Lawless (6 page)

"How come
you're
not married?"
he asked.

The return volley of her question took her by
surprise.  The haunting memory of Danny's murder flared along with the
too-familiar anguish that owned her heart.  Eight years had passed, and she
could still hear his voice crack as he begged her father for mercy.  She forced
herself to chew and swallow the bite of waffle she had in her mouth.  She
couldn't meet Milo's gaze.  "Umm…I guess I haven't met the right person,
either."  She pushed a strawberry around her plate, wishing she could find
a way to conquer her past so it wouldn't have the power to sneak up on her and
send her straight back into her tortured hell.

"Hey."  Milo reached across the table
and covered her hand.  "Are you okay?"

She tried to mask her emotions before she
returned his gaze.  "Of course.  Why do you ask?"

"I don't know.  You just seem off."

He studied her as though deciding whether or
not to believe her, and she prayed he wouldn't see through her.  The horrific
pain of Danny's death was something she'd never shared with anyone, and she
never intended to.  She hadn't been able to save her sweetheart, but she'd
never forget him and what he meant to her.

He was the first person who'd ever loved her.

She slid her hand from beneath Milo's and lifted
her coffee cup.  The hot liquid scalded her tongue and was a welcome relief
from other pains.

A few uncomfortable minutes passed.  She took
several small bites, using the time to shove the powerful memories back to the
bottom of her heart and compose her emotions.

"I hope the food is okay."

She smiled and immediately appreciated the fact
her gesture had come easier than she'd thought.  Being around Milo with his
quick grin and flashing eyes helped.  "It's wonderful."

"I'm going to head into town tomorrow.  If
there's anything you want, let me know."

Her gaze jumped to his.  "Can I go?"

"No."  He didn't hesitate one tiny second
before he answered.

Her spirits plummeted again.  "Why not?"

He softened his features.  "You are in deep
hiding, darlin'.  No one should know you're here.  After the last four times of
having your cover compromised, I don't think we can be too careful."

She silently cursed herself.  She'd dug this hole,
and now she'd pay the price.  "This is the smallest town I've ever been
in.  The last time anyone besides Quinn saw me, my hair was blond.  I'm sure no
one will notice or recognize me."

He studied her until the silence grew awkward.

"What?" she finally asked.

"Well, first of all, it's pretty hard to go
unnoticed in a town where everyone knows everyone else and…"  He paused
for another moment and then smiled.  "I'm trying to picture you blond and
can't quite do it.  Dark hair looks good on you."

She blew out a breath.  "You're trying to
change the subject before we're finished discussing it."

"Nope."  He stood and picked up his
plate.  "There is no discussion.  You're not going."

She gathered her dishes and followed him to the
sink.  She'd barely touched her food, but her appetite had vanished.  "I'm
going to go crazy if I can't leave this house."

He looked at her plate.  "You didn't eat
much."

She pushed past him and put her dishes in the sink
before turning to him.  "Please?  Spending all this time being isolated is
driving me insane."

He glanced down at their bodies as a grin tilted
his lips, enhancing the outline of his scar.  Ariana followed the direction of
his gaze.  Barely two inches separated them.  Desperation had led her actions,
and she'd gotten right up in his face without realizing it.  If she completely
filled her lungs, her breasts might touch his chest.  She took a step back,
conceding space.

He stepped toward her, and she knew in that moment
she shouldn't have showed weakness.  But she hadn't been able to help it. 
Being so close to him had a way of blurring her thoughts, and she needed a
clear head right now.  She wanted to take another step back, but she held her
ground.  "Maybe I could just ride along and stay in the car?"

He lifted his hand, and she froze as his fingers
grazed the skin below her collarbone.  He picked up a strand of hair, twining
it around his finger.  "I don't think so.  No chances."

