Then Isaac yelled, “touchdown!” and threw himself at Daniel, who looked pleased.
“He’s pretty good,” said Vin.
Then he stood up and jogged over to join in.
Lisanne watched for a bit longer, but Daniel seemed to be doing okay. She pulled out a battered paperback and settled down on her stomach to read.
Shawna had wandered nearer to the football game, dressed in a bikini that was so small, Lisanne wasn’t entirely sure why she’d bothered. She felt too shy to sit around in her bathing suit, especially next to Kirsty, who looked a goddess with her long curls and flawless skin.
After half an hour of burning sun, Lisanne decided to go for a swim. Kirsty was asleep, all the guys were absorbed in the game, and Shawna was still doing her cheerleader impersonation, although it wasn’t clear who she was trying to encourage. But at least it meant no one was watching Lisanne. She slipped off her tank top and shorts, hitched the top of her tankini a bit higher, and gingerly made her way over the heated sand to the ocean’s edge.
The water rippled over her feet, making it look as if they were bending and flexing like seaweed. She waded further in, letting the water cool her hot skin. She sank down to her knees and shivered slightly as the chill reached her chest. Inching further forward, she leaned into the water and took off in a serene breast stroke.
In the distance, she heard shouting and jeers. She turned her head to see Daniel holding up his hands to the guys, as if he was apologizing for something. Then he turned and jogged along the beach for a short distance, before diving into the water and swimming a fast crawl toward her.
He jumped up next to her, with his dark hair plastered to his head, and the sun glinting on his chest as seawater poured from his shoulders.
“Hey, baby doll. Miss me?”
“Might have.”
He pouted. “Only might?”
“Well, you seemed to be having fun with the boys, I thought I’d take a swim.”
“I know,” he grinned at her. “They were pretty mad, but between them and my girl getting all wet, it was no competition.”
He pulled her toward him and her legs wrapped around his waist. His hands slipped under her ass to hold her up as he attacked her lips.
She opened her mouth and his tongue swept inside. He moaned and lifted one hand up to the centre of her back, pulling her in more tightly.
When he moved his head back, his eyes were dark with desire. He groaned and shifted her carefully.
“What’s the matter?” she said in a voice so husky she barely recognized it as her own.
“I’ve got a boner,” he muttered. “That’s not supposed to happen to guys in cold water. It’s you, baby. You’re so hot – I could fuck you right here. Nobody would know.”
Lisanne giggled a little nervously.
“I think people might notice if you suddenly started putting on a condom, unless you can do that underwater.”
Daniel groaned again. “Fuck. We’re gonna have to get you on the pill, baby. You’re driving me crazy.”
Lisanne blinked. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But Daniel didn’t notice the change in her expression. He was too busy kissing the top of her chest and sucking her throat gently.
He looked up when Lisanne shifted in his arms.
“What’s up, baby?”
“They’re waving us to come over and have some food.”
“Shit. I’ll need a minute,” he said, letting her slide down against his body. “I’ll just swim for a bit, okay?”
“I’ll come with you – I’m not really hungry yet anyway.”
Lisanne swam parallel to the beach, while Daniel zoomed a hundred yards out, then came splashing toward her.
As his head broke the water he grinned at her.
“Feeling better? Everything back where it belongs.”
“Not sure about that, baby. My dick belongs in you.”
Lisanne blushed. He had such a dirty mouth. She loved it.
They walked back along the beach, hand in hand, with Daniel leaning down to kiss her every few paces. Lisanne was pretty sure she could have passed for a bright red fire hydrant from his very public display of affection.
“Um, Daniel? We’re nearly there now.”
“I know,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Your nipples are so hard – I can’t wait to wrap my tongue around them.”
She smacked his arm and he looked at her in surprise.
“What?”
“Don’t!”
“Don’t what?” he said, looking confused.
“Don’t… say stuff like that in front of people. I’ll just die of embarrassment.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes at her.
“Are you ashamed of being seen with me?”
“No! God, no! It’s just… when you say all that stuff about sex – I get embarrassed. I’m not used to it,” she finished, lamely.
Lisanne was relieved to see that his smile was quickly restored.
“Okay, baby doll, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to keep my hands off of you. Just sayin’.”
The others had made quick work of the food, and everyone seemed to have a paper plate loaded up with something.
Daniel’s eyes just got really wide when he saw the piles of barbecue ribs, chicken wings and hot dogs. Good food on a regular basis was something of a rarity for him. He was soon digging in happily.
Lisanne preferred the lighter fare of cold pasta and salad.
They settled down onto her towel and enjoyed their food.
“You’ve got an awesome throwing arm, man,” said Vin.
Lisanne tapped Daniel’s knee, and discreetly pointed at Vin.
“Sorry, man, what?”
“I’m just surprised you didn’t try out for the team. You must have played in high school?”
“Uh, yeah, a bit.”
“More than a bit,” snorted Kirsty. “Lis said you were your school’s quarterback.”
