ASantiniinLoveMelissa Schroeder

by Melissa Schroeder

  She shook her head. “Nothing. No body, no blood. The officer was very skeptical.”

  Like a lazy lion, Dante stretched beside her and settled back against the booth. “He wasn’t that skeptical.”

  “He was,” Madison said. “But, I can’t really blame him. From what he said, there weren’t even footprints.”

  JT nodded as the waitress brought their food. They waited, a silent agreement not to discuss it right in front of people at least. After the waitress refilled their cups, she left them to their breakfasts.

  “And his hands are tied,” JT said.

  Dante nodded. “Yeah. Even if he thought there was something there, he couldn’t do anything about it. I have an idea that he’ll be looking around for information. He will be thorough.”

  “You say that because he was in the Marines before. Although, I find that hard to believe because he looked like he was sixteen.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  Now that she thought back to it, there were lines around the man’s eyes and a knowledge in his gaze that told her he wasn’t so innocent. It was probably because of her condition she’d not really been able to acknowledge it. Plus, when standing next to Dante, Ellis had looked so young.

  “So, that’s it,” she said.

  “No, that’s not it,” Dante said as he dug into his burrito. He hummed when he put it in his mouth. He said something in Spanish and his sister laughed.

  “What was that?”

  “Dante was appreciative of the burrito,” Elena said. She sometimes forgot their grandparents were immigrants and they grew up in a bilingual house. All of the kids knew just enough Italian and Spanish to get them into trouble.

  “So, you said it doesn’t end here?” she asked.

  “No. That bastard is out there looking for you. I can feel it. Plus, we don’t know if the woman you saw who got shot is dead.”

  She chewed on her own burrito, enjoying the searing heat of the spices and the gooeyness of the cheese. “It would be reported if she went to a hospital.”

  Everyone looked at JT. He nodded. “I’ll see if I can find anything out. Can you give me a description?”

  Sighing Madison shrugged. “They were at least fifty yards away and it was dark. Which is odd, because there is usually a streetlight right there. I can’t tell you an age, although she seemed to be a little younger than the man.”

  “Why would you say that?” Dante asked.

  “Her clothes. They seemed to be of someone younger. Just an impression I got.”

  “What was she wearing?” JT asked.

  “Short skirt, red shirt, looked to be more of a blouse.”

  “Anything else?”

  “She was quite a bit shorter than the man. Long blonde hair. Really blonde. Not platinum, but a sunny yellow. Very small build too.”

  JT blinked. “That’s pretty good.”

  “Yeah, a short blonde in California who likes to wear short skirts and red shirts. That narrows it down a lot.”

  He smiled. “And the man?”

  She shivered. “Like I said, taller than the woman, but not really tall. Probably not over six feet…if that. This is all guessing, you know. It was dark and they were pretty far away.”

  He nodded.

  “And I gave all this info to the officer.”

  “He’s probably got an alert out to the hospitals,” JT said, slathering more grape jelly on his piece of toast.

  “I doubt that.”

  “No, I think he would too. He might not believe you, but he will want to cover his bases,” Dante said. “He’s young, but he isn’t stupid.” He looked at JT. “That’s pretty much standard operating procedure, right?”

  JT nodded. “I agree. Like Dante said, he might not think it happened, but if it did and he didn’t follow up, it would be his ass on the line.”

  “Still, this makes me uncomfortable leaving you by yourself,” Elena said. “I’ll stay with you and commute.”

  “No.”

  They all looked at Dante.

  “What was that, brother dear?”

  “I mean, I live in the area, so it would be best if I stuck around. Plus, it would probably be good to let Jack and Hannah know. That way they can keep an eye out for anything weird.”

  She was still trying to get her brain wrapped around the fast moving conversation. “Wait, I don’t need anyone to look after me.”

  “No, you don’t, but you do need someone to call on. That’s me. And letting Jack and Hannah know is just common sense. She owns the house you are renting and they can keep an eye out while you are at work.” Then he kissed her cheek as if they were a couple. “Get used to it.”

  She frowned and looked at Elena. She was hiding her smile behind her coffee cup. Knowing that it was a lost battle in the ongoing war with Dante, she retreated.

  * * * *

  Dante was trying to formulate a plan to ease his way back into Madison’s house when JT parked in front of Dante’s house. He knew she would balk at the protection angle; although, he thought there was a good chance she needed it. Not just from the killer she saw, but also from herself. The stress of the last couple of days seemed to be taking its toll on her. He wanted to be there for her.

  “You believe her,” JT said, breaking into his thoughts.

  “Yeah.” He hadn’t at first. He had known she believed it, but today, he was leaning to her way of thinking. “I went back over it while I was laying on her very uncomfortable sofa. Madison has issues, you saw them to a point. But, she isn’t over the edge. If she had been hallucinating, she would have gone over the edge when they didn’t find anything. Or at least I think she would have. Plus, it wouldn’t be hard to hide what happened. That time of night around here, even on a Friday night, not that busy. He had over an hour to clean it up. Without any other witnesses, he would have had an easy time of it. Madison said she was small.”

