At Peace

Chapter Twenty-One Bare Feet

Cal watched the goon toss Lindy aside, she hit the floor and went skidding, leaving a trail of blood.

He stood, silent and still, his eyes moving from Lindy to lock on both the boys who had them. They were in good shape, lean and fit. Neither as big as Cal nor nearly as tall and one was so lean he was almost slight. Could mean he was wily, could mean Cal had lucked out.

His hands were behind his back in plastic restraints that they put on too fucking tight and they’d done it because they were pissed after the gunfight and pissed he’d taken down two of their boys but they were clearly following orders so they hadn’t taken him out with a bullet to the brain at the scene. During the ride the restraints had dug in deep, rubbed raw, breaking the skin.

He had bullet grazes to his right hip and just below his left shoulder. They both had bled a lot but the bleeding had stopped and the nagging pain was easy to ignore.

This was because his mind was focused on three things. He needed to get out of this alive. He needed to get Lindy out of this alive. And he needed to find Vi and take her home to her girls.

How he was going to do all of that weaponless and with his hands tied behind his back, he had no fucking clue.

Why he was still alive, again, he had no fucking clue. The only thing he could figure was that Hart wanted to play with him.

Not good.

“On your knees,” one of them ordered, Cal stared at him and didn’t speak nor did he move. “Knees!” the man shouted, his eyes narrowing, jaw tight, lips puckering, giving it away.

He had the gun and Cal was in restraints but Cal intimidated him. He wasn’t wily. He’d survived a gunfight where Cal took down two of his comrades. He was pissed and he was scared. He knew Cal wasn’t going to make it easy and he wanted to get this done.

Cal’s eyes went to Lindy. They’d shot her in the thigh which was the reason they both were there.

No, that wasn’t the reason they were there. He’d shot two men dead, clearing a path for her to get away and he’d ordered her out the backdoor while he was providing cover.

She instead went to the safe, grabbed a gun and tried to join the fight, not about to leave Cal behind with four armed men in the office, all of them firing, two men already down and Cal having suffered two graze wounds that looked a lot worse than they really were, though she didn’t know that.

Then they got her before they got Cal and put a bullet in her thigh then lifted the gun to her temple.

Then they got Cal.

The woman was a glorified receptionist and a bookkeeper but she was also the daughter of a decorated marine who had three sons, one daughter. It was made clear that day that Lindy’s Dad didn’t sexually discriminate when it came to life lessons.

Semper fuckin’ fi.

After he assured she was going to leave this building breathing, he paid the co-pay for her on her hospital visit and he knew she’d walk again, he was going to fire her ass.

“Knees!” the man shouted again, he came at Cal and it was now or fucking never. If he got to his knees, he’d get a bullet to the brain.

He hoped to God that Lindy was conscious because someone was going to have to find a way to cut the restraints off after he somehow took them both down with his hands tied behind his back.

The man got close and Cal was fucking thrilled beyond belief that he did it stupidly, moving in front of the other one. Cal let him get close and at the last minute he dipped a shoulder and hauled ass. He took the man in the gut with his shoulder, the man let out a surprised, winded, “oof,” and went back into the other one. When they hit the second man Cal kept right on moving. Both men hit the wall, Cal pulled back then moved again, catching the one in front with a sharp knee to the balls.

He dropped his gun, made that winded noise again and this time it even hurt Cal to hear it considering why he made it. His hands went between his legs and he instantly went down to his knees.

The other one recovered and started to lift his gun but Cal was faster. Moving in, he head butted him. The man took the blow to the head twice, front from Cal and then against the wall at the back.

He let out a yowl even as he blinked but Cal moved again, whirling, he planted a foot and lifted the other leg. Connecting with his boot, Cal roundhouse kicked him away from the wall.

Going fast, Cal recovered, got close then twisted his lower body. He clipped the man with a calf around his knees and the man went down. Then Cal kicked him, boot straight to the face and watched his head and neck jerk back, as did his torso. The gun went flying but Cal stayed focused and aimed a boot to his crotch. This connected, also sharp but this time vicious, and the man groaned as he curled forward immediately, knees up, forming a man-sized ball.

Cal’s attention turned to the other one who had yet to recover but Cal didn’t hesitate. He needed them incapacitated. Cal landed another kick then another, the force of the blows sending the man rolling. Arms, face, spine, gut, ribs, any target he could get, again and again, Cal following him as he rolled.

He heard a gunshot, his body jolted and he whirled around.

Lindy was up, balancing on one foot and holding a smoking gun in two bloody hands.

“Don’t fucking move!” she shrieked, her eyes were wild and they were on the other man who was up on a forearm, the other hand still cupping his crotch but his eyes were glued to the gun that she had right in his face.

They’d been stupid to sexually discriminate. They should have restrained her too. Then again, captured she’d gone docile and acted scared. She’d even managed a few terrified whimpers on the long drive to Chicago. Clearly these were bullshit.

Christ, he had GI Jane as his receptionist.

“Jesus, Cal, you didn’t leave me anything to do,” Cal heard Benny’s voice and he, Lindy and the man down but not whining all looked at Benny who was strolling casually into the room like he was walking through his Pizzeria except he had a gun in his hand and a crazy motherfucking grin on his face.

“What the fuck?” Cal whispered but Benny lifted his gun and pointed it at the roller.

