|
~ Tales of Romance ~
Whispered Promises
Chapter 13
Dani pushed through the double-doors leading into the ice rink with enough force to make them slam against the walls, and chastised herself even as she waited for Whittaker's bellowing voice to demand quiet. Instead, she found the rink silent and empty, except for Matt who sat waiting patiently on the short wall that surrounded the rink, watching her expectantly.
"Where is everyone?" Dani asked in as calm a voice as she could muster, walking forward and coming to a stop beside him, leaning against the wall he sat upon, resting her elbows on the top of it.
"Somewhere in the bowels of this place," he answered. "They offered to show me but they said they'd have to kill me afterwards. Since you weren't here to protect me, I figured I didn't need to see it that badly, and hoped if I changed my mind later, I could talk you into showing me," he suggested with an easy smile.
Dani returned his smile. "That could probably be arranged; if you ask me nicely."
"Please." Matt's voice was as soft as velvet yet filled with a tone that had Dani finding it hard to think. And his eyes, good heavens the look in them was filled with enough desire to make her dissolve right where she stood. Thank God for the wall that she continued to rest her elbows upon.
The look Dani sent Matt was filled with consideration. "I bet you drove your mother crazy while you were growing up. The phone must have been ringing off the hook from the time you were old enough to talk; calling back all those little girls you flirted with."
Matt's smile was filled with devilish delight. "Where do you think I acquired my skills? My mama was of the belief that if you were going to do something, you ought to do it properly, and to the best of your ability," he explained in a deep, silken voice that sent tingles racing through her blood.
"Your mother should be pleased to know you took the lesson to heart and have succeeded in your goal," Dani stated breathlessly.
Matt's smile became even sexier. "I'll tell her you're satisfied with my upbringing and commend her on the fine job she did," he teased her, softly brushing his fingertips over the flush of color that made her cheeks glow rosily.
"I didn't say that," Dani corrected him.
"Not in so many words. But you should also know, my mama thought - and still thinks - I'm an angel from heaven."
"No mother is that blind," Dani argued with a soft laugh, her eyes rolling in disbelief at his statement.
"My mama will swear to any and all that I'm an angel; even while she's busy pushing my horns back into my head!" Matt countered with a wicked chuckle. "You would do good to remember: you don't ever want to disagree with a Southern lady; they have long memories, razor-sharp, honeyed tongues that will slice you to ribbons all the while they're smiling, and ways of making your life miserable that Yankees haven't even thought of!"
"Sounds like my kind of lady!" Dani quipped with a defiant toss of her head.
"She'd like you too," Matt offered quietly, his gray gaze taking in every nuance of her lovely face.
Dani suddenly felt shy under his close scrutiny and lowered her head to gaze at the ice. "What makes you say that?" she asked quietly.
"Because I like you."
Her eyes lifted to his in surprise and her heart skipped a beat at Matt's quiet declaration. "Matt, we barely know each other. Things for me are so mixed up right now&ldots;" Dani began, flustered and confused and filled with such conflicting emotions she didn't know which way to turn.
As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her lost and frantic expression, he knew it was the surest way to make her run from him. With a nonchalant shrug, he simply said, "Dani, I said I liked you. I didn't ask you to marry me."
"I know! It's just everything is so crazy right now. Sometimes I feel so much I think I'm going to explode and I wish I didn't feel anything at all. Other times I don't feel anything at all; I'm simply numb, and wish I could lose myself in feeling. It's such a friggin' mess!" Dani's hands ran a frustrated trail through her hair, and she heaved a defeated sigh.
"When you were kissing me good morning, you didn't seem to be confused," Matt stated quietly.
"Matt, every emotion you evoke in me is thoroughly confusing!" she admitted honestly, her gaze steady on his.
"Well then, if I keep you confused, would it improve my chances of finding out who the suit was?" Matt asked quietly.
Her eyes shifted back to the ice. "No one in particular," she finally answered quietly, refusing to meet Matt's searching eyes.
