Lawless

by Cindy Stark

  He laughed then, the first hint of amusement or happiness since they'd danced by the fire. "Busted. Not circles necessarily, but not a straight line, either. I wasn't ready to head back to the others yet, but we probably ought to now. It's getting colder."

  She snuggled deeper into his flannel shirt, warmed by the thought that he'd purposely kept her out there in an effort to spend time alone. "That's okay. I just didn't want to get lost."

  "No fear of that. I've been roaming these hills forever."

  They kept the banter lighthearted as they made their way back, and Milo had taken her hand again. She liked it though she had to wonder if it was because he liked her, or because he thought she'd trip on the uneven, unfamiliar terrain.

  When they walked into camp, their group of friends had become noticeably smaller.

  "Where did everyone go?" Milo asked as he sat next to Scott. Ariana planted herself in the camp chair next to him.

  "Kim wasn't feeling well," Scott replied. "Jerry took her home. Sierra didn't want to stay if Kim wasn't, so she and Tyler left, too." He twisted the top off another beer. "Looks like it's just the six of us."

  Ariana swiveled toward Milo. "I thought Kim was our designated driver."

  "Aren't you guys staying?" Luke adjusted his ball cap as he tossed the question to Milo. "You always stay."

  Milo glanced from Ariana to the others. "Uh, actually, we'd planned on catching a ride with Jerry and Kim, and picking my truck up tomorrow."

  Ariana nodded.

  Scott laughed. "Looks like you're shit out of luck. I don't think any of us are in any shape to drive. Hope you brought sleeping bags."

  Ariana's brows shot skyward. "Sleeping bags?" She glanced about the camp. "There's not even a tent."

  "We sleep under the stars." Lily nudged her husband. "Like Luke, Milo and Scott did as boys, right? Except we pile in the backs of our trucks so we're not on the ground where the crawly things can get us."

  "Crawly things?" Ariana's gaze slipped to the dirt.

  Luke scoffed. "There are no crawly things to be worried about. We've been over this a hundred times, Lily."

  "Don't tell me that," Lily threw back at him. "There are snakes. I've seen them."

  "Snakes?" Ariana lifted her feet off the ground as she eyed Milo, feeling the slightest bit panicky. "You took me walking in the dark with snakes around? Are you crazy?"

  "You're freaking her out, Lily." Milo took Ariana's hand. "There aren't any snakes that are going to get you. There are mostly rattlers out here, and they only come out during the day. Right now, they're curled up under rocks sleeping."

  "Rattlesnakes are poisonous." She shook her head. "You're not helping."

  "Honey, I've been coming out here for years. Roaming the hills, sleeping on the ground. I've never been bitten. No one else here has either."

  "There was—"

  "Scott." Milo cut him off. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I promise to keep you safe, okay?"

  She let that thought settle in her slightly fuzzy brain. She'd trusted Milo with her life where her father's men were concerned. There was no reason to not trust him now. "Okay." She tentatively rested her shoes back on the ground.

  "Don't worry, Anna," Jen joined in. "I don't like snakes, either, but we're not going to run into any tonight. They don't like the fire, and like Milo said, they'll be hiding under a rock somewhere. Not bugging us."

  Ariana nodded. "Thanks. That makes me feel better." She appreciated how all of Milo's friends seemed concerned for her welfare.

  "Now that that's settled, we're still screwed. I've got a couple of blankets, but I didn't bring sleeping bags." Milo looked at Ariana. "I hate to ask you, but hopefully you'll be okay crashing in the front of the truck for a couple of hours until I'm good to drive. Usually, I'm better prepared."

  "We've got an extra bag and an extra quilt in case it gets too chilly," Lily offered. "Coupled with your blankets, do you think that will be enough?"

  Ariana glanced at Milo with no idea what his reaction would be. Never in a million years could she have pictured herself sleeping next to a mountain pond in the bed of a truck under the stars. She couldn't get much farther away from downtown Chicago.

