Free Love or Justice by Rachel Mannino

to his back.
    “I’m going to do my job. Just do yours.”
    “Fine. I’m just trying to help you out. But since you don’t wanna hear it, I’ll just go back to my job.”
    Cheyn pushed open the front door and left, slamming the door in his wake.
    Dante stood in the living room, fuming. How dare Cheyn talk to him like that! After everything they had been through together, how could his best friend try to make Dante out to be such a terrible villain? He’d accused him of sleeping with a witness and potentially endangering his whole team. Dante knew it looked bad with him coming out of Laurie’s room, but why didn’t Cheyn trust him? Why would Dante lie to him?
    Dante went back up to his room, his thoughts nagging at him. He didn’t go back to sleep. He sat with his laptop doing paperwork, trying to push his anger and his hurt out of his mind.
     
    ***
     
    Laurie
     
    Laurie woke up with a start. She wasn’t sure what woke her so suddenly. She had the vague impression it was a nightmare, but it slipped away from her. She felt relieved, remembering the horrible nightmare she had about the tractor-trailer during the night. A shiver ran down her back, and she rolled onto her side so she could curl into a ball.
    Laurie crossed her arms, rubbing her own shoulder—a gesture more of self-comfort than a need for warmth. The past few days had jumbled her nerves. She felt like they were tied in a knot, and she didn’t know what end she would pull out as each moment passed. Would it be the crying string, the laughing string, or just pure exhaustion? She wished she had some handbook, some guide to being a witness. She’d read countless books on being a lawyer and how to work with a witness on everything from making a statement to cross-examination, but she never came across a single book that even remotely described the witness experience.
    She toyed with the idea of talking to Dante about it. Perhaps his counsel would alleviate the pressure building in her chest, but she rejected it. She knew she was already too much of a burden to him. He couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep around her. She had no idea how to repay his kindness to her.
    Yet, he wanted to do more. He offered to sleep in her room with her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It was tantalizing, to be sure. She wouldn’t mind having such a handsome man in her room. He would be sleeping dutifully on the floor, and she knew he would never take advantage of the situation. Yet, his proximity would heighten her interest in him, a fascination that was bound to lead to unhappiness.
    This whole situation was fleeting. She accepted that, and she had to keep reminding herself of it. They were going to relocate her to another state. Dante worked and lived in Hawaii. They were together for the moment, nothing more. The more time she spent with him, the more she let him get close, the more it would hurt when she had to separate from him. Or the more it would hurt when he pushed her away. She couldn’t let herself go down this road, emotionally or mentally. She just had to keep a tight rein on her desire and not let it run rampant in her head.
    Laurie dragged herself into a seated position. She wrapped her arms around her legs and thought of everything Dante did to protect her and make her comfortable. It was a long list, longer than any list she could make for anyone else.
    She was grateful to all of these men. She was determined that no matter how steep or messy or terrifying this trail became, Laurie would make it as easy on them as she could. If that meant putting on a smile no matter how she felt, then so be it. It was the least she could do.
    Laurie got out of bed. When she came downstairs, it was already mid-morning. Dante wasn’t anywhere to be seen from the landing, just David. Standing in the same spot as always. She clamped down on her disappointment as she came down the remaining steps. Now would be a good time to exercise some restraint, while