"Room temperatures don't change the way they did over 'no one in particular'. I'm gonna go out on a limb, take a wild guess, and say it's an 'ex'."
Dani sent Matt a scowl and didn't say anything for several seconds. "A person can't attain 'ex' status unless a relationship has been established," Dani eventually answered flatly, hating the fact she felt heat flood her cheeks, as anger reasserted itself.
"I think he holds a different opinion of your relationship. The way he was looking at you, you would think you were bearing the label 'property of' somewhere on your body that a gentleman wouldn't mention."
"Well, if that's what he thinks, he's wrong. There was no relationship between us. There is no relationship between us," she corrected herself. "He's here in a legal capacity only; to make certain the legal mess with Chloe and Sergei is handled properly. Hunter has no say in what I do, or who&ldots;" she stammered, leaving the sentence unfinished.
"You do?" Matt finished crudely for her, a devilish grin on his face..
"I didn't say that!"
"You didn't have to. The inference was there."
"Well, that's just goes to show that a man's mentality typically isn't more than three feet off the ground!"
"I hate to break it to you, Darlin', but I fall into that particular category, and no matter how much you fight it, I'm always gonna to be one."
"What, a Neanderthal?" Dani asked in disgust.
"No, a man," he answered softly, his voice deepening, his tone making her feel antsy and strangely comforted at the same time.
Dani's gaze traveled over Matt, memorizing every muscle his clothes displayed, every fleck of silver in his dark gray eyes, the way small lines appeared at the corners of his beautiful mouth when he smiled at her, as he was doing now, completely comfortable with her perusal.
"See anything you like?" he asked huskily, a teasing note in his question. The look in her eyes was more than enough to answer his question.
Dani shook her head, unable to keep her smile from blooming. "How do you manage to house all that arrogance in one body?"
"It's confidence, Darlin', not arrogance." Matt answered with an easy laugh, jumping down and turning to lean against the wall beside Dani; their bodies brushing against each other from shoulder to hip to foot.
"Confidence, huh?" Dani asked, casting a skeptical glance at Matt, their faces only a foot apart. "Well, you've got enough confidence for a small village."
"Lucky for you I'm looking for villagers," Matt offered softly, his breath a warm caress against her face.
Dani found herself mesmerized by his steady gaze. "This villager's a mess. I don't know how much of a contribution she could make to the village."
Matt ran his knuckles gently down Dani's left cheek. "That's the great thing about villages, you contribute what you can and what you can't is made up by someone else. In the end, everyone gets what they need."
"And what do you need, Matt?" Dani asked softly, tears filling her eyes as she saw the understanding and compassion in his gaze.
Matt's broad shoulders lifted in small shrug. "To see you smile, and know it's real and that you're happy," he answered simply.
"You don't play fair, Matthew Tanner," Dani whispered as tears traced silvery paths down her cheeks, and fell to the ice below.
Matt gently brushed her tears away and stated quietly, "You know the old saying: 'all's fair in love and war'."
"But we're not at war."
"No, we're not!" he allowed, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss across her forehead. "So I guess that only leaves the other." Without another word, he walked back toward the seat where his skating bag sat.
Dani watched him calmly walk away from her, take his seat and open his bag, fully prepared to begin the procedure of slipping into his skates. "Matt?"
He looked up at her, his expression one of total calm and nonchalance. "Are we skating or not?"
Dani looked from Matt to the ice and wondered only briefly why she didn't feel the overwhelming need to feel the ice beneath her feet, why she didn't hear its beckoning whisper that had always seduced her so readily.
"Dani?" Matt's voice was at once seductive and filled with concern.
Her eyes left the ice, and when her gaze met Matt's questioning look, he read need and desperation in her forest green eyes that left him speechless. Never had he seen someone so ready to run; he only hoped she would allow him to run with her. "Tell me your motorcycle is here," she commanded, her voice a husky whisper.
Matt answered her question with a slight nod.
At his motion, Dani's eyes flamed to life and a decidedly mischievous smile, hinting at wickedness curved her full lips. "Take me for a ride, Matt. Make me forget everything for just a little while!" she demanded, holding out her hand to him.
