“I doubt they even know I moved.”
Callahan stood up, too. “Yeah, I’m afraid they do.”
“You don’t know that,” she said. “You’re bluffing me.”
“I wish. Raine, I haven’t told you what Snake said or what Bull shouted while he was trying to knife me. I haven’t told you why we were trying to arrest them, have I? No, I didn’t think so. We had a warrant for them on arson and murder charges.”
Her anger throttled down a notch. “What are you talking about?”
“What time did we pick up your stuff at your old place? Around nine?”
“We were finished by ten, and I gave the key to Mrs. Morales. Why?”
“The whole building was engulfed in flames at eleven, baby. Two people died from smoke inhalation on the upper floor, and eyewitnesses saw the Marsh brothers at the scene.”
Horror crept through her with claws, slashing enough to hurt. “Oh, my Lord! If we hadn’t been gone, we’d have been caught in it.”
His tone was drier than sand. “Yeah, I know. And first they busted into your apartment, and that’s where they poured the gasoline and set it blazing.”
“How do you know?” Her voice refused to reach full volume.
“Shoe,” he said. “Shoe came to the precinct to rat on them. He said he’d had enough, things had gone too far, and he wanted no part of it. He’s in protective custody now. That’s how we knew where to find Snake and Bull, baby. They had planned a big celebration, but they put it on hold because we weren’t dead. Snake went wild and vowed to get his vengeance. Even Shoe, his cousin, said he didn’t know what Snake might do, but it would be beyond bad. ”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Callahan’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t want to scare you more than you already were, doll. Are you mad at me?”
“I was,” Raine told him. “But no, I’m not now. I’m terrified.”
“Come here, baby.” He opened his arms and she walked into them.
Uncertain, frightened, and unsure what to do next, Raine nestled against Callahan. “Hold me for a few minutes,” she said. “Okay?”
“You got it,” he answered. “Whatever happens, doll, we’ll see it through together.”
With her head pillowed against his chest, she listened to the steady beat of his heart and prayed it would be so.
Chapter Thirteen
Callahan figured he had until Tuesday to figure something out. He convinced Raine to take Monday off, and she made the necessary call. His efforts to send her home until the trouble no longer threatened failed. “I’m not leaving you,” she told him. “And I’m not running away.”
“It wouldn’t be running, doll.”
Chin up, she glared at him. “It would be, to me.”
He had promised to keep her safe and would at the cost of his own life if necessary, but what Raine didn’t understand and he couldn’t seem to explain was that it was next to impossible to keep his cop focus. And to resolve the situation and protect her, he must. Callahan tried one more time to tell her.
“Doll, listen. Out on the street, I gotta think like a law enforcement officer. I have to think on my feet and think fast. I can’t worry about you or it distracts me, and right now I can’t help but worry about you.”
Raine snuggled closer to him on the couch. After a long nap, they had warmed up leftover chicken and dumplings for a late super. Now, neither one of them wanted to sleep. At her insistence, they had folded the bed back into a sofa but she hadn’t left his side. And he really didn’t want her to. “I’m concerned, too, Callahan but I’m not asking you to stay home.”
“I can’t.”
“That’s the point. I really can’t either. I’ll skip tomorrow, but I really should work the rest of the week. Even if I wanted to go home, which I don’t, I’d have to explain everything. I’m not going to do that.”
“So maybe you should take a little vacation, go up to Maine or down to Philly or DC or someplace and be a tourist. Take a break, you know.”
“Are you coming, too?”
He groaned. “You know the answer is no.”
“Then neither am I.”
“Raine, please.”
She scooted back enough to look into his face, her eyes intent. “Listen, Callahan. Before I met you, New York scared the holy crap out of me. I liked it but I didn’t. I was homesick enough. Then, if something like this had happened, I’d have been on the first plane home. But you showed me the real city, a place I’ve come to love. This is home now and I want to stay. Besides, I love you and I’m not about to ditch you when you’re in danger, too. You were Snake’s original target, not me.”
