Grace bit her bottom lip. “We don’t know if any of that is true yet.”
“We talked to him last night.” Callen fought to keep the shaking out of his voice and failed. He didn’t want to upset Grace further, but the fury inside him went wild, spewing and covering everything. “Today he’s gone, along with the evidence he can use to say we’ve been in on Charlie’s schemes all along and always known where the stolen items were.”
“He wouldn’t do that.” The color had left her face.
The broken expression on Grace’s face was enough to snap Callen back into reality. With a hand on her elbow, he guided her to the edge of the bed to get her to sit down. He slipped his fingers through her hair because he wanted to comfort her somehow and was at a loss.
“Grace, honey. I know you care about him, but what else can we think?”
“We’re sure he didn’t leave a note or text?” She looked from Callen to Declan. “Something.”
Declan shook his head. “I don’t want to believe it either.”
Callen knew that was true. When he caught Declan coming out of his bedroom this morning and hit him with the news, Declan balked. He’d been taken in as much as the rest of them and he fought off the truth. But now he conceded.
If possible Grace went even paler. “There could be an explanation.”
Callen didn’t know how much more of this tension they could all take. Just seeing Grace so desperate to hold on to any hope almost broke him.
“His bag is gone, Grace,” Declan said. “His car is gone. The stolen items are gone, and yes, I regret telling him about the attic.”
“The file is gone.” Callen closed his eyes after he said that. They’d actually handed the evidence right to him. That fact refused to sink into his brain.
“Do we have copies?” Leah asked as she sat down beside Grace.
“Beck insisted on something he called triple redundancy.” Callen only half knew what that meant but the fact that it existed made him vow never to make fun of his baby brother’s career again.
Leah blew out a relieved breath. “Thank God.”
The body blows kept coming because Callen had to deliver one more piece of bad news. “But that doesn’t help us all that much if Walker decides to spin this in a way that saves his ass and nails ours.”
“That’s it.” Grace jumped up and almost ran to the door. “I’m calling him.”
“We already tried.” Callen caught her around the waist and held her close. “I’m sorry.”
“Has anyone talked with Mallory?” Leah asked.
“Oh, shit.” Declan followed that up with an impressive string of profanity.
“She’s the one who really gets screwed in all of this.” Leah stood up then sat back down again. The anger she usually reserved for Walker was gone. Whatever was happening in her didn’t have a lot of energy behind it. “She loves him.”
“I’m sorry for her. For all of us.” The list of casualties went on and on and Callen kept mentally adding to it.
“I’ll tell Mom,” Declan said.
Grace kept shaking her head. “Let me just try to get in touch with him first.”
Time for one last hard truth. Callen kissed Grace’s forehead. “Every now and then you need to give up on people because they will only disappoint you. This looks like one of those times.”
***
When Walker didn’t answer her texts Mallory half expected him to come in this morning with coffee and some tale of why he couldn’t come over last night as planned. She’d expected him late, but she still expected him.
The chimes rang out a few minutes after she opened Gossamer’s doors. This wasn’t Walker or even a customer. Leah walked in with her face drawn and her mouth pulled in a thin, tight line.
With that stunned look on her friend’s face Mallory knew right then. The pain in Leah’s eyes said it all.
“He’s gone, isn’t he?” The words caught in Mallory’s throat but she forced them out.
Leah nodded. “How did you know?”
“Not seeing him last night. Your face.” Mallory’s insides trembled hard enough to knock her down. She held on to the edge of the counter and inhaled a few deep breaths.
Leah took a step forward. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s my fault.” Mallory stepped back. Being touched right now might shatter her into a million pieces. “I pushed and it was too much.”
“That’s his sin, not yours.”
Mallory wasn’t ready to be left off the hook. “Getting together with him was a problem from the beginning. It meant being disloyal to you and—”
“Stop.” Leah wrapped her arms around Mallory in a big bear hug.
“I’m fine.” But her shoulders started shaking and she couldn’t feel anything. She’d gone numb and the only thing keeping her upright was her tight grip on Leah.
“You know who else says that phrase all the time, right? I vow we never say it again.”
Mallory rested her head on Leah’s shoulder. “I was dumb enough to fall for him.”
“No, hon. He was the dumb one.” Leah brushed a hand over Mallory’s hair, offering unconditional support just as she always had. “Anyone who can’t see that you’re a catch is not worth your time.”
“You have to say that because you’re my best friend.” And later she would try to drown out the pain in chips and ice cream. Leah knew the drill. But Mallory didn’t think a food coma would solve this one. She’d never been in love like this before. She’d never felt disappointment until it carved a piece out of her. Now she had.
“I say it because I love you.” Leah whispered the words like a vow.
“He didn’t.” The numbness gave way to something much worse. Tears. “The dumbass.”
***
Walker pulled up to the front of Shadow Hill ten days later. Normally there were numerous cars parked along the long drive. Today only one. Kim’s, and she was walking down the steps of the front porch.
