"I kinda packed it," she answered and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I wanted something that smelled like you."

"You two are something else." Emma laughed as she scooped loose grounds into the basket of the coffee machine. "I'm so glad the two of you are still together."

I set the milk down and hugged Dani tightly. "Me, too." I kissed the top of her head even though what I really wanted to do was take her away from here. Run away together someplace, far away from all this shit where we could be alone and make love for days on end. She was all I really needed. And nothing else would do.

"I was going to make waffles," Emma said. "Do you want some?"

I opened my mouth to say yes, but felt Dani shake her head.

"Hanna, how about you?" Hearing her alias made Dani stiffen and she looked up at me.

"Uh, no, thank you. I'm just going to have some cereal."

We hadn't talked about it, but I could tell what she wanted to do. Whether Emma knew me as Luke Romero or John Conners, it wouldn't really change my life. Dani's confession, however, could cost her a friend. She pulled away from my embrace and I gave her the nod. It was her call.

"Emma, we need to talk." Dani reached for my hand. I squeezed her hand to give her support, but let her take the initiative.

Emma pushed the start button on the coffee machine and turned to face us. "Okay." The expression on her face turned serious. She sat down at the table and Dani sat next to her.

I pulled a chair up next to Dani and put my arm on the back of her chair, my hand resting at the base of her neck. I could feel the tension radiating off of her.

"This isn't easy for me to say," Dani said. "But please hear me out before you say anything."

"All right." Emma's forehead creased with worry.

Dani took a deep breath, and then began, "My name's not Hanna. It's Daniella Carrington. Dani, for short." She glanced at me and I gave approval. "And his name's Luke Romero. We're from New York."

In a voice that grew stronger as she went, Dani told the truth, not only about our names but about the events that had brought us to Summerville. She began with her grandmother and the treatment that had driven her to take the money that had started everything. The anxiety of telling Emma the truth was eating away at her. I could feel it whenever we were together, and now that we were right here in Emma's house it was tortuous for her. I knew Dani felt guilt over stealing the money, even if it had been for a good reason and from illegal sources. She was worried that Emma would see her like she saw herself. A thief.

I slowly moved my fingers in a circular motion, massaging her tight neck muscles as she continued. She explained how the two of us had met at the Summerville bus station, and how I'd lied to her about who I was, at first. I felt like such an ass now for tricking her like that. Dani put her hand on my knee, wordlessly reminding me that we'd moved past all that.

"The day Luke and I were going to leave together, he got a call that his promoter, the one who'd lost all that money, had taken Luke's daughter." Dani's hand squeezed my leg. She explained how I'd gone to New York, and how Brian had given her the news about the man I was scheduled to fight. When her ex-husband's name was mentioned, Emma's eyes widened. She was putting together the pieces of the puzzle and now she knew that Bruno was the one who'd paid for Brian's attorney.

By the time Dani got to the part about the true identities of the "'family"' who'd been renting a room, Emma's face was ashen. She stared blankly, in disbelief, as Dani's words just kept rolling off her tongue, describing what she probably had never imagined would've happened in her small town life. I searched her eyes for any signs of anger towards Dani. Emma was overwhelmed, that was for surehell, we just dropped a bomb on herbut not angry. That was good. Emma had the right to know the truth, but I didn't want Dani to be hurt.

Finally, Dani reached the reason I was here. She was vague and didn't give the details of the planthat was mine to tell. Once Dani finished, she fell silent and waited for Emma's reaction.

After nearly a full minute of silence, Emma leaned back and placed both of her hands flat on the table. She exhaled a long breath and said, "Okay, then. I'm not going to say that I'm not shocked, but I'm glad you told me."

Dani's relief was visible. "You're not angry at me?"

"No." Emma gave Dani a small smile. "I know a little something about hiding things from people." She looked at me. "And I am so sorry about Lacey. She's such a sweet girl."

"Thank you." I managed a tight smile.

"I do ask that you don't tell Michelle the truth. Not yet. It'd be too much for her to take, on top of the trial." Emma's face suddenly went pale. "The trial."

"Don't worry. We still have an hour before we have to be there," Dani reassured her.

"No." Emma stood. "The police, they think you're Hanna. That's the name on the police report. You can't get on the stand, and say you're Hanna."

Shit. I hadn't thought about that. One look at Dani's face, however, said that she'd already thought of it.

"I have to. It's the right thing to do," Dani said as she stood. She embraced the other woman, but her eyes met mine. "It'll be okay. We'll figure something out."

Dani was crazy if she thought I was going to let her perjure herself. I stood, too. "I'll call Brad and have him contact the FBI. They can contact the Summerville police department and straighten things out."

"How can they do that?" Dani asked as she released Emma. "I stole that money, Luke. If they find out who I am, they'll arrest me."

"No, they won't," I said firmly. I was going to cash in every favor I had with Brad to make sure it went down the right way. She wouldn't want me doing that but she didn't need to know. I loved her for her courage, but no way in hell was I going to stand by and watch her go to jail. "You were at the hotel when that guy died. All they have to know is that you were afraid that the mob would come after you and you ran to Summerville. You didn't know who to trust so you used an alias."

