Matthias took the picnic blanket, dunked the entire thing in the pool and took it—dripping—to the fire, where he wrung it out over the flames. The fire sizzled and extinguished. He did this twice more, until it was all the way out.
Frannie watched him gather the left-over food packages and put them in the backpack, along with the glasses. When he zipped it up and swung it over his shoulder, she said, “I sort of don’t want to go.”
Matthias walked over. He opened his mouth, but someone made a noise in the trees. It sounded like two people, a man and a woman. Frannie moved closer to Matthias’s side while the voices got louder.
Diego and Izzy stumbled into the clearing. Their eyes widened in genuine surprise, and Izzy laughed. “Cinderella!”
Diego laughed too, his eyes glassy. Come to think of it, Izzy didn’t look entirely with it either. They didn’t walk straight; they kind of weaved around as they made their way to Matthias and Frannie.
“Fancy running into you guys here.” Diego’s smile was aimed at Matthias, and there was nothing nice about it. “Taking the little woman out for the evening, are you?”
Izzy laughed. “Too bad Cinderella has no idea how to have fun.”
Diego looked at Frannie. His gaze swept down and back up her. She felt Matthias stiffen, apparently as offended as she was.
“We’re leaving.” Matthias tugged on her hand.
“So soon?” Izzy pouted.
Diego said, “Stick around. We can all party.”
“Matthias and I both have to be up early for our jobs.” Frannie realized she was only confirming Izzy’s opinion of her. But why did her little sister’s impression mean so much—and hurt so much—anyway? “Maybe next time.”
Diego leered. “Sounds like a plan, darlin’.”
Matthias took a step. Frannie planted her hand on his chest. “Don’t, Tias. Let’s just go.”
“Tias?” Diego erupted into laughter. Izzy giggled, but it sounded like she wasn’t even sure what was funny.
“Pet names. Dude, that’s so sweet.”
Matthias shifted. “You’ll want to remember who gave you that black eye.”
Izzy gasped.
“Whatever, Dad. Push us all around like you always do. Thinking you’re the boss of all of us when you’re not.”
“Diego—”
Frannie turned, standing in front of Matthias so he focused on her and nothing else. “Let’s go.”
This wasn’t going to end well. Not when Diego—and probably Izzy also—were hopped up on something. Frannie knew next to nothing about drugs, since she’d come here as a late teen. It wasn’t like this was a place where it was easy to experiment with meds. It was a “dry” town, but there were ways to get ahold of stuff. Still, her exposure to it had been minimal since she’d been working at the bakery and trying to finish high school.
“Tias.” Her voice was a whisper. Hopefully Diego wouldn’t hear her call Matthias that a second time. “Let’s go.”
He nodded. “You’re right. This is a waste of our time.”
Frannie heard them snickering. She glanced back and saw Diego swoop Izzy up in a kiss that made Frannie blush. That was why they were up here? Frannie swallowed past the grating sensation in her throat. Matthias was nothing like his brother, and she was nothing like Izzy. But it might be nice to be swept up in something that overtook her completely. Maybe just once.
Chapter 10
Matthias glanced back. Frannie had fallen behind, still picking her way along the path slower than him. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be.”
“I’m mad. Did they ruin our night?”
“Not if you don’t let them.” Frannie put her hand in his, and they kept walking.
Matthias blew out a breath. “I had a good time, even though Diego and Izzy kind of wrecked it.” Matthias didn’t want her to placate him, but if he didn’t know something was wrong then he couldn’t fix it. “Are you sure they didn’t mess things up?”
“Why does your brother get under your skin like that? Is it because he said you were like your dad?” She worked her jaw back and forth. “Unless...it’s a family thing and you don’t want to talk about it.”
Had he conditioned her to think that? What else was he supposed to do? There were some things he just wasn’t going to be able to talk with her about. Not ever. He didn’t want to lie or keep secrets from her, but it wasn’t like there was an alternative. Betray his family’s confidence? Ruin the unsteady detente they had established?
“Partly.” Matthias was going to have to tell her at least some of it, the stuff he was allowed to talk about. “There’s been a rash of that lately—people saying I’m like my dad—and not just from Diego. My dad was a drug dealer. That’s about the extent of the glamor of it. He’d have said he was an entrepreneur.” He chuckled. “Though not like you.”
“I can see why you’d get mad.”
He squeezed her hand. “My dad got in deep with the wrong people, owed them a lot of money. They forced him to go bigger and bigger until he stepped wrong and the DEA caught up. So let’s just say I know exactly what it’s like to have federal agents swarm your house. Mama beamed one of them with her rolling pin because he grabbed Antonia too roughly. They were both arrested, and the DEA got him to roll over on all the guys he worked with from Miami to Mexico. The whole operation. And we all got shipped to Sanctuary with him.”
“Miami?”
He nodded. “Where are you from?”
“Baltimore.” She shook her head, dissipating whatever had been occupying her thoughts. “You didn’t want to come here?”
“I was eight, and it’s cold here. Still, it wasn’t like I had a choice. Mama would never have broken up the family, because God hates divorce.”
