Chapter Nineteen
On Monday morning, Raquelle accompanied Eddie to the FBI field office for a meeting with Landon, Katie, and the US marshal for the District of South Carolina, Tony Razo.
Having braced herself for the real, but necessary, possibility that Eddie would need to relocate for a while, Raquelle could only hope that the end justified the means—and that Eddie was able to put away his nemesis.
As everyone sat around the table in a conference room, Landon took a breath and said in earnest, “The good news is that Ivan Pimentel is safely behind bars, where he belongs.” He eyed Raquelle.
“Bad news is that Pimentel is still out to get Eddie…thereby preventing his incriminating testimony against the art dealer and leader of a criminal organization. That means we need to protect you, Eddie, till Pimentel goes to trial…and possibly even beyond that.”
Eddie leaned forward in his chair. “So, what’s next?” he asked with expectancy.
Landon paused. “We’ll need to put you in the federal Witness Security Program to keep you out of harm’s way.”
He wrinkled his nose with skepticism. “Why can’t I just go back to the reservation and lie low?”
Tony Razo, whom Raquelle had been told was dating Katie, said, “I can answer that. From my experience, people like Pimentel—facing decades in federal prison—will do just about anything to avoid their fate. He’s already proven that by trying to kill you more than once.
Pimentel—through another hired killer—won’t stop trying so long as he believes your testimony is crucial in getting a conviction.
At the reservation, you’d be like a sitting duck, even if relatively safe there. ”
Katie offered her thoughts, stating, “Besides that, being on tribal lands would only place others living or visiting there in danger. I know you wouldn’t want that.”
“’Course not,” Eddie concurred, sitting back.
“Didn’t think so,” she said equably.
“Neither of us wants anyone else to be put in jeopardy,” Raquelle uttered in support.
“Then we’re all in agreement,” Landon said evenly.
Her brother asked, “So, how exactly does this work—and for how long?”
“You’ll be relocated to somewhere in the United States that won’t be easy for the bad guys to figure out,” Tony answered matter-of-factly.
“You’ll have a new identity, new occupation, financial assistance, and a handler from the US Marshals Service to protect you—in the unlikely event that all else fails. ”
Landon said, “The ‘how long’ depends on the time it takes to go to trial and the length of the trial itself and any unforeseen circumstances…” He waited a beat. “If all goes well, this shouldn’t be forever—”
But that’s still possible, Raquelle told herself, as Landon had mentioned on other occasions some witnesses to organized crime activities who were never able to return to their real lives.
The thought that Eddie could fall into that trap was unsettling, to say the least, including the prospect of never seeing her brother again.
Then there was also what this might do to any chance of Eddie and Penelope ever getting back together to consider.
Still, Raquelle would much rather see him in WITSEC than on a slab in the morgue. So she was fully on board with it.
Eddie seemed to reconcile himself with it as well. “Okay, let’s do it,” he declared. “I want to see Ivan held accountable for stealing and forging Native American art—and giving the order to blow up my pontoon…expecting me to be on it…”
Landon nodded and told him, “We’ll set things in motion.”
When they had a moment afterward, Raquelle said to her ex-husband, “I know you want what’s best for Eddie.”
“I do,” he promised. Gazing into her eyes, Landon added in a sincere voice, “More than that, I want what’s best for us, Raquelle.”
“So do I,” she told him, just as passionate about it, while wondering what that looked like.
* * *
“WHERE EXACTLY ARE we headed?” Raquelle asked curiously the next day.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Landon answered mysteriously with a laugh as he glanced at her in the passenger seat of his Subaru Outback while he drove down Interstate 95 South. “It’s a surprise, so bear with me…”
In fact, he wanted her to do a lot more than just put up with him. He wanted her to make him the happiest man in the world—again. While giving it his best shot to make her the happiest woman on the planet, if enough time was on his side.
Raquelle laughed. “If you insist.”
“I do,” he said lightheartedly.
When they reached the Harbour Town Lighthouse on Lighthouse Road on Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County, Landon wondered if she had a clue about what he had in mind.
If history was any indication, he suspected it might have triggered something.
But he had to let this play itself out anyway—for both their sakes.
“It’s been a while since I’ve—we’ve been here,” Raquelle uttered with clear shock as they stood outside, gazing up at the lighthouse.
“I know.” Much too long, really, Landon told himself, his heart already beating faster than normal. “Shall we head up the stairs?” He’d advised her to wear a pair of hiking shoes. As did he.
“Yes.” She smiled at him thoughtfully.
They scaled 114 steps to reach the observation deck—both demonstrating what great shape they were in—where Landon and Raquelle had it all to themselves and enjoyed a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view of the water and harbor with its trendy shops, luxury yachts, Harbour Town Golf Links, and more.
But none of that came even close to what Landon saw as the most important attraction to him.
He calmed his nerves and looked Raquelle in the eye, then said coolly, “I said that I love you. What I didn’t say is that I’ve truly fallen in love with you all over again in all the ways that never really went away. ”
“Not even a little?” she asked cheerily but was attentive to what came next.
He gave a chuckle. “Let’s just say that I was sidetracked for a minute, which I regret, while still intent on someday finding my way back to you. That day is now—and, hopefully, forevermore.”
Raquelle’s eyes widened. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that this was where I first proposed to you and you agreed to marry me.
” Landon removed from the pocket of his wool blazer a small box.
“Now I’m asking you to marry me again, Raquelle—only this time for keeps!
” He opened the box, revealing a 10K rose-gold diamond engagement ring.
Removing it, he slipped the ring onto her finger, which fit perfectly, and said, “Please say yes…”
Raquelle admired her ring finger for a long moment, then regarded him with teary eyes and cooed, “Yes, I will agree to marry you for the second time, Landon—and in this magical setting! I, too, have fallen in love with you again. Or maybe the first love was merely suspended in time, waiting to be revived when we found our way back to one another.” She drew a breath.
“So yes, I would be truly honored to become Mrs. Landon Briscoe once more.”
“Wonderful!” Landon’s voice lifted an octave highlighting his happiness. He held her cheeks and gave Raquelle his very best kiss. She reciprocated in kind with her precious lips against his, setting his soul on fire with desire.
Raquelle stopped the kiss and asked jovially, “Uh, you do realize that I still have the original engagement ring—I could never let it go—and the wedding ring?”
“I figured as much,” Landon told her, having kept his own ring too, for the same reason.
“Same here. Those rings will always have a special place in our history, where they belong. But the new engagement ring—and subsequent wedding bands—signify a new beginning and new memories to build our love on.”
Raquelle beamed. “I couldn’t have said it any better myself.”
For Landon, that was more than enough for him to seal the deal with another sizzling romantic lighthouse kiss.