“Aw, baby, I know all that, and I love you, too. That’s why I want you to get outta here for a while.”
“I’m not going.”
Callahan closed his eyes. “You are one stubborn woman.”
“That’s what I’ve heard, all my life.”
“All right, all right, I give up. You’re staying. But you’re gonna have to listen to me and take my advice or we’ll be end up with a toe tag at the morgue.”
Raine cupped his face with one hand. “Don’t say things like that, Cal.”
“I gotta, so you’ll pay attention. I’m not exaggerating. It could happen like that.”
“It won’t.”
He smoothed down her mane of hair with one hand. “God, I hope you’re right”
“Can we stop talking about it for the rest of tonight? Please.”
After a little consideration, Callahan nodded. “Yeah, I guess. So whaddya want to do, then? You want to watch a movie or listen to music or what?”
“I want to make love,” she told him. “I want to turn you inside out, Officer Callahan. I’d like to do things I’ve never done with anyone, ever.”
His heart stumbled over a few beats, and his dick demonstrated immediate interest. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“Let me show you,” Raine said. She reached for the hem of her blouse and grasped it, then pulled it over her head. She shucked out of her other garments with speed, and he caught up with her. Without waiting for her to request it, he pulled out the bed and straightened the covers.
Callahan held out his hand to her. “C’mere.”
Without hesitation, she came to him, and he wrapped her tight in his embrace. Then he kissed her with slow deliberation, his lips lingering on hers. He tasted her and used his mouth to tantalize her. Cal gnawed her lips like licorice and used his mouth to caress her. He knew she liked what he delivered by the way Raine latched onto his mouth with hers, After a delicious interlude, he poked his tongue into her mouth and French kissed her. Her nipples against his chest hardened into stones and his cock did the same.
His hands roamed over her body, stroking with appreciation for her curves. Raine stretched beneath his touch, almost purring. Then she reached up and pulled the clip from her hair so that her golden curls cascaded over her shoulders, then down her back. Raine grasped his butt with both hands and pulled him closer. “I like it, baby,” he said.
“Oh, yeah?” she whispered. “How about this?”
Raine wrapped her hand around his stiff dick and squeezed, not hard but not softly either. Then she pulled up and down until he thought sure as hell he would come in her hand.
“I like, but Jesus, go easy.”
She laughed. “Back up and lie down, Callahan. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Her attempt at his New York accent came close and fired his desire to a new level. He did as she asked, and once he sprawled on his back she straddled him. “Hold still,” she said in her own Midwestern twang. “I’ve never done this before.”
With the easy grace of a cowgirl, although he’d never seen one ride in reality, Raine swung herself up and mounted his cock with precision. She wiggled her ass until she had settled onto it.
Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh, God, I think I’m gonna die from pleasure, he thought as his stiff rod penetrated up into her warm hole. Raine’s pussy fit him and her heat
radiated around him like a loving caress. He might’ve moaned, he wasn’t sure, but when she began rocking back and forth with a steady rhythm, he cried out. She rode him, leaning forward to allow him maximum penetration, and held out her open hands.
Callahan grabbed them and held on tight as she increased her speed. Waves of sensual delight rushed through him, intense and incredible. He struggled to savor each one, to hold back as long as possible to make the climax the ultimate, but when Raine convulsed, face flushed crimson, and shrieked, he let go and joined her. Together, they shared the powerful orgasm, writhing and gasping for breath. They rode it into the brilliant bursts of starlight, then down into darkness. At the last, as her body shuddered into a slow, last climax, Raine stretched forward to kiss him full on the mouth. They remained joined as she collapsed onto his chest, and when she withdrew, the sudden separation almost hurt. His dick throbbed, tender and sated, and his bones had melted in the flash-fire of their coming together.
Raine settled beside him, one arm flung out across his sweaty chest, her head pillowed against his shoulder. “Callahan.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to say your name.”
He chuckled. “I want to ask you something,”
“Sure, anything.”
