Chapter Twenty-One
(Cesare)
Walter gave Cesare the stink eye as they walked out the front door. Cesare guided Sabrina towards Dante’s old red Dodge and held the door for her to get in. The overnight bag and his briefcase were secured in the small storage space behind the seats.
Sabrina looked deep in thought as the engine roared to life.
“If you come back in the morning, I’ll take you out to eat.” Cesare offered as they pulled out onto the street.
“I’ll have work in the morning.” Sabrina replied. “I always work weekends.”
Cesare nodded, deep in thought as they drove the short drive to her home.
“When was the bed put into the office?” He asked.
“After the funeral, after my sister deployed the first time.” Sabrina answered, her eyes fixed on a far-off memory.
“How long ago was that?” Cesare asked.
“A little over two years ago.” Sabrina answered, suddenly looking self-conscious. “I don’t live at the rescue the way Walter makes it sound, but sometimes I’m taking care of animals late enough and then early enough that sleeping there makes sense.”
Cesare nodded, listening carefully. “Who helps you? If Freckles wasn’t there, and there were no emergencies happening, who would help?”
“Walter comes by every night he’s not on the boat.” Sabrina answered.
“So Walter comes by once a night if he’s on land, but everything else is you?” He asked.
“My parents ran this place together.” Sabrina shrugged.
“Their friends stepped in to help the first year. There was so much help the first year. But then Brooke deployed, and volunteers started to just fade away. Travis helps with social media but he’s there because he’s a good friend, not because he’s comfortable taking care of animals.
If I stop now, there’s nobody else to pick up the slack.
And loosing the rescue would be like losing my parents all over again. ”
Cesare kissed the back of Sabrina’s hand in response, clasping it gently in his grip until they arrived at her home. He thought he did a fairly good job of pretending not to be a stalker when he casually asked which house was hers.
Sabrina made the most delicious little sound when he kissed her on the porch, and when they finally made it inside, he put her bag on an entryway table that led to a very long, very dark hallway.
Cesare frowned. “Why are your lights not working, tesoro?” He asked, switching a panel of light switches off and on with no result.
“Oh.” Sabrina shrugged with a dismissive hand. “I keep meaning to replace the lightbulbs, but something else always comes up.”
“How long has it been since your hallway light turned on?” Cesare asked suspiciously.
“I don’t know, and it’s none of your business.” Sabrina answered with a light but firm tone.
Cesare stared for a moment, his hand itching once again to spank her for her sass, but simultaneously appreciating it. He grunted. “I want to fix these tomorrow.”
Sabrina cocked her head. “Are you asking or telling?”
Cesare grinned. “I’m asking you by telling you.”
“The jury requires further time to deliberate.” Sabrina pursed her lips.
Cesare leaned down, placing a light kiss on her neck, nuzzling the deliciously sensitive skin just behind her ear. “What will it take to convince the jury?”
“Will it be you or a hired crew?” She asked, the brush of his lips sending tingles down her body.
Cesare gave her a look of consideration. “I have meetings all day Monday that I need to prepare for tomorrow. Tuesday morning I’m meeting with some clients, but I think I could come by in the afternoon.”
“I’ll be at work.” Sabrina frowned.
Cesare kissed her neck once more. “Yes, but you’ll come back to a house with working lights.”
Sabrina hummed. “The jury finds this to be a worthy proposal.”
“We can turn it into an early dinner.”
“Even better.” Sabrina smiled.
“It’s a date.” Cesare smiled back.
Sabrina looked down at the sight of their hands, clasped together. Her fingers looked so small and slender next to Cesare’s. She furrowed her brow, looking up to meet his gaze. “What did Walter mean back at the rescue?” She asked. “Why are you looking into Tommy Crawford?”
Cesare made no move to answer, instead eyeing her silently.
Sabrina frowned at his silence, and waited.
“How do you know Tom Crawford?” Cesare asked, his tone intentionally light.
“Answering a question with a question isn’t an actual answer.” Sabrina admonished, lips pursed.
Cesare shook his head. “It would help me know how to answer if I knew how you know him.”
“And that’s controlling the narrative.” Sabrina murmured, pulling her hands from his, and taking a step away.
Cesare felt the loss more keenly than he wanted.
