Mr. and Mrs. Rossi

by Carolyn Hector

  Hannah craned her neck up at him. Even in his seat he was tall. Harley took in the man’s details quickly. His frame suggested an agent’s regime, like Dante’s—just taller. Despite the same type of suit Dante wore earlier, his wildly long hair suggested biker crew. Harley chalked him up to being a part of the STB and wondered when the two of them would break out their badges. Oh wait, she thought sarcastically, they’re undercover. If they were anything like her and Tai, they’ll keep the lie up until the last resort.

  “You got to go to the wedding?” whined Hannah.

  “The wedding is not the issue here,” Dante kissed each fingertip on Harley’s hand, “the honeymoon is and you and your men are holding us up from getting started.”

  With the snap of his finger, a large guard came forward with a scanner, something she’d seen her sister use for her wedding and baby registries. An infrared light scanned their faces via remote control. Harley inhaled deeply and prayed the equipment to be faulty. The man grimaced as the machine processed the data. Harley took him more for a bouncer than a geek squad complete with bells and whistles. Since she wasn’t on the narcotics squad and knew none of their people, she didn’t have anyone to vouch for her. Makana suggested before that she should try to get on with the police department’s drug squad, but with her limited photography it was highly unlikely to get a job like her current one without having to compromise her position with Special Tasks.

  Beeps filled the silence between them. “Yo, they’re clean, Christopher,” the man confirmed with a deep upstate voice.

  Harley wondered if Christopher got his equipment from the flea market. The scan should have at least shown she worked for the local police department as a homicide photographer. “Well now that’s settled,” she pulled her fingers from Dante’s grip and began to rise, “can we go?”

  “Eager to start the honeymoon, eh?” Christopher cocked his head toward Harley but directed his question to Dante.

  Dante waved his hand down the curve of her hips, “You can understand.”

  Still in his seat, Christopher nodded his head. “I get you, muchacho. What I don’t get is how you plan on starting this honeymoon with two tag-a-longs? A kid and a friend?”

  “We planned on dropping them off,” Dante answered.

  “I’m the designated babysitter,” said Roman.

  “I don’t need a babysitter!” snapped Hannah.

  If Harley weren’t standing, she would have kicked her niece. The closest thing she could do was give her the ‘look.’ She’d perfected the glare from her mother, raising her haughty eyebrow and thinning her lips. Between her and her brother fidgeting and passing licks during church, she’d mastered it. Hannah took the hint and clamped her mouth shut.

  As the door opened, bells on the top jingled, and blinded everyone at the table with the bright afternoon light. Everyone’s direction went toward the door.

  “There you are!”

  Before her eyes adjusted to the slash of light, Harley heard her best friend’s voice before laying eyes on her. Harley held her smile. She was able to finish debriefing her after she left Dante in the dust and was glad to find out she and her crew docked not far from Little Mexico. “Tai, you made it!”

  Her best friend and partner in crime and law waltzed into the café with what approximately a dozen balloons, all with a form of congratulations on each one of them and in the crimson and white school colors of Hannah’s graduating class. “You said I could crash the party, you didn’t say anything about you crashing into the party! Dude, what happened to your car?”

  “Hey Tía,” Hannah’s keys dropped to the table as she waved. Harley glanced at the noise and counted three keys.

  “Hey, sweetie, what are you guys doing here? I thought the party was over off La Quinta. Y’all waiting to file a police report?”

  “Police?” Christopher said. “Nobody’s calling the police.”

  Tai handed half of the balloons by the strings to one of the men sweeping the floor. He took it without a word from her or permission from Alfaro. Tai had a way with men, or at least her ass did and right now, the star of this impromptu crash, Tai’s ass in a pair of second skin denim jeans, became the center of attention. Tai saddled next to Roman and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The other balloons in her right hand floated a little higher toward the ceiling.

  Going along with the ruse, Roman wrapped his right arm around her waist, his hand settling on the gold belly button chain. It looked awkward. Tai must have felt the tension as well and went for the extra points in the acting department. “Hey sexy,” she planted a kiss on Roman’s cheek. “I’ve missed you!”