“Think you should stay still,” Benny suggested to him and came to a stop close to Cal, his eyes not leaving the man on the ground.

“Like I said, what the fuck?” Cal ignored the man and stared at Benny.

“Frankie came callin’ early with info. Couldn’t get you on your phone so I moved out. I been on your tail since Indiana,” Benny answered, his hand went into his front pocket and he came out with a small army knife. “You,” he said to Lindy, “limp over here and cut Cal loose.”

Cal watched Lindy do as she was told and limp toward Cal and Benny, keeping her eyes on her target and her gun up as she dragged her leg with her. She took the knife, opened it and cut Cal loose. The minute he was freed, he pulled the gun out of her hand and trained it on her man.

“Next time bullets are flyin’ and I say the words, ‘leave out the backdoor’, you leave out the fucking backdoor,” Cal ground out.

“If there’s a next time, Joe Callahan, I quit,” Lindy snapped back.

“Can’t quit seein’ as your fuckin’ fired,” Cal returned.

“Kids, can we have this domestic somewhere on the way to Violet?” Benny asked and Cal’s head swung to him.

Then he walked to man one who took one look at his face and started crab walking backwards on all fours. Without hesitation, Cal drilled a round in each of his thighs which made him stop crab walking and start screaming in pain.

Cal ignored this and turned to man two who was scrambling in the direction of the loose gun but Cal got to him, kicked him in the chest so he flew to his back and he drilled a round in each of his thighs.

Then he walked to the gun, picked it up and handed it to Lindy on his way out the door. He heard Benny helping Lindy and following. He walked straight to the Escalade and shot out all four tires. Then he walked to Benny’s Ford Explorer.

When they were all in and Benny was on the road, Cal in the passenger side, Lindy rifling through a First Aid kit in the back, Cal asked, “You know where she is?”

“No, but I know where Hart lives,” Benny answered.

“Good,” Cal looked out the windscreen, “we’ll start there.”

“Don’t you think we should start by droppin’ her off at the hospital?” Benny suggested.

“It’s just a flesh wound,” Lindy put in.

Fuck him. A flesh wound.

On his next job application there was going to be the question “What did your father do for a living?” and if an applicant filled in “Marine”, “Police Officer” or “Commando”, he was shredding it.

Benny glanced at Cal and Cal saw his lips twitching.

Then Benny muttered, “I think I’m in love. Where do you find them?”

“Just drive,” Cal growled.

In the distance three squad cars going in hot could be seen, sirens wailing, lights flashing, an early invitation for Cal and Lindy’s captors to get down to business if they already hadn’t done it.

Cal scratched having a word with Pryor on his mental to do list.

The squads flew passed them and Benny kept driving.

“Not to give you bad news on top of what hasn’t been such a good day for you, cugino,” Benny said, “but Sal made a deal with the cops and when I called him ten minutes ago, he told me he was sendin’ them in for the rescue.”

“I didn’t have time for that rescue,” Cal remarked. “They wanted me on my knees.”

Cal watched Benny nod and then Benny spoke. “Let’s hope, they see the mess you left them, they’ll feel lenient seein’ as they wanted you on your knees. I’m a man, most cops are men, we all understand why you wouldn’t wanna be on your knees.”

Cal stared at his cousin. “Benny, they wanted me on my knees so they could drill a round in my skull.”

“Why would they take you all the way up to Chicago to do that?”

“How do I fuckin’ know?”

Benny drove silent for awhile then muttered, “Thank Christ they did.”

“After we rescue your girlfriend,” Lindy piped up from the back, “can I get a coffee? By the time those assholes barged into the office, I was only halfway through coffee numero uno. By this time, I’m usually on coffee numero doce and I need a fuckin’ fix.”

Cal was in no mood to laugh but that didn’t mean he didn’t smile. “Sure, Lindy, we’ll get you a coffee on the way to the hospital after we rescue my girlfriend.”

“No, got my belt on it even though the bullet went clean through and I don’t think it’s bleedin’ anymore. You can just take me home. Dad’ll stitch me up,” she said and Cal closed his eyes and wondered what Lindy’s boyfriend was like. Cal had trouble enough fucking Vi on her back. Even though he knew she liked it like that, she also felt compelled to climb on and Vi was like Keira, a woman but still all girl. What he learned about Lindy that day, she was probably prepared to fight to the death to take the dominate position and ride her man. Cal figured her man had learned to just lay back and enjoy the ride.

He heard Benny chuckling before he heard, “Again, cugino, where do you find them?”

Cal opened his eyes and answered, “Her father’s a marine.”

“Ah,” Benny replied.

Cal was done playing.

“They sent six men after me. I took down two at my offices. Two came with us. Two in another car where I suspect they took Vi.”

“I saw ‘em,” Benny said quietly, “there were two.”

“While you were tailin’, you see anything else?” Cal asked.

“Like what?”

Cal didn’t want to know but he had to know.

“Kate and Keira.”

“I hit your house first, all was quiet, Vi’s car in your drive, Vi behind your security system. I left her there thinkin’ she was safe but there was no car for you so I went to your office to give you the lowdown. When I hit it, they were movin’ you and her out,” Benny jerked his head to the backseat.

“Name’s Lindy,” Lindy introduced herself.