“Well?” She asked expectantly, putting her hands on her hips.
Cesare wanted to keep Sabrina as separate from the investigation as possible. He also wanted to thread his fingers through her curls, tighten a fist in those fiery locks, and drag her back against him.
As if sensing his thoughts, Sabrina’s eyes darkened in arousal, even as she held her ground. “Please don’t lie to me, Cesare.” She murmured. “I can take a lot of things, but not that.”
Cesare took a step forward, attempting to close the distance, and Sabrina took a corresponding step back. A delicious, predatory tension built in the air, and Sabrina’s hazel eyes widened when she retreated another step, only to back into the wall behind her.
Her chest lifted as she took a shallow breath and looked up at Cesare with doe-eyed anticipation; even as her muscles remained poised to run.
Cesare savored the feeling of something primal surging through his veins as he reached out, pressing his hands against the wall on either side of Sabrina’s head, effectively caging her in place.
He leaned in closer, brushing his nose against the curve of her neck like a wolf scenting another. Caught.
“I cannot and will not talk about work, Sabrina. But I promise to never lie to you.” He vowed.
Sabrina took another shallow breath, turning her head towards Cesare. Their lips were so close they were brushing. “You are not playing fair.” Sabrina whispered against his lips.
“I never said I was. I’m playing for keeps.” He answered before closing the distance between them, taking her lips with his own.
Sabrina melted. She wrapped her arms around him, releasing a soft mewling sound when Cesare nipped at her neck, and pulled her hips snuggly against his body.
He lifted her up into his arms, and Sabrina instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. With a low rumble, Cesare pressed her against the wall, cradling the back of her head with a hand to prevent her from hitting her head.
Cesare gave a tortured groan. “I wish you knew how good you feel wrapped around me, tesoro.”
Sabrina reacted to the praise by arching her back and grinding against Cesare’s hardening cock.
They were suddenly, rather rudely, startled by a loud emergency siren coming from Sabrina’s phone.
Sabrina blinked as Cesare released an honest to goodness growl.
Sabrina froze, her eyes widening once more at the sound coming from Cesare. “You should do that again when Walter isn’t calling me.” She panted, her cheeks blushing as she gave him a rueful grin.
Cesare closed his eyes, nodding as he took a step back and helped Sabrina steady herself on her own two feet. The emergency siren finally stopped going off, as a missed call notification dinged just as loudly.
“I should leave. You should go to bed.” Cesare muttered.
“Okay.” Sabrina nodded, peering back at him with unspoken questions swirling in her eyes.
“How do you know Crawford?” Cesare asked, his expression mirroring hers.
“Kittery is a small town. Everyone knows everybody.” Sabrina shrugged. “Am I allowed to ask how you know him?” She asked with a tinge of bitterness.
“From work.” Cesare answered matter-of-factly. “If I could tell you more I would, but I’m trying to keep you safe, tesoro.”
Sabrina frowned, and her phone dinged again, this time with a text message. She grumbled with exasperation as she fished her phone out of her pocket. She read the text with a snort. “It’s Walter. He just texted the address for the rescue.” She said wryly. Another text dropped in.
Walter: Just in case anyone needs a reminder of how to get back.
Cesare sighed, shaking his head. “I can’t even fault the guy.” He pulled Sabrina into a final kiss. “Tuesday.” Kiss. “I’ll handle dinner.” Kiss. “Text me when you wake up.” Kiss.
Sabrina sighed, pulling away reluctantly. “Yes, sir.” She muttered cheekily, avoiding eye contact.
Cesare wrapped a large hand around the back of her neck, and pressed his forehead to hers until she begrudgingly met his gaze.
“Good girl.” He praised.
◆◆◆
Walter and Dante were sitting on a couch in the front lobby entrance of the Maine Marine Rescue when Cesare returned. The air had noticeably changed. Walter looked at Cesare with a smug sort of awareness as he read a newspaper, and Dante’s body language seemed purposely calm; too calm.
Cesare observed his brother carefully. Dante held himself with a stillness unique to people trained to be lethal; even as the wheels in his head turned at break speed, mentally cataloging every detail around him.
At the moment, Dante looked like a snake curled up, pretending not to be poised to strike at any second. What had triggered this hypervigilance?