Matt zipped his skating bag closed with a quick flick of his wrist. "I didn't feel like skating today anyway!"
* * * * *
Aleksei pushed open the screen door that led to the front porch and walked numbly across the cedar planks to sit down on the porch swing. A sigh of exhaustion caused his breath to mist in the air. His hands ran a trail through his dark hair, the streaks of gray at his temples more vivid in the light of day. Shaking his head in disbelief, he tried to still his raging thoughts; rational thinking is what was needed, no required, if they were to see their way through.
Deep in thought, he jerked with shock; a look of fear in his ebony eyes, when the screen door finally eased its way closed with a loud bang. It took several moments before his heart quit thundering and he sat staring unblinkingly straight ahead, blind to the final vestiges of fall that left the trees nearly bare, but for a few colored leaves. In his mind he could see Sergei and Chloe and Dani, when they were younger, playing in the piles of leaves from autumn's long past; free of worry, innocent in their belief that happiness and safety was a given. Now he wasn't so sure.
How could things go so completely to crap in the span of one phone call? But it had.
While Aleksei and Jordan had waited for Hunter to finish his conversation with Dani, the phone had rang again, caller ID once again identifying the caller as Marcus Carlton, a longtime friend and as Marcus liked to call himself; their legal representative. Loosely translated, he was their attorney, and Hunter's boss. As long as Aleksei lived, he would never forget the brief call.
"Hey, Marcus. What are you driving this week?" Aleksei chuckled, his voice filled with humor. It was the way Aleksei began every conversation he had with him because Marcus had a great weakness for pretty little cars, and always seemed to be driving something new.
"Nothing that's going to do me a whole hell of a lot of good; I need a fucking tank!" Marcus had growled, his tone holding an urgency Aleksei had never heard before.
The fact Marcus was ruffled was nearly unheard of, he hadn't earned the nickname 'the rock' because he was a worrier. In fact, the only other time Aleksei could remember Marcus responding even closely to this was when his wife had gone into labor; a bottle of Jack Daniel's had taken care of things that time. But the fact he was cursing, something he never did, was more than enough to send the small hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. "Talk to me Marcus. What the hell's going on?"
Jordan rose from the sofa and came to stand beside her husband, looking up at him expectantly.
"He walked out of there, he simply fucking walked out of there!" Marcus bellowed in anger and disbelief.
Aleksei's blood froze. "Tell me," Aleksei demanded, his tone so cold; his voice so flat, Jordan wrapped her arms around herself.
"Andrew Manning is free; he simply walked out of the mental incarceration facility last night."
"How?" Aleksei's voice was deadly.
"I don't have all the details yet. I do know he subdued his doctor, took his clothes and simply walked out of the place," Marcus answered tiredly. Aleksei could picture him rubbing his forehead, something he did when he was beyond frustration and exasperated.
"Exactly how subdued is this doctor?" Aleksei asked carefully, trying not to scare his wife anymore than necessary.
"He's alive, but it's amazing what you can do to a person with a sharpened plastic spoon," Marcus said starkly.
Aleksei's eyes closed briefly, and he said a quick prayer for the doctor; yet another victim of Andrew's madness. "What about Manning Senior?"
"I honestly don't know. The police are looking for him now."
"How did this happen?" Aleksei growled, pulling his wife against his side and wrapping his free arm around her.
"I don't know, Aleksei. I honestly don't know. All I do know is that at this moment there is an 'all points' bulletin out on him, and he's considered 'armed and dangerous'. The police are checking known friends, known haunts, and anyplace else they can think of."
"I can't believe this is happening," Aleksei murmured distractedly. "How the hell did this happen, Marcus?" Aleksei roared.
"At this point, the 'how' doesn't matter. The fact is, he's loose and in all likelihood he's coming after your family."
"You're sure?" Aleksei asked quietly, hoping against hope Marcus was wrong.
"At this point, none of us can be certain of anything," Marcus stated, tired and frustrated.
