by Pj Fiala
Chapter Thirty-Four
Walking into the police department hand in hand the following morning, Gunnar and Emma searched the faces behind the glass for Tommy. He saw them and waved. Entering the hallway from the door marked “Do Not Enter,” Tommy joined them.
“Morning, you two.” Hugging first Gunnar then Emma, Tommy waved them down the hallway toward an office.
“Can I get you two coffee or water?” Tommy asked as he closed the door, motioning with his hand for them to take a seat. Emma looked around the room—sterile was the first word that came to mind. No one worked regularly in this office. No photos on the walls or desk, no plants, and the only papers were a tablet and a couple of pens. The block walls were painted a sickly green; the furniture metal. Sterile.
“Okay, so I understand you two had an eventful day yesterday. Tell me about it, and then tell me what I can do.”
Again, relating their story, Gunnar and Emma took turns sharing parts and filling in gaps. Tommy took notes but mostly listened.
“Look, Uncle Tommy, we don’t want to press charges or anything. Mostly, we wanted to tell you this to have you look into Greg or Kevin for the fire at Ashley and Ron’s house. Dianna said Kevin didn’t do it, but they’ve lied over and over, and I don’t know if I can believe them.”
“I’ll see if we have any further information on either of them. Greg was investigated, but only to the degree of where he was and what he was doing at the time of the fire and his alibi checked out. He was with a…” Greg checked his tablet, flipped a couple of pages and pointed. “Janie Thompson. She’s a nurse at the hospital where Maddie was born.”
Gunnar and Emma looked at each other, surprise registered on their faces. Emma turned her head back to Tommy and said, “Are you sure?”
Tommy looked at his notes and then back to Emma. “Yep, pretty sure. I checked her out myself. Apparently they met at The Barn. She saw Greg grab your arm on the dance floor and saw Gunnar step in and chase him away. She followed Greg outside, they started talking, and I guess they’ve had a few dates.”
Emma burst out laughing. “That’s…well, that’s fantastic.”
Gunnar smirked and shook his head. “That’s a funny coincidence.”
The phone on the desk buzzed and Tommy picked it up. “Yeah. Really? When did that happen? Cause of death? Okay, yeah I’ll go down and talk to the Coroner.”
Hanging up, Tommy looked at Emma, his brows furrowed.
“Chery Treklin was found dead late last night.”
Emma gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. Gunnar wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“What happened?” Emma whispered.
“Right now, it looks like a car accident, but there were no skid marks, nothing that looked out of place, just like she rolled over the ravine down by Pamps Park. Her car was found by some hikers this morning. She was dead inside. Her body is with the Coroner right now checking for a cause of death.”
Emma nodded. She looked up into Gunnar’s eyes, her brows furrowed. “This is getting nasty.”
“I agree. We better lay low for a while until things die down. I don’t want to be a target for anyone, especially the mob.”
Driving home, paranoia seeped in to both Gunnar and Emma.
“Keep watching that white sedan behind us, Em. It’s been following us for a while now, and hang on, I’m going to make a few turns.”
Gunnar turned without signaling at the next left turn he could take, the white sedan followed. Turning left again down a residential street, and then making a quick right down another, the white car continued following them. Turning to hit Riverside Drive and towards the police station, Gunnar slowed and pulled into the lot. The white sedan drove straight past the station. Gunnar turned his head to watch the car turn down Main Street and disappear.
“I don’t know if that’s coincidence or paranoia, but let’s go home, pack a bag, and get out of town for a while.”
“Sounds good,” Emma said as she warily watched all directions around the car as they drove the few miles home.
*****
“I mean it, Mom, just cut it off,” Gunnar stated. “It’ll grow back, and it’s something they wouldn’t believe I’d do.”
Joci looked up at Emma sitting in a chair across the kitchen from them, her face pale and her eyes sad. “Are you sure, Gunnar? You have such beautiful hair.”
Gunnar’s mouth hitched up on one side, that dimple winking at Emma. “It’ll grow back, Em.”
Emma nodded, looked up at Joci standing behind Gunnar and combing her hands through his hair. Taking a deep breath Joci said, “Okay, here we go.”
Emma swallowed as she watched Gunnar’s coal colored mane hit the floor in sickening dark swatches of color. Long dark ribbons slid down the plastic cape he was wearing and dropping to the floor like tears flowing down a crying woman’s face.
She looked into his eyes and saw his grin as he watched her face. She braved a smile and he winked.
“Even with short hair, I’ll still love you, Em. Will you still love me?”
Joci stilled her hands as she looked over at Emma sitting stock still. “Of course.” She rose from the chair and navigated through the dark damp forest of hair surrounding Gunnar, leaned forward and softly kissed his lips.
“How could you think otherwise?”
“You looked like you were going to be sick.”
Joci continued with Gunnar’s haircut, a smile playing on her lips.
“When will you be back?” Joci asked.
“When we feel it’s safe. Uncle Tommy is watching things here, and until we know who set Ashley and Ron’s house on fire and the cause of Treklin’s death is confirmed, it’s just better for us to lay very low and not be in the way of anything.”