“Motor started making a weird sound half-way over.” Cesare said casually as he tossed the keys to Dante.
Dante caught the keys as he stood with a grunt. “This is what happens when you drive.”
Cesare shrugged nonchalantly.
“Let’s take a look.” Dante muttered as they walked outside. Walter remained seated with his paper.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Cesare turned to Dante. “Nothing’s wrong with the motor. What changed while I was gone?”
Dante furrowed a brow. “How serious are you about Sabrina?” He asked.
“She’s mine, and I’m taking her home with me when this is over.” Cesare answered without hesitation.
Dante nodded. “Then, as your brother, I’m telling you that you will need plausible deniability a few months from now.”
Cesare frowned. “I’m protected as a lawyer by client confidentiality.”
Dante shook his head. “You’ll need plausible deniability with Sabrina.”
The sound of waves crashing against rocks filled the sudden silence of the night Cesare’s mind started to race.
“Explain.” Cesare ordered after a moment.
“Business and pleasure have officially combined.” Dante muttered. “But nothing has changed. You keep pushing the legal side, and I’ll keep working everything else.”
“Yes or no, are you saying Sabrina is connected to the missing baby?” Cesare demanded.
“It’s a small town, and it’s growing more probable. But if she is, it’s unlikely she knows.”
Cesare clenched his jaw. “She isn’t…” He seemed unable to finish the sentence.
“I have no reason to believe she’s the missing Jane Doe.” Dante shook his head.
“Is Marie?”
“You called me in so I could dig. So you could honestly say you don’t know shit if you get put on a stand later. Do you still want me to do that, or not?”
Cesare nodded reluctantly. “Is there anything I should know about Walter?”
“Nothing you don't already. I’d like to know what he did before he was working on a fishing boat. The way he managed to sneak up on both of us says a lot. Makes me wonder what he uses as fish bait when he’s in the middle of the ocean with nobody around.
” Dante answered with an expression that was somehow both bored and grim at the same time.
“So it’s nothing serious.” Cesare replied sardonically.
Dante shrugged a shoulder. “Nothing we haven’t both dealt with already.”
The brothers walked back inside, and Walter looked up briefly. The greying fisherman sipped his coffee at the table, his grey blue eyes meeting Cesare’s. Walter silently raised his mug to Cesare in calm acknowledgment before returning to his paper.
The interrogation Cesare expected never came. Instead, Walter watched the brothers; taking in everything they said, what they did, and how they went about it.
Freckles had grown strong enough to move freely around the pen, and Walter directed them to a small kiddie pool to wash out and fill with water.
Cesare was soaked by the time he and Dante brought a clean kiddie pool into the recovery room and moved it into Freckles’ pen.
The little seal pup tittered in excitement as he worked his way into the water, splashing around as it was slowly filled. Freckles noticeably preferred Cesare’s presence to anyone else, much to Cesare’s satisfaction.
In between feedings, Cesare reviewed case files off and on, examining client histories and their submitted evidence.
He showed Dante how to make the milkshake for Freckles, and they tag teamed feedings with Walter in shifts until the sun slowly rose.
The three of them took a sleep-exhausted moment to walk out to the dock and watch the molten light of the sun slowly rise over the water’s horizon.
The golden glow of the whole sky reflected off the water of the ocean bathing the world in warm golden light.
Seagulls swooped in and out of the surf as the waves crashed upon the shoreline.
Cesare had never seen anything quite like it.
“Do they have water in Philadelphia?” Walter asked gruffly.
Cesare shook his head. “Not like this.”
“Sabrina loves the water.” Walter spoke after a moment of consideration, reaching a hand up to scratch his beard. “But staying here is slowly killing her.”
Cesare turned to look at Walter, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t.
“Cesare has a water-front home. It’s no ocean, but the property goes along the banks of the Delaware River.” Dante said after a quiet moment.
“She’ll never willingly close the rescue.” Cesare responded, surprised to be playing the devil’s advocate.
Walter shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t need to.”
Cesare looked at Walter, waiting again for more, but the man said nothing else.
As the sun finished cresting the horizon, Walter turned to look at Cesare with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Sabrina has a sister who’s been away from home for long enough.”