“Will you ever follow directions?” Dante hovered over her.

“Not planning on it, no.” She grinned up at him.

He kissed her. Just as he deepened the kiss, he heard a cough behind him. Dante heaved a sigh. It was the one time he wished Bob wasn’t there. He pulled himself away from her, turning to his uncle, who grinned at him like a kid at the ice cream store.

“That was a nice show. You too should do comedy together.” Bob clapped for them.

Laurie giggled.

“Hi, Bob.” She broke away from Dante to give Bob a hug.

“Where did you learn to break into cars?” Bob asked Dante over Laurie’s shoulder.

“Law enforcement on the islands. You meet a lot of tourists who lock themselves out.” Dante tossed the wire onto the side of the yard.

“Uh huh. You better hope that’s all.” He winked at Dante.

“Did you come with your wife and kids?” Laurie took him by the shoulders.

“Yes, ma’am. Thought you all could use some company for the holiday.” Bob put his arm around Laurie’s shoulders as he led her toward the house. Dante had to follow in their footsteps.

“Great. Can you call next time? Before Dante shoots you by accident?” Laurie looked over her shoulder. The men burst out laughing.

“In fact, he almost did. He is his father’s son.” Bob tossed a look over his shoulder.

Dante glowered at him, which only made Bob chuckle more.

“You’re being mean on purpose.” Laurie slapped him lightly on the arm as they entered the house.

“Nope, just making sure he remembers why he’s so good at what he does.” Bob raised his eyebrows.

They walked into the kitchen to find Emma at the stove making dinner with two young boys. Both of them had black hair, and that was all Dante could see of them. Aunt Emma’s cooking lesson dominated their attention.

“Boys, do you remember your cousin Dante?” Bob gestured to Dante.

They turned, waved with a dull, “Hey,” and turned back to the lasagna preparation before them.

“Boys.” Bob folded his arms over his chest.

Dante saw them roll their eyes as they both lumbered around to say hello properly. They had brown eyes like the rest of the Stark men. Their eyes were more almond shaped, though, and their skin was a shade of olive. They were both in their young teens, barely into high school.

“Hi, Dante,” they said in unison.

“Hey guys.” Dante smiled. He approached them and shook their hands. “Haven’t seen you since, man. I haven’t seen either of you in years.”

Dante was amazed, awestruck even, as he realized just how many years it had been.

“This is Dante’s girlfriend, Laurie.” Bob pushed Laurie forward.

Both of their eyes widened.

“I’m James,” said the oldest one.

“I’m Devin,” said the other. They both shook her hand, pumping it awkwardly. Dante had to stifle his laughter.

“This is your girlfriend?” James asked Dante.

“Yeah.” He nodded his head. James and Devin exchanged a look, then turned back to Dante with newfound respect.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Laurie smiled down on them.

They both blushed and nearly ran over Emma as they backed up toward the stove, still looking at Laurie.

“Sorry, Aunt Emma!” James exclaimed.

“That’s all right boys. Why don’t you chop the herbs?” Emma pushed a bundle of greens toward him.

Laurie looked at Dante.

He smiled back at her. They sat down at the kitchen table with Albert and Bob.

Bob caught up with the news on the farm, and the success Laurie and Dante had with the orchard.

After a few minutes, Gabriella came down the stairs. Dante always thought she was a beautiful woman. Gabriella had jet-black hair and eyes so dark they almost looked black. Her skin was the same olive tone as the boys. She was petite, slight, and much younger than Bob. Dante thought she seemed an odd match for an Air Force general, but the way they beamed at each other when she entered the room told him everything he needed to know.

“Feeling better?” Bob arched an eyebrow as Gabriella came up behind him, dropping her hands on his shoulders.

“Yes, a lot better.” She squeezed his shoulders as Bob kissed her hand. She greeted Dante next, then introduced herself to Laurie.

Dante thought she had a serene quality, a calming peacefulness in her voice. She had the kind of voice that evoked zen gardens in spring or trickling streams.

“Emma, can I help you with anything?” Gabriella gestured to the dinner.

“No, not at all. I think the boys and I have it all well in hand, don’t we boys?” The boys nodded their agreement. “The lasagna should be done in half an hour or so, so you just relax.” Emma waved Gabriella into a seat at the table.

She smiled, sitting down beside Laurie.

Albert looked thoughtfully at the table.

“You know, Bob, I don’t think you’ve seen the barn yet, have you?” He traced a knot in the wood with his forefinger.

“No, I don’t think so. But it’s a barn, not that much to see.” Bob shrugged.

“Well, Dante and I have been working on a few projects out there you might be able to help us with.” Albert gave Bob a bland expression.

Dante’s brows knit. Then he schooled his features into mild interest in the conversation. Why was his father bringing Bob into tracking Kaimi?

“Sure.” Bob raised an eyebrow.

“Why don’t we go out there now and we can show you.” Albert nodded his head in the direction of the door.

Dante nodded, and the three men excused themselves from the kitchen.

They walked in silence across the lawn. When they reached the barn, Bob turned to his brother as he stood just inside the door, arms crossed.

“All right, what are you up to?” Bob gave Albert a pointed expression.

“How do you know we’re up to anything?” Dante put his hand on his hip.

“I’ve known my brother a lot longer than you. The last time he asked for my help with a project, I ended up out in Hawaii bringing you home. What are you up to now?” Bob turned from Dante to Albert.

Albert didn’t answer. He went to the fake wall panel, unlatched it, and unlocked the safe. Bob stared at his brother, curious about the papers Albert brought back to the table.

“Dante and I have been trying to track the man who attacked him and Laurie. We also need to figure out who the mole is in the Marshals Service. Dante can’t return to Hawaii with Laurie until both men are found.” Albert rolled out the map of Hawaii.

“Who is this man you’re after, again?” Bob looked to Dante.

“Kaimi.” Albert flipped through the other papers in his hand.

“Cleaning up loose ends, Albert?” Bob leaned against the table.

“It would be a service to the nation to have him put away.” Albert glanced up at Bob. “The FBI has had no luck locating him.”

“Did they call today? Did the house in Molokai turn up anything?” Dante grimaced as he leaned against the worktable.

Albert shook his head.

“But they did find something in a reservoir on Kauai, where they first thought Kaimi was staying.” Albert’s expression turned stony.

“What’d they find?” Dante held his breath.

“Two bodies.” Albert’s lips became a thin line. “Dental records just confirmed a match to Katherine and Easton James.”

Anger swelled in Dante’s stomach, gnawing at his insides. He ran his hands into his hair. He held his head in his hands as he began to pace.

“They were killed not long before they were found. They were emaciated. Both were abused.” Albert looked to Bob.

Dante stopped pacing and stood with his hands on his hips. His jaw clenched, as he looked down to the floor of the barn. He felt nauseous with anger. Katherine and Easton didn’t deserve to die. Not like that.

“He’s a disgusting son of a bitch,” Dante spat out.

“What about the mole? Do they have any leads on who it is?” Bob tugged the map of Hawaii closer.

“They’re not looking for one. Since Dante left with their only witness, they think it’s him.” Albert gave a nod in Dante’s direction.