That evening Lani emptied several of her drawers, laying her clothes out on the bed. Aside from her lingerie collection and a few dresses for special occasions, her wardrobe had not changed much since she was a cop. Black pants with a jacket, very simple yet stylish. She kept things uncomplicated so she could dress in a hurry, a trait Eli always admired after dating the high maintenance proprietor of Gabi Chic. Lani doubted Gabi primped any less so obviously it didn't bother Eli all that much since they'd been together for probably close to a year now.
Why was it that her thoughts never strayed far from that man? Lani forced herself to focus on the job in front of her. After Paris, she wasn't sure where she was going. She wouldn't be returning to Salem, that was for sure. Not with Eli constantly in her thoughts and on her tail-figuratively and literally as of late. There was a chance he really didn't have footage of her stealing Victor's medical file. Either way it was a matter of time before something happened now that he was paying more attention to her. Leaving was best. She'd miss her dad. But she'd meet up with him in South Africa.
Now there was a thought, she'd go to South Africa after Paris and stay with Theo until she figured out her next steps.
Lani laid out all of her beautiful nightgowns, then picked one, a black negligee and held it up.
"Wearing that to bed while you're on duty isn't very practical," a voice said from behind her.
Lani whirled around to find Eli standing in the middle of her bedroom.
"Eli, why in the hell do you keep sneaking up on me? Have you never heard of a doorbell?" Lani huffed then turned back around quickly to hide the smile spreading across her face. She thought the fiasco at the martial arts studio would be the last time she ever saw him. But here he was in her room, again.
"I can't exactly waltz into the DiMera mansion and talk to you can I?" Eli responded.
Lani continued to fold her clothes. "What do you want Eli? I thought we said all we had to say earlier today. As you can see I'm keeping up my end of the bargain. I'll be leaving the DiMera mansion for good first thing tomorrow morning." And I'll never see you again, she thought and a lump began to form in her throat.
"I came here to give you something."
"What is that?" Lani made her voice sound nonchalant, even as her heart beat faster remembering all of the gifts he'd given her when they were together, the main one being an engagement ring. That was a long time ago and so much had happened since then. But maybe there was still a chance. He was in her room for the second night in a row, after coming to see her at the studio. Lani quickly reeled her emotions in before they got away from her. The man loved Gabi Hernandez, not her. They both got carried away at the studio. It meant nothing, she told herself.
"This."
Lani turned to look and in Eli's hand was a thumb drive and it looked like the same one he was threatening her with the night before. She was on him in a flash, taking it out of his hand. "Is this the supposed footage?"
"It's the actual footage. If you don't believe me look for yourself."
Lani wasted no time in grabbing her laptop and inserting the drive. Eli hadn't been lying. The footage was somewhat grainy, but she was clearly recognizable. Tan jacket, dark pants. At one point you could see her profile as she glanced left then right before going into Kayla's office. The video was even time stamped. She emerged a minute later. Lani knew the file was hidden under her jacket, but the footage showed her carrying her pocketbook which was not big enough for an entire file.
"Circumstantial and proves nothing," Lani said.
"It's enough for probable cause. I could arrest you as a co conspirator in corporate espionage if I wanted to, but that's not the point really. You were caught by cameras you had no idea were even there."
He was absolutely right. She'd been sloppy that day. It was a day when she'd seen Eli and Gabi at the pub, sitting together, smiling and happy. What other mistakes had she made during the same time period? She was back on her game now that she'd accepted Eli and Gabi were committed, but when she was still sad and angry...there might be evidence linking her to other crimes all over Salem. Yes, she definitely had to leave town for good. If Eli wasn't on her case, she could probably get away with it all.
"I would think if you came here to arrest me, you wouldn't slip into my bedroom. So if you don't mind detective, I'm going to finish up my packing." Lani closed her laptop.
"Packing for what? You have the footage and I'm not going to charge you with stealing Victor's medical files from the hospital. So why would you leave the mansion?"
And why would you give me the footage, Lani thought. Eli sat in what she was becoming to think of as "his" chair. His facial features gave nothing away. There is no way he could possibly know about the Paris job, could he?
"I'm doing what I said I'd do," Lani zipped open a suitcase. "I told you I was leaving the mansion, so I'm going."
She heard Eli move from his chair and come closer to her. "Lani, don't do it."