  "Up to you, Anna. Are you feeling adventurous?"

  All eyes in the party turned to her. If she said no, she'd disappoint them. She couldn't do that to these kind people who'd treated her as one of their own. She gave them a smile that was a hundred times more confident than she felt. "Okay. Why not?"

  Luke twisted the cap off another beer and handed it to Milo. "Better keep her, man."

  "I'm planning on it." Milo took the chilled bottle from his friend, but didn't laugh, didn't echo the teasing sentiment of his friend.

  Ariana studied his profile. Her deputy certainly was a great actor. If she didn't know better, she'd believe he meant every word.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  It was nearly two a.m. before the guys extinguished the fire. Scott complained he was tired, but from the way he hurried after Jen to his truck, Ariana was pretty sure he had other things in mind besides sleep.

  Luke and Lily called it a night as well, which meant she and Milo needed to follow suit or appear suspicious. Lily carted over the extra bedding to Milo's truck, and Luke was kind enough to give Ariana his pillow.

  Beneath the soft glow of the moon, Milo spread the quilts on the bed of his truck before laying the sleeping bag over them. He sighed. Then he picked everything up and put the sleeping bag bottom first this time. "I hope we don't freeze our asses off, but I think we'll be more comfortable this way."

  She eyed the makeshift bed with trepidation. It wasn't a real bed. There would be others not far away. Unfortunately, there was maybe five feet from side to side, and that felt pretty damn intimate to her. How was she supposed to fall asleep next to the man who haunted her dreams?

  Milo tossed the pillow to one side of the truck before walking to the tailgate. He extended a hand down to her. She grasped it, put one foot on the bumper, and he hauled her up.

  He folded the quilts out of the way, and she stepped forward. "This is kind of awkward," she said in a low tone the others wouldn't hear. "Us sleeping together but not really sleeping together."

  The low rumble of his laugh sparked shivers inside her. "Think we can behave?"

  "We have to, don't we?"

  "Yes." His reply was firm, but edgy, too. The sparks between them were undeniable. It was easier to ignore her attraction when they weren't in such close proximity, but that wasn't an option tonight.

  She lay down next to him, leaving as much space between them as possible. He pulled the layers of quilts over them. "Warm enough?"

  "I'm good." Between his shirt, the blankets, and being so close to him, lack of heat was not an issue. The uneven surface of the truck bed, however, wasn't exactly a comfy mattress, but she wouldn't complain. She fluffed the feather pillow and tucked it beneath her head.

  Milo released a weighted breath. Darkness and silence crept in, making it seem like they were cocooned in their own little world. The stars above glimmered like they'd done for centuries, and suddenly, everything about her life growing up in Chicago seemed surreal. "It's funny how looking up at a sky full of stars can make you feel insignificant. Like all your problems are almost silly."

  "Having a price on your head isn't insignificant."

  "But it is. If I were to die, look at the millions of other souls here on earth that would fill in and take my place. I'm just a tiny drop in the world's bucket."

  He shifted, tilting his head to face her. "Maybe to the world, but to those who know and care about you, your loss would be devastating."

  "Maybe for my best friend, but I'm guessing that would be all."

  Silence crept in for several beats. "It would devastate me."

  His admission scratched at a long-held scar. "Only because it would mess with your confidence to protect the fine citizens of this county. Not because I would be gone. You don't know me well enough to
miss me."

  He rolled onto his side. "How can you say that? We've been together 24 hours a day for more than two weeks." He flattened out on the truck bed and huffed. "I know you better than you think."

  It was her turn to lift up on her elbow. "Really? What is it you think you know so well?"

  "You like your coffee black."

  She snorted. "So does half the world."

  "You enjoy a long bubble bath."

  "How do you know that?"

  "There's always bubbles left in the tub when you're finished, and they smell good like you."

  Her heart squeezed, leaving a too-familiar ache. "Still, that comes from spending time together, not really getting to know each other." She lay back down. He didn't know her at all.

