Page 39 of Beneath the Dawn

“Are you the one who has been harassing Marti?”

“Harassing her? I never harassed her. I was paid to get rid of her.”

“And how did you find her in Oregon?”

“Langley told me where she was. He was able to trace her location from credit card purchases.”

“Anything else you want to tell me?” Dante asked. “And I suggest you tell me the truth.”

The man paused for a minute and then said, “It was a package deal. Marti Goshay was to be my third hit for Langley.”

Dante frowned. “Who were the first and second?”

“The first was a man named Titus Blinken. The second was Titus’s best friend, Lonzell Miller. I was able to take out Blinken, but Miller disappeared. I never did find him.”

“Why were hits put out on them?”

“I don’t know. I was just following Langley’s orders.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“No. I don’t know anything else. I swear.”

Dante pulled out his phone and pressed a number. When the call was answered, he asked, “Is a man by the name of Wendel Langley already on your list? What about Titus Blinken and Lonzell Miller?” Moments later, he said, “Good work, Kendall. I knew you were on top of things already. Let me know when Miller is found.”

After Dante ended the call, he glanced at Pearlman. “Before you regained consciousness, I was sitting over there, sipping a beer, thinking what would have happened if I hadn’t suspected something when I passed you on the road. I would have returned a half hour later and discovered that the woman who has come to mean everything to me was dead.”

“But she isn’t dead,” Pearlman reasoned, quickly.

“No, she isn’t dead, but that can’t erase what I actually saw with my own eyes… Marti fleeing for her life while you tried running her down with this bike. You intended to kill her… with this bike or a gun.”

“I won’t be killing anyone again. I swear I won’t. Just take me back to shore and call the police. I need medical attention. My shoulder and knee are hurting like hell. My shoulder is dislocated, and I’m in a lot of pain.”

“You won’t be in pain for long, asshole.”

With a quick shove, Dante sent the motorcycle and the rider rolling off the boat and into the choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean.

CHAPTER 15

Marti stood at the window during the pre-dawn hours and watched Dante as he swam in the ocean. She had known when he’d gotten out of bed last night, dressed, and left. When he returned a couple of hours later, she had been up waiting for him.

The moment he had opened the door and had seen her, he had simply opened his arms to her. And she had rushed across the room to him for his embrace, no questions asked.

He had held her for a moment before sweeping her off her feet and carrying her up the stairs. They had made love several times, and she had awakened when he got up for his morning swim.

Last night, while waiting for him to return, she had thought about everything he was doing, not only to keep her safe, but also to destroy the fear now living inside of her. He intended to eliminate the problem so she wouldn’t ever be afraid ever again.

After they’d made love, he’d told her that he hadn’t left her unprotected. A member of his team had arrived yesterday while they were at dinner, and for the next few days, the man would occupy the third house in Lasco Cove, the one he’d recently purchased. One of the man’s jobs would be to protect her when Dante wasn’t around. The man would be joining them for coffee, and she would meet him then.

As she continued to stand there and stare out the window at Dante, she knew she had to face an undeniable truth. The emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for thirteen years broke through whenever she watched him in the water. He’d told her that swimming in the early morning, when the ocean was serene and calm, helped invigorate his soul, boost his energy, and reset his mental state. Just by watching him, she had benefited as well.

And she was scared because she knew she had fallen in love with him.

She wasn’t worried about loving Dante. He was nothing like Malcolm. What frightened her was the thought that her heart would once again belong to a man who would not return her love. For Malcolm, it had been because he would not. For Dante, it was because he could not. He had explained his fear and the reason for it. And she could respect that.

But what was she to do, knowing he would never love her in return? It was something she’d just have to get over. She had not been seriously involved with a man for thirteen years. Her situation would just have to remain that way.

The one thing Dante had shown her was that she needed to value herself. While other men had seen the worst in her, he only seemed to see her better qualities. Dante didn’t have to break down her defenses because she had never put any up with him. After they’d become reacquainted that first day, she had felt comfortable in his presence. And he hadn’t minded including her in his daily activities. He had first become her friend and then her lover.