“Hey Lindy, Benny,” Benny introduced back.

“Nice ta meetcha,” Lindy muttered and Cal heard the sudden tiredness in her tone mixed with a bit of pain she couldn’t quite hide. Adrenalin crash. They needed to keep an eye on her.

Cal twisted in his seat to glance at a pale but hanging in there Lindy as Benny kept talking. “I tailed them from your office back to your house. They were there maybe three minutes before Vi ran from the house and got in the car and then your convoy hit the road. No girls.”

That didn’t mean someone else didn’t have them.

“We had protection,” Cal told Benny as he turned to face forward. “It wasn’t steady but there’s a possibility there are more of Hart’s men because, if Colt had men on us, someone had to take those boys out.”

“Saw a man in a car outside your offices. He didn’t look too good. Boys who took you probably took him out. Nothin’ I could see at Vi’s.”

“They still could have the girls,” Cal muttered then stated, “but that means Vi’s got at least two on her. What do you know about his house?”

Benny’s phone vibrated, he leaned forward and reached to his back pocket as he finished, “Tell you about the house in a second. Right now you need to know that Frankie followed me. When the cars separated, I took you, Crazy Frankie took Vi.”

Cal stared at his cousin’s profile and whispered, “You are shittin’ me.”

“Nope,” he answered and Cal knew even with that one word Benny was pissed and he was worried. Then Benny flipped his phone open and put it to his ear. “Sal, I got ‘im. He’s good. Did Frankie call you?”

Benny listened to Sal for approximately three seconds before he put his foot to the floor, the SUV shot forward, he flipped his phone shut and threw it on the dash.

Then he whispered, “Vi’s at Hart’s house and Hart’s got Frankie too.”

“Sal call the cops?” Cal asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care, didn’t ask, wasn’t gonna wait for an answer.”

Cal studied Benny and saw with clarity that his cousin was now on a mission.

In normal circumstances Cal would question this response considering Benny hated Francesca. All the Bianchis did except Carm, who lived in LA, and Cal, who hadn’t really lived anywhere for seventeen years.

He didn’t question this response however because he was just happy Benny finally got the lead out.

He leaned forward and nabbed Benny’s phone, sat back and dialed the house phone.

Feb answered with a cautious, “Hello?”

“Feb, Cal. You got the girls?”

“Cal,” she whispered, relief so stark in her tone it was a physical thing coming over the airwaves. Then he heard commotion behind her.

“Feb, the girls,” Cal prompted on an impatient growl.

No answer then Colt.

“Cal?”

“Colt, are the fuckin’ girls there?”

“They’re here. Safe. Scared. Though things perked up the minute Feb said your name. Where are you?”

“Chicago. On my way to pick up Vi.”

“She okay?”

“She will be.”

A pause then, “Talk to me.”

“Hart has her at his place. We’re headed there.”

“You know this for certain?”

“Intel from Sal.”

“Sal made a deal with Pryor. This mean Sal told the cops where Vi is?”

“Don’t know, we didn’t ask and don’t got a line to Pryor. They’re there, they’re not, they don’t have her, I’m goin’ in.”

“Cal, let me call Pryor.”

“She’s not out, I’m goin’ in.”

“Cal –”

“Make your calls,” Cal ordered and then shut the phone.

I stared out the window at Daniel Hart’s beautiful lawn and garden. He had a swimming pool that Keira would love.

“Violet,” I heard him say and I turned.

He was walking toward me, smiling and holding a glass of water and what looked like a pale green silk robe was slung over his forearm.

“I brought you aspirin and water for your hangover,” he told me when he made it to me.

“Thanks,” I whispered and took the glass and pills from him.

“A robe,” he offered the green silk to me, “you can get out of that shirt.”

My choice? I would wear Joe’s shirt until it fell off me.

But I didn’t have choices anymore.

Joe was dead and I was here. That was it. That was my life.

Joe was dead and I was here.

Joe was dead.

Joe was dead.

I turned back to the window and looked out.

“Violet,” he called.

“Yes?” I said to the window but he didn’t speak further for long moments.

Then he said, “I can see you need some time.”

Yes, you fucking lunatic! I need some fucking time! My mind screamed.

“That’d be good,” I whispered not looking at him. I knew what he looked like. Brown hair, not light, not dark. Hazel eyes. Fit and slim. Nice trousers, sharp crease pressed in. Khaki. A long-sleeved polo neck shirt. Burgundy. Also nice. Totally fucking crazy.

I’d have him, in that outfit, telling me calmly and with no emotion that he was sorry, Joe was dead burned on my brain for the rest of my life.

They’d told me on the phone, if I went with them, they’d let Joe go.

They’d lied.

“Change, I’ll be back in awhile and we’ll share a late lunch,” he murmured but I felt him there, he didn’t move and neither did I before he went on. “I’m glad you made this decision Violet.”

It was then I turned and met his eyes.

“You killed my husband, my brother and Joe. Did I have a choice?”

“Violet –”

I turned away, tossed the pills to the floor and took a long drink of the water.

“You should take the aspirin, Violet. It’ll help –”

I turned to him again. “Do you honestly think I’m going to consume pills you handed me?”

He looked shocked before he stated, “I’d never hurt you.”

At those stunning, crazy, unbelievable words, not thinking, losing it, I leaned into his face and screamed, “You killed Joe!”