"What do the police say?"
"They're on their way. You'll have round-the-clock protection until Andrew's caught."
Aleksei shook his head in disbelief. "This shouldn't be happening!"
"You're right, Aleksei; it shouldn't be. But it is, so quit fucking around and get used to the idea you're going to have the police shadowing your family until Manning is caught!" Marcus growled angrily.
"Not if we're not here," Aleksei suggested.
"What are you saying Aleksei?"
"I'm saying, should Manning actually get this far, we won't be here."
"He's crazy, Aleksei, and he hates your family. He'll come looking for you," Marcus countered.
"He can't do anything if he can't find us, and even if he does get lucky and find one of us, we won't all be in the same place," Aleksei murmured, more thinking out loud than telling Marcus his plans.
"I don't know Aleksei. There's so much risk involved with something like this. I just don't know," Marcus answered truthfully.
"If it was your family, what would you do?" Aleksei asked his friend.
"What I would do has no bearing on what you should do."
"Don't go sounding like a fucking attorney, Marcus. I'm not looking for legal advice. I'm asking a friend for his opinion!" Aleksei fired back.
Marcus heaved a defeated sigh and answered, his tone calm, low and filled with deadly resolve. "If it were me, and my family, I wouldn't take the risk of staying put and depending on the police for complete protection. I've seen too many incidences where the police simply didn't have the necessary manpower to keep those they were protecting safe. This is a small town, Aleksei, not New York City. We don't have five-thousand police officers to plant in your front yard."
"What do you suggest?"
"Do what you suggested; get the hell out of there. I don't care where you go; just go, but as you said, don't all go to the same place. If you're scattered, it will be harder for him to find you; and if he can't find you, he can't hurt you," Marcus suggested.
"What about Hunter?"
"Send him back. Since he was head counsel putting Andrew away, he's as much a target as the rest of you, at this point. I don't want his presence adding fuel to Andrew's already burning fire."
"What about you? You were in that courtroom too," Aleksei needlessly reminded him.
"I was also a distinct part of seeing that his father lost his right to practice law. If the bullets holes in my new front door are any indication of the way Andrew Manning is thinking, he's not a whole lot happier with me than he is with you."
"Someone shot your front door?" Aleksei gasped in disbelief. "Are Remy and the kids okay?"
"They're fine. In fact, my lovely wife is pissed to high heaven that someone had the audacity to do something to her brand new door. You have no idea how much coaxing it took her to get me to agree to the stupid thing." A hint of humor tinged his voice.
Aleksei could envision Remy's outrage. "I can imagine. So what are you going to do?"
"Like you, old friend, Remy and the kids are on their way out of town; headed for an unspecified, undisclosed, location."
"Great. You're giving me shit about doing exactly what you're doing!"
"You know what they say about great minds thinking alike!" Marcus stated, smiling just a little, before his imagination took over and he pictured what could have happened to his family. "You know, I'm sure glad Remy talked me into replacing that old wooden door with a new reinforced steel one. If she hadn't&ldots;" Marcus' voice broke with emotion.
"Don't go there, Marcus. 'What ifs' will kill you; literally," Aleksei stated firmly.
"I know."
"How much of a lead does Andrew have on us?"
"Guessing, I'd say about ten hours, but I can't even be certain of that."
"Then there isn't much time to get moving," Aleksei stated, looking at his watch.
"Don't waste time packing, Aleksei. Get your family out of there now. Send them in different directions and don't tell each other where you are until you either hear from me or hear they've got Manning back in custody."
"I understand."
"God keep you, and yours, safe Aleksei," Marcus offered quietly.
"May he do the same for you, Marcus," Aleksei returned.
"Talk to you later, friend."
"I'll hold you to that!" Aleksei growled, and heard the soft click as Marcus quietly set the phone its cradle.
Aleksei replaced his own phone on the table, looking down into his wife's fear-filled green eyes and whispered, "Manning's escaped. Marcus thinks he's coming here. We have to leave."
