Shadows End at Dawn By Chris Corso

Rita Lee Lance-Lorenzo sat on the front porch of the bungalow that she and Chris were using as their most recent safe house. She watched fascinated as the dawn danced and rippled across the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, off Sanibel Island. They'd been on the run for almost six months, and were becoming increasingly concerned and impatient. Concerned by Rita's impending due date, and frustrated that nobody had been able to flush Marco Montoya, the younger brother of the late Jesus Montoya, into the open. The younger Montoya was one taco short of a combination dinner, as Rita was fond of saying, but he was still dangerous, and although he'd lost control of his brother's empire, they couldn't be sure that he wouldn't try to make good on his promise to kill them. They'd contemplated reappearing to flush him out; they wanted Montoya wrapped up tight before the baby came. For now their baby was safe inside of Rita, but an infant could be taken from them. Rita shuddered at the thought. At the same time giving birth would make Rita much more mobile and be able to back Chris up if the worst happened. Right now she was a big and very round liability. They knew for a fact that Montoya hadn't given up crime and, if anything, he seemed to have reverted to street level hustling that should make him an easy pinch for their brothers and sisters in law enforcement. Sadly Rita realized Montoya had an insane amount of luck. On the positive side her relationship with Chris was as sold as ever and, if anything, even stronger. Rita thought that they knew everything there was to know about each other, but they'd been wrong. Forced solitude and stress were making them connect and work together at level far beyond what police partners, or a husband and wife, would ever experience. They were almost enjoying a life on the run, or at least the being together part. They were growing bored and missed the excitement of their former lives, and the mysteries they solved together. A few times they'd returned to Palm Beach to secretly assist the current silk stalking detail. Chris even managed to get them PI credentials using one of their former undercover personas. They'd taken on a few minor cases, which proved helpful as their savings were quickly becoming depleted. Rita's thoughts wandered as she felt strong hands begin to message her shoulders.

"You have magic hands, Sammy," Rita purred contentedly to her husband.

"Well thanks Sam. Consider the material I have to work with. You're like my muse," Chris grinned.

"Muse? Well I'm glad to hear it and I'm sure the beneficiary of your technique," Rita smiled contentedly.

"The pleasure is all mine, so penny for your thoughts. You were sitting here for a helluva long time. What is going on in that beautiful and complex mind of yours?" Chris asked.

"Well it started with Montoya and the fact that the old saying "God takes care of idiots" is sadly true, or at least true for idiots named Marco Montoya. Then I began to think about us, and our situation, and the fact that we're perversely enjoying ourselves and yet bored beyond hope of recovery."

Chris grinned, "did you come to any conclusions, because I sure as hell haven't?"

"Yeah we're running out of time and we don't do bored very well," Rita said with a smile

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "When the cover story of our untimely deaths started to crumble I really expected that would flush Montoya out, but it didn't, and I'm starting to wonder if he's even alive. Maybe we should just reappear and get our lives back. You know the P.I. gig is actually working. Maybe it's a way forward." Chris finished earnestly.

"I'm just scared Sam," Rita admitted. "When you were shot I was no use to you at all and when we ran into that hit team, a few months after we left…" Rita left her thought unspoken. That had been the closest they'd gotten to being killed, or captured, during their time on the run. A mental mistake on Rita's part allowed a hit team to learn of their location. They barely escaped. Chris refused to allow Rita to blame herself, but she continued to feel guilty enough for both of them.

"That's bullshit and you know it is Rita!" Chris said passionately. "Let it go. It wasn't your fault, our cover story was already blown, and you can't keep saying that you're not contributing. My God, Rita, you're carrying our baby! We're partners-partner!"

Rita began to cry softly and Chris took her into his arms. His touch broke the wall that she'd been using to keep her emotions at bay. Finally it broke and her feelings came spilling out. Chris continued to hold her till her tears lessened. Rita felt so foolish, but she also knew that Chris had the power to both sooth her and force her to face her worst demons. They both had that power over each other, but neither regretted it.

"Sometimes you just need your partner to give you a reality check. Thanks Chris," Rita kissed him gently.

"You're welcome. So I've been thinking. It's time for us to come out of the shadows. I heard a rumor, just today, that Montoya has set up shop in Fort Lauderdale. I don't know what he's doing, but I had Harry contact Hutch. Hutch told Harry that FLPD is going crazy trying to get Montoya. There's also been a bunch of unsolved homicides recently. You know the ones? There's something about them…" Chris paused and he noticed the gleam in Rita's eyes.

"I know. I think they have a serial killer on their hands and a high society one at that. What are you saying partner? We go after both scumbags?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Sammy! We've licked our wounds and bided our time. We made the right call running, but Harry was also right when he got on our case about it. I'm tired of running and I know you are too. Look we don't have crystal ball, so what? We have each other, right?"

Rita looked thoughtfully at her husband and Chris knew her brilliant mind and famous intuition were hard at work. "Yeah," Rita nodded, "let's do it. It's time for us to fight back. Fight to get our life back."