I watched his face start to go hard but I stopped watching when we both turned to the door after we heard, “Danny.”

A man was standing there, one of the two who’d been in the car with me during the longest, most uncomfortable, most terrifying ride of my life. The whole time I felt like I was going to get sick not only because of my hangover but because of my fucking life and the fact that I knew they could never have Joe’s phone without having Joe. I didn’t know what they had to do to get to a man like Joe. I just knew it wasn’t good.

“I’m in the middle of something,” Hart said to his minion.

“We got a situation,” his minion replied and Hart stared at him looking unhappy then he turned to me.

“Change,” he ordered.

“You gonna kill me if I don’t?” I snapped.

He leaned forward and barked, “Change!”

I leaned forward too, too far gone to read the warning behind his quick shift in mood from Mr. Charm to Mr. Mean and shouted, “Fuck you!”

“Danny! For Christ’s sake, we got a situation,” the minion repeated.

Hart didn’t turn to him. Instead he said to me, “I recommend you get smart pretty fuckin’ soon.”

“And I recommend you go fuck yourself,” I shot back and then suddenly I was on my hands and knees. This was because he backhanded me hard.

I’d never been hit, not in my life, and it hurt. I stayed still, blinking away the pain and felt him lean over me.

“Change,” he whispered then I felt his presence move away.

I didn’t move while I waited for the pain to clear and then I decided I wasn’t going to change. Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him!

I got to my feet and sucked in a long breath. Then I looked at the pool and I looked at it for a long time.

Then I decided that my beautiful daughter Keira was never going to stick even her toe in that pool.

I didn’t know how I was going to get out of this but I knew I was going to have to get out of this. Then get to Barry. They might not take someone hanging out on your street and sending you gifts very seriously but they sure as fuck better take kidnapping seriously.

That asshole was going down.

And I was going to get on with my life. Again.

Without Joe.

I should have been like Theresa and taken pictures, loads of pictures. Pictures of him sleeping. Pictures of him with the girls. Pictures of him drinking coffee. Pictures of him mowing the lawn. Pictures of him watching TV. Pictures of him breathing.

Joe was so wrong to get rid of his pictures of Nicky. I needed pictures. I needed the memories. Lots of them.

I only had one picture of him. The one with him and Nicky already on my Dead People I Love Shelf.

Well at least that was a timesaver. I wouldn’t have to move it.

I laughed, the sound was harsh and the feel of it bit at my throat.

Then I felt a tear slide down my face.

My mind moved to my daughters. I didn’t know what time it was but they’d know when they got home something was wrong. Then they’d have to find out Joe was never coming home. Then I’d have to find a way to put the pieces of us together again.

I felt another tear slide down my face but this time it coincided with a sob sliding up my throat.

I choked it down and put a hand to the glass as my legs started trembling because I knew I was clean out of emotional glue. This one had broken me. I knew it. I felt it. I was broken. There were no strong arms to hold me together. No big, hard body to climb into bed with and hold onto. Not this time. Never again. Not… ever… again.

“Let’s move,” I heard an impatient voice saying and I whirled around to see one of Hart’s henchmen moving closer to me.

“What?” I asked.

He didn’t answer. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room.

I dropped the robe on my way out.

“I’m Frankie,” she whispered.

“I’m Violet,” I whispered back.

“Cal’s woman,” she said and I swallowed.

“Yeah,” I replied and that one word broke because I was, for a short, glorious period of time where me and my girls were able to make him smile, make him laugh, give him what he always wanted.

Hell, just that morning he was teasing me.

And I’d told him to go away.

And he did, to tell my girls good-bye for me after seeing to it that they got ready for school.

I closed my eyes tight as the memory assaulted my brain.

She was silent a moment then she said, “He’ll be okay.”

“They killed him,” I told her.

“What?” she asked, her voice getting louder, tighter, pissed.

“Quiet!” the henchman barked.

Sitting in the back of the car, Frankie and I got quiet.

Then she reached out and took my hand.

Then she squeezed.

“House’s clear. They hauled ass,” Pryor told Cal and Benny.

They were standing on the sidewalk outside Hart’s house. There were cop cars everywhere, Chicago PD and Feds crawling all over the place.

“Any clue where they’d go?” Benny asked.

“Got men out everywhere,” Pryor answered, his eyes on Cal. “They musta got a tipoff that we were comin’.”

“Frankie,” Benny muttered.

“Boss,” a uniform called as he walked to their huddle. “We got film,” he said when he stopped and all the men’s eyes turned to him but he was eyeing up Cal.

“Film?” Pryor prompted.

“Civilians,” the uniform murmured, using his chin to indicate Benny and Cal.

“Spill it, Krakowski,” Pryor bit out.

The uniform looked at Pryor and nodded. “They took him,” his head jerked to Cal, “to a warehouse with cameras. Feed went to the house. Boys figure they hauled ass when he,” another jerk of the head to Cal, “took down Hart’s two boys then drilled rounds in their legs.”

“Self-defense,” Benny stated instantly.

“Right,” the uniform replied, his gaze shifting to Benny, his mouth hard, “by the way, did I mention we got film?”

“We’ll sort that out later,” Pryor cut in then went on, muttering to himself, “so he saw Joe got loose and took off where?”