  Another minute of silence passed before he spoke again. "You're an extremely brave person who wants nothing more than to be loved." His quiet words were a dagger ripping into the dark corners of her heart. "Your family, who should have loved you, didn't. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but they, maybe your father, hurt you deeply. At first, I thought you were testifying to get some sort of revenge for being ignored, but now, I think it's something more."

  The ache inside her swelled, closing her throat and forcing tears into her eyes. She steeled her jaw and focused on the vast dark sky, willing it to steal her away into the night.

  "Am I close?"

  He waited several moments, but she couldn't answer. With only a few words, he'd laid bare her soul. Throughout her life, she'd done an excellent job keeping people from breaching that barrier, but now that Milo had, she was clueless on how to protect herself.

  "Ariana?" He rolled toward her, his fingers searching out her face, finding her damned tears. "Shit," he said under his breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

  He drew a rough thumb beneath each of her eyes, dragging her tears across her cheeks. She pushed him away, embarrassed that he'd seen through her carefully crafted mask so easily.

  "I'm such an ass." He scooted closer beneath the blankets and pulled her against his chest. She wanted to resist, but having a soft place to fall was worth more than her pride. She curled against him, allowing her distress to eek away from her little by little.

  She waited until she'd regained control of her emotions before she spoke. "My father is a ruthless man who dominates his world with a ruthless and vile fist." Her first words were followed by a shuddering sigh, and she hesitated a moment to see what would follow.

  Relief. The tiniest bit of relief soaked into her. Kenzie had a good idea what her family life had been like, but Ariana had never told her everything. Because of that, Ariana had never experienced the release that came with exposing her tragedies.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered against her hair. "No person should have to grow up like that."

  "Many do, though. I suppose I was lucky that at least I had money to spend. My father took great pride in the fact that we wore designer clothes, that my brother and I attended the finest schools."

  "Don't justify his behavior, Ariana."

  She blew out a deep breath. "I'm not. Those things he did for us, well at least for me, were like paying to have the landscape meticulously maintained. It was for show. No one would ever accuse him of not having the best of everything. His children were an extension of that." She rested a shaking hand on Milo's chest, his heart pounding against her palm, strong and sure. "My brother is a little different. He's being groomed to take over in the organization, but I'm not sure my father has shown him love, either. Maybe."

  She lifted her head, needing to see the expression on Milo's face. "My testimony will likely harm my brother, too."

  He gave her a consoling smile and hugged her to him. "And that bothers you."

  "It does." Fresh tears pooled in her eyes. "He's never had a choice concerning his future, either. This was forced upon him."

  "It's okay, Ariana. You're doing the right thing. I'm not going to say it's not going to cost your brother time in a cell, but in the long run, you may be saving him. He'll have the opportunity to reform, and depending upon what crimes he's committed, he may not serve that many years. Or maybe he'll turn state's evidence and be given a reprieve."

  Another layer of worry fell away. "I hadn't thought of that."

  He caressed the side of her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Think of the people you might be saving from dying at his hand. In effect, you'll be saving your brother's soul."

  She nodded. "Thank you for saying this to me. I can't tell you how much it helps."

  "Are you worried about sending your father to prison, too?"

  "No." Her conviction echoed in her reply. "I hope he rots."

  "I kind of figured that. Can you tell me about him?"

  A fistful of pain lodged in her throat. It was several moments before she could swallow past it. He'd trusted her with his hurts. Maybe she could trust him, too. "I'm not sure I can," she managed.

  He hugged her tighter. "It's okay. You don't have to."

  She lay on his chest several moments, listening to the crickets chirp, letting the feel of him comfort her. "I was in love once. When I was sixteen."

  "Yeah?" His voice was lighter, as though he believed she'd changed the subject. "Not since sixteen?"

  She couldn't answer that question, couldn't comment on what she'd dealt with in the years since Danny's death. "His name was Danny. His father worked for mine. That's how we met." A painful smile trembled on her lips as she remembered how much she'd loved to spend time with him roaming the streets and hanging out in abandoned warehouses, tossing rocks into the river, and how she'd loved it when he'd kissed her. Back before he father paid much notice to her.

