“Why aren’t you eating it? Try it!” He pointed at her cake with his fork.

Laurie laughed and picked up a bite of cake, soggy from the melting ice cream. She spooned it into her mouth. She instantly loved it.

“Oh my God. This is amazing.” Laurie scooped up another bite.

“See. What did I tell you?” His voice was garbled from the cake in his mouth.

Emma looked pleased with herself from all of the praise. She ate her own small piece of cake and ice cream with a self-satisfied smile.

Laurie ate with great pleasure, not with as much gusto as Dante did, but savoring each bite. It wasn’t until about halfway through that Laurie realized Albert’s eyes had narrowed in on her. She gulped, almost choking on a bite of cake.

“What is it, Dad? Just come out with it.” Dante put down his fork.

Albert ate his last bite of cake. Then he set down his fork and leaned over his plate, knitting his fingers together. He looked at his son.

“I was just wondering how she ended up under your protection.” Albert’s eyes slid back to Laurie.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dante leaned forward.

“It means I know what type of people end up under protection. I want to know who she is and why.” Albert’s eyes hardened.

Dante clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists.

“How dare—” Dante began.

“What your father is trying to say, in his own clumsy way, is we would like to know what kind of danger could follow you here, if by some God-awful chance they find out where you are.” Emma’s calm voice sliced through the tension.

Dante froze for a minute. He stared down his father before leaning back in his seat.

Uncomfortable with the tension on her behalf, Laurie launched into the story. She told Dante’s parents how she first encountered Kaimi, and everything that had happened after; from Dante knocking on her door, to the last attack on the safe house in Kona. When she finished, Dante’s parents sat for a few minutes looking back and forth from Dante to Laurie.

“You’ve been attacked three times?” Emma raised her eyebrows at Laurie.

“Mom, I know I’m asking a lot to stay here. It was the only place I could think of that would be untraceable. I knew no one would even know you’re my parents, let alone where my parents are. But if you’re having second thoughts—”

“I wouldn’t even think of you being anywhere else. This is the safest place for you.” Emma gave a nod. Her mind was made up.

Dante let out a sigh of relief. He glanced over to Laurie, who smiled at his mother.

“What about Bob? Was he careful?” Albert looked at Dante, a hard edge in his voice.

“Of course. We never got off the plane. We landed at military bases. Marines, Air Force, and then here. The paperwork would be a nightmare to comb through even if you did get a hold of it.” Dante leaned back in his seat, his arms folded across his chest.

Albert smirked.

“Well, Kaimi is a very dangerous man. Elusive.” A note of intrigue crept into his tone.

“Do you know much about him? His organization?” Dante asked.

“I watched him for several years, when he first landed on the federal watch list. He got into the black market weapons trade back in my first few years as an agent.” Albert clasped his hands together.

“Albert…” Emma gave him a pointed expression.

“Oh, Emma. I’m sure he already told Laurie why she would be safe here. She knows what I was. It’s a declassified file. He needs to know.” Albert gestured to Dante.

Emma sighed, rolling her eyes, but Albert continued.

“When he first started out, Kaimi was a bit clumsy. The FBI almost caught him on a few stupid mistakes. He learned quickly. He learned how to hide when he needed to and be in plain sight when that served him as well. We could never find him when we knew we had him, he always had a solid alibi when we didn’t have him. Then witnesses or evidence would vanish. We’d have nothing else on him. He’s one of the few cases I never closed.” Albert looked from Dante to Laurie.

Laurie took a shaky breath. She felt alone, like the lone survivor on a deserted island. Kaimi abused the justice system for decades, and now she was the only person that could tie him to a crime. She was it.

“Goodness, everything you’ve been through.” Emma tsked, looking at Laurie. She shook her head and picked up Laurie’s plate.

Laurie rested her head on her palm. She didn’t want to leave the table, but she felt exhausted. Her eyelids grew heavy, while she stared out the window into the distance.

Dante tapped her elbow and she turned to him.

“Time for bed?” Dante asked with a smile. She nodded. “Come on. I’ll take our stuff upstairs.”

“Oh, Dante you can have the first room on the left as you go up the stairs. Laurie you can have the one toward the front of the house.” Emma scooped the remaining cake onto a plate to put into the refrigerator.

“Dante will need the one facing the front, Emma.” Albert waved her off.

“Albert, the young lady should have the nice view.” Emma glared at him over her shoulder.

“Tactical advantage. The boy needs to see who’s coming up the driveway.” Albert lifted his hands in frustration.

“Oh, Albert, who do you expect to be coming up the driveway?” Emma slammed the refrigerator door.

“Despite what you may wish for, our son is not here for a visit. He’s working. He needs to protect the girl. To do that properly he’ll need to have a clear view of the only road entering and exiting the property.” Albert slammed his hand on the table.

Emma threw her hands in the air.

“We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about it.” Dante held up his hands in surrender. He chuckled as he hugged his mother. “Thanks for baking the cake, Mom.”

“Thank you for coming home.” His mother took Dante into her arms.

Dante kissed her on the cheek and turned to lead Laurie into the hallway. He put his hand on the back of her shoulder, guiding her toward the stairs. He grabbed both bags, and followed her up to the landing.

“Which one?” she mumbled. He smiled, leading her in the direction of the room at the front of the house.

He flipped on the light. The bedspread was pink and floral, which matched the peeling wallpaper. The four-poster bed took up most of the room, but there was a nightstand and a small dresser. His mom definitely wanted to give her this room. He set Laurie’s bag down by the dresser. She began to dig through it to find her nightgown.

“Let me find the bathroom for you.” He smiled at her half-hearted nod, and left.

Dante discovered it was the room between his and hers. He flipped on the light for her, and Laurie quickly went through the motions of getting ready for bed.

When she returned to the room, Dante was over at the window. She quickly shut the door. They slipped into bed and Dante wrapped his arms around her as she shivered in the cold sheets.

“Are you going to tell your dad about us?” She curled up on his side.

“Don’t know yet. Haven’t quite figured out what I would say if I did.” He sighed. She nodded her understanding. Without any more words, they both fell fast asleep.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dante

Dante awoke early. He could feel the morning chill hovering just above the covers. He pulled Laurie closer to keep her warm, and give himself the selfish pleasure of enjoying her pressed against him. He knew he had nowhere to go, no shift to take. The thought felt foreign to him. He had his fair share of days off, but to be on assignment and sleep in—well, that was an oxymoron.

He knew he needed to make a plan. He wouldn’t be able to bring Laurie back to Hawaii unless the mole was caught. Yet he wouldn’t know it was safe unless he kept tabs on the entire operation. He hated the thought, but he had to ask his father for help. His father might be retired, but Dante knew he still had contacts at the agency. His father was still friends with Hilton. At the very least, his father could use that connection to help him by playing the bereaved parent that wanted answers for his son’s disappearance. Dante would have to ask him.