“More film,” the uniform said and Pryor’s eyes focused on him.

“Jesus, Krako, spit it out,” Pryor snapped.

“Security of the house. They got a brunette too. She was sittin’ in her car outside,” he pointed at a sweet, old model, red, Nissan Z car at the curb. “They nabbed her, took her into the house, five minutes later both women were in a car with a coupla Hart’s boys and headin’ out. Hart followed in another car. Got the cars and plates. They’re already out on the line.”

Pryor looked at Cal. “It’s somethin’.”

Cal stared at Pryor and didn’t reply. It was something, this was true, it just wasn’t fucking much. And after Benny and Pryor briefed him, now Cal knew that Hart knew Cal had called Sal for the hit which meant his motivation had shifted. He also knew that Cal was loose and he likely knew the Feds were on his ass. The man was whacked which meant, him knowing all that, he wasn’t going to follow script. He was going to be unpredictable. This was evidenced by the fact that he drove Cal all the way to Chicago to finish him off. Outside his MO. Hart normally didn’t fuck around. Hart wanted Cal in Chicago because Hart wanted it filmed because Hart wanted to watch him die.

Cal wasn’t a chore, a mess to clean up. This was retribution.

And he had Frankie and Vi.

“Fuck,” Cal muttered.

They all turned when a paramedic jogged up to them.

“Gotta get the girl to the hospital,” the paramedic said and all eyes shifted to the ambulance where Lindy was sitting on the back and another paramedic was squatting by her leg. “You comin’?” the paramedic asked Cal.

“Nope,” Cal replied and the paramedic’s gaze moved through both of Cal’s graze wounds before they went back to his eyes. “I’m good,” Cal finished.

“You need those seen to,” the paramedic advised.

“I’m good,” Cal repeated.

“But –” he started, Cal’s body shifted slightly and he stopped speaking then muttered, “right.” He nodded to Cal then Pryor then hoofed it back to the ambulance.

Cal started to move away, saying, “We’ll be at Sal’s.”

Benny moved with him when Pryor called, sounding surprised, “You waitin’ this out?”

“Not much else to do,” Cal responded and headed to Benny’s SUV.

“Um…” the uniform mumbled loudly, “we might have some ques –”

“Later,” Cal heard Pryor cut him off.

“But –”

“Later.”

Cal swung into the passenger side of Benny’s SUV as Benny climbed behind the wheel.

Benny turned to him. “We goin’ to Sal’s to wait it out?”

“Fuck no,” Cal replied, “we’re gonna find Ricky.”

“Cal,” Benny said low and Cal turned to him.

“Ricky, Benny.”

Benny stared at him, got that crazy motherfucking grin on his face again, started the car and then shot from the curb.

“What the fuck, Danny!” Frankie and I heard the minion’s angry shout from the other room.

“Don’t,” Daniel Hart returned.

“This shit is fucked,” the minion shot back. “We don’t got a situation. We got fuckin’ four.”

“I’m handling it,” Hart retorted.

“Yeah, right,” the henchman snapped, “you’re not handlin’ shit. You’re still chasin’ twat. Fuck! We shoulda took him out in Indiana. Crazy ass shit, bringin’ that fuckin’ guy to Chicago.”

“I wanted to watch,” Hart replied and I closed my eyes and pulled in breath.

Frankie grabbed my hand.

“Like I said, fucked,” the other man was still shouting, “two boys down there, Danny. Took out two of ours down there. Cops in our business everywhere for weeks. And I got sources tellin’ me the Feds got the books. Giglia’s boys are on the hunt and our men are scramblin’. And that guy’s stone cold. You saw what he fuckin’–”

“Quiet,” Hart’s voice was low but sharp.

“Hands behind his back, Danny.”

My eyes opened and I looked at Frankie who for some reason was smiling.

“Quiet!” Hart shouted and there was quiet.

I felt Frankie’s body get tense then she released my hand. I tore my eyes from the closed door we were behind and watched her move.

“Frankie!” I hissed but she just lifted a hand and waved it at me as she moved on silent feet across the room.

“I’m your man, Danny,” the minion said, his voice quieter, “been your man a long time but I’m not goin’ down for some dead cop’s cunt.”

“What did you say?” Hart asked as I watched Frankie at a window, she was taking her time, trying to be quiet and slowly working it up.

I left the couch we were sitting on and ran on bare thus luckily silent feet toward her.

“You heard me,” the henchman stated.

Frankie pushed the window up and it made a noise which was drowned out by a gunshot. Frankie and I jumped and looked over our shoulders at the closed door.

“Danny!” the other henchman in Hart’s posse shouted, “Jesus Christ, you just shot Brady. What the fuck!”

“Go,” Frankie whispered and I looked at her. Then I threw myself through the window, landing on soft turf. I rolled away from the window and got to my feet. She followed me out, I grabbed her hand, yanked her up and we ran.

We heard the second gunshot as we went.

Benny led and Cal followed as Benny opened the door to a sleazy bar that had the name of Slim Jim’s.

Ricky was sitting at the end of the bar looking the same as ever. Thinning non-descript hair. Thin non-descript face. Thin non-descript body. Weasel eyes and, even though Cal couldn’t see him or hear him, he knew Ricky had bad teeth and was a mouth breather.

Ricky’s head came up when Benny came in. He clocked Benny and then he was on the move.

