Chapter 24

After several long, tense minutes, Laura gasped, "I need some air." She stood abruptly and headed outside alone. Remington scrambled to his feet to go after her, but her father stopped him.

"No, let me talk to her. I need to finish this. She needs to know the truth," John stated with a raised hand. Sergeant Sanders stood to follow him. "Eli, I need to do this alone. We'll be fine. Send Harry if you're worried."

Eli looked down at the canine, who had sensed the tension in the room and was now standing at full attention. "Harry, Achtung," he commanded. Harry followed John to the door and stayed beside him as they disappeared outside after Laura.

Remington couldn't help but question, "Will he keep them safe?"

"He would die before he let anything happen to them," Eli assured him. "Your wife is headed toward the horses. She will be safe there."

"Horses?" Remington asked.

"Horses," Eli nodded.

Outside, Laura stood, mesmerized by the herd of wild horses grazing on the grass behind the lighthouse. The wind whipped her hair around her face as she began to walk slowly toward them. As soon as she got close to one, it skittered away.

"You can't touch them," John stated behind her. "They won't let you… the horses I mean."

Without turning to face him, she asked, "Where did they come from?"

"Pirates brought them here," John replied, his voice louder as he approached her.

"Pirates? But how?" she questioned in disbelief. She turned only when she felt the warm body of Harry bumping against her leg. She reached down and scratched his head between his ears as her father continued closer.

John laughed loudly; the sound triggering memories buried deep in Laura's subconscious. "Legend says a shipwreck from Simon Mascarino, a Portuguese pirate, brought the horses here. They've thrived on this island ever since," he explained. He pointed to the far end of the island and added, "There are caves all down there. The horses take refuse in during some of the worst storms."

"How long have you been here?" Laura asked softly.

John looked out over the water at the horizon. "They brought me here after moving me around Northern California for two years. They said they needed me to stay close enough, so when the time came, and we could easily get the ledgers, we would," he stated sadly.

"All this time, you've been this close. I don't understand," Laura admitted.

John put his hands on her shoulders and turned her body to face him, "Laura, if I ever thought there was a way I could have brought you with me, I would have done it, in a heartbeat. But the FBI… they figured it was safer this way."

"Didn't the mob know you had a family? I thought they knew everything about everybody they worked with?" Laura demanded as she brushed the windswept strands of hair off her face.

"That's just it. They didn't know. Abigail never wanted pictures of you girls around the office. She claimed business should be business, and family should stay out of it. No one knew. I didn't talk about you to my clients, as much as I wanted to. I respected your mother's wishes that way. She only wanted to keep you and Frances safe, and all I wanted was to brag about your accomplishments, but I'm glad I didn't. She was right all along," John stated. "If I had talked about you… if I had pictures… you wouldn't have been safe. They would have found you and used you as leverage to get what I had."

Laura studied the sandy stones beneath her feet before she lifted her chin and inquired, "Does Mother know? Any of it?"

John shook his head, "Not really. I tried to tell her, Loo-Loo. I tried. But she insisted it was all in my head. That I was making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Kind of like Frances is now… the littlest things, and she sees the worst in all of it. Now I understand where she gets it from," Laura teased half-heartedly.

"But you have to know, I still care. I never stopped caring. Your mother, your sister, and you, Laura. Every holiday, every birthday, the important days I've missed. It burns me up, thinking that they did this! They took it all away," John groused angrily. He balled his fists by his sides as he fought with his own emotions. "No more. This ends now. I can't spend another day living in fear like this." He reached out for Laura's hand and added, "Not another day without my family. I want to be a family again."

Laura gave his hand a squeeze, followed by a weak smile. She released his hand and began to walk away from him, Harry still walking close to her side, leaving her father standing alone. As she followed the narrow path through the grass, she began to run, Harry keeping up with her, stride for stride. She could hear her father calling after her, but she needed to contemplate everything he had told her. The only way she could do that was by putting space between them.

Inside the lighthouse living quarters, Remington tensed as he watched Laura through the fuzzy,salt-sprayed windows. When she took off running, he immediately scrambled to the door, Sergeant Sanders only steps behind asking, "What's going on?"

Remington didn't answer. He simply ran toward John Holt, now standing alone, watching his daughter in the distance. "What did you say to her?" Remington demanded.

"Nothing… I just told her the truth," John stammered.

"But what did you…" Remington trailed off as he began to lose sight of her in the distance. "Bloody hell!" Remington swore before he took off in a full-sprint after Laura.

"What did I say?" John called after him, his words becoming lost in the wind the further Remington got.

Remington's long strides closed the gap between him and Laura as she continued toward the caves at the other end of the island. The stone walls rose from the edge, where the land met the sea. She came to an abrupt stop, gasping for breath as her tears flowed. She lowered herself onto a large rock and dropped her head into her hands. Harry tried to bump her hands aside, to inspect her face and lap at the wetness on her cheeks. Unsuccessfully, Laura tried to push him away, but he buried his head against her chest and refused to move.

"Laura!" Remington called out as he drew closer. He watched her lift her head and brush away another tear. "Hey," he whispered when he finally reached her, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing. Harry pressed his body against her legs in comfort. Harry, then, tried to worm his body between them. Remington looked down at the soulful eyes of the dog and stated, "Harry, a moment, please?" Harry exhaled, backed up, and sat off to the side, his eyes never leaving Laura. "Laura, what did he say to you?" Remington asked fear and concern threading through every word.

Laura shook her head and whispered, "He said the words I've been waiting to hear for fourteen years. He still cares, and he wants to be a family again."

Remington glanced back toward the lighthouse, standing erect at the other end of the small island. He could see the distant forms of John Holt and Sergeant Sanders standing where he left them. He rubbed Laura's back and asked softly, "Is that what you really want, Laura? Do you want him back in your life after all these years?" "I don't know," Laura groaned. "And with Mother moving back to California… it's too much. I don't know what to do?"

Remington chuckled. "You, the impressive Laura Holt Steele, doesn't know what to do?" he teased. Laura lifted her chin, confused. "The woman, who single-handedly, created a mysterious boss and built a business around a myth, is stumped at how to handle something mundane as family?" he continued. Seeing he had her full attention now, he added, "Laura, I may not know much about being in a family, but I do know one thing. That man down there truly cares for you. And Abigail, with all her faults, deep down, only has your best interests at heart. So, with that being said, I think if you take it slow, you might be able to build a new relationship with him as you have with your mother."

Laura fingered the buttons on the front of his shirt as she agreed, "Things have been better with Mother, haven't they?"

"Yes, and I think, over time, you could have something like that with your father as well," Remington assured her. He hugged her close and tucked her head under his chin as he added, "It's going to be interesting to see how Frances responds to all of this."

"Frances," Laura breathed. She thought about her sister and how the new changes would affect her. "She's never been good with change," Laura admitted.

Remington's lips curled upward in a slight grin, "But she's not seeing vampire bats anymore."

Laura couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, "No, Mr. Steele, she isn't seeing vampire bats anymore. Nor is she calling me every other day in a panic. She has settled down a little more since we've gotten back from Ireland."

"As have we, Mrs. Steele," Remington reminded her. "We should probably head back. I'm sure those FBI agents are chomping at the bit back there, wondering what is going on."

"And I'm sure my father is wondering, too," Laura added. She left her arm around Remington's waist as they began walking back up the path. Behind her, she heard a small whimper. She looked back to see Harry still sitting beside the large rock. Smiling, she called to the canine, "Come on, Harry. Let's go back." Harry bolted forward, his tongue lolling to the side as his tail wagged from side to side. He led the way on the narrow path to where Laura's father stood, nervously waiting.