  "Danny," Milo repeated. "I might be a little jealous of him." He chuckled.

  "No." She shook her head. "My father caught us together one night." She paused, but Milo remained silent. "The night I lost my virginity."

  "Ariana," Milo whispered, his voice no longer upbeat. "No."

  She tried to inhale a calming breath, but her tight lungs only allowed air in tiny, ragged increments. "My father tortured him, forcing me to watch."

  He put a hand against her cheek. "You don't have to do this."

  "Before he killed him, he had someone cut off his…" The horrible memories fired in her brain with enough power to make her shudder.

  Milo tightened his arms around her, crushing her against his chest. "It's…God, I don't even know what to say to that. Just know, he'll never do it again."

  "I know. That's why I have to testify. Even if Kenzie begged me not to. I owe that to Danny and to all the people he still may hurt if I don't do what I can to stop him."

  He kissed the top of her head, sending a scattering of peace over her. "You are an amazing woman, Ariana. Not many would dare go up against that kind of person."

  "It was my fault he died, Milo. If Danny hadn't loved me, he'd still be alive."

  "You don't know that, Ariana. He might have followed in his father's footsteps and found himself mixed up with the wrong people anyway. You have to let that guilt go."

  "Maybe after I testify I'll be able to. It kind of feels like things have come full circle. Maybe gaining a new life and a new identity will help me to move on. I'd like to be able to do that."

  "You should."

  "In some ways, you and I are similar. We're both carrying around some serious baggage."

  He inhaled a deep breath, his chest expanding against her cheek. "Yours is a little different than mine."

  "How? We both feel responsible for another person's death."

  "First, you were a kid. Second, it was my job to protect Jane."

  "Still, maybe it's time to let go."

  "I'd like to, Ariana, but it's not that easy. Sometimes I wonder if it will haunt me until the end of my days."

  She lifted off his chest, gazing at his face in the moonlight. A good-hearted man hid beneath the exterior of her sexy deputy. "Thank you for listening. I've never been able to talk
about this with anyone, but telling you feels like I've dropped a boulder of guilt. I just wish I could give you the same kind of peace."

  * * *

  Ariana woke with a start. She wasn't sure how many hours had passed since she and Milo had drifted off to sleep, but she was freezing, and her right hip hurt from pressing into the truck bed. She rolled onto her back and looked in Milo's direction. Clouds had covered the moon, leaving utter darkness to settle around them. If she hadn't been able to hear his deep breathing, she might wonder if he had deserted her. She slid a hand across the sleeping bag and came in contact with the hard muscles of his stomach.

  She hated to admit it, but she found him more attractive now that he'd shared his vulnerable side. Plus, he had learned the worst about her and hadn't judged. Words couldn't express how grateful she was for that.

  She fluffed her pillow and closed her eyes, trying to will herself back to sleep. They'd stayed up until late, so it couldn't be too long before the sun rose over the hills. She could manage until then.

  A restless few minutes passed and then she heard movement. Scuffling on the ground, a rustling of the bushes. Something was in their camp.

  Her breathing grew shallow as she tried to discern which direction the sounds came from. It was close. For all she knew, it could be a bear or something. She really had no idea what kind of wild animals roamed the area, but something was out there. She swore it was getting closer.

  Fear drove her to ply herself against Milo. She put her mouth to his ear. "Milo," she whispered. He moaned, but didn't wake. "Milo."

  Before she could comprehend what was happening, Milo wrapped steel-banded arms around her middle and tossed her on her back, covering her in a dominant position. Thoughts of what was outside the truck bed took a secondary position to the hulking man on top of her.

  "Milo," she squeaked. "Get off me."

  He didn't move. She couldn't see his face to know if he was wide awake or tossing her in his dreams.

  "There's something out there," she tried again.