Lani forced herself to calmly fold clothes and place them into the suitcase. There is no way he could possibly know about Paris. No way. "First you want me to leave, now you don't. Could you make up your mind, already."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Eli said his voice directly behind her. She turned and looked up at him fear gripping her heart. If Eli found out about the Paris job, the deal was screwed and she was out 350,000 and most likely her job. Kristen and Xander would blame her if Eli had somehow found out about the details of their plan and sabotaged them.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lani said meeting his steady gaze.
Eli reached out and curled his fingers around her shoulders yanking her toward him until she bumped up against his chest. Then he held her there, so close they could kiss. "Who is all of lingerie for? Who are you moving in with Xander?"
For a second all Lani could do was stare up at him completely stunned. Then it dawned on her, Eli was jealous. Relief flooded through her. He didn't know about the Paris job. "I'm not moving in with Xander, but so what if I did?"
"I won't stand for you living with that thug. It's bad enough that he's always here stirring up trouble with Kristen."
Lani's glance dropped from Eli's eyes to his mouth. She could tell he was mad as his lips pressed together into a grim line. But she didn't try to pull away from him. This was the last time she'd ever see him. The last time. "You know you've got a lot of nerve standing here in my bedroom, dictating to me who I should and shouldn't live with. Where does Gabi think you are right now anyway?"
"If you're comparing Gabi to Xander, there is no comparison," Eli shot back. "She's not dangerous."
Not dangerous. Lani smirked back at Eli as she remembered what she went through for the first several months of seeing them together. The pain was so palpable that every night when she went to bed, she was shocked when she woke up the next morning. Then time passed-alot of time-and she realized she would live through this, but the life she once had was now gone.
"You're going to defend Gabi in my bedroom after what happened between us today at the studio? I should say what almost happened. John Black saw me practically naked because you took off my clothes." Lani was trying to control her temper, but she was losing the battle. Eli did not loosen his grip, continuing to hold her against him.
"I am so sorry about that," Eli lowered his head. "I didn't mean to get so carried away." He met her eyes again. "But I'm not going to drop this because of my mistakes."
Mistakes? Lani noted he used the plural. She grabbed onto his shirt. "Eli, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I was wrong. Everything that happened this last year was entirely my fault. I should have believed in you...in us."
"Us…" Lani could barely breathe as she felt Eli's arms encircle her. And she let him hold her until reality crept in. She pushed away from him. "You know what Eli, if you had come here last night for the sake of nostalgia and you wanted to be with me for old times sake even though you were with Gabi, I could have understood. But that's not the case is it? You're here right now and have been hounding me for the last two days because she broke up with you right? And her breaking up with you made you realize how badly you've been treating me. You didn't realize it on your own."
Eli remained silent. It all made sense now to Lani. The image of Eli and Gabi hugged up in the square was so ingrained in her mind, it felt like she'd seen them dozens of times-and even recently. In reality, it was only a handful of times, months ago.
"Answer me!" Lani raised her voice. Her hands were balled into fists at her side, her fingers itching for her weapons back at the studio.
"Gabi and I have been broken up for awhile now," Eli said, his voice calm and steady. "We both realized we were in the relationship for all of the wrong reasons."
Lani covered her mouth and turned away from him, "How long?" she asked her voice trembled. "How long have you and Gabi been broken up."
"I don't have an exact date," Eli responded. "We quickly started to grow apart soon after we started dating, but we kept going through the motions for awhile. Then finally it was obvious there was really nothing there and never had been. It was a rebound situation for both of us."
Tears threatened to fall, but Lani turned back to face him. She had to look into his eyes when she asked the next question. "If it's been awhile since you've been broken up with Gabi, why are you telling me now?"
"I'm telling you because you asked. I would not have brought it up otherwise. I would think you knew me by now. I would not have touched you if I was committed to someone else."
Lani scoffed even as she continued to fight back the tears. "It wouldn't be the first time."
"Now is not the time to bring that back up again Lani. We're way past it. Years past it at this point. We were engaged after that. We loved each other."
Lani closed her eyes. She said the same exact things to Eli when he first turned to Gabi and pushed her away. "So now you remember. But when it really mattered to me. When I really needed you more than I have ever needed anyone in my life. What did you do? You told me to move on. So that's what I did." She spread her arms out indicating her suite in the mansion. "This is me moving on and I'd say I did pretty damn good for myself considering where I came from."
"Where you came from. You're the mayor's daughter and you were a police officer for years. This is hardly a step up."