“Did you mean what you said, that New York’s home now?”
Her fingers rubbed his chest in a light caress. “Yes.”
Happiness spread through him like warm honey, slow and delightful. “Good,” he told her. This woman brought out gut-level honesty in him, and he told her things he’d never have admitted to anyone else. “I worried maybe all this shit might make you want to go back where you came from or something.”
“That’s not happening,” Raine said. She traced an invisible line from his nipple down to his crotch. “I’m where I want to be, with you.”
Her statement touched him and salved some of his old hurts. “Then plan to stay forever,” he told her. “I like having you around, baby.”
Callahan kept his promise, that they wouldn’t talk about the looming threat, but he failed to keep it from his thoughts. It gnawed at his consciousness, worse than an itch. Why can’t something in my life ever go right or be easy? I’ve found her, I love her, and I want to be happy. But no, we’ve got a vicious criminal on our tail, vowing to hunt us down and kill us. And the damn thing is, I have no real idea how to stop him.
“Good thing, Callahan.”
He touched his lips to the top of her head with a rush of tenderness. “The best, doll, the best.”
“I don’t even know if I’ll go home for Thanksgiving.”
Blindsided by the unexpected statement, he studied her expression, trying to decide if she minded or not. He couldn’t tell. “What about your family?”
“They probably are hoping I do,” Raine told him. “But I’m not even sure I want to go.”
“Why not? I’d survive for a few days alone if I had to,” he said. I sure as hell don’t want to hold her back, but I want her here with me. I’m a selfish bastard, I guess. I can’t worry about it now, it’s three weeks away. A lot can happen in that length of time.
“It would be for just a couple of days, really, not worth the price of the plane ticket. It’s probably too late to get a good deal anyway. Besides, if I went, I’d want you to go, too.”
His lung froze and he didn’t breathe for at least thirty seconds. Callahan hadn’t expected that, not at all. He loved Raine with all he had to give, but a trip home to meet the parents sounded like a major event. Besides, he’d be out of his element in some small town. “Yeah? I don’t know if I’m ready for that. It’s not my place, and I don’t know if I’d fit it.”
“You’d do fine.”
This time, he caught the longing in her voice. “Maybe.”
“Then sometime, I’ll go.”
“I’d like that a lot,” Raine said. Despite their earlier nap, he thought she sounded sleepy. “I think I’ll tell Mom I’m staying here for Thanksgiving.”
“Did you tell her you moved in with me?”
She frowned a little. “I told her I moved,” Raine said. “I haven’t told her it’s your apartment. I did share, though, that we’re seeing each other. Is that okay?”
Callahan grinned at her. “You bet. After all, my partner Joe knows, and now Jim at the firehouse. It’s not a secret, baby. I’d sure be sharing with my family, if I had anyone.”
“Don’t you have some relatives somewhere?” she asked. “What about your brother’s widow? Didn’t you say you’re an uncle?”
“Yeah, I got three nephews,” he said. For the first time since Anthony’s death, he said it without pain but with pride. “They’re good kids. Shay, my sister-in-law, she’s a good mom. That’s about it unless you count my Pop over in Jersey.”
Raine gaped at him and scooted so she could sit up. “You have a grandfather? I didn’t know that!”
“Everyone does, doll, usually a couple of them.”
“Well, yes, I know, but you never said anything. What’s his name?”
“Aloysius Callahan,” he told her. “He’s my dad’s father and he goes by ‘Al’. He’s past ninety, and he’s lived in Jersey even before he retired thirty or so years ago. I spent more time with mom’s family than I did with him growing up, but he’s a great old guy. I go see him when I get a chance, which isn’t often.”
“That’s sweet.”
He shrugged. “Not really. He’s my granddad, that’s all. I wish I’d known him better when I was a kid, but you can’t go back.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about him?
“I never thought about it. Like me, he was a cop, but I never thought much about that until after I graduated from the academy. Apparently, my dad rebelled by becoming a fireman instead of going into law enforcement.”