There was a short silence while Daniel threw an accusing look at Lisanne.
“Yeah,” he said at last.
Vin frowned. “So how come you didn’t try out this year?”
“Yeah, man,” added Isaac. “You threw a clean 30 yard pass and damn near out ran Vinny from a cold start.”
Daniel shrugged and stood up, tossing his plate into the garbage. Then he pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his jeans’ pocket.
“I was busy.”
Vin could see that for some reason Daniel was uncomfortable with the subject, so he dropped it quickly. The conversation soon turned to everyone’s plans for Thanksgiving.
Lisanne looked at Daniel and mouthed, “Sorry.”
He shrugged again, and blew his cigarette smoke away from her.
She cupped his cheek gently until he looked at her. “Sorry, really.”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “It’s okay. I like that you talk about me when I’m not there – well, if it’s good stuff.”
“Always,” said Lisanne gently.
His answering smile was shy and sweet.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And,” she said, taking a deep breath, “there’s something else I wanted to tell you, but I’m not sure what you’ll think about it.”
A small furrow appeared between Daniel’s eyebrows. “Go on.”
“My mom invited you to join us for Thanksgiving.”
Daniel didn’t reply – in fact, his face seemed to have frozen halfway through a thought. Lisanne felt herself babbling.
“I told mom that you were by yourself – and that I wanted to stay here with you.”
That got his attention.
“You… you were going to stay here… with me.”
Lisanne nodded.
“Why?” he seemed genuinely puzzled.
“Because!” she said, rolling her eyes.
Daniel wasn’t generally obtuse, but sometimes he really didn’t get her.
Lisanne tried again.
“So will you? Come for
Thanksgiving?”
Daniel rubbed his hands over his face.
“Seriously? Your old man is going to let me in your house for Thanksgiving… and he won’t shoot me or anything?”
Lisanne giggled at the expression on his face.
“Nope. He’ll probably just throw you a hard stare every time you look at me.”
“Sounds fun,” muttered Daniel, but Lisanne could tell he was trying to hide a smile.
“Can I tell her yes?”
“Will there be turkey?”
“Of course.”
“And mashed potatoes?”
“With gravy.”
“And pumpkin pie?”
Lisanne smiled. “Trust me – there’ll be enough food even for you.”
Daniel looked serious.
“That’s really great of them, Lis. I mean it. But I don’t think so – all those people. I won’t be able to… it’s really hard…”
She stroked his arm. “I’ll be there and I’ll help you. Today’s been okay, hasn’t it?”
He nodded and gave her a small smile.
“Yeah, today’s been great. I know I’ve missed some stuff, and some of the calls when we were playing football, but knowing you’ve got my back – that makes it a lot easier. I was going to tell you later, but… thanks. Thank you for today.”
Lisanne’s mouth dropped open with a soft pop.
“You’re welcome,” she said, faintly.
The afternoon passed peacefully. Vin organized a complicated game of Frisbee in the water, with three pieces of plastic whizzing over everyone’s heads, where no one except Vin was sure of the rules.
More food was eaten, and then most people stretched out for a sleep in the sun before heading back. Daniel had gone for another long swim, racing Isaac and one of the other guys. Then he dripped his way back up the hot sand and planted chilled kisses across Lisanne’s stomach. They lay together and dozed comfortably, her head on his chest.
Shawna had arranged to ride back in one of the other cars, which was just fine by Lisanne.
She picked some mellow music from her iPod, and soon the ambient sounds of Cults’ You Know What I Mean and some Alison Sudol was filling the car. The journey was quiet, with everyone dozing after a long day of sun, sea, and sand.
Suddenly Vin sat up straighter.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered. “I’m being pulled over.”
Lisanne felt very nervous. She’d never been in a car that had been stopped by police before. Going with Zef to collect Daniel was the closest she’d ever come to a law enforcement officer. She really hadn’t wanted a closer encounter.
Daniel twisted to look over his shoulder when Lisanne pointed behind them.
“Fuck,” he said, quietly.
Kirsty faced him and shot him an angry look.
“Do you have anything on you, Daniel? Because if you do, this could affect all of us!”
“No, I fucking don’t!” he snarled at her.
Vin tightened his jaw but didn’t say anything. He pulled over and rolled down the window of his car as the policeman approached.
“Is something wrong, officer?”
“You failed to maintain the lane while you were driving: license and registration,” said the man, abruptly.
Vin opened his wallet and handed over his driver’s license.
“If you could step out of the vehicle, please, Mr. Vescovi.”
Looking worried, Vin climbed out and the cops walked him a distance from the car. They seemed to be questioning him about something and Vin was shaking his head vigorously.
Daniel watched closely and Lisanne knew he was lip reading them. He turned to her quickly.
“Lis, I think they’re going to arrest me,” he said, his voice strained.
“What?” snapped Kirsty. “How do you know that?”
He ignored her.
“Don’t say anything to them – just get a message to Zef as quickly as you can? Please, baby?”
