‘I need you to go back to Chicago,’ she said as they lay together in her bed. Her head was on his chest, his hand buried in her hair. The early-morning light was slowly filling the room. Great sleep usually followed great make-up sex, but not last night. They had made love in the afternoon, gone for some dinner down on Hendry’s Beach, then come back and, in a room filled with candles, made up again over another bottle of wine. Dominick had eventually dozed off, but C.J. had not slept well. She kept getting out of bed, checking the window, looking out into the black night and the thick woods that were her grandmother’s backyard. Morning had come and the alcohol had worn off.
Dominick said nothing. He just exhaled.
‘I’m coming home,’ she whispered, her back to him as she sat on the edge of the bed. ‘I promise. In a couple of days. I have to close things up here. I have to finish my trial.’
‘I’ll stay.’
‘I’m not running anymore, Dominick. I want to work this out.’
‘He’s on the loose. What about that? How does that fit in with your plans?’
She said nothing for a long while. ‘He may very well be looking for me, but I think I have enough time to finish up my trial and quit my job. I’m in closing argument. It’s the end of a nine week trial. I can’t just leave.’
‘I’ll stay,’ he repeated.
‘You have a trial yourself that starts on Wednesday.’
‘If we leave tonight we can be in Chicago by Wednesday. Unless you want to fly.’
‘I’m not putting Luna in cargo.’
‘I’ll get a continuance.’
‘Good luck with that. You spent last night telling me what a bastard your judge was.’
‘Here we go …’ he said with an exasperated sigh. ‘You’re doing it again. You’ve got the wall up. Did last night mean nothing to you?’
‘I’ll leave when my trial is over,’ she said again. ‘I know you don’t believe that, but I will.’
‘Jesus, I don’t even know if we should go back to Chicago, C.J.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘There’s so much I have to think about. People I have to call. I’m kind of winging my thoughts, here, and you’re not helping.’
‘You’re the lead on a murder case — you can’t leave your prosecutor high and dry, any more than I can leave here this morning. That much is definite — finish your case and I’ll finish mine.’ She stared at the drawn blinds. ‘It’s not like he’s out there right now.’
‘We’ve no idea where he is. That should be enough of a reason to have left last night.’ He got out of bed and pulled on his pants.
‘That can’t happen. You told me to stop running.’
‘I meant from me.’
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she said.
‘Good for you,’ Dominick replied, stopping to look at her. ‘Because I don’t even know what I’m thinking anymore. I’m thinking last night was—’
She moved across the bed and over to him on her knees. ‘The way it should be. Don’t treat it like it won’t happen again. I meant what I said. I’m coming home. I’ll get help. I’ll never run from you again. But I am not going to race out of town because he might try and find me. All I need is a few days.’
He shook his head. ‘You’ve made promises before, C.J. Promises like forever and always and death do us part. And that didn’t stop you from walking out the damn door. I don’t think I can do this anymore.’
‘One week, Dominick. That’s all I need,’ she said as he turned from her and walked into the bathroom. ‘Give me one week and I’ll show you forever again.’