Although he didn’t say it, Callahan wished he could have had his father for many more years. His memories of the man were few and bittersweet.
“If we stay home for Thanksgiving, we should go visit him.”
Callahan loved that she said home. “Yeah, we could. He lives in a senior apartment, but it’s not a nursing home or anything. He’d love it. Hell, we could go see him tomorrow if you want.”
A trip over into New Jersey would diminish the chance they might run into Snake Marsh, and a day out might relieve some of the tension they both lived with. The old man would like Raine, especially since he’d nagged Callahan to settle down and give him some grandkids. “You’re the only chance I got left to have any more,” he’d said on their last visit.
“You got Anthony’s boys,” Callahan had said.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, but you’re my namesake. Maybe I want one from you, too, while I’m still around to enjoy it.”
“I’m not naming any poor kid Aloysius,” he had told his grandfather.
“Oh, Jeez, no, not for a first name, but maybe you could give it to him for a middle name.”
Reflecting back now, he thought he might, if he ever had a son.
Raine cocked her head and considered his offer. “Sure, I’d like to,” she told him. “I haven’t been to New Jersey at all, and I’d love to meet your grandfather.”
“Then we’ll go,” he said. “We can take the train if you want.”
“The subway?”
“No, doll, Amtrak, so I’ll get online and get some tickets,” he told her.
Raine yawned, and he admired her beauty. She’s so pretty. “I’m sleepy.”
“So get some rest while I get us tickets.”
“All right.” She burrowed under the covers while he reached for his boxers and a T-shirt. “I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”
“You do that,” he said. “I won’t take long.
Callahan took a shower first. When he came back into the room, Raine slept, her hair fanned out across the pillows. She had managed to kick off the top blanket so he adjusted it and covered her, delivering a light kiss on the end of her nose. Although she stirred, she di
dn’t wake, and he brought his laptop to the kitchen table.
With a few key clicks, he bought a pair of tickets on the Northeast Regional train. The first available departure was at ten a.m., so he took it and then he drank a beer. The mellow brew eased some of his tension, but he remained concerned about their situation. Going to see his pop would help, he thought, at least it would take his mind off Snake’s threats for now. If Granddad was having a good day, he might pick his brain about the situation. Although long retired, Al Callahan retained a sharp mind and some of the best survival instincts Cal had ever seen. I can use all the help I can get.
Long after Raine had fallen asleep, Callahan joined her in bed. Lulled by the beer and the gentle rhythm of her breathing, he drifted into sleep. He still woke before she did, though, and made coffee. When she roused, hair tangled, eyes bright after her rest, he came over to deliver a kiss. “Good morning, doll.”
“Good morning.” She brushed her hair back. “Did you get train tickets?”
“You bet I did,” he told her. “We leave at ten so we’ve got plenty of time.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I need to shower.”
“Go ahead, and I’ll make breakfast.”
He adored the way she lifted one eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Callahan had gathered everything he needed, from the skillet to eggs, butter, and bread for toast while she slept. His culinary skills were basic, but he managed to scramble two eggs each and make toast. When she came to the table, hair washed, dried, and pulled back into a ponytail, Raine grinned. “Wow, you did make breakfast.”
“Told you I would,” he replied. “Whaddya think?”
After a moment, she picked up the fork and tasted the eggs. “I’m impressed, Callahan. It’s good. What else can you cook?”
“Not much,” he said. “I can manage a hot dog or hamburger if I’m lucky, warm up something from a can, or nuke it in the microwave. So you like your breakfast?”
“I do, very much.”
Her simple praise filled him with joy. He liked pleasing her.
They walked the few blocks to Pennsylvania Station, holding hands. She wore her crimson, cable-knit cardigan, and he wore his old denim jacket, faded to a soft powder-blue. A sharp wind blew between the buildings as they headed down Seventh Avenue, shoulder to shoulder with commuters and others en route somewhere.
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