Unsure what sort of welcome he’d get, he slowly opened the door and stepped out of the rental car. He kept repeating the same refrain in his head: they don’t know what happened. Once they did, he hoped they would understand, but there was no guarantee. He’d stepped far over the line this time. So far that he now wore casual clothes all the time.
Kim met him on the bottom step. Without any fanfare or hello, she launched into what must have been on her mind. “You’ve caused a lot of grief around here lately.”
Strangely she didn’t sound angry. He couldn’t pick up on the emotion behind the tone at all. “I haven’t even been here.”
“That’s kind of the point.” She juggled her keys between two palms and they kept clicking and clanging. “Are FBI agents coming?”
“What?” God, that’s what he feared they’d think. “No. My promise might not mean much, but I do promise that’s not happening.”
“Wait here.” She walked past him to her car then kept going until she got to the trunk.
She slammed it shut and came back to him with a file. Seemed everyone in this family had a damn file. This one she held out in front of him.
He almost didn’t want to know. There were so many secrets spinning around that he half hoped one or two would stay buried. “What’s this?”
“Everything I knew about Charlie when I married him. There were all the papers I saw. I kept them in a lockbox, so when Charlie left town, he missed these.”
Confusion settled in his brain until he didn’t have room for anything else. “Why are you showing them to me?”
“Because I want you to finally understand that for me it was never about picking one kid over another.”
He pushed the file back toward her, never grabbing hold or looking inside. He didn’t need to. The way the woman lived her life showed him everything he needed to know on that score. “I know that.”
“You can read it—” Her words cut off and she stared at him. “Wait, you know that?”
“There’s no way you would h
ave left a son behind.” He knew that with absolute certainty. “Not the woman I’ve watched. Not the way I see you collect people and take care of them.”
Her arm dropped to her side and a half smile appeared on her lips. “Where have you really been?”
“In DC.” A city he once loved and now dreaded driving into. He’d gone in and fought as he promised he’d do when he got on that plane and flew back home. But it sucked. Every single minute. Especially the ones where Mallory wouldn’t answer his calls.
“Saving your job?” Kim asked.
“No, it was too late for that and, really, I didn’t deserve to keep it.” And nothing he’d done in the two weeks since he’d been gone changed that fact.
“Why do I think some of the anger around here that’s aimed toward you has been misplaced?”
That might not be true. The guilt faded fast and Walker had reasons for every choice, but still. He’d taken an oath. He’d made implicit promises when he started to assimilate into this family. And he’d broken them all.
“I did something your sons won’t like.”
She wore a full smile now. “You mean your brothers.”
He hesitated but only for a second and not out of rage or fear. He stopped because he’d grown to like the idea and worried he’d blown it all and might not even get a true chance to know them. “Yes.”
“Well, you can tell two of them in a few minutes.” She checked her watched. “Declan and Callen went to the lumberyard but should be back soon.”
“I have a feeling they won’t be happy to see me.” But at least he stood a fighting chance with them. Walker doubted Mallory would give him the same second of breathing space before kicking him out.
“And I’m betting they’ll forgive you once they figure out you kept them from getting in trouble while helping the victims.”
Walker laughed. Of course she knew. Apparently that was a mom thing. They just knew. “You figured it out.”
“Of course. You still don’t believe me, Walker, but you’re mine. And no son of mine would betray his brothers.” She stared at him as if she willed him to believe.
And he did. The simple words meant everything. No one had ever claimed him. Had a choice and picked him. He tried to say thank you but all he could do was nod.
Then she had her arms around him and rubbed his shoulders like he’d seen her do so many times with his brothers. Something hard and rough broke open inside him. For that minute the world tilted and everything fit together.
She kissed his cheek then stepped back. “Good luck.”
He could barely breathe. This, the acceptance and unquestioning belief in him took the last of his anger against Charlie and smashed it on the ground. That man screwed up everything but there was one thing he got right—marrying Kim.
But she did have a point. “I’m probably going to need it.”
Kim made a face and it wasn’t a good look. “I meant with Mallory.”
Like that, the gate on his good mood slammed shut. The anxiety and worry came rushing back at him. “She’s furious?”
“You’ll be lucky if she’s only furious.”
His mind went blank. “Damn.”
“I know you’ve been doing this secrecy thing for a long time, but next time tell people before you go.” Kim skimmed a hand over his cheek. “You’re no longer alone.”
“I’m starting to believe that’s true.” Now he had to make Mallory understand her days of being alone were long behind her. She had him . . . and he hoped like hell she wanted him.
Chapter Twenty-three
Walker fought between wanting to go find Mallory and needing to stay there on the porch of Shadow Hill and face his brothers. This option won only because he was already there. With his luck he’d start to drive away and Callen would catch a glimpse of him then hunt him down for a little perceived payback. Just because Kim understood, even without him explaining, that didn’t mean the rest of the family would.
For the hundredth time in an hour his thoughts went to Mallory. He’d at least expected a return text telling him to go to hell. She only wrote back to say she was blocking him. Anger he could handle, indifference would destroy any chance that he had.