"Oh, God," Jordan whispered, burying her face in her husband's chest.
He had to give Jordan credit; she had allowed herself to be held a full minute before she lifted her head, and with tear filled eyes said, "I won't let that bastard hurt my family. Marcus said we go; we go now. There's nothing we need to pack that we can't buy on the road!"
And then she was off like a missile, on a mission and determined to be successful.
* * * * *
Walking back into the kitchen, she found Hunter, simply staring at the floor, a look filled with confusion glazing his eyes. "Hunter, you need to call Marcus. All hell's broken loose and there's not a lot of time to get things done," she commanded in a calm voice. "Where's Dani?"
Hunter blinked in surprise, as if suddenly rejoining the world. "Ah, the last I saw, she was headed for the ice rink," he mumbled.
"Thanks. Now go make that call to Marcus," she commanded. A quick call over the intercom had Sergei and Chloe, Dee and Whittaker rushing back to the house. "Where's Dani?"
"Last I saw, she was in here," Whittaker offered.
"She's probably upstairs. I'll go look," Chloe offered.
"No, I'll check later. There's a problem that all of you need to be made aware of and there isn't much time to get things going."
Within a few minutes, Jordan had succinctly explained the situation, given them the same directions Marcus had suggested and answered the few questions that had arisen.
"How could this happen?" Sergei growled, his look so reminiscent of his father it made Jordan's eyes fill with tears yet again. Despite his rage, his held Chloe safely and gently within his arms.
Jordan shook her head back and forth. "I don't know, and it really doesn't matter at this moment. Our main concern is staying safe, and that apparently is going to entail us leaving for awhile."
"What about Thanksgiving?" Whittaker complained, his comment eliciting groans of disbelief and nervous laughs to be heard.
"Only you would think about food at a time like this!" Dee chastised him, shaking her head in disbelief. "Lives are on the line and you're worried about your damn stomach!"
Jordan gave him a quick hug. "It's okay, Frank. When this is all over we'll have the biggest turkey I can find. I'll even make that new stuffing recipe for you I found," Jordan offered encouragingly.
Whittaker wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous. Jordan, despite her culinary efforts, was - there was no easy way to say it - an awful cook! Over the years, she'd mastered a few good meals, but generally speaking, whenever a new recipe was offered, it was a good idea to have a bottle of antacids nearby after the meal. Understanding her offer had more to do with keeping a positive attitude that they would all live to try her new recipe, he offered her his biggest smile, patted his rounded belly and boomed, "I can't wait!"
Understanding passed between the two and with a quick look at Dee, the woman who had given her so much in her life, including Aleksei, she kissed Frank on his grizzled cheek and whispered emotionally, "You two stay safe; we'll see you soon."
Dee pulled Jordan into her arms, and gave her a quick hug. "We'll be back together before you know it!" she stated with determination, and with a final kiss to each of Jordan's cheeks, released her and allowed Frank to usher her toward the garage.
Jordan's gaze shifted to Sergei and Chloe, and her heart squeezed painfully. How could she send her babies out into the open when the enemy could be anywhere? But then again, what choice did she have?
"Is it such a good idea for us to be apart?" Sergei asked quietly.
"Marcus is right. If we're not together, there's a better chance of everyone getting through this alive," Jordan explained ominously.
Tentative nods of agreement were made, cell phones and chargers retrieved, and with what they hoped would not be final hugs, kisses and prayers, Sergei and Chloe, and Dee and Whittaker, rushed toward the garage and their awaiting cars.
* * * * *
The sound of a motorcycle revving up broke through Aleksei's daze and he found himself suddenly dashing down the stairs and across the expansive lawn, meeting Dani and Matt on the bike as they slowly moved down the long driveway. Aleksei's arms, waving back and forth, had Matt slowing the bike to a stop, turning off the engine, and waiting as Aleksei approached.
Dani watched her father race across the lawn, and skid to a stop beside them. For the first time in her life, she watched her father struggle to catch his breath. His face was pale and drawn, and a frown appeared between her eyes as she watched him absently rub his left shoulder. "Daddy?"