  JT opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.

  “No, go ahead,” Dante said.

  “You sure you don’t believe her because you’re involved with her?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not involved.”

  “Not yet.”

  He shrugged because that was the truth. He knew it was just a matter of time, but he had to give her space. That much he understood. It didn’t mean he was going to pull all the way back, though.

  “Granted, but I didn’t immediately agree that it was true. Like I said, those things tell me she saw something. Madison has issues, but she last night, she did not break down. She made it back to my house and then kept it together. It was close, but she did it.

  “Thanks to you,” JT said.

  He shrugged as he slipped out of JT’s truck. He didn’t want her or anyone to be grateful. His parents taught him to take care of the people around them. It was partially a military thing, but it was also a Santini thing.

  He slipped out of the car and JT followed him.

  “Up for a beer before you head back?” he asked.

  JT shook his head. “I’ll take something else. I have to report in tomorrow and I need a good night’s sleep.”

  Dante nodded and pulled out his keys. “No problem. What do you think about her story?” he asked as he unlocked his door.

  Before JT could answer, the door swung open. Dante’s living room was a mess. Trashed. Things were thrown on the floor, including pictures of him and the family and a few plants. Dirt was everywhere.

  “Fuck me,” was all he could say.

  JT cleared his throat. Dante tore his attention from his ruined living room to look at his friend. His eyes had hardened and his jaw was tight as he nodded.

  “I would have to say that this sort of points to the whole she might have seen something theory. Your woman has problems.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Madison’s heart was still pounding when Elena parked behind the police car in front of Dante’s house. Her friend had barely put the car i
n park before Madison bolted out of the seat. Charlie was hard on her heels as she rushed toward the house. Dante and JT stepped out onto the stoop.

  Her nerves settled down the moment she had eyes on him. He didn’t look upset. Of course, it had been over an hour since they’d parted and he hadn’t called her. JT had called Elena to tell her.

  She wanted to touch him, hug him, do something, but she couldn’t. It was beyond her to show that kind of affection in front of people, especially since she didn’t know what the hell was going on between them. So, she fell back on the Baker family way of showing affection.

  “What the hell is going on here?” she shouted.

  He blinked and for a second no one said anything. When she noticed that everyone, including some of the police were staring at her, she felt her face heat.

  Dante’s lips twitched. “Someone broke in last night.”

  There were police walking in and out behind him.

  “Did they take anything?”

  He shook his head. “Just trashed it a little. Not really that bad. The police aren’t finding much, but they might have a few fingerprints they can run. I doubt they’ll find anything.”

  JT was nodding. “Very amateurish, so I doubt they will have prints in the system.”

  The same officer that she had seen the night before stepped out of the house.

  “Ms. Baker,” he said nodding her direction. Then he looked at Elena.

  “Officer Ellis, this is my sister Elena Santini.”

  Elena smiled at the young officer who blinked, then returned it. Madison hadn’t noticed that despite his baby face, the man was attractive. No one said anything for the longest time.

  “Uh, good morning, Ms. Santini.”

  “She’s a captain too,” Dante said, humor lacing his voice.

  “What?”

  “I’m a Marine, too,” Elena said taking pity on the officer.

  “Oh,” he said as he continued to stare at her.

  Then, JT moved away from Dante’s side and stepped up to stand beside Elena. At any other time, Madison would have found it funny. Right now, though, her nerves were vibrating with anxiety.

  “Do you think this has anything to do with my case?” she asked.

  He broke his attention away from Elena to look at Madison. “I don’t think so.”

  “It happened sometime between me reporting a murder and Dante returning this afternoon. That seems like too much of a coincidence.”

  Ellis shook his head. “I’ll check it out. Truth is, there are a lot of rentals in this neighborhood. Crooks know there are houses that lay dormant for months.”

  “And they case the houses waiting for an open one,” Dante said.

  “But nothing was taken according to Dante. Why would they case a place then just trash it when they get in?”

  He shrugged. “Captain Santini doesn’t know for sure if anything has been taken. And, many times intruders trash a place to hide the fact stuff has been stolen. Gives them more time to fence the stuff.”

  She noticed that JT and Dante shared a look. Whatever the officer thought, both JT and Dante agreed with her.

  “You have my card, Captain Santini. If you think of anything, give me a call.”

  She watched the man walk to his squad car before saying, “I don’t like him.”

  Dante chuckled. “No. You don’t like what he had to say.”

  That much was true, but she wasn’t in the mood to be nice about it. “Let’s see how bad it is.”

  He turned and she stepped up behind him with JT and Elena following behind her. It was a disaster. She couldn’t believe it was the same room as the night before.

  “I’m sorry, Dante.”

  He shook his head. “Not your fault. Even the cop said so.”

  “Even so, if you hadn’t been at my house last night, they would not have been able to do this.”

  JT and Elena moved away.