She snatched her hair away.  "This is messed
up.  I shouldn't be the one being punished.  I'm trying to do the right thing. 
My father and his men are the ones who deserve to be locked away until they go crazy,
not me."  When she stopped her rant long enough to take a breath, she realized
she sounded a bit juvenile.  "I'm sorry."  She took several steps away
from him now.  "This has dragged on forever.  I just need the trial to be
over so I can have a life again."

He gave her a look full of compassion.  "I
know.  I'm sorry.  I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."

She turned, not wanting him to see the tears that
threatened to escape.  "I'll be fine.  It's almost over.  I guess I needed
to blow off some steam.  I didn't mean to take it out on you."

He came up behind her and touched her bare arm. 
When she looked up at him, he removed his hand.  "I thought maybe I'd take
you fishing."

Never in her life had Ariana done anything as outdoorsy as
fish, and quite frankly, she couldn't understand the attraction of it at all.  But,
considering her circumstances, she wasn't going to forego an opportunity to
escape her current prison.

Milo had sent her in to change into jeans.  She
came out to find him in the kitchen looking pretty damn hot in a ripped pair of
faded jeans and a tight-fitting gray t-shirt sporting a wicked looking cross. 
A ball cap covered his blond hair.  Two fishing poles waited by the back door
while Milo stared intently at the small television resting on the counter.

As she stepped into the room, the screen flashed
a picture of her father followed by another image of her with straight blond
hair and large, dark sunglasses.  The reporter told his audience the daughter
of infamous mob boss John Trasatti had gone missing and the most recent reports
indicate she might be a victim of foul play.  "Oh my God."

Milo jerked his gaze toward Ariana and turned off
the TV.

"Wait."  She rushed forward.  "I
want to hear that."

Milo shook his head.  "Don't let it concern
you.  Quinn said this would happen.  In fact, he's kind of been hoping it
would.  If your family thinks you're dead, they might back off searching for
you."

She laughed at that.  "I've betrayed my
family, Milo.  The ultimate sin."  A thousand times worse than what she'd
done with Danny.  "My father will not rest until he has firsthand proof of
my death."  And if it was up to him, her murder would be a thousand times
more painful than Danny's.

Milo gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement.  "But
you're safe here, and you can't think about that now.  Worrying is not going to
help you any."

That might be true, but how was she supposed to
ignore it?  "What if others besides my family also believe it?  I have a
friend from school…"

"A guy?"

She frowned.  "No."  Kenzie had
befriended her the day she'd arrived at the private all-girls school her father
had enrolled her in.  They'd continued to stay as close as sisters throughout college. 
She wouldn't be quite so worried about her friend—she'd warned her that she'd
be off the grid for a while—but Kenzie's mom had died from cancer not long ago,
and her friend had to be an emotional wreck.  The last thing Ariana wanted to
do was add to her worries.  "Why does it matter if it's a man or woman?"

He shrugged as he zipped shut a stuffed backpack
and buckled on his holster.  "I don't know.  It was just an innocent
question."

But it wasn't.

"Ready?" he said before she could
respond.

"Do you think taking your gun is necessary?"

"I'm comfortable you'll be safe, but there's nothing
wrong with being careful."

He held out a folded lightweight blanket to her.  "Hope
you don't mind carrying this."

"I don't mind."  Milo was manipulating
the situation, but maybe it was for a good reason.  She'd trusted him with her
life, so she also needed to trust that he'd make the best decisions regarding
her safety.  At least for now.  She allowed her thoughts to return to the
current moment.  Kenzie would be okay.  If worse came to worse, she could have
Quinn call her friend and reassure her.  For now, she'd pretend that world didn't
exist, and she'd allow Milo to distract her.

She wanted to laugh at the insane idea of her
fishing.  Instead, she rolled her eyes and smiled.  "I hope you know what
you're getting yourself into.  I do not have clue one when it comes to tossing
a line in the water."

"Are you afraid to learn?"  He arched a
brow.

She wanted to growl at him.  He'd obviously
figured out she hated to back down from a challenge.  "Of course not."

"Then let's go."  He slung the backpack
over his shoulder and grabbed the poles.

