Lawless (14 page)

A heavy lump of despair choked Ariana as a
visibly upset Kenzie appeared on screen.  Her normally gorgeous auburn hair had
been pulled back into a lanky ponytail and obviously hadn't been washed for days. 
She'd forgone makeup, leaving noticeably dark moons hovering beneath her eyes.

"I don't know why they won't let me see
her.  I could save them a lot of time and taxpayer dollars spent trying to
identify her."

"You and Ms. Trasatti were close then?"

"She was the only sister I've ever had." 
Kenzie's voice quivered as she spoke, and Ariana knew without a doubt, she was
clinging to her last thread of sanity.  "I know that bastard murdered her." 
Desperation grew with each of her words.  "I just want to see her.  I want
to hold her hand one last time.  I don't care what shape her body is in."

"When you say 'sister', do you mean
biological sister?"

"She's my sister in every way that counts,
and I love her.  Why won't they let me see her?"

Ariana tried to swallow past her own tears now
coursing down her cheeks.

The camera abandoned the pitiful picture of
Kenzie and cut back to the anchor.  "As you can see, there are many who
are waiting and wondering about the identity of this young woman.  Authorities
are saying the information is forthcoming, but they refuse to give an exact
date or time."

Ariana watched blindly for another minute
before shutting off the TV.  The haunting sound of an empty house echoed around
her.  She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and then sought out a
tissue.

Shutting her eyes, she willed the image of
Kenzie to fade, but the thought of her poor, tormented friend slashed at her
with razor-sharp claws.  She couldn't let Kenzie suffer on her behalf.

She padded down the hall to her bedroom,
knowing what she had to do.  The phone Quinn had given her lay in the drawer
where she'd stashed it the first day she'd arrived.  She pulled it out, her
insides nauseated by distress.  She dialed Quinn's number and waited.  After
five rings, it went to voicemail.

She hung up, frustrated.  Where the hell was
he?  What good did it do to give her a phone if he wasn't going to answer?  She
closed her eyes, willing the rational side of her to emerge.  She'd call his
office.  He'd said not to call in case it could be traced, but she knew better
than anyone that it was unlikely the Marshals had been infiltrated.

An office assistant answered, but was unable to
give her information beyond the standard 'he's out of the office', and she didn't
know when he'd return.

A sick haze washed over her.  Each second that
ticked caused her friend great anguish.  It could be hours before Quinn got
back to her, and she couldn't wait.

She dialed Kenzie's cell number and let her
finger hover over the call button.  It would be nearly impossible to trace her
call.  First, the pay-as-you-go number was an unknown.  Second, she'd only stay
on the phone for a minute.  Just long enough to let Kenzie know she was okay. 
The odds were highly in her favor.  And really, wasn't it her call to make if
she wanted to take that chance?

There was no point thinking through the
consequences of her intended actions any further.  She needed to spare Kenzie
additional pain.  That's what sisters did for each other.

She pressed call.

"Hello?"  Kenzie's voice came across
the line, uncertain and weary.

Ariana couldn't hold back her sob.  "It's
me, Kenzie."  She hadn't heard her friend's voice in so long, and the
sound of it nearly undid her.

"Oh my God."

Tears streamed from Ariana's eyes.  "I had
to call.  I had to let you know I'm okay."  She grabbed the discarded
tissue from the top of her dresser and wiped her nose.

"Where are you?"

"I can't say."

"But you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm good.  I'm safe."  Another
sob escaped her.  "Are you okay?  I found your mom's obituary online."

"It's been tough."  There was no
denying the grief in her friend's voice.  "I'm better now that I've heard
from you."

Seconds ticked in her mind like a bomb ready to
explode.  "I need to go, Kenzie.  I'll be back in Chicago for the trial in
a few weeks.  I can see you then.  Please don't tell anyone we talked.  No one."

"Okay.  Stay safe little sister."

"I will.  I love you."

"Love you, too."

Ariana hung up and then waited for the world to
crash in on her.

After a few moments of breathless anticipation,
she convinced herself everything would be fine.  She'd spared Kenzie, and that
was worth the risk.

