Chapter 24

Her stomach lurched as Johnny rose from the high-backed chair at the far end of the long porch and sauntered toward her.

“Well?” His voice thickened. “Did you have a good time?”

Her fingers fell from the doorknob. How much had he seen? “Yes.”

He grabbed her wrist. “I thought I told you to stay away from him.”

Her heart jumped. “What was I supposed to say when I found him waiting outside the exchange? ‘I’m sorry but my brother, the rumrunner, doesn’t allow me to date G-men?’ ”

His stormy eyes bulged, like a bull on a rampage. “I don’t care what you tell him, but I won’t have you seeing him. And certainly not—” His lip curled away from his teeth. “You were kissing him. It took everything I had not to march down there and tear his head from his shoulders.” His fingers dug into her wrist.

“I’ve kissed other men and you haven’t gone after them.” Laurie lifted her chin. “Now that I find a decent man, you’re just scared for your own hide.”

He shoved her back against the porch rail. The rotted wood cracked under her weight and for a dizzying moment Laurie teetered, but Johnny’s hand yanked her back.

“Blast it, Laurie. Why do you have to keep pushing? Why won’t you listen to reason? I’m trying to keep you safe, but you just blow right through and do whatever comes into your head.”

A geyser sprang up inside her, pushing its way from deep within. “You’re trying to keep me safe? That’s comical—because as I see it, you’re the one hurting me.” She lifted her reddened wrist in front of his face. “All because I’m trying to keep you safe.”

He released her, pushing her toward the door. He raised a finger and jabbed it toward her face. “I’m doing this for you.” His face had turned purple in the dim light. “You stay away from Brown.”

“I’m not a child and you’re not my father.”

“I wish I were—you’d be a lot better off.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she snapped. The evening air grew hushed and still, with even the crickets falling silent.

Johnny pushed his hand up through his hair. “If I ever catch him touching my little sister like that again”—He dropped his hand and glared at her—“I’ll kill him.”

She forced herself to breathe slowly as she rubbed her bruised wrist. There was no point in throwing more gasoline on the flames. “He’s not like that. He treats me with respect.”

“Is that what he calls it?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” She turned toward the door and reached for the knob. “There’s no use talking to you about this.”

He pushed his hand against the door. “Laurie, please.” Softening his voice, he continued. “I understand better than you think.” He blew out a long breath. “Look, I only have a few more runs to make and I’ll be done. I know you think you’re protecting me, but I won’t let you to do something that you’ll regret.”

She refused to meet his eyes, keeping her gaze locked on the door. I’ll do what I have to do.

Daniel woke late the next morning, relieved as the ceiling came into focus. He touched his puffy eyelid. The swelling had lessened and he could now see with both eyes. He raised his head from the pillow, noting how the sun spilled in through the tall window and extended across the bedroom floor. Stretching his arms upward, he felt the muscles in his back unwind.

His mind flashed to the memory of Laurie driving away in Brown’s car. Daniel crashed back against the mattress, glaring at the cracks in the ceiling.

That afternoon at the lake had been so idyllic. He could still feel her leaning against him—gentle and trusting.

He balled his hands into fists and drove them into the bedcovers. She deserved better than Samuel Brown. He had to find a way to convince her of that.

Daniel pushed up from the bed and padded down the hall to the bathroom he shared with the other two apartments. He splashed cold water onto his face, relishing the startling effect on his senses.

The droplets cascaded from his face into the sink as he examined his reflection in the mirror. The effects of Johnny’s blow were fading, but he still looked like he’d been in a barroom brawl.

It didn’t matter. He had to see Laurie and find some way to convince her that Brown wasn’t worth her time. And even if she was only seeing Samuel Brown to protect her brother, someone had to step forward to protect her. That someone might as well be him.

The whole next day passed in a blur. Laurie sat perfectly erect at the switchboard, her hands and voice doing all the work, while her mind wandered elsewhere.

What was I thinking? He’s a federal agent; my brother is a rumrunner.

She fiddled with the cord between her fingers, lifting it from one hole and jabbing it into the next, pressing on her earpiece with a single finger hoping that it would help her concentrate.

She imagined Samuel’s fingers running through her hair and she closed her eyes for a second and shivered, the hair on the back of her neck standing up in response.

And then there was Daniel. She sighed. How foolish to pine after a man so utterly unsuitable. She ran a hand across her face, trying to push away the battling images.

“Are you feeling okay?” Anne-Marie leaned close to her and whispered.

Laurie completed her call and nodded to her friend. “Just a draft.” She ran a quick hand over her finger waves. She’d spent extra time on them this morning, dawdling in front of the mirror far longer than usual. Her father, working the night shift this week, had gotten home, given her a bleary-eyed grunt, and headed straight to bed.

Laurie handled another call before allowing her mind to wander back to Samuel. She still marveled at how he reacted when she pulled away. She was accustomed to men with fiery tempers. His quiet response completely disarmed her. “He respects me,” she had told Johnny. Then why the stolen kiss?