  “Hey, listen,” he said, holding onto her arms and making her look at him. “This isn’t your fault. The bastards who broke in here, they are the ones at fault.”

  She sighed and nodded, but she refused to look him in the eye. She couldn’t. Nothing he said was going to change her mind.

  “Nothing I say is going to change your mind.”

  She looked at him then. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  He smiled. “You were my nemesis at Annapolis.”

  “Know your enemy.”

  “And you blame yourself, but I wish you wouldn’t.”

  She shrugged. “Sorry. Part of the Catholic upbringing.”

  “In that case, I’m going to use it to my advantage.”

  “How so?”

  He gave her his most endearing look and she was immediately on alert. “Well…it’s not really safe here.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Come on. I’ll sleep in your guest room until I get this mess cleared away.”

  She shook her head and crossed her arms. No way. She couldn’t have him in her space. How would she be able to resist him then? It would be impossible.

  “No.”

  He practically pouted. “I mean, I was at your house last night when they screwed it up.”

  “Dammit. Okay. But I’m not cleaning up after you.”

  * * * *

  “Smooth, Santini,” JT said, as they stepped outside. His voice was filled with admiration.

  Dante smiled. “Yeah, well, a man has to use all his resources, plus I have other motives.”

  “You think it’s connected.”

  He looked at his brother’s best friend. “I do.”

  JT sighed. “So do I. Too many coincidences here. The fact that this happened last night…too weird. The only thing bothering me is why they would come to your house?”

  Dante shrugged. “Maybe because this is where Madison gave her statement.”

  Comprehension filled JT’s expression. “Oh, yeah. And if this idiot has any kind of police scanner, it would be a matter of listening to the calls. He would assume this is where the person who reported it lived. If that is what happened, there is a chance he really is looking for Madison.”

  Dante nodded. “I told you I felt it. It’s as if he is hunting for her. Add in that she’s rattled, it’s best if I stick close to her. She doesn’t need a relapse, not when she is just about to get back on her feet.”

  “Do you know how bad off she was?”

  Dante shook his head.

  “I can probably find something out for you.”

  It was enticing. He wanted to know just what she went through because he realized that he wanted to know everything about her. It was all part of her. JT could get it done, but it was at best, unethical—at worse, illegal.

  “No. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

  “I can do it without getting caught.”

  The temptation was there again, but he shook his head. He didn’t want to find out that way. If she wanted to share what she went through with him, that was one thing. Sneaking behind her back into her military records was not the way to win her trust.

  “So, I’m assuming that you’ll be at her house for the foreseeable future?”

  Dante smiled. “Well, now, of course. I’ve worked my way into her house. Do you think I am stupid enough to leave?”

  JT chuckled. “You Santinis are all the same.”

  “Yeah, we are.” He studied JT for a second or two and took note of the clothes. He had noticed it earlier, but they had been busy at the time. “We are pretty perceptive.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “I let things go because, well, Elena and I are twins and we see each other as equals. Anthony finds out you slept with his little sister, he might just beat the shit out of you.”

  JT opened his mouth, but Dante held up his hand. “Hey, like I said, Elena and I called truce long ago about things like this, but the other four…they will want to make yo
u cry.”

  “She’s a grown woman and she wasn’t a virgin.”

  “Ugh, please. Stop.” He shook his head. He knew his sister wasn’t an innocent, but he had picked up on her crush years ago. He never thought anything would come of it. “Just treat her right. And if you hurt her, I will come hurt you and the other four will hide the body.”

  JT blinked. “I thought you stayed out of it.”

  “I do, unless you make her cry. Because then we will have to deal with her.”

  “I highly doubt your sister would come crying to you.”

  Dante chuckled. “No. She cries, then she gets mad and takes it out on all the males in the family. That alone will get you on the most wanted list at the Santini household.”

  JT shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know what to do about her. I have to go back under tomorrow and I just can’t have personal relationships when I do that. Not one that is just starting.”

  He nodded. “Be safe out there, brother.”

  “Amen, especially since I have something to come back to.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t know what to do about her?”

  JT sighed and looked back at Dante’s house. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure I know what to do about her, but I do know I am ready to do something. Maybe I can figure that out while I am away.”

  At least JT had time to think. Dante was pretty sure he had a small period of time to seduce Madison before she started to build the walls of her resistance back up again.

  He just hoped he could figure out just what to do about her before that happened.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Dante figured he should be more irritated that his house had been trashed. It had been useless and stupid to do, but then, if it had anything to do with the murder, there was a good chance it had been meant to upset him. It did, but not the way his intruder had thought it would. He’d rattled Dante’s cage. If the bastard was after Madison, he would have to go through Dante.

  One thing was for sure, the intruder had helped him in one regard. Dante was back in Madison’s house, at least for another night. As he followed her Jeep in his truck, he realized that this was probably one of those turning points people always talked about. Something shifted in him since he’d had dinner with her the other night. It was like a piece of his life clicked into place.