Benny and Cal sprinted after him.

They caught him out the back alley, Benny grabbing him by the back of his shirt, he yanked him to a halt then turned him and shoved him face first against the wall.

Benny grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm around and up, got close to his back and asked in his ear, “Why you runnin’, Ricky?”

Ricky turned his head, saw Cal and his face got white.

“Jesus,” he whispered then rallied, “hey Cal.”

“Talk,” Cal replied.

“About what?” Ricky asked, Benny pushed in closer and Ricky’s eyeballs slid way to the side in an effort to take in Benny. “Yeesh, Benny, man, what the fuck?”

“Talk,” Benny repeated Cal’s word.

“Like I said, about what?” Ricky asked.

“About where Hart would take Cal’s woman,” Benny answered and Ricky’s eyes went to Cal.

“You got a woman?” he asked, openly surprised or acting that way.

“Ricky, we don’t got a lotta time,” Cal said instead of answering.

Benny pushed off and moved a foot away so Ricky could turn to face them, back still to the brick wall of the alley.

Ricky’s eyebrows went up. “You two workin’ for Sal?”

“Cal asked you a question, Ricky. We don’t got a lotta time.” Benny reminded him.

Ricky’s eyes went to Benny. “Don’t know nothin’ ‘bout Hart.”

Benny looked at Cal. Cal caught his eye and then looked at Ricky. Then he moved, dipping low, he caught Ricky with an upper cut to his kidneys. Ricky’s arms went around his belly, he bent forward and coughed.

After doing this for thirty seconds, his head shot back and he wheezed, “What the fuck!”

“Where would Hart go on the run?” Cal asked.

“Hart’s a crazy motherfucker. Don’t know nothin’ ‘bout him, don’t wanna know nothin’ ‘bout him,” Ricky answered and Benny moved in, hand wrapping around Ricky’s throat, pinning him to the brick wall.

“It’s your business,” Benny reminded him, “Mr. Information. You know everything about everyone.”

“Don’t know about Hart,” Ricky rasped, his fingers curling around Benny’s forearm.

“We don’t got time to deal. You sell information. Today, you’re buyin’ it with your health,” Benny informed him.

“Ben,” Ricky choked, “you know Hart. I got in his business, he’d get in mine. Don’t need that shit. I steer clear.”

“You got to have heard somethin’,” Cal told him and Ricky’s eyes came to Cal.

“I hear it, I forget it, I stay breathin’,” Ricky’s voice sounded strangled and he was tearing at Benny’s forearm with his fingernails.

“What’d you forget?” Benny asked, leaning in close and Ricky gagged. “What’d you forget!” Benny shouted in his face.

“Ben, boy can’t talk if you choke him to death,” Cal said quietly, Benny looked over his shoulder at Cal and stepped back.

Benny’s phone rang and since it was in Cal’s back pocket, Cal pulled it out, looked at the display and his brows snapped together. He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Yo,” he said.

“Collect call from Francesca Concetti. Will you accept the charges?” an operator asked.

“Yes,” Cal clipped, his eyes sliced to Benny and he mouthed, “Frankie.”

Benny’s back went straight.

“Ben?” Francesca whispered.

“Frankie?”

“Oh Jesus,” she was still whispering, “Cal?”

“Frankie where the fuck are you?”

“Boathouse –” she started then he heard Vi, her voice tight, high, something weird in it.

“Is that Joe?”

“Yeah,” Frankie whispered.

“Give it to me,” Cal heard Vi demand and then he heard a tussle. Finally, Vi came on the phone. “Joe?”

“Baby, where are you?”

“Joe!” she squealed.

“Jesus, Violet, keep it down,” he heard Frankie hiss.

“Oh Joe, Jesus, honey, oh God,” Vi whispered then he heard a tortured sob.

“Buddy, hold it together and tell me where you –” he stopped talking when he heard the phone moving around and then he was back to Frankie.

“Hart told her you were dead,” Frankie explained and Cal clenched his teeth because this was a cruel thing to do to anyone, especially Vi; because he could still hear Violet’s sobs; because he was getting no information; and lastly because they were on the phone but it sounded like they were unsafe.

“I’m alive. Where are you?”

“He took us to a boathouse. North. We’re on the lake. We climbed out the window, went through the trees and broke into another house,” Frankie answered.

“Hart’s not there?”

“No, he’s –” she was cut off by Vi.

“Let me talk to him.”

“Girl, we gotta –”

“Frankie,” Cal cut in, “stay on the line.”

“Let me talk to him!” Vi demanded.

“Shit,” Frankie muttered then he heard a faraway, “here.”

Cal’s teeth were still clenched and he was glaring at Benny who still had Ricky against the wall with a loose hold at his throat but his eyes were locked on Cal.

“Joe –” Vi began.

“Honey, I know you’re freaked but you gotta give the phone back to Frankie,” Cal told her.

“Why?” Violet asked.

“Because she’s got her shit together and she can lead me to you.”

“But I know exactly where we are. Dad had a boat up here. We’re –”

He heard Frankie cut in. “Violet, I hear somethin’.”

“Where are you?” Cal asked urgently.

“Oh God, they’re here,” Violet whispered.