"I'm not talking about all of that. I'm talking about where I was when you first left me to be with Gabi…"
"I didn't leave you to be with Gabi," Eli interrupted her. "You and I had already broken up. I thought our relationship was destroyed permanently."
"I'll tell you this, I was destroyed and I thought it was permanent. I did not think I could make it through it. For months every day was a struggle." Lani wiped away a tear. "So you think you can just waltz in here and say to me 'Oh Lani, I made a mistake, I should have believed in us.' I agree with you there. Only it's too late now because tomorrow I'm…" Lani clamped her lips shut. She'd almost blurted out her plans to leave the country.
"Because tomorrow you're what?" Eli asked his dark eyes piercing into her.
"Because tomorrow….I'm…" Lani tried to think of a feasible lie. She still wasn't as good at lying as Kristen and Xander who always had half truths and falsehoods on the tip of their tongues. "Because you're right tomorrow I'm moving in with Xander." Lani winced at this particular lie. As handsome as Xander was, she was just not attracted to him beyond the physical. Besides she knew his heart would always belong to Sarah Horton. "I didn't want to tell you earlier because frankly it's none of your business."
"You're not moving in with Xander."
"As you pointed out to me so brutally when you left me, we're not together anymore. I can do whatever the hell I want."
Eli closed the distance between them in about two seconds until they were again standing within a hair's breadth of each other. "Lani, let me put it like this. If Xander so much as touches a hair on your head, I'll kill him."
"What?" Lani exclaimed her mouth agape.
'I think you heard me. So if you want your precious colleague, partner in crime, comrade or whatever he is to stay alive, I suggest you don't move in with him."
"You can't be serious."
"Oh no?" Eli said. He turned around and started to walk away.
Lani hurried after him grabbing on to his arm. "Where are you going?"
"To the Kiriakis mansion to let Xander know in person what I think of your future living situation."
"You can't do that," Lani insisted still holding on to his arm.
"Why not?"
"Because…" Lani said and without thinking the situation through, she launched herself into Eli's arms and began to kiss him passionately. Eli wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off of the ground. Then he put her down breaking the kiss.
"Lani, if we're going to get back on track, we have to ease back into it slowly. We need to talk about it and be sure." As he spoke Lani noticed his gaze drop from her eyes to her lips and then lower.
"You know I don't ease into anything slowly. And wasn't it you that told me talk is overrated?"
"I did say that didn't I?" Eli smiled. And her heart melted. It was so Eli to smile at a time like this. They could be deep in the throes of passion and he'd stop, look at her and smile.
Lani had not planned on kissing Eli, but now that the deed was done she wanted more. What did it matter anyway. After tonight she was leaving Salem and never coming back. The idea of leaving did not appeal to her as much as it did before she kissed him. If he was no longer with Gabi did she still have to go? Yes. Once the Paris job was complete. She'd have to move on.
She nodded. "You did. Valentines day 2019."
"The day you were supposed to give me my bracelet." Eli's hands traveled the short distance from her waist to her hips.
"I gave it to you eventually." Lani said playfully stroking the back of his neck. It felt so good to be with him again. All of the coiled tension she'd been feeling for months seemed to drain away. She never wanted the embrace to end. Lani reminded herself she was on borrowed time right now. She had to make it count.
"And why are we still talking?" She lifted her mouth to his until they were kissing again. Eli bought her even closer to him and Lani took full advantage of the position to move her hips back and forth against him. Eli groaned into her kiss. His tongue strokes went from gentle and teasing to demanding as he plundered her mouth with a growing need.
"Lani we need to stop this," Eli whispered as he moved to nibble her ear. "I don't want to stop," he continued. "But we've been down this road before being intimate before we were ready."
"Oh, I'm ready," Lani said. "I know that's not a weapon in your pocket, so you must be really, really glad to see me."
Eli burst out laughing. He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. "That's one of the things I miss about you, no one else can make me laugh at times when I shouldn't be laughing."
"And I wasn't even trying to be funny."
"I know it's just effortless with us."
"Or at least it used to be," Lani said realizing that the moment for them to make love was probably gone for now. No, not for now, forever. She moved away from him and sat on the bed. Eli followed sitting down beside her.
"We can be that way again," Eli said. "But, look at me Lani." She raised her eyes to his and felt her heart swell. Tonight was the last night she'd hear him laugh, that she'd sit next to him, that she would look into his eyes. "You need to stop what you are doing with Kristen and Xander. Especially Xander. Leave him alone. Do not move in with him. Do not go near him. It's not a matter of if he is going to hurt you. It's a matter of when. And I can tell you right now if anything happens to you because of him, I won't take it lightly."
