Love or Justice Read Online Free PDF Page A

volcano, but never had the time. Now she had plenty of time. Her stomach growled as she pulled on shorts and a light green tank top.
    She ran back into the bathroom to put on make-up. She almost never wore it, but—well, she didn’t know why she was putting it on now. No, she did know, but she didn’t want to admit it. Not even to herself.
    Finished, she exited her room and tried to remember where the kitchen was. She walked past several doors in the hallway. She supposed they belonged to the other men staying here. The hallway opened up halfway down to give her a clear view of the living room below on one side, and the kitchen on the other.
    Dante sat at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. David stood in the living room, surveying the yard outside.
    “Good morning.” Laurie leaned over the banister of the kitchen with a smile.
    Dante glanced up at her.
    She bounced down the stairs at the end of the landing, which ended in the living room. The living room had two beautiful windows to the outside. They had heavy, dark green curtains, which were currently drawn back to let in the light.
    “Ma’am.” David nodded to her.
    David was tall and lanky. He had wheat blond hair brushed over to the side of his off-center part. He wore his gun in a shoulder holster. He had on a blue pin-stripped shirt, grey slacks and shiny black shoes to match. The suspenders he wore slung over each shoulder amused Laurie the most. Altogether, he looked like he just stepped out of a Dick Tracey novel.
    “You can call me Laurie.” She shook his hand. “What time is it?”
    “Time for breakfast,” replied Dante. Laurie turned to see him leaning against the doorway. His gun was at his hip, belted to his jeans. He had on a dark blue t-shirt that fit him loosely. He looked at home, at ease. “You slept late. You must be hungry by now.”
    “Starving.” She smiled up at him. She followed him into the kitchen.
    “You can have any of the food in the fridge.” He gestured to the appliance in question on her right. “It’s for all of us. We stock up once a week, so if you need anything just put it on the list.”
    “Where are we? Where do we get food from?”
    “We’re in the Hilo Reserve.” He turned to face her, leaning on the counter. “But you don’t get the food. We get the food, and we change where we get our food from weekly. Eggs?”
    “Sure, I’d love eggs. Do we have toast?”
    “Yes.” Dante reached for a small breadbox beside the microwave. Laurie moved toward the refrigerator to get the eggs. Dante took the frying pan from the drain board. “I’ve got it, Laurie. You can sit.”
    Laurie took a seat at the island counter. The kitchen was bright and open, thanks to the cathedral ceiling. Long counters of pinewood ran from the refrigerator down the length of the room. Behind her, there was a large, wooden oval kitchen table. There were two large windows in front of where Dante worked. There was another one to her left at the end of the room.
    “Do you like to cook?” Laurie watched Dante’s impressive juggling act as he started the toast and the eggs at the same time.
    “Sometimes. Depends on what I need to make and who I’m making it for.”
    “I wasn’t able to cook often at the resort. I ate the food they served the staff. I asked some of the cooks in the restaurant to teach me, but they never had time. They had families.” Laurie shrugged, and Dante eyed her over his shoulder.
    “Well, now you’ll have plenty of time to learn. There are recipe books over on that shelf.” Dante gestured to a bookshelf by the door to the living room.
    “Yes, so what do we do now?”
    “I make you breakfast and you eat it.”
    “No, but after that, what do we do now?”
    “We wait.” He turned to face her. “We wait here until the DA can give you a more thorough interview, and we get you signed up for the Witness Security Program.”
    He turned back to the stove. His back was to her, but Laurie saw every muscle as he