  The one person who did not buy this relationship was the one person holding them at the table. “You two got married last night as well?”

  Tai tossed her head back and laughed, Roman’s hands caught her by the backside. “Married? No, I’m afraid for me it’s always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”

  “Maybe you two can get married,” Hannah, bless her soul, tried to help. Harley shot her another look, the kind her mother used to give her during Mass. “Sorry,” Hannah drawled out, “Can we go now? I’d like to get started on some of my graduation parties.”

  Christopher slammed his hand on the counter, his gold ring of power glimmered under the pointed lights. “You’ll go when I say you can go.”

  “Whoa!” Tai shot to her feet. All hell broke loose with a bang.

  Men reached for their weapons and drew. She held her hands out in surrender, letting go of the balloons. The tallest balloon touched one of the points of the light and instantly popped. Tai had a fashion for flair. In another life she should have been a magician.

  Simultaneously the other eleven balloons began to pop, emitting white clouds of pure smoke, a vapor most magicians use. The white vapor impaired visions and made a loud noise perfect for a quick getaway but once it cleared, no harmful chemicals were left behind.

  Harley came back to her feet again, taking Hannah by the hand. She turned to grab Dante’s but he was already on his feet flipping the table over, swiping the legs out from underneath Christopher Alfaro. Her mouth twitched to smile, impressed with his agility. The man was large but he sure could move.

  The geek with the computer stepped forward but with his large size and the confusion of the smoke, ended up kicking Christopher in the back, sending him flat on his stomach. While Christopher scrambled to get his footing the other workers came for them, but between Dante and Roman they handled the situation. Harley, with Tai and Hannah in tow, ran behind the kitchen through the back door which spilled into a dirt road alley. Harley hated alleys. It put them into a precarious predicament. Run back into the hell-hole or take their chances getting blocked at either end of the street. They took their chances.

  “My car’s in the front,” Harley realized once the bright light hit them, “freakin’ shot up too!”

  “My boat is down at the St. Marks docks, we’re about twenty klicks away.”

  “Are you finally going to take us for a ride?” asked Hannah, trying desperately to keep up the pace on the other side of Tai.

  Irritation clouded Harley’s mind, not only was she within arms’ length of Christopher Alfaro without making any serious contact or arrest on the man, she now needed to run with her niece in tow for a good twelve miles. Who knew when the next time would be when she got the opportunity and the element of surprise? At this point Christopher was sure to be suspicious of her if they ever met again. She only hoped she could use the balloons popping as an excuse and claim she got scared and took off running with her niece. Hopefully Dante didn’t ruin everything. What the hell kind of agent was he? Totally unprofessional. What was with him and outing their marriage? And to make matters worse, why was he still parading around with that blasted ring? And where was he? Did he make it out okay? She and Tai had been working together so long they read each other’s minds. Did Dante and Roman know to run?

  Tai slowed her pace to glance over her shoulde
r when Harley stopped running and placed her hands on her hips. “What are you doing?”

  “What?” Harley asked innocently as she started back to a slow jog for Hannah’s sake.

  “You stopped.”

  “No,” Harley countered, “you stopped.”

  “I stopped because you slowed down.”

  They ran down the back alley between garbage cans and the fences of other homes hosting their own parties. The white gravel road had enough space for one car. Green grass or green weeds ran down the center of the road like the yellow lines on a street. The gravel crunched beneath their feet. “I did not.”

  “You did, Harley,” Hannah breathed heavily bringing up the rear. “I saw.”

  “I was looking at you.”

  Hannah shook her head, “You didn’t even make eye contact with me. You were looking for your husband.” Harley stopped walking so Hannah could catch her breath. She sometimes forgot Hannah’s age did not mean she was in shape. The teen’s body folded over, hands on her knees as she inhaled deeply. “I think it’s cute.”

  “I wouldn’t slow down for him.”

  “Whatever,” Tai rolled her eyes. “You guys, let’s go. I don’t like being stuck on a one-way. It’s the easiest way to get trapped.”

