Dani winced, hearing for the first time the frustration and anger Katie hid so well. “I shouldn’t have asked that,” Dani said quietly, feeling about two inches high right then. “I had no right.”
“You did if your feelings matter. Dani, I didn’t have to say yes. I didn’t have to be part of that. You didn’t see what happened out there when the window smashed. You didn’t see me...” Katie stood and began demonstrating the actions she was describing, “...putting one little foot over the other and bending the knee like a little girl trying to figure out if she did a ‘boo-boo’ and widening my eyes and even...” Katie put a finger in her mouth to give that ‘oooh’ look like something straight out of an old romantic comedy.
“You didn’t!”
“Of course I did!” Katie flopped back down on the daybed and draped one leg over the other, so unlike the bubble-head she’d been a moment ago that the change was startling. Dani was impressed, and began to wonder if there was place in her world of hired adventure for someone with skills like that.
“Dani, that was the worst. To be... that in front of... all of them. I saw how I was looked at, I saw in their eyes what they wanted to do to me. All of them. I expected that. But I did it, because... because you helped me so much when we were kids, because I never had a sister, because... I don’t know why, just because.”
“Because you love me?” Dani smiled.
“Yeah, a little. Not like I’m changing from dating men or anything, but like the way I want to think how it would be to love a sister, yeah I do.” Katie looked up with that winsome smile, and Dani couldn’t help but laugh right along with her, feeling incredibly lucky to have found a true friend in this whole mess.
Katie’s smile said she felt the same. She grabbed for her nail file which she’d abandoned on the day bed when she’d gotten up, and used it as a pointer. “The point is, don’t write him off, not yet.”
Dani played with her lower lip between her teeth. “Thank you,” she whispered, and came over to hug the younger girl, feeling more settled and content than she had in a long time. Sure, there was still a little bit of fear in there, but it helped to know that she had a true friend and ally she could count on. “Just... thank you.”
Katie squeaked and dropped her nail file, but returned the hug with enthusiasm. Then laughed when they clonked heads when both bent to grab that file from the floor at the same time. Dani snagged it first and handed it to her thoughtfully. “You’re really okay? I mean with... being here right now?”
“Well, it’s not my first choice, no offense, but I don’t feel so much like I’m the one in danger here. I’m just a means to an end, aren’t I? I certainly don’t blame you for any of this.” She paused, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her jaw while she thought. “Honestly, neither does Luke. I never once got any kind of vibe from him that he’s mad at you. Don’t give up on him yet, okay?”
“Well, it really doesn’t matter at this point,” Dani said, sinking onto the daybed next to Katie and staring thoughtfully at her own nails, which were chewed down to the quick in some spots. “He’s gone. He’s not stupid enough to come walking back into this. Right now, Benny would probably have him—”
The house shook with the sudden bang of the front door slamming shut. From outside there came shouts. Even through the closed window, the single shouted command of “FREEZE” could be clearly and distinctly heard. Dani rushed to the window and almost threw it open before remembering the alarm. She felt Katie crowding her, trying to get a good look, but her eyes were riveted on the small slice of the front yard she could see.
At the end of the driveway, Luke stood, just inside the gate. In his left hand, he held a box of pizza and remains of a six-pack hooked to one finger. The right hand balanced a folded slice and an open can.
He waved, after a fashion, at the half-dozen men who had him under surveillance. A lot of guns had appeared as if by magic in their hands, every one of them pointed squarely at him. He said something and took a huge bite of pizza.
“He’s the stupidest, most idiotic, crazy sonofab—” Dani couldn’t even find the words. “Why the hell...?”
“He’s in love,” Katie murmured, and Dani could swear she could hear a certain amount of awe as well as suppressed laughter in her voice.
“He’s an idiot. He’s... Luke.” Even Dani could hear the smile in her own voice. She was going to kill him with her own bare hands before Benny even had a chance.
“HEY, GUYS! MISS ME?” Luke took a bite. It was his third slice, so the edge of his hunger had worn off, but he was still needing more than he’d already had. The beer had tasted like a gift from the gods, and right now he could have stood to slam back the rest of them one after another, just to take the edge off, but he needed his wits about him. At least he’d put enough carbs back into his body to start getting back some of the strength he’d lost from too many days without food. It was definitely past time to get back to work.
He didn’t raise his arms as ordered; it was a stupid gesture, but he was feeling too pissed off to bother with the correct surrender position. Instead, he took another bite and gave a circle motion with the slice in a form of a wave, almost dislodging the pepperoni.
“Should I have knocked?” He pointed to the gate he’d slipped through. That hadn’t been easy, and he wasn’t sure that the toppings were technically still on top of the pizza, but sideways had been the only way to get the pizza box through it.
Two men ran to face him from ten feet away, both with their guns drawn and pointed at him, one at his head, one at his heart. That way, if one of them needed to fire, the target would still be in place for the second shot. They were taking no chances. It was a fairly professional set-up that might have been impressive for rent-a-cops had he not been on the wrong end of the barrel.
Two more came behind him, slowly, cautiously. One snatched the box from him, the other knocked the can and slice from his raised hand.
“Hey! Watch it, will ya? I don’t really have all that many change of clothes with me, you know? Now my shoes are going to smell like beer all day!” He sighed a little as he watched the beer spray out of the can and run down the sidewalk. He should’ve drunk more of it when he’d had the chance.
“Where do you think you’re going?” one of the men snapped at him, and grabbed his wrist. The sharp, cold sting of a steel handcuff going on over it made Luke shudder involuntarily. No gentleness from this crew. But, then, he hadn’t exactly been expecting it either.
“I was on my way to the office in the main house,” Luke said, though shrugging was damned hard when you were being manhandled and cuffed. The man took his other arm and pulled it back behind him. “If you can’t save the pizza, you have to save the beer. It’s the sacred duty of every male over twelve to save the beer.”