Under Cover Of Dark

by Juanita Kees

  Lily sighed. Soon they’d know the outcome of the case and what their future held.

  ‘When?’

  ‘In three weeks. We’ll have the investigation wrapped up and the evidence ready to go.’ He helped her up out of the seat. ‘Not long now and you and Luke can start again. I want you to know I’ll be there waiting, Lily.’

  In the close confines of the cabin, Lily absorbed the heat and strength that emanated from him. She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled the heady combination. When she opened them again, he stood close and placed an arm around her shoulders, gently nudging her out into the aisle between the seats.

  They exited the plane in silence, each with their own thoughts on what starting over might mean.

  * * *

  ‘Please stand.’ The bailiff’s voice echoed through the almost empty courtroom.

  Lily squeezed Luke’s hand and for once, he didn’t pull away. She sat on the hard wooden bench as he stepped forward to take his place next to his lawyer. His physical scars had healed during the seemingly endless investigation into Gino’s death, but the emotional scars would take far longer. They’d spent the last three weeks recovering from their ordeal with Serena Snow, making endless statements, answering questions and giving evidence in her preliminary hearing.

  Luke’s trial had taken its toll on both of them. Their future now rested with the judge’s decision. Lily glanced around the courtroom. There were only a few people in the room. Mark and Harold sat to her right in the gallery behind the dock where Luke and Giles Pritchard waited for the verdict. To her left, TJ, Scott and Marty waited just as impatiently. Their love and support had gone a long way in helping her and Luke heal, but it wouldn’t be over until Luke’s sentence was delivered. As the judge entered the courtroom, Lily turned to face her, held her breath and prayed.

  Judge Julia Carmody sat and arranged her robes around her. ‘Please, be seated.’ Her stern voice called for silence as chairs shuffled on the wooden floorboards. She leaned back and looked directly at Luke. ‘Mr Bennetti, I do not condone murder under any circumstances.’

  A chill ran up Lily’s spine. Oh God.

  ‘However,’ the judge continued, ‘I don’t believe what you did was pre-meditated murder and I do believe you acted — not only in self-defence — but to protect your mother. I also don’t believe it was proved sufficiently that you pulled that trigger. The way I see it, it was a tragic accident brought on by extenuating circumstances.’ She leaned forward and clasped her hands together, her eyes not leaving Luke’s. ‘Therefore, according to Section 418 of the Crimes Act 1900, on the charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, I find you…not guilty.’

  Lily released the breath she was holding and buried her face in her hands. Relief flooded through her. Thank God!

  ‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ said Luke.

  ‘Don’t thank me, son. It’s not over yet. There’s still the little matter of why you had the gun and why you were pointing it at your father,’ Judge Carmody said with a wave of her hand.

  Lily’s hands and legs shook, fear settled in the pit of her stomach at the verdict the judge would deliver. In the dock in front of her, Luke trembled, his knuckles white in the fists he held at his side.

  ‘It would be remiss of me to let you go unpunished for taking another person’s life, whether it was an accident or in self-defence. From the evidence presented, I am ruling that the defendant killed the deceased in self-defence. On the charge of being in under-age possession and discharging a firearm without a license, I find you guilty. A charge that carries a five year minimum sentence, I might remind you.’ She paused to let the severity of the charges sink in. ‘However, due to the extenuating circumstances, I am sentencing you to four years of Community Service, taking into account the time you have already spent enrolled in the Apprenticeship Rehabilitation program run by Scott and Tiffany Devin at their dealership, M&M Motors. You will remain in the program for the full course of the apprenticeship which is four years and in that time, remain in residence at the centre under the guardianship of the Devins. During that time, any misconduct will find you back in this court and I’ll have you remanded in juvenile custody. Understood?’

  Lily felt the warmth of Mark’s hand on hers, squeezing lightly. She looked up to meet the smile in his eyes and released a breath of relief at the sentence Luke received. God knows, they’d been punished enough. Second chances didn’t always come that easy and she prayed her son would make the best of the reprieve he’d been granted.

  ‘Yes, Judge Carmody.’ Luke shuffled his feet, but kept eye contact with the stern judge.