Emma’s phone rang. Pulling it from her purse, she saw Greg’s picture. She looked up at Gunnar, “It’s Greg.” Gunnar nodded as Emma stood and walked to the living room of Jeremiah and Joci’s house.
“Hi Greg, what’s up?”
“I just wanted you to know that you have nothing to worry about from me or the Bambino Family. I’m leaving town right now. I wanted to reassure you.”
“Does that mean Kevin, Dianna, and Kelly too?”
“Yes.” Greg’s voice was tight and clipped.
“You didn’t hurt them, did you?”
“Jesus, Emma, I’m an attorney, I don’t hurt people. Not out of court anyway.”
“But, you work for…mobsters.”
“I work for a law firm. We take all kinds of clients. You’ve never stressed over any other clients in the firm. Why is it a big deal now?”
Emma watched a car drive past and continue on. She let out a little sigh. “What about Treklin. Did you take care of her?”
“Why do you care, Emma? She was a stupid bitch, and she got what she deserved. We all do eventually.”
“Yeah.” A chill ran through Emma as she thought about Greg calling in a hit or something. Whatever mobsters’ lawyers do. She hoped he was telling the truth and she wouldn’t have to deal with him again.
“Well, safe travels, Greg. Thanks.”
“Yep.” The call ended and that was the end of it. Emma slowly walked back into the kitchen to see Joci sweeping Gunnar’s beautiful hair off the floor.
“He’s taking a shower so he isn’t all itchy.”
“Okay.” Emma walked to the sliding glass doors and looked over the backyard. It was now early June, and the flowers were poking their heads out of their winter hiding places. The yard was washed in colors ranging from reds, yellows, blues, and so much green. The privacy fence secluded the house from the neighbors, but the sounds of lawn mowers and children playing could be heard.
Feeling arms slide around her waist, Joci hugged Emma from behind and put her chin on Emma’s shoulder. “I can tell how much he loves you, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Be good to each other, Emma.”
Emma tilted her head so it rested against Joci’s. “W
e will.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Emma turned and her heart stopped. Gunnar stood in a white tank top, stretched across his lean, toned pecs and tapering to his tight waist. His jeans perfectly wrapped his toned ass and flaring over his muscular thighs, falling to his feet and making him look oh so yummy. But what took her breath away was his hair and eyes. How could it be that his eyes stood out all the more with his dark hair cropped short on the sides and back, but longer on top? He had it parted to the side and swept over his forehead in whisps. The blue of his eyes stood out in the dark contrast of his hair, and Emma thought he never looked sexier.
“Wow.” Emma took a step as Joci backed away. Slowly walking towards Gunnar, her eyes roved over his entire body. “Wow,” she said again as she stood before him, drinking in every inch of him.
“So you approve now?”
“I approve. Wow.”
Gunnar laughed and those darn dimples danced in front of Emma causing her nipples to harden.
“You’ve said that a couple of times already.”
“I know, but, wow.”
*****
Checking into the hotel on the beach, Gunnar looked around at the guests and noticed no one gave him a second glance. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. A couple of women gave him more than a second glance, but the scowl on Emma’s face chased them away, causing Gunnar to laugh and kiss the top of her head. His little tigress. He grabbed their bags and followed Emma to the elevator. There were advantages to following her; she had a fantastic ass. She looked adorable in the dark flapper wig she had borrowed from Joci from a Halloween costume.
Entering their room on the third floor overlooking the beach, Gunnar took a deep breath and relaxed. It had been a while since he’d felt safe enough to just relax, and it felt good. A few days away and hopefully Greg’s word was good and things would settle down. They had only driven an hour and a half up to Sister Bay in Door County, but it was high tourist season and he thought they’d blend here. Emma pulled the dark wig off her head and rubbed her scalp with her finger tips. Turning, she walked to the patio door and stepped out onto the balcony. The light breeze that lifted her long blonde hair also carried the clean smell of the bay and the sounds of vacationers on the street below.
Gunnar stood mesmerized by the sight of her leaning against the railing, finally looking relaxed herself. They’d been through a lot already, but they did it together. He joined her on the balcony, pulled her into his arms, and watched the sailboats float out into the bay, looking as though they hadn’t a care in the world. It was peaceful. They stood for a long time—just being quiet. That is, until Emma’s phone rang.
She skipped into the room and pulled her phone from her purse. Emma tapped Ashley’s picture.
“Hey, Ash, what’s up?”
“Em, the police just called. They have the person who burned our house down.”
Emma quickly looked at Gunnar and waved him in.
“Ash, I’m putting you on speaker so Gunnar can hear.”
Tapping the speaker icon, Emma said, “Okay. Go ahead.”
“The fire investigator and Officer Kent called and said that Mrs. Kendall confessed to burning our house down.”
Emma gasped. “What? No.”
Gunnar wrapped his arms around Emma and held her tight. Her knees were shaking, and her stomach turned over. Because of her, Ashley and Ron lost their house.