Matthias didn’t believe in it either. Though, he figured that was easy to say when he was unmarried. Marriage seemed like it would be pretty good—especially with a woman like Frannie.
“That seems like a bad reason to make everyone miserable.”
“It is.” Matthias sat astride a fallen log. He lifted Frannie over and climbed down on the other side. “And then Dad kept making us all miserable even after we were here. He’d run around on my mom with any woman who looked his way. She’s changed so much since he died. I don’t want to think he did us a favor, but sometimes it crosses my mind.”
Matthias stopped and turned to her then. “Does that make me a horrible person? I don’t want to hate my dad, but what else am I supposed to feel? He killed whatever love and respect I had when he started hitting Maria, Antonia and Sofia just because they were girls, and then yelling at me and Diego to make sure we became stronger men.”
Frannie touched his face. “It’s okay to feel what you feel. You have to feel it, because it’s honest and denying it would be worse.” Her hand dropped back to her side. “You can’t stay there, though, you have to live here where life is happening right now or you’re going to miss it.”
He looked at the trees. Maybe that was Maria’s problem, she hadn’t ever moved on from the day their father died. She was stuck living there while half-living in the present, missing out on her sons’ lives and the opportunity to make her marriage good.
Matthias swallowed against the lump of emotion in his throat. “Every time I think I can breathe free of him, something happens, and it’s like he’s this specter in the corner of the room that won’t ever die.”
“So look away. He’ll always be there because he’s your father, but you don’t have to acknowledge him.”
“You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
Frannie gave him a small smile. “I know a little something about overbearing fathers who dictate everything and demand everything to be a certain way. Their way.”
“I’m sure you do.” He held her elbows then, remembering what she’d told him. The mafia? He could believe that of her mother. Mimi seemed like the kind of woman who would jump a
t the chance to marry someone wealthy and powerful. The mafia had probably seemed glamorous to her. But this Frannie, the one with him now, didn’t seem like the type at all. He could barely imagine her in that life.
“How did you do it?” he asked her. “How did you leave that behind and become…this?”
She laughed and swept her hand down. “All this? Not much to write home about, let me tell you.”
“Why do you do that?” She winced, and Matthias realized he was gripping her arms too tight. He dropped his hands to the sides. “Why do you put yourself down? It ticks me off.”
“Well, excuse me.” She slammed her hands down on her hips. “It’s not like eligible bachelors are lining up at my door to take the plain sister on a whirlwind weekend romance trip to—oh wait, we can’t even leave town!”
“You’re the one who wants to start a vacation business at the hot springs.”
She glared. “You’re the one who wants to keep the good things to himself. Let me guess, you were bad at sharing as a kid?”
“You’re right. I don’t want to.” Matthias gritted his teeth. “Why would I share? If something is good then I’m not going to lend it out so anyone can use it.”
She blinked, and something washed over her face. “Good.”
“Now it’s good?” He huffed. “I don’t understand you at all. You just said it was bad. And why are we fighting about something this stupid anyway?”
Frannie stuck out her lower lip. “You started it.”
“I’m pretty sure you did, actually.” Matthias scrubbed his hands down his face, rubbing away the moment of humor. Frannie was good medicine and a beautiful distraction, but the reality was his life basically sucked. “Why does Diego ruin everything?”
Frannie frowned. “Is there something I don’t know about the two of you?”
Matthias shrugged. “Maybe it’s just me, but it’s like any time I set my sights on something. Or someone. He has to interfere.”
“He stole your girlfriend.”
Matthias nodded. “In high school.”
“Who was she?” Frannie folded her arms, her gaze dark now.
“It doesn’t matter. Cyan left town with her mom and never came back. I have no idea what Diego said to her, but one minute we’re in love and talking about getting married after graduation and the next I find her kissing Diego. Two minutes after that, her mom moves her out of town.”
“Wow.”
“I know.”
Frannie said, “You were really going to get married right after graduation?”
Matthias blinked. “And Diego stole her from me.”
“She let him steal her.”
“Excuse me?”
Frannie lifted one shoulder. “She couldn’t have been all that in love with you if she didn’t even stick with you. The first test and she bails on you?” Her voice was getting louder and louder. “I mean seriously, the girl can’t have known what she had if she gave you up for Diego.” She said his name like Matthias’s brother was little better than a nasty virus. “And then leaving town, without even admitting she’d done wrong? I mean—”
Matthias touched the sides of her face and stepped close so their bodies were touching.
Then he kissed her.
In the dark, halfway up a forest trail, it was like dawn broke. The one who’d walked away seemed like a distant memory. Frannie filled every corner of him, like light touching every inch of land as far as he could see. Nothing inside him was left unaffected by the feel of her. All the clichés he’d ever heard about love, about feeling like at last he’d come home.
They were all true.
**
Frannie cleared her throat, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Matthias glanced aside and gave her a smile. She understood Izzy a little more now. There was a lot she would do to feel all that again, probably most of it stupid stuff with a doe-eyed look on her face. Who cared? Her lips still tingled from Matthias’s kiss—she hoped it lasted a while longer just so she wouldn’t forget it.