  She nodded. ‘The reports I received from the Devins paint a glowing picture of your behaviour, maturity and work ethic. I expect that to continue. You may leave with the Devins now, Mr Bennetti. Don’t let me see you in my courtroom again. I expect a full quarterly behaviour report from the rehabilitation centre until the end of the sentence.’

  ‘Thank you, Ma’am.’

  As the judge left the courtroom, Luke turned and wrapped his mother in a hug. Almost a head shorter than him, Lily placed her arms around his skinny waist and hugged him, despite the wooden barrier between them.

  Hugs, handshakes and backslaps followed as they took a moment to enjoy the victory. TJ threw her arms around Lily and hugged her hard.

  ‘The cabin is your home for as long as you want it, Lily. Even though we’re Luke’s legal guardians, he still needs his mum. We’re all about encouraging a family environment. And your job is waiting for you at M&M. I’ll be glad to have you there. I’m really impressed at the progress you’ve made already.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Lily, hugging her. ‘I will pay back the money I took too. I can’t wait to get into the garden…if that’s okay with you?’

  TJ stepped back, keeping a hold on Lily’s hands. ‘I was hoping you’d say that! I think Bill is missing you. He’s driving Rose crazy asking when you’ll be home.’

  Lily smiled, and for the first time since she’d met and married Gino Bennetti, she smiled a real smile. One that came from deep within her, radiated through her and lit up her eyes as laughter lines crinkled at the corners. ‘It’s good to be home,’ she said.

  With one last squeeze, TJ moved on to Luke. As Lily watched the group enfold Luke in a hug, she felt the warmth of a hard male body at her back. She turned to stand close to Mark, looking up into his face. Tension zinged between them as they stood, an invisible cord tugging them closer.

  ‘I can’t thank you enough for believing in us, for setting us free,’ she said.

  He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again. Instead, he let his hand drift up to her face and stroked his fingers over the scar on her cheek. Gently, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Lily place her hand over his, drawing it down to entwine their fingers. He closed his eyes as he placed a kiss in the valley between their fingers.

  ‘To new beginnings.’

  ‘To new beginnings,’ she echoed, knowing there was still one matter left to resolve before they could move on.

  Chapter 18

  The day of Gino Bennetti’s cremation was damp and gloomy. Hell and Heaven prepared for him with thunder and lightning, thought Lily. In the chapel, the small group she now regarded as her family, sat in silence as the celebrant read the committal.

  With Luke at her side, they paused at the closed coffin and said goodbye to the man who’d caused them immeasurable pain. Lily cried, not for the man she’d lost but for the man he could have been. Luke stood silent, tearless, and expressionless. Lily understood his difficulty to mourn a man who sacrificed lives for the sake of money.

  She turned to look up at Mark as he stepped up behind them and placed a comforting arm around their shoulders. After a moment, he led them out the chapel as the sun broke through the gloom.

  ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  Lily nodded. ‘Let’s go home.’

  He held onto Lily’s hand and kept an arm around Luke’s shoulders as he l
ed them to the car. A comfortable silence stretched between them as they drove up the hill to the centre where Rose waited with freshly baked muffins and brewed coffee.

  In the kitchen, Luke helped himself to two muffins and a mug of hot chocolate. ‘I’ll be at the creek with Sarge, Mum. Will you tell Marty where I am?’

  ‘Sure. You okay, Luke?’ Lily rubbed a hand down his skinny arm.

  ‘Yeah, I’m okay.’ A smile twitched at his lips and Lily thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d seen in weeks.

  ‘Good,’ she replied with a smile of her own. She watched him call to Sarge and make his way out the door.

  ‘Need some company, son?’ she heard Bill call out as Luke passed by the lounge where he watched a football match while he dozed.

  ‘Sure,’ came Luke’s response.

  ‘I’ll keep an eye on him from the veranda,’ said Mark.

  ‘Thanks. I’ll bring your coffee out to you.’ Lily smiled up at him, happiness spreading through her.