  They picked up their pace again. The main street was just up ahead. Harley ran every morning rain or shine. Right now, running with her niece meant she needed to keep an even keel pace and keep an ear out for any surprises—surprises such as the scrubbed down to the base paint Monte Carlo skidded to a halt just as the three of them reached the end of the alley. The three ladies came to a halt, kicking up dirt of their own.

  When the dust cleared Dante stood by the hood of the car, his friend behind the wheel. “Hey Charlie’s Angels, want a ride?”

  Harley and Tai shared a smirk. “I’m Farrah!” they both cried out.

  “Who’s Farrah?” asked Hannah, “Can I be the Cameron Diaz character?”

  Harley playfully pushed her niece forward. “Get in the car, young lady. You’re in some serious trouble.”

  ****

  Dante did not like to think of himself as a sexist, but once the car doors closed-securing Harley and her people—he breathed a deep sigh of relief. For a photographer, Harley had some moves, but even moves couldn’t stop a bullet.

  “What were you thinking back there?” Harley demanded to know as she settled into the middle of the back seat.

  “If you’ll just take us to the docks,” her friend with the balloons said over the roar of the engine and the boom in Harley’s voice, “I have a ride waiting for us.”

  Small colorful homes passed by in warp speed thanks to Roman’s NASCAR like driving. It took Dante a moment to realize Harley’s screeching was directed at him. “What? I was saving you.”

  The way she snorted, Dante imagined her in school as the student who corrected the teacher. She came off as a know-it-all. Had he not shown up and spoken, God only knew what could have happened. He would have lost his lead on Leonardo because he’d be in jail for murdering Christopher Alfaro in broad daylight because he laid a finger on Harley.

  “Are you crazy?” Harley yelled in disbelief.

  Dante’s blood boiled with excitement. He grew up in a small Italian family but in a big Italian neighborhood. Everyone argued and yelled loud but they loved something fierce.”I assure you I am as sane as possible. You were the one who drove into a hail of gunfire.”

  “The gunfire stopped by the time I blocked the street.”

  He distinctly recalled the warped hole in the side of her door. “You’re crazy.”

  “You’re the one who walked into a crowd of gangsters—”

  With his pointer finger held in the air he reminded her, “To save you.”

  “I did not ask to be saved,” She ground through her teeth.

  Dante’s shoulders pressed against the hard leather of his seat while he leaned back to reach into his pocket. “This ring says I have to save you.”

  “That’s not what our vows said.”

  “Are you sure?” he raised his brow and offered an ineffective flirty smile. His wife rolled her eyes and sat back. “Chet has a video of us saying our vows somewhere. He probably sent it to your phone but we all know how good you are downloading and responding.”

  The two other girls flanking her side bowed their heads to hide their laugh. Their shoulders shaking gave them away. “After killing you,” Harley seethed, “I’m going to kill Chet.”

  “Look,” Roman spoke up, “it’s nice and all that the two of you found love and decided to seal it by taking the plunge but we’ve got bigger problems at hand. I need to find your boyfriend.”

  “Fiancé,” Hannah corrected.

  Harley snorted and rolled her eyes. Dante felt the need to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Can we argue about terminology later?”

  “I need my car,” Harley said.

  “I will get you your car if you tell me where Javier is. Clearly the two of you can see how important it is we get to him before Alfaro does—or worse.” This time when he looked back over his shoulder, Harley elbowed Hannah in her side. The two of them held a conversation of eye stares. When Hannah slunk into the cushions of the backseat, he knew Harley had one.

  “Where are we going?”asked Tai.

  “We’re going to take you guys some place safe,” Roman responded, answering through the rearview mirror. “I’ll get your car back for you. I am the best man, after all.”

  “Seriously,” Harley chuckled, “how safe can you guys get us when you almost got us killed back there?”

  Dante choked out a laugh, “Are you kidding me? Who is stupid enough to drive their car into an ambush?”

  “Stupid?”

  Roman slammed on his brakes. Everyone, except him, jerked forward. “If the two of you don’t shut up, I’m going to turn this car around and leave you. Me and the kid will take off.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without my aunt,” Hannah folded her arms across her chest with a harrumph.