The trees ended, and they stepped off the path onto the field where cows grazed. The ranch land was a wide, dark expanse broken only by the porch light at the house, the barn light and another building. Matthias wound them across the grass, moving left and right every few steps. She presumed that was because he saw what she could smell, and he was keeping her from stepping in it. A fact she greatly appreciated.
As they grew closer, Frannie saw a helicopter on the landing pad across from the ranch house. The lights were off, and the rotors were still. Who knew how long it had been here? It didn’t look like one of the usual ones that dropped off and picked up residents—those were nondescript. This was Navy.
“It’s the president, I’ll bet.”
Matthias said, “You think so?”
Frannie picked up speed, hoping she’d get the chance to say bye to Susan and wish the first lady well on her visit. There were several people standing around the helicopter, talking. “Susan must be going to spend time with her husband. She told me they’d planned to have a visit, but she didn’t know when it would be.”
“You’d think he’d have more security than a pilot and co-pilot.”
And those hadn’t even exited the helicopter. Frannie could barely see them, but the light was on inside. They looked like they were drinking coffee.
A tall man stood beside the helicopter, talking with one of two women—Susan and Beth. John Mason and his son were there, too. As they drew closer, Frannie recognized the man. “Grant!”
She laughed and jogged to him.
Grant smiled wide. “Frannie.” He hugged her while the first lady smiled. “How are you, girl?”
“I’m good.” She tugged Matthias closer, hooked her arm in his and laid her head on his shoulder. “Just out for the evening.”
Grant lifted his eyebrows. “Is that right?”
John chuckled, swinging his son Pat up onto his shoulders. Matthias nodded, shaking the director of the Marshals’ hand. “Mason.”
“Good to see you, Matthias. How’s the family?”
Matthias nodded. “Good. Yours?”
Grant nodded, glancing at his brother—Sheriff John Mason—and nephew. “We’re all good.”
“How’s Sarah?” Frannie hadn’t had a letter from the deputy marshal originally assigned to her case recently. They’d only spent a few days together, but they’d agreed to keep in touch. Frannie’s letters got routed through the marshals’ service’s mail system that kept the location of witnesses safe, but contact was contact—and friendship was precious.
“She had the baby. It was a boy. Riley.”
Frannie clapped. “That’s great.”
Grant turned to the first lady and said, “We should get going now, ma’am.”
“Are you leaving for your trip?” Frannie touched the first lady’s arm.
Susan smiled. “Yes.”
Grant said, “Hopefully soon things will be back to normal.”
Susan gasped. “Really?”
The marshal nodded. “The investigation into the organization who tried to kill both you and Beth uncovered a widespread plot within more than one federal agency. But I think we’re finally getting to the bottom of it. Shouldn’t be long before you’re back at home in the White House.”
Susan clapped. “I could kiss you!”
Grant laughed. “I’m not sure the president would approve.”
“Pshaw.” Susan waved away his concern. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
Frannie giggled, glancing at Beth who was also laughing. Beth said, “There’s my mom for you. Scandalous.”
“Uh, sure.” Frannie knew what scandalous looked like, and it dressed in way shorter skirts than the ones Susan wore.
Beth giggled. Susan looked at her. “I’ll see you soon?”
Frannie glanced between them, her gaze settling on Beth. “Aren’t you going?”
Beth shook her head, rolling her eyes. “The doctor advised m
e not to travel, and Mom and Dad need some alone time, if you know what I mean.”
Frannie kind of wished she did, but that was a dream. It wasn’t something she was going to admit out loud, though. Susan gave out hugs all around. Frannie was the one before last.
“Take care.”
“I will,” Susan said. “Olympia has already mentioned to a few people around town how you’ll need assistance while I’m gone. So look for help. It’s there for you.”
“Thank you.” Why did this feel like goodbye for good? Frannie shrugged off the ridiculous thought and moved back beside Matthias. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a side hug, leaving his arm in place.
Beth and Susan said a teary goodbye, and the first lady got in the helicopter. Grant had a quiet conversation with his brother and then hugged Pat before climbing in too. They waited with Beth until the helicopter disappeared over the mountains.
John clapped. “Frannie, you need a ride back into town?”
“I have my bike.” Plus she didn’t want to say goodbye to Matthias in front of John, Pat and Beth.
“We’ll throw it on top of the Jeep.”
Beth grinned as she walked behind John. The sheriff was making a bee-line for his vehicle, swerving and making Pat—still perched on his shoulders—laugh like he was on a roller-coaster.
Matthias touched her shoulder. “You should get a ride back, then you can get some sleep.”
“I look that bad?”
He made a nervous noise in his throat. “I’m not even going to touch that. I know you’ve had a long day, and tomorrow won’t be any better.”
She nodded. “We have rehearsal again. I’m gonna need a nap at this rate.”
Matthias kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you then, if I don’t see you earlier.”
John had already loaded her bike on the roof of his Jeep. He and Pat stretched cords across her bike and hooked them in the open windows.
“Can you drop me off at the medical center?” Frannie waited until John’s gaze met hers. “I want to stop in and see Stella before I go home.”
Sanctuary Buried WITSEC Town Series Book 2 Page 12