  ‘Welcome home,’ Rose said, enveloping her in a warm hug. ‘I’m so glad it’s over, honey. Now you can get your life together again. We wanted you to know that you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. You’re part of our family now. Now run along outside and snuggle up to that delicious hero we have sitting outside waiting for his coffee. I want to get the last batch of muffins into the oven before TJ and Scott get home with Marty. I swear that boy eats like a horse!’

  ‘Please tell me you’re not matchmaking, Rose?’

  Rose looked at her, a cheeky grin on her lips. ‘Oh honey, I don’t think I have to. Our detective’s eyes follow you everywhere. Off you go now…and Lily?’

  ‘Yes, Rose?’

  ‘Be happy. There’s a man out there who loves you and wants to take care of you the way you deserve to be cared for, child.’

  Lily smiled. ‘We’ll see.’

  Outside on the veranda, Lily handed Mark a mug of steaming coffee and sat on the couch beside him. She scooted into the corner, drew her legs up and tucked them in under her bum.

  ‘I can’t believe it’s finally over. Thank you.’

  Mark sipped at the coffee, the best he’d had in days. Courtroom coffee was worse than police department coffee. He bent forward and placed the mug on the table before leaning back on the couch. He turned his head to look at her…his tired, bedraggled angel. She’d lost weight over the weeks since Gino’s death, something he planned on spending the rest of his life remedying. The trial had been hard on all of them, dredging up memories no-one wanted or needed brought to the surface, aired with the help of the media.

  He leaned forward again to take her mug and placed it on the table next to his. With a tug on her hands, he drew her to him, pleased when she didn’t resist. She nestled into the comfort of his arms, her head on the warmth of his chest, his heart beating a rapid tattoo against her ear. His stomach tightened as her hand stroked across his chest and down his side to rest on his hip.

  Lily looked up at him and smiled. He ran a finger across the fading scar on her cheek, tipped her chin up further. ‘No-one will ever hurt you or Luke again. I promise. Not on my watch.’

  ‘Does that mean you’ll be hanging around, Detective?’

  ‘Would you like me to?’ His gaze roamed her face, coming to rest on her lips…such kissable lips.

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘You think so? Let me convince you.’ His voice was a whisper as he pressed his lips to hers, a light touch that coaxed her closer. The warmth of his hand travelled over her hip and under her bottom as he hitched her onto his lap. ‘I love you, Lily, your strength, your courage, your smile. I want to see more of that smile. I want to wake up next to you with your perfume on my pillows and the warmth of you in my arms. Is that okay?’

  Lily nodded, her hand creeping up his chest, across his collar bone and over the curve of his bicep. ‘I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,’ she whispered, as she trailed her hand up around his neck. ‘I think I’m in love with you too.’

  She pulled his head down and Mark followed her lead as she tested his lips with hers. He stroked the curve of her bottom through the material of her skirt and she inched closer. Lily deepened the kiss with a sigh. He shifted beneath the power of it as his body responded.

  ‘If you keep that up, Miss Lily, I’m not going to be able to think straight in a minute,’ he said, a little breathlessly as he broke away while he still could.

  She smiled, that gentle, impish tug of the lips, her eyes twinkling with mischief. God, he loved seeing his Lily like this. She shifted against him and he groaned, cupping her bottom to pull her closer so she could feel his need. He ran a hand over the silky skin of her legs, up under the skirt and over her thigh.

  ‘Am I rushing you, Lily? Tell me if I am. It’s so soon after —’

  ‘No. You’re not rushing me,’ she said, tracing his lips with her forefinger. ‘I didn’t bury my husband today. I buried a stranger, a criminal, a bully. Any love I had for Gino died long before he did. What I feel for you is completely different. You make me feel loved, safe, cared for.’

  ‘All the things I want for you.’

  ‘Then let’s stop thinking too much,’ she said, echoing his own words to her.

  With a gentle sigh, she placed her lips against his, tasted his mouth, and coaxed him with the velvet of her tongue, while her hands worked across his shoulders, down his arms, onto his waist.