Her life had been shaped by her father’s drunken rages and Johnny’s sober ones. What did she know of respect? Samuel’s lingering touches left her reeling.

Laurie closed her eyes between calls. She had to make the images and sensations fade so she could focus on her work.

Amelia answered the door even before Laurie had finished knocking. Seizing Laurie’s hand, Amelia pulled her inside, light dancing in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’ve come!”

Laurie let Amelia take her sweater, hat, and pocketbook before settling on the sofa.

“Your hair looks wonderful.” She reached up and touched the gentle waves clinging to the sides of Laurie’s face. “I knew you’d get the hang of it.”

A wan smile lifted Laurie’s lips, though she felt like collapsing on her friend’s shoulder and weeping. The tensions of the past weeks made her head spin.

Amelia cocked her head to the side. “What’s going on?” Her lips pressed into a line. “Is it Daniel? Samuel?” She grabbed onto Laurie’s hands and squeezed.

When Laurie winced, her friend looked down and gasped. Pulling back her sleeve, she stared at the marks on her wrist. “What’s this?”

Laurie yanked her sleeve back down. She hadn’t come to tattle on Johnny. She wanted her friend’s sunshiny outlook to blow some warmth back into her day.

“Who did that to you?” Amelia’s eyes rounded.

Laurie pulled away and stood. “It’s nothing. I banged it against the doorframe on my way out this morning.”

Amelia’s face dissolved into a frown. “I’m not stupid.”

Laurie’s heart plummeted. She sank down next to her friend on the sofa.

“It wasn’t Daniel, was it?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good.” Amelia folded her hands in her lap. “He looked kind enough, but sometimes looks can be deceiving.” She sat back and eyed Laurie. “Your father?”

Laurie swallowed and glanced at her hands. “No­.”

Amelia sprang up and paced around the room. “I know your father has hit you before. Not that you’d ever confide in me about it.”

A stabbing pain pierced Laurie’s heart. “What makes you think that?”

Her friend stopped midstride and settled her fists on her hips. “Johnny.”

Laurie’s jaw dropped. “He—he said that?”

“Not in so many words. But I’ve heard enough to realize that your father is a violent man.”

Laurie pushed to her feet, her knees trembling. “You take that back, Amelia White.”

“Then tell me the truth.”

A silent cry rose in Laurie’s throat. No one can know. She covered her face with her hands.

Amelia walked to Laurie’s side and tugged her hands downward. “Enough secrets. We’re best friends. You understand I’ll love you regardless, right?”

A tear slipped from Laurie’s eye and she lifted one hand free to brush it away. “My father doesn’t hit me. But he used to hit Johnny.” She gulped back her tears.

“That’s why he left home?” Amelia’s shoulders sank as if she were the one who had been beaten down.

“Yes.” Laurie bobbed her head, not trusting her voice.

Amelia’s mouth turned downward. “Did it happen often? I spent so much time with you two. I never saw any signs.”

“No, only . . . ”—Laurie pushed her fingers against her eyes, trying to use pressure to stop the tears­—“. . . Only when . . . ”

Footsteps sounded in the hall. Both women jumped to their feet.

Johnny stood in the entrance to the room, his face haggard. “The door was open.” The air fell silent but for the sound of breathing. “You going to finish that statement, Laurie?”

Laurie ran the back of her hand under her eyelids to catch the moisture.

He turned to Amelia, his chin firm. “She means to say, he only hit me when he was drunk.” He faced his sister, his expression dark and unreadable. “But that’s not completely true. He hit me worse when he wanted to be drunk.”

“Johnny . . . ” Amelia’s voice broke. She dropped Laurie’s hands and moved toward him.

He raised a hand to keep her at arm’s length. “Wait.” He turned to Laurie. “I never told her anything. You’ve got to know that.”

Laurie felt their pain merge, like three vines clinging together on the same tree.

Amelia stood between the two of them, glancing back and forth. “How did I not know any of this?” A tiny crease formed between her brows. “You were both like family to me, but you kept me in the dark.” She clamped her hands into fists. “You two are like locked rooms. You don’t let anyone inside. Not even me.” Tears appeared in her eyes.

Johnny’s face contorted. “Amelia.”

Amelia pulled at her dress collar as if in sudden need of air. “You were willing to marry me but not tell me anything about this?”

Johnny took a step toward her, but she pushed him away and took several steps back.

“You’ve heard the wedding vows before, haven’t you, Johnny?” Her voice rose. “Good times and bad? If we’re going to be family, I don’t want to be sheltered and protected like some child.” She took another step back, away from the two of them, a new shadow crossing her face. “The marks on your wrist, Laurie—if it wasn’t your father, then who?” A tear trailed down her cheek, as if she already knew the answer to her own question.

Laurie sank onto the edge of the sofa, unable to speak. The truth would hurt Amelia worse than simple bruises.

Johnny took his cap in his hand, his shoulders sagging. “It was me.”