“Violet, God dammit, where are you?” Cal shouted but the line was dead. “Jesus fucking Christ!” Cal roared, snapped the phone shut, got into Benny’s space to shove him aside and wrapped his hand around Ricky’s throat. “Where’s Hart’s boathouse?”

Ricky’s eyes were bugging out and his hand came up to claw at Cal’s arm but he managed to gag, “Boathouse?”

“Boathouse!” Cal barked in face.

“Don’t know. Swear to God… don’t –” he stopped speaking and started full on gagging, Cal released him and stepped back.

He flipped the phone back open and dialed home. Colt answered on the first ring.

“Colton.”

“Colt, ask Kate what her grandfather’s phone number is.” Cal ordered.

“Sorry?” Colt asked.

“I don’t have a lotta time. Ask Kate what Vi’s father’s phone number is.”

“Hang on,” Colt said and then Cal heard him calling Kate and the phone was jostled.

“Joe?” It was Kate saying his name, his second favorite way of hearing it.

“Hey Katy,” he said softly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“Mom?” she asked, her voice tense.

“Gettin’ there,” he replied vaguely. “Now listen to me. I need your grandfather’s phone number.”

“I’ll go get my phone,” she said quickly.

So Kate. She didn’t ask questions. She wasn’t messing around. She knew he needed something and she was getting down to business.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered.

“Everyone here is really freaked out,” she told him and he knew she was walking and talking.

“Tell them they can relax,” Joe said and he heard her short, surprised giggle.

“Jeez, Joe, that’s what you always say.”

God he loved that kid.

“I know you’re in a hurry but can you hang on? Keira wants to talk to you,” Kate asked.

He couldn’t but he would.

“Yeah, tell her it has to be fast.”

“Right,” she said into his ear and then the phone was away from her mouth when he heard her say, “It has to be fast, Keirry.”

“I’ll be fast,” he heard Keira promise, then in the phone, “Joe?”

Tied for second.

“Hey, honey.”

“Joe,” her voice broke on his name then the tears were audible.

“Come here, darlin’,” Cal heard who he guessed was Cheryl whisper and the phone moving.

“It’s me. I’m back,” Kate said. “I got the number.”

“Give it to me,” Joe replied and listened to it as she gave it and repeated it. When she was done, he said, “We’ll be home soon, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Love you, baby.”

“Love you too, Joe.”

He flipped the phone shut and looked at Benny and Ricky who were both staring at him. Benny with a grin on his face. Ricky with his mouth hanging open.

Cal ignored their reactions and said to Benny, “They’re in a boathouse, north, on the lake. Vi said her Dad had a boat there before we were disconnected. I have his number. We’ll call on the way.”

Benny was already on the move when he said, “Gotcha.”

We stopped in the trees, both of us breathing heavy but we listened for footfalls in the leaves.

We’d been running willy nilly for what seemed like hours, at first because we were panicked and didn’t know what the fuck we were doing. Then because we were lost and couldn’t get our bearings. Finally, we came to a spot that was familiar to me and I knew we were close to safety.

Now we just needed to catch our breath.

“You think we lost them?” Frankie whispered.

I knew Daniel Hart never gave up. We didn’t lose them.

I looked at her and shook my head.

She looked through the trees then at me. “We should separate.”

I snatched up her hand. “What? No!”

“They won’t know who they’re followin’.”

“So? They could catch either one of us but –”

“You stay here, I’ll go. They’ll hear me, follow me, you know the lay of the land. You wait awhile then go to that shop you were talkin’ about and I’ll lead them away.”

This was a crazy plan and no way I was doing it.

“What if they find you?” I asked.

“I’ll think of something,” she answered.

“That’s crazy!” I snapped.

She got close. “Violet, honey, you got no shoes on. You’re in a t-shirt. You can’t be out here, running on this –”

I cut her off. “I’m fine.”

She got closer. “Listen to me –”

I shook her hand at the same time I squeezed it. “We’re not separating.”

“Vi –”

I lifted my other hand and wrapped it around the side of her neck. I did this because Joe did it to me more than once and when he did I shut up and listened to him (sometimes).

“We’re… not… separating.”

Frankie stared me in the eyes then she nodded.

There you go. The hand to the neck business worked even if you weren’t a huge badass rugged alpha male.

I filed that away for future reference and then we both took off running.

Cal and Benny stood in the empty boathouse with the broken window. There weren’t many but this was the third one they’d been in. The second one had two dead men in it that Cal recognized because they’d shot at him this morning. The boathouse he and Benny were in was the closest to Hart’s and it was the one where the women had used the phone. Cal knew this because the place was dusty but the dust was disturbed and most of the disturbance was around the phone.

Cal had Benny’s phone to his ear and Pete was on the line.

“Where would she head?” Cal clipped into the phone.

“People. Civilization,” Pete muttered.

That would be difficult. They weren’t far out of Chicago but there weren’t a lot of either of those where they were which was fifteen minutes out of Chicago but still right in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Then Pete said on a near shout, “The shop!”

“What shop?” Cal asked.

“Main road, half a mile up from the house we used to have. Only thing on that road except the lake houses. We used to drive out of our way to go up there so I could get the kids ice cream. I didn’t want the ice cream to melt –”

Cal interrupted him, “So it’s half a mile up from your old place, you mean north?”

“Yes,” Pete answered and Cal looked at Benny and did the mental calculation from what Pete had told him.

