At Peace

by Kristen Ashley

  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 sil
k 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.”