"I am my own person Eli as you know. Nothing is going to happen to me because of Xander. I am grown and I make my own decisions. I will be fine. But I promise you, I won't move in with him."
"I can think of another time you told me you were fine and you weren't."
"I really don't want to talk about that." Lani knew Eli was referencing Baby David, but that situation was completely different than this one. With the baby she was in denial. She lied to herself and everyone else. With Xander and Kristen she knew exactly what she was doing. Tomorrow they were going to pull off a job that was hardly legal. It bothered her that they were going to steal, but she was going to do it anyway and walk away with $350,000.
Eli looked at his watch. 'I need to take off, I have to get up early in the A.M." He stood and gazed down at her.
She grabbed his hand. "Please don't go."
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
Tomorrow, Lani mused. Eli had made it a point to seek her out the last two days and was now saying he wanted to see her tomorrow. He was no longer with Gabi. From every indication, he wanted to start over. What would happen if she stayed in Salem?
The answer to her question came quickly. If she didn't do her part in the job they'd been planning for weeks, she'd betray the people who accepted her into their fold when Eli had rejected her.
But he was there to apologize. He said he'd been wrong to not believe in them. And her mother had taught her to accept heartfelt apologies. She also taught her not to lie or steal. So much for all of that home training.
"Just stay a little while longer." Lani was so tired of pretending to be a person she was not. Yes, she was hurt and embittered and now deeply involved in criminal activities. But one thing remained the same. Eli. He would never leave her heart, not even when she moved halfway around the world after the Paris job.
Eli sat back down on the bed which was still covered with Lani's clothes and a few suitcases. He pulled Lani to him and kissed her forehead. "What's special about tonight?" he asked.
"Let's see, what's special about tonight?" Lani repeated the question leaning her head on his shoulder. "Well for one you and I are here together. Thankfully it's not storming like it was last night." She covered his hand with hers. "And you're telling me that you want us to be together. This makes me very happy," she admitted.
Eli entwined their fingers. "It makes me happy too."
"Stay just for a little while." Lani stood and put her suitcases on the floor and pushed the clothes aside. She held her hands out to him. Eli rose from the bed and accepted her hands.
"Of course, I'll stay if you need me too. But you know you can always come home with me."
"I need you to stay," Lani nodded but realized he could not stay all night. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep her last night in Salem anyway. She just wanted him there up until she really had to go. Maybe it was selfish not to let him know this would be their last night together. Lani pushed all thoughts aside. "I need you to hold me." She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and snuggled against him.
Later that night Lani woke up with a start sitting up in bed. Her heart was beating wildly and a sheen of perspiration covered her fully clothed body.
"You were having a nightmare," Eli said from beside her. It took a moment for Lani to remember what happened. She asked Eli to stay for a while. They'd gotten into bed and talked until she drifted off to sleep, which surprised her. She was so wound up about the Paris job, she doubted she'd sleep at all. She was just so comfortable feeling the warmth of his body against her as she rested her head on his chest. Her hand found its way under his blue top until she was stroking his chest, something she always used to do when they would lie in bed together. It was just like old times. Then she fell asleep and had a dream. Eli was in the dream. He was telling her that she was a mistake and that Gabi was his future. Her worst nightmare-and while she was in his arms no less. She took this as a sign.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said. "Thank you for staying. You can go home now."
"Not until I know you're alright. You were calling out my name in your sleep."
"It's called a dream, Eli and I'm awake now. Fully. And I still have that packing to do." She slid from the bed and retrieved the suitcases she'd put on the floor.
Eli rose from the bed. "I'm going. I can see a nap changed your attitude." He looked at his watch. "It's after 1 am, so I may not see you later on today. But I will definitely see you tomorrow." He kissed her forehead. "I promise I will see you tomorrow."
Lani watched him walk away feeling it was for the best. Eli could turn on her. He'd done it before. He could do it again. She'd rather they not get together than to suffer another shattering disappointment. First David Abraham, then Baby David followed by Eli. She could not survive another loss. If they were together in Salem he'd find out all she'd done for the DiMeras and then despise her. She'd be worried all of the time that he would run back to Gabi. No, leaving for Paris and never coming back was the right thing to do. She went to the dresser to take out more clothes and forced herself to think about Paris.