She finished washing the breakfast dishes and
dressed before she heard the high-pitched ringtone coming from her bedroom. 
She raced to answer it, knowing the ringing would not be a good thing.

She clicked the answer button and immediately
Quinn's voice jumped across the line.  "Ariana?  What's wrong?"

She tried not to accept too much of the guilt
his frantic voice created.  She'd done the right thing.  "Nothing.  I'm
fine."

Several seconds of silence passed.  "Then
why did you call?  This phone is for emergencies."

"I'm so sorry.  I didn't mean to make you
worry.  It was just…I had a moment of panic.  I saw Kenzie on the news.  She
looked awful, Quinn.  On the verge of a nervous breakdown."

"Did you call her, Ariana?"

She bit her tongue to keep from telling him. 
If he knew the truth, it would only complicate matters.  Quinn would be forced
to try to figure out another scenario for her, and she was out of options.  "No." 
She had to be the worst person ever for lying to him.  It sickened her that
she'd discarded so easily her promise to herself to be honest.  But telling the
truth would create unnecessary trouble for everyone.  "I wanted you to let
her know I'm okay."

He blew out a frustrated breath.  "Fine. 
I'll give her a call.  You're going to have to destroy that phone now, I hope
you know.  Milo will need to replace it."

"I'm sorry, Quinn.  I know I've made
things difficult for you.  I just couldn't let her suffer."

"I know.  It's okay.  Let Milo know what
he needs to do and have him send me the number of your new phone.  I'm sorry I
wasn't available when you called the first time.  I'll make sure that doesn't
happen again."

"Thank you, Quinn."

*        *        *

"You can call me a mother-fucker, but don't
call me dumb."  Manny set down his phone and threw a wadded, hamburger
wrapper at Tony.  It hit his nephew in the chest and then bounced to the floor
of the dank apartment he'd called home for the past four years.

"You're a slob."  Tony lifted his
laptop long enough to scratch his balls.  It was a shame how much he looked
like his mother with dark hair and a big honking nose.

"I'll clean it up later along with the
rest of this place.  Right now, I got a bitch to catch, and I got a hell of a
lead.  An out of state number just called Kenzie Harmon's cell phone.  I'm
betting it's our little honey."

Tony widened his eyes.  "You got a trace
on her friend's phone?  How the hell did you manage that?"

Pride rushed through his veins, warm and
powerful.  "What?  You don't think I got connections?"  He feigned outrage. 
"This is why the boss picked me.  He knew I could get the job done."

"Then let's go get her."  Tony closed
his computer and stood.

"Can't yet.  I need her to make one more
call, could be to anyone, and I'll have her exact location."  Manny
slurped a long drink of soda and then belched.  "But we can get our asses
to Utah, so we'll be in the area for when she calls again."

"You don't know it's the girl.  It could
be anyone."

"Don't question me, dumb shit.  It's her,
and she's mine."

Manny wondered if she knew her time had almost
expired.

*        *        *

Four days passed and the world continued to
revolve, much to Ariana's relief.  She'd put the whole Kenzie phone call
incident out of her mind.  She wasn't going to ask Milo to buy her a new
phone.  She had two weeks left.  Her father's men weren't going to find her
there if they hadn't already.

She didn't want Milo to know she'd talked to
Quinn or Kenzie.  He'd overreact and worry without cause for her safety.  Better
that she let things alone.  She was safe, and her home life had settled into a
comfortable existence with Milo.  It seemed they'd found their middle ground, a
place where they could enjoy each other's company while keeping enough distance
between them to discourage any action caused by their attraction.  They'd both
vowed to keep things professional which disappointed Ariana, but also made
things less strained.  It was for the best.

Saturday night arrived, and she was once again
harassed by the nerve-wracking thoughts of meeting Milo's friends.  Acting like
a new bride while trying to conceal her identity would be a challenge.  One she
wasn't sure she was up to.  But, despite her pleas, Milo insisted they go.  Not
showing up at the party would only raise more questions.  He helped her pick
clothes that wouldn't stand out from the crowd, and they'd rehearsed their
story several times until they were both comfortable with it.