  Drowning in the smell and taste of her, he barely registered the roar of an engine in the drive, doors slamming and Marty’s excitement as he ran off to the creek, calling for Luke and Sarge. Every inch of her body touched him, cried out for more. Heat surged through him as he lifted her away a little and dragged his lips from hers.

  ‘This may have to wait until later, love. We have company. Jesus, Lily!’

  Her chuckle against his neck was almost his undoing as he surged under her, pressing into the palm of her hand when she trailed a hand over the front of his jeans. She pressed a kiss into the V of his neck above his shirt. He cupped her face with his hand as she stretched against him.

  ‘Hold that thought,’ she whispered.

  ‘Oh I will, Lily, and later, I’ll love you as you deserve to be loved.’ He lifted her gently off his lap, keeping her close to him in the crook of his arm.

  ‘I’ll hold you to that promise…forever,’ she whispered as Scott and TJ mounted the stairs to the veranda.

  * * *

  Under the star-dappled sky in Tiny’s garden, they drank a toast to him and barbequed his favourite Angus Beef burgers. By the light from the half-built gazebo, Luke and Marty made a start on the mural, their graffiti no longer dark or filled with secret codes and messages. Instead they drew a promise of life and the freedom they could enjoy now Snow and Albero were locked away, both serving life sentences for manslaughter.

  TJ yawned and stretched, bumping her shoulder against Scott’s. ‘That’s me done. I’m knackered. Let’s go to bed, honey.’

  Scott chuckled. ‘Best invitation I’ve had all day.’ He stood, scooped her up, tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and jogged off down to the house, calling out, ‘Night all,’ over TJ’s squeals.

  Lily’s laughter faded as Mark reached for her hand and whispered, ‘What say we leave the boys to their swags and the mercy of the mosquitoes?’ His gaze burned on hers, filled with promise.

  Lily shivered as she nodded. He hoped it was not with fear but expectation. Mark stood and drew her to his side, warming her cold hand with his. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly. His heart hammered in his chest now as desire swirled through him. Finally, he thought, this was his chance to show Lily what it was like to truly love and be loved.

  ‘Stay, Sarge,’ Mark called to the Rottweiler. The need for a guard dog might be over but he figured Sarge would be devastated to miss the excitement of a camp out under the stars with the boys. ‘Night, guys.’

  ‘Night,’ Luke and Marty chorused, not looking up from thei
r artwork.

  ‘Ready?’ Gently, he smoothed the frown from Lily’s brow with a light touch. If she wasn’t, he’d go home and wait until she was, but he hoped to God she wouldn’t send him away tonight. If all he did was hold her close as she slept, he’d be happy with that.

  The flicker of a smile crossed her lips as she turned to make her way down the hill towards her cabin, tugging him behind her. She pushed open the door and led him inside, stopping as he closed it firmly and turned the key in the lock. The sound echoed between them as Lily left her past behind and turned to her future. She stepped into the circle of Mark’s arms and raised her face to his.

  ‘I’m ready.’

  He released a nervous breath on a chuckle and hugged her close for a brief moment. Then his lips brushed across hers, lightly testing her response.

  Lily felt that sweep of his kiss all the way to her toes as she sighed, parting her lips to invite him in. His big, comforting hands cupped her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbones reassuringly to match the rhythm of his searching mouth…a rhythm she answered with her own promise.

  Her hands found his firm hips and travelled up under his shirt to touch the warm, smooth contours of his back, drawing him closer until their bodies aligned and she felt the press of him against her. Dizzying need scrambled her thoughts and tugged at her muscles as she pictured him naked, a vision she knew would be real before long. Lingering doubts forced their way to the forefront of her mind, momentarily overriding the passion. Lily drew back a little and he lifted his head. She missed the warm promise of his lips immediately.

  ‘Okay?’ he whispered.

  ‘I’m a little scared.’ She raised her eyes to his. ‘What if…Gino said…’

  Mark dropped his hands from her face, stroked a gentle path down her arms and cupped her hands in his. ‘What did Gino say?’

  ‘That…that I suck at sex.’ Torn between desire and insecurity, Lily dropped her gaze to their joined hands.

  ‘Lily, look at me,’ Mark said, his tone gentle and patient.