Page 6 of Heartbeats Amidst Chaos: Part 3
Her formal language earned a snort of laughter from Elio, which made Rissa laugh again as well, her face brightening.
They climbed out of the car, and Rissa handed him her documents to keep since she had no pockets or purse. They walked into the main office of the resort.
Tall and proud,Elio reminded himself.As if you belong here. As if you have nothing to hide.It was a lesson his grandfather had drilled into both him and Vince early on. Everywhere you go, you go tall and proud. You demand respect, and respect will be given.
He noticed with a swell of admiration that Rissa was walking the same way at his side. Her chin was up and her hair tossed back.The diamond on her finger flashed in the sunlight, and she held it up to admire it for a moment, flashing a grin at Elio that nearly knocked him to his knees.
Just in time, he remembered that she was playing a part. They were in public now, under new identities as a couple very much in love. He took her hand, thinking that with her by his side, he didn’t justwalktall and proud—hefeltit.
Fuck,he thought wryly. This game of pretend is going to mess me up good.
The office clerk smiled at them and, showing no hesitation, looked at their IDs and handed over the keys for their reserved cabin and the packages that had already been delivered for them. Following his verbal directions, they exited the office and started walking along the paved walkway back to the cabins.
Each tiny house was set back from the path, flanked by a lacy tree or two, facing the wide, sparkling lake on the other side. A pleasant breeze blew up from the water, and Elio could feel himself relaxing in response.
They reached their cabin, and he stepped in front of Rissa to unlock the door before moving aside to let her enter first.
It smelled clean at least—like carpet and furniture polish and a kind of soapy air freshener. There was a tiny living room with a sofa and a large TV mounted on the wall; a tiny kitchen with a sink, a foot or two of counter space, a microwave, a little woodentable, and two chairs; and a bedroom that was almost filled wall to wall with a king-sized bed.
“Cozy,” Elio said, glancing around.
Rissa crossed straight through the kitchen to the sliding glass doors on the other side. She fumbled with the lock for a moment and then opened it and stepped out onto the deck that overlooked the lake.
Elio followed her, joining her in leaning on the rail and looking out.
“It’s beautiful,” Rissa said. “Hard to believe it may currently be the hideout of a terrorist. Why would they even choose here?”
Elio shrugged, trying to focus on their reason for being here—as she seemed to be doing—and not on how perfect she looked standing there against the rail, her midnight hair wisping around her makeup-free face, her eyes wistful as they scanned the lakeshore, her blue dress pressed against her body and fluttering about her thighs from the wind.
Rissa turned slightly to prop her hip against the rail and face him.
“So, what do we do first?” she said. “Do we even know what we’re looking for?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “We’re just looking for anything or anyone that seems suspicious.”
Rissa’s gaze was sharp as she scanned his face.
“You think they’re going to find us before we find them, don’t you?” she asked.
Elio was taken aback by her perceptiveness.
“Because you think they set youup on purpose,” she mused aloud. “So, they’re going to recognize you.”
He didn’t answer immediately. It was not the best plan he had ever come up with. It was just the only one that had seemed available.
“Doesn’t that seem a little dangerous?” Rissa asked calmly.
“It does,” Elio admitted. “And if you think we should move on instead and keep running, I understand.”
Rissa held up a finger, shushing him. Her jaw was set with determination, and her blue gaze was unwavering.
“No,” she said, “I want to find this guy just as much as you do. I want justice for all the victims of that bombing. And . . . I don’t want to be on the run for the rest of my life.”
Elio nodded mutely. In reality, he knew that Rissa could pretty easily return to her regular life. All she would have to do was tell the police everything she knew about him. She could say he duped her, threatened her, whatever. She could get away clean.
What kept him quiet, bemused, and uneasy was the realization that if it came right down to it, that was exactly what he would want her to do. He realized he cared about Rissa enough that he would prefer for her to be safe and able to return to her normal life—if that’s what she truly wanted—more than he cared about proving his innocence or escaping a prison sentence.
But it hadn’t come right down to it yet. At this moment, they were not in any danger. They were just a newly engaged couple celebrating their upcoming nuptials.