Instead of going out the front toward his truck,
Milo led the way out the back door and across his yard.  The overworked muscles
in her thighs and butt cried out in protest as she climbed the back fence once
again.  She hadn't realized she'd given them such a workout the day before.

The sun warmed her bare shoulders as she followed
Milo on the narrow dirt trail that led through a grass-filled pasture.  "Are
we trespassing?"

"Nope.  This is all my family's land."

All
?  She scanned the vast open space.  "Do
you come here often?"  She really didn't need to ask.  By the looks of the
foot path, someone had traveled this particular stretch of land many times.

He looked over his shoulder at her, and the sight
gave her a small thrill.  "As a matter of fact, I do."

Cows grazed in the distance, but other than them
and a few buzzing insects, she and Milo were alone in their own little corner
of the world.  She couldn't explain quite why, but that filled her with a peace
and an unexpected happiness she hadn't experienced in a long time.

It might be because she was out of the house and
doing something different that would challenge her.  Or perhaps it was because
this little town allowed her to pretend she wasn't really a Trasatti.  She was
no one special.  Just another soul on the face of the earth breathing air and
trying not to hurt her fellow companions.  That's all she'd ever wanted out of
life.  Yes, she'd enjoyed her father's money, and as she'd grown older, she'd
carried tremendous guilt over that, knowing the money that had paid for her
clothes and education may have cost someone else his life.  She hadn't done
anything about her guilt for a long time.  She could only hope her testimony
now would relieve some of her burden.

She put extra bounce in her steps just because she
could.  Milo wouldn't see her, and for all that it mattered, there wasn't another
person in the world who
could
see her at the moment.

However, the longer they walked over the hilly
land, the more Ariana found herself watching Milo and not the serene
surroundings.  He had a self-assured, confident gait, and she enjoyed watching
the muscles in his back and thighs stretch and contract with each step.  His broad
shoulders tapered to a fit waist.  In another life, she might have had the
opportunity to win him over.  She might have wanted to.  The best she could
hope for now was a bit of fun flirting, and someone to occupy her thoughts
during the day and keep her from getting lonely.

Fifteen minutes into their walk, they approached a
line of trees thicker than the occasional tree they'd passed on the way. 
Between the sentry of aspens and pines, she caught sight of a beautiful flowing
river.  She'd seen plenty of rivers growing up, but those massive flows of
water were nothing like this.  They were dark and deep enough to float a barge. 
People joked about giving someone cement shoes and tossing them in, but she
happened to know for a fact that Hector Malone had encountered such a fate. 
Some of her father's men had thought it would be funny to reenact the urban
legend.

She'd grown up in a sick, sick world.  Danny's
death might have been the most painful thing she'd encountered in life, but her
getting caught with him had ultimately saved her life.  Her father casting her
out had seemed beyond cruel at the time, but now she could see leaving the
heart of her family had saved her soul.  She wished she could have taken Danny
with her.

But that was the past, and this was now.  All she
could do was move forward.

The softly burbling water in front of her was more
of a stream than a river.  She might be able to float a paper boat on this
water, but not much else.  Maybe a canoe.  As they approached, she could see
the depth was at best guess about three feet, possibly four in some of the
shadowy areas beneath the trees.  The river twisted and turned lazily through
the grassland, and the water seemed impossibly clear.  Sunlight reflected off
it, occasionally blinding her, but she didn't mind.  The sound of water
caressing the rocky shores was like a sweet lullaby from the heavens.

"What do you think?  Will it tame your
restless spirit for a while?"  Milo watched her with a satisfied
expression on his face.

"It's beautiful.  Very different than the
rivers in Chicago."

He snorted.  "You are correct in that."

"Have you been there?"

"I have actually.  I spent some time there
several years ago while I was still with the Marshals.  It's a very beautiful
city, but while the energy there is flickering with vitality, the energy here
has a way of healing a person."

She couldn't have said it any better.

"Let's set our stuff here."