“I don’t understand!” cried Lisanne. “You haven’t done anything!”
“Do you think that will stop them?” he sneered. “Believe me, when your name is Colton, they don’t need a reason.”
“Daniel,” whispered Lisanne, “is there anything else – anything at all?”
The look of anger and disappointment on his face dried the words in her mouth until they tasted like ash.
The officers returned to the car and ordered them all to get out.
One man took their names, and then he got to Daniel. He didn’t even ask to see his ID.
“Turn around and face the car, Colton. I am arresting you on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.”
Lisanne gasped as the officer cuffed Daniel’s hands behind his back. Kirsty caught her arm as she darted forward.
“Lis, no! That won’t help.” Then Kirsty spoke up. “Excuse me, officer. My father’s a lawyer and I know that…”
“Listen, kid,” said the smaller of the two policeman, “if I had a dime for every rich kid who told me their dad was a lawyer, I’d be a wealthy man – not arresting punks on the highway. My advice to you is get back in your expensive car, keep quiet, and stay away from street scum like that.”
He pointed at Daniel and gave Kirsty a warning glare.
“You have the right to remain silent,” said the bigger cop, to the back of Daniel’s head. “Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law.”
Lisanne collapsed against Kirsty, whose arms were wrapped around her, tightly.
“You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police,” the cop continued, “and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wish. If you decide to answer any questions now, without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?”
Daniel didn’t speak, and Lisanne knew he hadn’t heard a single word.
“I said do you understand these rights?” snapped the officer, and he pushed Daniel’s head so it thudded against the SUV’s roof.
“Bastard,” muttered Isaac under his breath.
Daniel was escorted into the police cruiser. He didn’t look back as they drove him away.
Vin walked back to them, white-faced and shaken. The police had completely ignored the reason he’d been pulled over – the bogus accusation of ‘failing to maintain a lane’.
Kirsty turned to Lisanne.
“I’m just going to ask you once, Lis – has Daniel got anything on him? Anything at all?”
Lisanne shook her head.
“He looked so mad when I asked him that!” she said, tears stinging her eyes.
Vin spoke quietly.
“They knew he was in the car.”
“What?” snapped Kirsty.
“They knew Dan was in the car. I mean, they didn’t ask me his name or anything. That big cop, he just said, ‘Has Colton supplied you any drugs today, or in the past?’ That was before they checked everyone’s ID. They knew who he was before they stopped me. Like they were waiting for us.”
“I have to call his brother,” said Lisanne softly.
“No,” said Kirsty, authority ringing in her voice. “Vin, drive us to the police station.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Help Daniel,” she said. “Like I said, dad’s a lawyer, and I know they can’t do what they just did.”
“Honey, I know you want to help…”
“I mean it, Vin. I’ll get dad on the phone – he’ll tell me what to say.”
An hour later, a dazed looking Daniel left the police station escorted by a victorious Kirsty, to the whoops and cheers of Vin and Isaac.
Lisanne burst into tears.
“Hey, baby. Don’t cry,” he
said, wiping her cheeks with his fingers. “It’s all good. I’m fine.”
Vin picked up Kirsty and whirled her around, as she laughed happily.
“What happened?” choked out Lisanne between her tears.
“Your friend was awesome,” said Daniel, with a huge smile directed at Kirsty. “Totally ripped them a new one. By the time we left they were calling her ‘ma’am’.”
“Thank you very much,” said Kirsty with a delicate curtsey. “I have to agree with Daniel – I was totally awesome… Well, my dad was totally awesome – he talked me through everything I had to say.”
“But I don’t understand,” sniffed Lisanne. “Why did they arrest you? You hadn’t done anything.”
Kirsty looked serious.
“Honestly, Daniel. I think you’ve got a case for police harassment. Vin was right – they were looking for you and from what they weren’t saying, they wanted to use you to get to your brother.”
Daniel pulled a face.
“Nah, I’m staying well away from those fuckers.”
Kirsty sighed. “Dad says you should get out of town for a while if you can. Have you got somewhere you can stay until this calms down?”
A slow smile lifted Daniel’s lips.
“Yeah. Is the offer still open, baby?”
“Excuse me?” gasped Lisanne, completely bewildered by the change of direction.
“Is the invitation for Thanksgiving still open?”
She flung her arms around his neck, fresh tears trickling down her face.
“Yes,” she mumbled into his chest, even though he couldn’t hear her. “Yes,” she said again, looking up at his beautiful face.
Chapter 14
Zef stood with his arms crossed as Daniel shoved clothes into his messenger bag.
When he was facing him, he said, “So you’re going with her – the singer.”
Daniel nodded. Although his expression was neutral, his jaw clenched.
Zef scrubbed his fingers over his face, an expression of frustration that his younger brother had seemingly inherited. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Whatever. It’s probably just as well you get out of town for a while.”
That was the plan, but Zef’s words worried Daniel.
“What’s going on? Those cops were really gunning for you. I’ve been looking over my shoulder ever since – they weren’t messing around.”