Part 22 (2/2)

He carefully folded the paper and laid it down on the table. ”Has nothing to do with it. Doesn't it bother you that she's a d.y.k.e?”

Terasa looked up at the ceiling and sighed. ”Oh, Anthony, you know I hate it when you talk like that and besides, you don't know that Rheyna's-”

”A queer, she's a queer, Terasa. Just say it,” he interrupted. His lips curved into a snide smirk as he emphasized each letter, ”Q-u-e-e-r.”

Terasa looked at him. She shook her head in disgust.

Big Tony continued to grin at her. ”You can call it what'cha want, Terasa, I don't really give a d.a.m.n. Those two spend way too much time together and you can argue all you want, but that girl is a d.y.k.e.”

Terasa pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. She threw her napkin down on the table and left the room.

Rheyna and Caroline finally crawled out of bed around noon and took showers before eating lunch. Rheyna handed Caroline a plate to dry.

”What would you like to do today?” she asked.

She looked at Rheyna with a l.u.s.tful gleam in her eye. It was a gleam that Rheyna was coming to love and fear equally in a very short amount of time. She was so sore; she could hardly walk as it was.

Rheyna kissed the tip of Caroline's nose. ”We have to get out of the house sometime today,” she teased.

Caroline pretended to act hurt. ”Why do we have to get out of the house?”

Rheyna ignored her question. ”Do you like to fish?” She didn't realize the humor in her question until she saw the look on Caroline's face.

”Is there a joke in this somewhere?” Caroline chuckled.

”I'm serious. I love to fish.”

Caroline's eyebrows rose a good half inch.

”Out ... in ... the ... water,” Rheyna said, emphasizing each word and trying like h.e.l.l to be serious.

”Okay, okay. I get the point,” Caroline laughed. ”I don't know how to fish, but I'm willing to learn.”

”Then I guess I'll just have to teach you.” Rheyna opened the fridge and took out a container of Canadian Night Crawlers.

Caroline scrunched her nose in disgust. ”Gross, you have live worms in there?”

Rheyna set the worms on the counter. ”How else are you supposed to catch a fish?”

Caroline smiled at her. ”The local fish market works for me,” she said nonchalantly.

Rheyna couldn't help but laugh. Caroline was killing her. She slid her arms around Caroline's waist and kissed the soft skin behind her ear. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair. ”Ah, come on, I promise it'll be fun,” she whispered.

Caroline turned around and laced her arms around Rheyna's neck. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Rheyna.

I love kissing her, Rheyna thought as she tilted Caroline's chin up with her fingers. ”How about you get the wine and sandwiches while I round up some poles and a blanket?”

Caroline turned and opened a cabinet door. ”I think I can handle that.”

Sonny laid the manila folder in Big Tony's outstretched hand. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his feet at the ankles. ”It cost us a small fortune, but you were right, Tony.”

Big Tony lit his cigar, blew the smoke up in the air, and opened the folder. He looked at the top photo of FBI Special Agent Rheyna Sorento, also known as Rheyna Moretti, meeting with FBI Agent Kyle Edwards. He moved it aside and glanced at the others. ”Our friend ... deserves a very large bonus. Explains a lot, don't it now? Explains why they always seemed a step ahead.” Big Tony stared at a spot on the wall over Sonny's shoulder. He clicked his tongue against his teeth as he contemplated his next move.

Sonny knew that with each click, a volcano bubbling from deep inside Big Tony grew closer to erupting. He was now in his most dangerous state of mind. Johnny Scala had heard the clicking sound and probably Charlene, too. ”How you wanna handle it?” Sonny asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

Big Tony looked back at the folder on his desk and picked up a photo showing Rheyna with her graduating cla.s.s at the academy. With a flick of his wrist, he flung it across the room. He pushed his seat back and stood, tugging down on his suit jacket. ”Let's you and me take a walk.”

Rheyna watched with amus.e.m.e.nt while Caroline fought with the blanket. She would spread it out on one side and then the breeze would catch the edge and blow it back over. Finally, Caroline set the picnic basket on one corner and the bottle of wine on the other. She turned and saw Rheyna laughing at her. She placed her hands on her hips. ”Why are you laughing at me?” she asked.

”I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you,” Rheyna said as she flipped the lid open on the cooler.

Caroline made a pouting look and stuck her tongue out. ”That's funny but I don't think I was laughing.”

Rheyna grabbed the container of night crawlers from the cooler and walked down to the edge of the water. Caroline came over, stood above her, and watched as she threaded a fat worm onto the end of the hook.

”That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen,” she said.

”Really?” Rheyna asked with amus.e.m.e.nt.

”Yes, really,” Caroline said, and then took two steps back to keep the swinging worm from hitting her.

Rheyna held the pole out to her. ”Come over here, please.”

Caroline took the pole and stood there with a blank look on her face. She didn't have the slightest idea of what to do with it. Rheyna knew she would like this part of teaching. She came up behind Caroline and put her arms around her waist.

She placed Caroline's hands in the proper position on the pole and reel. ”Now, you bring the pole back like this,” she instructed as she pulled the pole back over their heads. She pushed Caroline's finger down on the b.u.t.ton to unlock the line. ”And then you fling it forward like this to release the line.”

They watched the bobber and worm sail through the air and then hit the water with a plop. Within seconds, the red and white bobber bounced back up to the surface. Rheyna personally preferred to fish on the bottom without a float, but figured it would be much easier for Caroline, since it was her first time and all. She could teach her how to fish on the bottom on their next fis.h.i.+ng trip. She smiled at the thought of having another first with Caroline.

”Okay, now what?” Caroline asked when Rheyna finished setting the line and laid the pole on the ground beside her.

”Now we wait for the fish to bite. You see that little red and white ball out there?” Rheyna pointed at the bobber. Caroline nodded. ”When that goes completely under the water, you jerk it real hard, and-”

Before Rheyna could finish her sentence, Caroline pulled her down on top of her and began kissing the sides of her neck.

”I think I could really like this fis.h.i.+ng stuff,” she whispered in Rheyna's ear between kisses.

Rheyna turned and kissed her. ”I could like anything as long as it's with you.”

A movement out the corner of Rheyna's eye got her attention. She turned her head in time to see the bobber disappear completely under the water.

”You've got a bite!” Rheyna yelled and jumped up. She grabbed the pole and handed it to Caroline, just as the bobber went down again.

<script>