"Where are you going?" he directed his question to Matt breathlessly.
"Dani wanted to take a quick ride," Matt answered slowly, his own concern rising as he watched him.
"You can't come back here," Aleksei gasped, flinching as a sharp pain shot through his left arm and left his fingers tingling. Within seconds the pain was gone.
"Daddy!"
"It's not safe for her here. I need you to take her someplace safe. I need you to keep her safe!" Aleksei's dark gaze captured and held Matt's steady gray one.
Matt agreed without hesitation.
"Daddy, what's going on?" A cold wave washed over her and her voice rose in uncertainty and fear.
Aleksei's left hand reached up and gently caressed his daughter's long, auburn hair; his smile was filled with love. "I need you to go with Matt right now. Do you have your cell phone?" he asked calmly, smiling when she patted her coat pocket.
"Call my phone in an hour; just to check in. Ask no questions, give out no information, and under no circumstances, tell anyone where you are or who you're with. Understand?"
Dani's eyes grew wide with fear. "Daddy, what's going on?" she asked again, clutching at his arm, her green eyes beseeching.
She looks so much like her mother; the thought flashed through his mind like a streak of lightning. Knowing he owed her the truth, he answered her. "Andrew Manning escaped last night. Marcus believes, he's liable to come looking for us."
"Oh, God, no&ldots;" Dani murmured in disbelief, the image of Andrew's glazed, deranged eye flashing in her memory.
Aleksei's eyes speared Matt's. "I know I ask a lot of you, more than I have any right to, but I need to know you'll keep her safe for me," Aleksei demanded, helplessness shining in his dark eyes. It was killing him to know he had to let his children go in different directions in the hopes it would keep them all safe from the lunatic that had nearly destroyed his family only a few months before.
"I'll do what ever it takes, sir," Matt stated firmly, offering his hand to Aleksei, and accepting his in return.
"Daddy, don't involve Matt in this!"
"Too late, Darlin', I'm involved up to my eyebrows. Besides, men don't desert their women.
"I'm not your woman!" she challenged Matt, returning her beseeching gaze to her father. "Please Daddy, let me come with you and mama. Together we'll be safe," Dani begged frantically.
"Not this time, baby," he murmured softly, pushing her back down onto the seat of the motorcycle and pressing his cheek against hers, tears filling his eyes as he felt the hot wetness of her own tears against his skin. "We'll be back together before you know it."
"Mama. I need to say good-bye to mama," she blurted, standing up on the foot pegs as she prepared to dismount the motorcycle.
"There's no time, Dani! I need you out of here now!" Aleksei commanded in a deep voice that sent chills down both Dani and Matt's necks.
"I won't leave without saying good-bye to Mama!" Dani insisted and in a burst of speed, jumped off the motorcycle, and dashed across the lawn her father had only moments before raced across.
Jordan was coming through the front door, and upon seeing her daughter racing toward her, ran down the steps and met her mid-way across the lawn.
"Mama!" Dani fell into her mother's arms, tears coursing down her cheeks, her green eyes filled with fear.
Jordan spread kisses across her daughter's face, wiping away tears and murmuring the same words of comfort she had when Dani had been but a baby. "Hush, darling. Everything's going to be fine," she whispered, over and over, holding her trembling child in her arms.
"I can't believe this is happening," Dani whispered brokenly.
"Neither can I," Jordan replied honestly. "But it is, and we have to make the best of it. Hopefully, it will only be for a few days and then we'll be back together and we can celebrate Thanksgiving the way we're supposed to; as a family!"
"And if it isn't over in a few days?"
"Thinking negatively has never gotten us anywhere." Jordan stated firmly, lifting her daughter's chin. "You're the most amazing woman I know, Danielle Janae Rocmanov. You're courageous, compassionate, stubborn, loving and kind, and I fully expect to see you in only a few days."
"Really?" Dani asked hopefully.