Conversation was almost non-existent as she and
Milo headed toward Scott's party.  She couldn't bring herself to act like she
didn't have a care in the world.  Milo appeared preoccupied as he drove them
straight toward the waning afternoon sun, the bright light harsh in her eyes. 
A few hills and turns later, he swung into the drive of a dilapidated, old farm
house.  The years had worn away any paint that might have covered the barn
along with most of the whitewash on the house.  Remnants of broken glass
remained in a few of the windows while tall weeds owned the surrounding property
and grew through what was left of the wooden porch.

"Nice place you've brought me to,"
she said, hoping the tease would relieve some of their tension.

"Like it, do you?  Now that we're married,
I've been thinking we should get a home of our own.  Should we make an offer on
it?"

"Oh, definitely."  Even though her
situation was temporary, she was determined to be grateful for the moments she
had.

Ariana twisted his grandmother's ring that
graced her finger and allowed herself a moment to dream.  What if this was all
real instead of pretend?  What if they really loved each other and had run away
to Vegas to get married?  What if Nancy was her new mom, and Ariana gave her
the grandchildren she longed for?  Ariana could teach school part-time and help
Milo with his garden, and they could make sweet love every night if they wanted
to.  It would be heaven compared to the hell she'd grown up with.  Her children
would never know the palm of their father's hand.  They'd have a loving
grandmother, and they'd only know a gun as a means to protect, not as a vicious
weapon of destruction.

"Hey."  Milo's voice brought her back
to the present.  "Where did you go?  One second, you're laughing, and now…" 
The truck bumped as they left the smooth drive and followed the dirt road that
led along the edge of the old farm toward a tangle of trees on a small
hillside.

She shook her head, clearing out the emotional
thoughts, and focused on the sexy man sitting next to her.  "Sorry.  I got
sucked into old memories, but I'm good.  Today is a good day."

"I agree."  He reached across the
console to give her hand a quick squeeze.  "Let's enjoy it."

He put his hand back on the steering wheel, and
she wished he would have left it longer.

The deep rutted road tossed them about in the
front of the vehicle, leaving a dust trail behind.  Milo shouldered the sides
of the biggest ruts to steady their travel, but it didn't help much.  She
bounced and grinned as they crossed a small dry river bed.  This world was a
far cry from her father's house in Chicago.  She knew it was an exaggeration,
but it seemed this place had claimed everything wonderful and good, while her
father's world had been coated with death and darkness.  There was no doubt
which she preferred.

As they crested the hill, they reached a line
of trees.  Milo maneuvered his truck along the narrow path that cut through the
aspens and pines.  "Not many know this road is here.  We cleared it back
when we were teenagers."

"So you could sneak out here and party?" 

He grinned.  "More or less."

The sight waiting on the opposite side of the
trees captured her heart.  A pristine mountain pond took center stage with the
sentry of pines and aspens as its captive audience.  The late-summer sun cast a
golden glow over the whole production, giving it a surreal quality.  "I
can't believe how beautiful it is here.  I mean, I've seen similar settings in
movies, but they pale in comparison to actually experiencing a place like this
first hand."

Milo chuckled as he parked his vehicle a good
hundred feet from two other nearly identical big trucks.  The only difference
she could see between them was one was as black as an inky river, and the other
gleamed red like a stop light.  A silver SUV and a smaller pickup rested a
short distance away.

Not far from the vehicles, several people had
set up a day-camp of sorts.  Their little group was completely isolated, and
all of the members currently stared with interested gazes, making her more than
a little nervous.  She was sure Scott had spread the rumor by now, and of
course, they'd be curious about the woman who'd married their friend on a whim
in Vegas.

Really, what kind of sane people did that?

Milo opened his door and climbed down, walking
around to get her door for her.  "I hope you don't mind helping me carry
some stuff."

"Of course not."

At some point, he'd filled the back of his truck
with the necessary party items and covered them with a tarp.  He pulled out two
camp chairs and slung one over each of her arms.  "This okay?"