"Won't they charge me with filing a false police report?" she asked.

"Let me handle it," I said.

There was still doubt in Dani's eyes, but she didn't question any further. "But I have to meet with the prosecutor today, after the trial, to go over my testimony. I'm supposed to take the stand tomorrow. There's not much time."

"I'll make the call right away," I promised. I leaned against the counter and pulled my phone out of the pocket of my sweats. The women poured themselves cups of coffee and settled back at the table. "Coach left me a message while I was on the plane. He got the fight scheduled for this coming weekend, so I'll start training when he gets in this afternoon." I glanced at Dani and then at Emma. "I think I know where Bruno is hiding...at Brian's cabin."

"That bastard." Emma scowled.

I had to smile at that, but it was brief. "I don't want to involve the cops down here or the Feds. They'll want to take down Bruno and I can't risk them storming the cabin. That fucker'll be armed. He won't think twice about killing Cindy and Lacey if it means he can get away."

"Don't think like that, Luke." Emma's face was dark with worry. "He wouldn't hurt a child, would he?"

"You don't know this man, Emma. He's evil."

The realization of all this was too much for Emma and she flew into a panic. Her breathing was fast and her words rambled out. "This all seems so impossible. This horrible man has your child up there in that cabin and Brian...I should've known that scumbag would be involved... my God, Luke, what on earth are you going to do?" Emma asked.

"I'll do what I have to do."

"Well, do you have a plan?"

"I always have a planlure Bruno away from the cabin and then go in and get Cindy and Lacey."

"How will you do that?" Emma calmed herself and leaned forward, intent on hearing all the details.

"The fight. There's no way Bruno is going to pass up the chance to come to it. Not when it's right in the next town. It's how he makes his dirty moneyon the bets."

"How's he going to hear about the fight? The cabin's pretty isolated."

"Easy," I said. I turned to Dani. "It'll be your job to make sure Brian knows about the fight. A guy like that will go running to Bruno first thing."

"Me?" Dani looked surprised. "How?"

"See if you can get a word with him today at the trial."

"I'm a witness, Luke," Dani reminded me. "We're not allowed to talk to the defendant."

"Don't you think Brian will go out of his way and do it, just to prove that he can get away with it?"

"He's right," Emma said. "Brian will love throwing it in my face that he can do whatever he wants. And I've seen the way he looks at you, Dani. You probably won't even have to approach him. I think he'll come to you."

Anger flared at her words, but I kept it to myself. The idea of Brian thinking he was free to come on to my girl made me want to beat the shit out of him. And considering I'd already wanted to do that to him from the get go, Brian was looking at a future date with the hospital once this was all over.

"Great." Dani sighed. "Guess I better go get dressed. Looks like I have an asshole to attract."

Chapter Eighteen.

Dani I'd never actually been involved in a trial before. I had been called to jury duty once when I was in college, but was dismissed for hardship circumstances since I'd have to miss class. Jury selection was the boring part and that had already happened before the actual trial began. The judicial process itself was interesting, but about as fun as watching paint dry. And the atmosphere inside the courtroom was solemn and extremely intimidating. Everyone sat there with stone faces, silent and staring, like we were all sinners at church and the judge was God.

The judge entered the courtroom and after the usual slow-moving instructions from him, it was time for Lawrence Winston's opening statement.

The prosecutor was one of those slick-looking attorneys you'd see on TV commercials about wrongful death lawsuits. He was well-dressed, in a sharp dark suit, with crisp white cuffs peeking out of the sleeves and a large, shiny watch that reflected the light every time he moved. He looked more like a defense attorney than a prosecutor, but Emma said he'd joined the DA's office right out of law school and was well-liked by the people of Summerville. I didn't get it. The man made me feel like I needed a shower to wash off the slime, but I supposed it mattered more what the jury thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his oily voice oozing insincere charm. "This is a simple case. According to the final divorce decree of Emma Radcliff and Brian Radcliff, the defendant, Mr. Radcliff, does not have custody of his daughter, a minor, and forcibly removed the child from her mother's custody. He took her without permission and kept her from leaving. Not one phone call. Not one text message. Not even one single form of communication to Mrs. Radcliff of his intentions. Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we live in an age of high technology. We have a multitude of ways to get a message to someone, an urgent message, an important message. The kind of message that could have avoided this entire fiasco. But did he? No. He purposefully and intentionally took the child away. That is the definition of kidnapping. When her mother arrived with friends to take her daughter home, he threatened them with an illegally purchased firearm. You will hear from witnesses who will testify to what happened that night, and you will vote guilty. You will see evidence that shows the defendant had no right to remove his daughter from her mother's custody and in your heart you will know that you must vote guilty. You will see, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Brian Radcliff is guilty of the charges brought against him."

At least he sounded confident, I had to admit. I was glad that I'd had the chance to see him in action before it was my turn to take the stand tomorrow. I didn't want anyone thinking my nervousness was because I was guilty of something.