The rumble of a car broke the sound of the cold fall day. He wore a jacket but the wind still whistled through to the bone. Didn’t help that he was sitting on a porch and felt the air press in all around him and from underneath through the wood slats.
Callen’s car stopped right in front of the house. Not in a parking space. No, this was more of a man-versus-car showdown thing.
The car door flew open with a creaking noise. Suddenly the front yard broke into action. Declan and Callen both came around the hood at the same time. Walker jumped to his feet because sitting while these two loomed looking ready for battle was just not going to happen.
“Get the fuck off our property,” Callen said and kept walking, right up to the front door.
Walker decided this was not a good time to point out his partnership interest in the place. He’d signed the papers but they hadn’t. Not that they knew that but they sure didn’t look ready to pick up a pen now.
He glanced over his shoulder and watched Callen fumble with his keys. “You really don’t want to know what happened?”
“I’m sure we’ll be indicted any time now.”
Walker waited until Callen unlocked the door and opened it. “No.”
That got Callen even more fired up for some reason. He stepped back to the front of the porch, closer to Walker. “Couldn’t convince anyone we were guilty? Maybe not enough evidence?”
Declan nodded. “I was wondering if that catalogue would be enough.”
They had thought it through and figured it all out. He conned them. He walked in, ingratiated himself then screwed them. Walker couldn’t blame them for the sharp turn they’d taken, but it left him feeling hollowed out and raw.
“No one is getting arrested. No one is coming after you.” Walker had guaranteed that. He’d kept their names out of everything. Nothing would ever trace back to them and invade their privacy.
Declan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Who cares what he has to say, Declan.” Callen motioned toward the door. “Let’s just go inside.”
Declan just stood there. He didn’t yell and slam things. He seethed. The frustration pounded off him. Every line of his body said he’d written Walker off.
Walker got that, too. Most everyone they knew screwed them. They’d added his name to the list a long time ago and it wasn’t coming off.
“Gotta say you turned out to be a real disappointment,” Declan said.
“That’s enough.” This time Callen pulled on Declan’s arm as he glared at Walker. “You have ten seconds to leave.”
They’d almost gotten into the house when Walker decided to try one more time. Forget the idea of giving them breathing room and telling them tomorrow or the next day when they cooled off. He wanted this done. “I turned in the catalogue.”
“Of course you did. Saved your own hide in the process.” Callen opened the screen door. “Nine.”
Walker talked faster because no matter how much Declan dragged his feet, Callen was determined to get them both inside with the door shut. “I removed any reference to this house.”
“So you could sell the Walker Is A Hero story a bit easier?” Callen swore under his breath. “Eight.”
“So the feds wouldn’t try to take it.” Putting it together was smart. The work efficient. But Walker knew his boss, and the people above him, and they would have turned the catalogue into The How to Get the Hanovers Handbook. Forget evidence. This was the kind of case that made careers.
Declan stepped away from the threshold and back onto the porch. “What does that mean?”
“In the past no one was able to show a connection between Charlie and this house. That’s why the feds couldn’t touch it. The victims tried and that didn’t work either. It being in foreclosure at the time helped make it irrele
vant as well.”
“So what?” Callen looked at his watch. ‘Six.”
“Callen, stop.” Declan held out a hand to one brother and listened to the other, though from the stiffness of his body reluctantly. “What are you saying?”
“I removed everything in that catalogue that could have traced back to you guys or your mom.” It took three days and a lot of work. Walker wished he’d had Sophie helping him. “The original is in the trunk of my rental car and it’s yours to keep as insurance, blackmail against me or whatever. The FBI has a version of it. One that lets them get the stolen items back to the victims without ever implicating any of you.”
Callen stopped counting and walking. He turned around and faced Walker. “I don’t understand.”
“I set up a fake burial site for the merchandise on public land. Since that kind of seemed like something Charlie would do thinking he was being clever, and since I had some documents from his later years tying him to the area in Arizona, I could make the leap.”
Declan leaned against the porch post hard enough to make a cracking sound. “Arizona?”
Since they seemed to be listening, or at least not throwing punches, Walker tried to sum everything up and be as clear as possible. “The FBI got a win. Some of the victims got items back. You stayed out of the case and will not be living with FBI agents stalking your property.”
Declan nodded. “And you lost your badge.”
“Is that true?” Some of the anger had left Callen’s voice.
This is the part where he could lose them again. Walker had made a decision, a rough one in his mind, but the right one. He understood things weren’t always black or white, right or wrong, and he had to make the call.
This time he made the call close to a line he vowed never to cross. “The investigation was ongoing but once you tamper with a catalogue of evidence to save people you care about, you pretty much need to leave law enforcement. It was part of the deal I struck. A clean record, keeping you guys out of it, giving up my position.”
Callen stuffed his keys in his pocket. “That’s not a bright line. You had your reasons and they didn’t make you a bad agent.”
It was nice of him to try to make it better, but no. “No. There’s no question I’d lost my way.”
Too Far Gone Page 23