"Yes, really!" Jordan exclaimed, leaning her forehead against her daughter's and looking into eyes that mirrored her own. "Now go, and give your father one less thing to worry about," she commanded, kissing her one final time before releasing her, and watching her back away.
"Take care, Mama. I'll see you soon," Dani called, backing across the lawn, unable to quit looking at her mother, wondering if her mother's words would be true.
Would it only be a matter of a few days?
Aleksei's arms swept around his daughter's waist and he lifted her back onto the motorcycle's seat. "I wish you had a helmet," he mumbled, rubbing the auburn silk of her hair that blew in the light breeze.
"Oh, Daddy. The things you worry about," she murmured softly, fighting back yet more tears.
Aleksei leaned down and enfolded his daughter in a final hug, breathing in her soft scent. "You still smell the way you did when you were a baby," he whispered against her hair.
"Oh, Daddy." Her tears fell freely and she clutched at her father's arms as he stepped away from her.
"Get her out of here Matt and stay safe!" he demanded brokenly.
"I'll protect her with my life, sir," Matt pledged and with the twist of a key, brought the huge motor to life with a roar.
In his mirrors, Matt watched two cars making their way down the driveway. As the first car reached them, Whittaker gave a thumbs-up signal before speeding away. Sergei sent his sister an encouraging smile before he waved Matt on, allowing him room to proceed, and fell into line behind him, moving down the long driveway and disappearing around the curve that lead to the main road.
Matt pulled up along side Sergei and Chloe at the main road, and waited as Chloe rolled down her window.
"Be safe!" Dani called to her brother and her best friend, and soon-to-be sister-in-law.
"You too!" they both called, Chloe reaching out to brush her fingers against Dani's reaching hand.
"You take good care of my sister!" Sergei demanded of Matt, accepting Matt's nod as agreement.
With a final wistful look, the two vehicles moved off in opposite directions.
* * * * *
Hunter watched the good-byes through a front window, observing the scene as if it were a movie. Within him, his emotions skipped from anger, to disbelief, to a calming numbness that, strangely enough, almost felt good.
He never would have guessed he morning would turn into such a surreal image, and he still questioned Marcus' decision to separate him from Dani. 'As far as Manning's concerned, you're a target too. Get away from the Rocmanovs, Dani in particular. You'll do her more good away from her. You can't guarantee her safety.' Marcus had intoned. As if an idiot jock with a motorcycle could do a better job of keeping her safe than he could! Hunter snorted in rage and disbelief.
Well, he'd do as Marcus had asked. He would separate himself from the Rocmanovs, move in a different direction and hopefully draw Manning to him. He certainly had no intention of running away from the lunatic and hiding behind any police officer. With any luck, Manning would come for him, and then he could take him down. That would show Dani exactly how much he cared for her; how much her entire family meant to him.
Then, perhaps, she'd realize what he was willing to sacrifice for her; the risks he was willing to take her for. Nodding to himself, he had no doubt, she'd forget all about the Neanderthal hockey player and come running back to him. And because he was magnanimous, he would forgive her and take her back.
* * * * *
From the front yard, Jordan and Aleksei listened as Matt's motorcycle roared to life, it's powerful engine echoing in the morning air. Aleksei jogged to meet his wife, and the two, with their arms wrapped around each other's waists, headed across their lawn, toward their house. The sound of Hunter's sleek Mercedes roaring down the driveway, had them lifting their arms in a farewell wave and continuing their trek into the house, locking the door behind them.
For a brief moment, the two stood in the center of their foyer, wrapped in each other's arms, simply taking comfort and drawing strength from each other. Without a word, they separated; Aleksei making sure the house was closed up and everything was shut down.
In a matter of few moments, Jordan had gathered what she needed to see her through the next few days: her children's baby books, her cell phone, her purse, and the huge, heavy flashlight she kept by her bedside, guaranteed to knock off an intruder's head on the first swing.
She almost hoped she'd have the opportunity to use the flashlight on the bastard. She'd be most happy to show him the light! *
Copyright © 2001-2002 C.E. Moynihan
*All Rights Reserved