“So maybe five, six miles from here,” he said to Benny.

“Long way for her to go if she’s barefoot,” Benny replied quietly and Cal was glad Vi’s fucking foot had time to heal so both of them could be torn to shreds running through a goddamned forest because fucking Daniel fucking Hart was right now literally stalking his goddamned woman.

“Gotta go,” Cal said into the phone as they headed toward the door.

“You’ll call?” Pete asked.

“I’ll call,” Cal answered and flipped the phone shut.

Then he jogged behind Benny but followed him to the driver’s side.

Benny turned to him. “I’m drivin’.”

“I’m runnin’,” Cal returned.

Benny’s brows shot up. “What?”

“I’m on foot. You drive to the shop. I’m takin’ the woods.”

Benny moved closer. “Cal, you haven’t had food, you –”

“Time’s wastin’, Ben.”

“You been shot twice,” Benny reminded him.

“Grazed.”

“Cal, God dammit –”

“They might catch them before they reach the shop. They could be anywhere in those woods and they’re scared, not covering their tracks and therefore leavin’ footprints,” Cal pointed out and finished. “I’m trackin’ through the woods.”

“Yeah, you get caught up in somethin’, we only have one phone.”

“Go to the shop. They’re not there, brief the people who work there, tell them to call the cops, tell the cops to call Pryor and you drive the road. I find them, that’s where I’ll lead them.”

“Cal, I haven’t been shot today, or shot at. Let me run.”

“Get in the truck, Benny.”

“Cal –”

Benny didn’t finish. Cal turned and ran into the woods.

He was gaining. He wasn’t hungover and he had shoes on and he’d had something to eat that day.

I should have let Frankie separate. I was slowing her down.

“Go!” I shouted, “go to the shop.”

“We’re not separating!” she shouted back, her hair flying behind her, running in front of me, she had my hand in hers and she was holding on tight.

“Frankie!”

The gunshot rang out, it was so close I could hear the hiss of the bullet through the air and we both reflexively dove for cover.

By the time we rolled to our backs and looked up, Daniel Hart was standing over us, pointing his gun at Frankie.

“Liability,” he muttered then fired.

Cal heard the shot, it wasn’t close but it wasn’t far away.

He stopped running and started sprinting.

Seconds later, he heard the second shot.

Benny had the windows open to the SUV, he heard the shot, it wasn’t close but it wasn’t far away.

He pulled the Explorer to the side of the road, shut off the ignition, tagged his gun and threw open the door.

His boots hit the ground and he heard the second shot.

He sprinted into the woods.

“Shoot me!” I shrieked.

He was pointing the gun at me but I was staring into his eyes.

“You took everything from me,” he stated calmly.

“I took everything from you? You took everything from me!” I screeched.

“I handed you the world gift by gift. You didn’t even bother to open the boxes.”

“You’re a lunatic. You think the world fits in a box?” I snapped.

He leaned forward and his face twisted in a way that I did not like.

“You would know if you bothered to open the fucking boxes!”

I leaned forward too, keeping his focus as I heard Frankie dragging herself away.

“I do know what it feels like to be handed the world, you asshole!” I shouted, “Tim did it when he got me pregnant at seventeen and then gave me a beautiful life until you took his. Then Joe gave it to me again and he did it just by giving a shit that I’d walked across a goddamned yard in bare feet! And here I stand in front of you, and you think you gave me the world when you don’t even care that I’m running through a forest in bare feet!”

Cal stood ten feet to the side of Hart, raised his gun and took aim

He did this listening to Vi and smiling.

Frankie’s head came up, her eyes hit Benny and she quit dragging herself through the leaves.

Benny squatted low and put his finger to his lips.

Frankie squished her lips into her nose and mouthed, “Bare feet?”

Benny hoped to all hell that this meant the blood coming from her middle wasn’t oozing the life out of her.

Benny grinned at Frankie, shook his head, straightened, raised his gun and took aim.

Hart wasn’t listening to me firstly because he was focused on his own shit and secondly because he was a maniac.

“I built an empire and I put it at risk for you.”

“I didn’t ask for that, didn’t want it, still don’t want it,” I snapped back.

“And now it’s gone,” he whispered, “because of you.”

“Let me enlighten you, Mr. Hart. After they put you away for a thousand years, by some miracle you get out and you find a woman who catches your fancy, she doesn’t want an empire. She wants you to give a shit. That’s it. She just wants you to give a shit.”

He still wasn’t listening.

“I gave it all for you,” he whispered, his voice quiet in a scary way.

“You didn’t give anything.” My voice was quiet too. “You just took.” My eyes moved to his gun and I made an invitation that I hoped he didn’t accept but instead would finally fucking listen to me. “So take now. Take my daughters’ mother away. Take again from Joe, someone who life hasn’t allowed to keep hold of many good things. Take me.”

He raised his gun to point at my head.

I kept staring at the gun and I wondered if Tim and Sam felt like this in their last moments. If they felt their heart racing. If their throat had closed. If they felt every inch of their skin tingling. If their mind moved to me, the girls, Mel. If they sent out a prayer that someone would make us all right when they were gone. If they hoped to all that was holy that we’d never forget that they loved us.

I raised my eyes to his.

“I hate you,” I whispered.

He smiled.

Then I heard the gunshots.