found his body by now. And if he were still alive, why wouldn't he go to the police? What was he trying to hide?
Dan picked up the phone to call Miles.
Christina opened the French doors and stepped outside onto the deck. Walking to the edge, she leaned against the wooden railing, letting her eyes wander over the vast mass of water stretching in front of her. She felt a lump in her throat, realizing how lonely she was. After Alicia had passed away three years ago, there was no one else she could count on. Not until now, she thought and turned to glance at Dan, who was still on the phone. Her thoughts startled her, and she immediately drew her gaze away from him, realizing how important Dan had become for her. Up until a few days ago, he was a complete stranger, and now she counted on him and trusted him with her life… An entirely new feeling for her.
***
Dan threw his cell phone on th
e sofa next to him and leaned back, crossing his hands behind his head. His gaze rested on Christina, standing outside on the porch, and he felt his blood boiling in his veins. She had been through enough already, and he didn’t want to worry her anymore. However, the knot in his stomach tightened as the bad news kept rolling in. Everything has been going wrong with this damn case, right from the start, he thought and uncrossing his hands, he clenched his fists. Miles had just informed him that three of the mobsters had managed to break free, leaving two dead cops and one wounded behind. Adriano Reynolds and Roberto Fellini were among the ones who’d escaped.
Dan couldn’t believe they had managed to get away. Thinking of the dead cops, he cursed out loud, determined to put those people behind bars where they belonged. However, even though the police had searched for hours, they were nowhere to be found.
Taking a deep breath, he stood up and walked outside. Christina was leaning on the wooden railings of the deck, looking at the lake. Standing next to her, he remained silent for a while, wanting to calm down and clear his mind. When he was angry or frustrated like now, he couldn’t think straight, and this could be very dangerous. Making the wrong decisions had cost him dearly in the past.
All of a sudden, Christina startled him by turning around and falling into his arms. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist and held her close, feeling her body shaking like a leaf. She’s scared, he realized. But, of course, she’s scared. Who wouldn’t be in her place?
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m here for you, and I won’t let you out of my sight, again.”
***
Christina cuddled against his chest, feeling blissfully safe with his strong, protective arms holding her close. She had turned to him out of fear, but now, her body was trembling, responding to his tantalizing touch. Her eyes fluttered shut, grateful that he misinterpreted her reaction to his touch as fear.