  Dante made eye contact with Harley. His pulse began to quicken, his chest heaved with desire. He had to admit, she surprised him at the café. Who knew a crime scene photographer could have moves like her. Reality forced him to accept the truth. Harley was not what she presented herself to be. That crap she pulled back there, the special effects from her friend, no, these two women were much more. When the smoke cleared, he planned on finding out more. Accepting the fact that Harley was no ordinary photographer, his faith in her rose.

  “Drop them off wherever they want,” he told Roman.

  “The docks,” Tai said.

  “Are you sure?” Roman asked looking over at him.

  “Yeah,” Dante nodded.

  Roman followed the directions to the docks, which really weren’t far. The ladies could have walked but Dante wasn’t about to let his wife and niece walk these streets alone. Christopher Alfaro was pissed off and it was only a matter of time before he got his bearings and came looking for them. Roman’s car wasn’t inconspicuous either, but they’d be able to outmaneuver Christopher.

  Dante opened the backseat door for the ladies to exit. Harley came out last. Dante used his body as a barrier and kept her in the embrace of the car.

  “Well, it’s been fun,” Harley widened her eyes, motioning wordlessly for him to move.

  “We still have the matter of our annulment.”

  “The thing is,” Dante did not want to move. He didn’t want to let her leave his sight but he knew in the end, letting her go would lead her right to Javier and Javier would lead him to Leonardo. This was the point of this mission, right? “We’ll need to get together some time and work this out.”

  Harley inhaled deeply. He watched her breast rise and fall beneath the V-line of her shirt. His mouth watered but he held his control. A breeze whipped through the air, searing the mango scent of her hair into his memory. Without thinking, Dante leaned forward and down, brushing his lips against hers. For a mom
ent he thought he’d made a mistake but her lips parted to adjust to his. She stepped on the door to lift herself to accommodate his height. She tasted just as sweet as he remembered. Wanting to savor the flavor, Dante wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into his arms. Elbows rested on his shoulders, her dainty fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. She exhaled, he breathed. They moved as one, mirrored each other. Their tongues danced, swirled. Someone broke the kiss, a yell, a seagull squawk, or something. Dante’s hands loosened.

  “Can you move now?” Harley snapped.

  Reluctance pierced his heart but he let her go and watched her run off with her friends. The boat her friend spoke of could be better described as a yacht—a one hundred-fifty foot yacht complete with a decked out crew waiting for them to board.

  “What did that lady say she did for a living?” Roman asked coming beside him.

  “She didn’t,” Dante leaned against the door, willing Harley to look back once more before she boarded. “But something tells me they haven’t been truthful.”

  “Time to call Tito and find out what the real reading on the scan said.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Dante hummed and saluted Harley when she turned one last time to look at him before going below deck.

  Chapter 7

  Steam circled the air around her. Harley wrapped the towel around her bare breasts a little tighter before stepping out of the luxury bathroom aboard the Cofresí. The pirate-namesake ship, which now sailed somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, held four and a half bathrooms in its five-bedroom suite. Hannah insisted on sleeping in Tai’s master suite, which Tai—with no family of her own—eagerly accepted. Harley hadn’t been so eager to let an interrogation go, but Tai said she knew what she was doing. Her crew of eight prepared a meal for the guests and hung out on deck talking, swapping sailor stories. After Harley’s second beer, she was ready to call it a day. She’d been up since before the sun and sleep began to creep in.

  The queen-sized bed called her name but Harley insisted on taking a shower first. She needed to wash the days’ events off her skin—not just the incident with Christopher Alfaro or the near death experience she almost had when Hannah disappeared, but she needed to shake off Dante Rossi’s touch. No one had been able to fill her life with such excitement in almost twenty years. Back then her excitement came from a boy buying her a piragua and sharing a seat on the beachfront pier’s Ferris wheel. Today their lives had been on the line and even with the guns blazing at them, Harley hadn’t experienced that kind of exhilaration with another man.