“Don’t blame yourself, Em. You have no control over that woman. The neighbor—who told police they saw a car driving slowly down the street the night of the fire—was able to give the police the description, and they researched the cars in the area matching that description. Another officer on patrol saw her car, pulled her over and asked if he could look in the trunk. He found some form of alcohol accelerant and some rags. When he questioned her about it, she broke down and admitted it was her.”
Swallowing a few times Emma found her voice. “I’m so…sorry, Ash. I never should have com…”
“Stop it. Stop it right now. She is to blame; not you. She is the one who needs help. Not you. You’ve paid the price for what happened, Emma. It was an accident. Accident.”
Gunnar took the phone from Emma’s shaking hand and took it off speaker.
“Ash, I’ll take care of her. Are you and Ron okay?”
“We’re fine. I just wanted you two to feel comfortable that no one was gunning for you and you were safe.”
“We do feel better about that. Thanks for letting us know. It’ll just need to sink in. Take care.”
Tossing her phone onto the bed, Gunnar wrapped his arms tightly around Emma and rocked her back and forth, soothing her frazzled nerves. She wasn’t crying, but she was shaken. She was strong, and now she could fully move on—they both could. Mrs. Kendall would certainly go to jail for arson. She would be somewhere safe and away from the general public.
*****
Waking the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the window of their room, Gunnar propped himself up on his elbow, head resting on his hand and watched Emma sleep. She looked perfect in slumber, her face peaceful, her hair tousled and sexy. Her skin was soft and smooth and her full lips begged to be kissed. He leaned forward and did just that.
She opened her eyes and smiled. “I love waking up like that.”
“Me too. I’d love to do more than that, but I have a surprise for you. Can you get dressed quickly?”
She sat up on her knees, facing him, her eyes loving the face staring back at her.
“Haven’t we had enough surprises?”
“We have. But this is a good one—at least I think so.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Walking hand in hand, Gunnar steered them across the street and onto the beach. They weaved in and out of vacationers picking seashells or pretty stones or lounging in their chairs watching their children play. The air smelled fresh and clean, just like after a rainfall, and the laughter and chatter of the throngs of people gave way to the feeling of happiness and contentment.
The sun was shining and the temperature, while cooler along the water, was still warming the beach and their skin.
Gunnar steered them to a little cove tucked into the beach and to a large rock formation, which held interesting little nooks and crannies. They sat on a lower rock, smooth from years of water wear, but warmed from the sun and dry at this time of year. Staring out at the water and the boats floating by, Emma let out a big sigh.
“This is beautiful.”
“It is. I’ve always loved coming here.”
Looking over at him, she said, “I’ve never been here. What is this beach called?”
“Copper Moon Beach. My mom and Aunt Jackie used to bring me here. Every year there’s a motorcycle race here for the Copper Moon Cup, and this place fills up like crazy. Bikers race in timed speed trials in different classes to win the Cup. We’ve come up here a few times for it. That’s where I first fell in love with bikes. We’d sit up there,” he said, pointing to the upper boulders, “and watch the bikes fly by us, the reverberation in my chest grabbed hold of me and never let go.”
“That sounds like a great memory.”
Gunnar twisted just a bit so he was facing her. “It is. But now I want to make new memories here. With you.”
Emma smiled and took his hand in hers. She briefly smoothed her fingers across his cheeks, then slid her hand into his hair.
“This is sexy on you.” She smiled sweetly as her eyes roved over his face and hair before landing on his eyes. “What kind of memories do you want to make here, Gunnar?”
“I want this to be the place you tell me you’ll be my wife.”
Emma sucked in a breath and held it. As her eyes welled with tears, she swallowed and bit her lips to keep from making the cry face.
“Really? I didn’t…hadn’t dreamed…we didn’t talk about…marriage.”
“I know, but I’ve been thinking long and hard about it. From the firs
t moment I saw you, I knew you were special. From the first moment I spoke to you, you were different. From the first moment I kissed you, I knew.”
Gunnar stood from the boulder, then kneeled in front of Emma. “Will you marry me, Em?”
Other Titles by P.J. Fiala
Second Chances Series
Designing Samantha’s Love
Finding Kiera
Rolling Thunder Series
Dog Days of Summer
Rydin’ the Storm Out
Danny’s War
About The Author
I am a wife of thirty years, a mother of four grown children and the grandmother of three lovely grandchildren. When not writing a new story, I can be found riding my motorcycle and exploring this fabulous country of ours. My writing revolves around people anyone would love to spend time with. No self-absorbed billionaires for me.
Earning my Bachelor's Degree later in life fulfilled a dream for me. Then, I found the courage to write and I haven't looked back. Currently I have four published books, Designing Samantha's Love, Dog Days of Summer, Rydin' the Storm Out and Danny's War. I also serve as the VP of Communications for WisRWA and devote a large amount of my time helping other authors slog their way through this thing called publishing. I love to hear from fans, so look me up and touch base.
I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two of my sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given.
Website: www.pjfiala.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pjfiala1
Twitter: twitter.com/pfiala