Once Winston sat down, the defense attorney, a well-dressed man named Tobias Reynolds, stood up and made his opening statement. By the time he brought his argument to a close, my hands were two balls of white knuckles in my lap. T The judge called for a lunch recess. It was a good thing he had because Emma and I were seething..

"How could he do that?" Emma asked in a low whisper. "How could Winston let that man say those things?"

I shook my head, trying to push down my own anger. I knew it was the defense attorney's job to defend his client, but Reynolds all but accused Emma of hiring Luke and me to help her take out her ex-husband. He implied that Emma acted out of jealously and, according to Brian, Michelle had asked to live with him instead of her mother. He made it look like the whole thing was a vengeful assault on an innocent man who just wanted to spend time with the daughter he loved.

I glanced towards Brian and saw him staring at me. He looked relaxed-amused, actually-and I knew Emma and Luke had been right. I needed to make sure I was alone when he came out of the courtroom.

"Give me a minute," I asked Emma quietly. She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. She knew what I was asking and why.

I waited until she left and then headed for the exit, walking slowly enough for Brian to get a good look at me. I waited outside the courthouse doors, looking at my phone like I was checking messages, while actually keeping an eye out to see when he approached.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, he appeared. I watched him look around until he saw me and then headed my way.

"Decided to come see what sort of bloodbath you got yourself into?" Brian taunted.

I gave him a sweet smile. "Watching you get what you deserve seems like a great way to kill time while Luke's training for his big fight this weekend."

Brian frowned. "What fight?"

"Oh, didn't you hear? He's gotten his ban lifted and is doing an exhibition fight down here in Clarkston. It's so close to Summerville I think I might actually walk over there to watch him win." I exaggerated to let him know how close Luke was and let that sink in before adding, "Luke's betting a hundred thousand dollars, so it should be a good one."

"Where'd he get that kind of money?" Brian demanded.

I gave him a mysterious smile. "It just appeared." I turned around and walked away, feeling Brian's eyes on me as I went. The bait was set. I just hoped the big fish took it.

Emma was waiting for me outside the courthouse. I didn't wait for her to ask before I answered. "I think he bought it."

"I'm sure he did," Emma said. "Mention anything about money and he's like a dog with a scent. Won't let it go. He'll go straight to Bruno, wagging his tail."

I could see Emma getting worked up over what had happened, so I changed the subject. "Hungry?"

"Starving." She went with it. "Let's go eat." She pointed across the street and one block down. "The Little Teapot Cafe has great lunch specials."

"All right," I agreed. My stomach growled. I'd only had coffee for breakfast.

The two of us headed for the cafe, chatting about little things to keep our minds off of the big things neither of us really wanted to talk about. Emma was full of questions about my life and I answered them the best I could, this time trying not to fall into the habit of hiding things from her.

We were almost done with our soup and salad lunch, and I was in the middle of telling her about my Grammy washing windows when I was back in New York. Before I could finish my story, someone said my name.

"Hanna, we just keep running into each other."

I caught the surprised look on Emma's face as Matthew approached. I opened my mouth to explain, but instead I greeted Matthew politely and introduced my friend.

"You have a lovely home," Matthew said to Emma. "Though I've only seen the outside."

I ignored the pointed comment directed at me.

"Thank you," Emma said.

"I had a great time the other night, Hanna." He turned his attention back my way and said, "Maybe we can do it again, say, this Friday?"

"I'm sorry, Matthew, but I have plans with my boyfriend." I managed not to stress the last word. He was a nice guy, but I was getting a little tired of having to constantly remind him that I was taken.

"A guy can dream." He winked at me. "Let me know if things change."

Emma didn't even try to hide that she was checking out his ass as he walked away. "He's cute."

"Then you go out with him," I said.

"I wish." Emma grinned. "If he were ten years younger..."

"Some guys go for that," I teased.

She looked at her watch and swore. "We're late."

We quickly paid for our lunches and hurried back to the courthouse. Fortunately, we managed to make it inside just as everyone was standing for the judge. Emma and I slipped into the seats we'd had before and Brian shot a smug look over his shoulder. I really hoped that meant he'd done his reporting to Bruno.

Winston stood and called his first witness, so I turned my attention back to the task at hand. I needed to study the lawyer's strategy for questioning witnesses. The man walking towards the stand was dressed in his police uniform, his dark hair slicked back. Officer Carson was the man to whom I'd given my detailed statement. Reluctantly, I suppressed a scowl as he walked past me. I didn't want the jury to see my obvious disdain for the cop who was testifying right before me.

After Carson was sworn in, Winston began his questioning. He started with the basics, establishing Carson as a veteran officer of the law with commendations and years of experience. He then had Carson describe the crime scene as the officer had seen it that night. Apparently, Carson had been the first responder. I hadn't realized that. I'd been in the back with Luke, keeping an eye on Brian. When I'd given my preliminary statement, it had been to a bored-looking older guy but it had been very basic. I hadn't planned on going in for a more detailed one, but then I'd gotten a call from Officer Carson when Luke was back in New York.

"Officer Carson, how many kidnappings have you worked?" Winston asked.