by Eliana West
He leaned against the steering wheel and looked at her with his mouth turned down. “Callie, Nate thinks someone may have tampered with the gas line at your house. Until we know it’s safe, you’re going to stay here with me.”
“I don’t believe it. The notes and the other stuff is one thing but this is…crazy.”
Dax put his arm around her. “We’re in this together.”
She nodded and blew out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
Callie was surprised at how much work Dax had done when she entered the loft. A large rug anchored the center of the room with a long leather sofa and two chairs upholstered in a gray fabric on either side of a large wood coffee table created a seating area. There was a desk in the same midcentury modern style against the wall of windows overlooking the town square. Callie noticed the binoculars and looked at Dax with a raised eyebrow.
“Just making sure my girlfriend is safe,” he said with determination.
He took her hand and led her through the doorway to the large master suite. A massive king-size bed sat against an exposed brick wall. Dax continued the midcentury decor in the bedroom with two low nightstands and a dresser that matched the clean lines of the bed frame. The bed was covered in a soft gray blanket and matching pillows. He pointed to a bag on the bench at the foot of the bed. “Mae packed some things for you.”
“That was nice of her.”
“How about a nice hot shower or bath?”
“I would like that, thank you.”
A large soaking tub and massive walk-in shower took up one whole wall. Callie wandered over to the tub and ran her hand along the edge. “This is huge. Two people could fit in here,” she said.
“When you’re feeling better we can give it a try, but for now it’s all yours.”
“I think just a hot shower for now.”
“I’ll just be outside. Call if you need me.”
The water felt like heaven. Callie lathered her hair, washing away the antiseptic smell from the hospital, replacing it with the sandalwood scent of Dax’s shampoo. She stayed under the spray, letting the warm water relax her muscles. When her fingers began to prune, she reluctantly turned off the water and wrapped herself in the soft fluffy towel Dax had left for her, along with her toiletry bag.
She sighed with relief when she opened the bag, glad to find her comb and hair oil. It would have been a hair disaster otherwise. Callie rubbed the oil into her hair and combed through the tangles. She dug out her toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed her teeth. Feeling more like herself, she came out of the bathroom to an empty bedroom. She’d just finished putting on her pajamas when Dax appeared with a tray.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said. “I’ve got soup and a sandwich.” Dax motioned for Callie to climb into bed and carefully placed the tray on her lap. She managed a few spoonful’s of soup and a couple of bites from the ham sandwich Dax had made before her eyelids began to droop. She barely noticed when Dax took the tray. She felt the mattress dip and Dax tucked her into his side.
“What made you come last night?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
Dax’s arm went around her. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“I heard a voice, a woman’s voice and she told me I had to go to you. I didn’t even think about it I just got in my truck and started driving.”
Callie couldn’t quite believe it. When she wasn’t so tired she’d tell him about her vision.
“I don’t want to be the reason you don’t have a relationship with your mother,” she murmured half asleep.
“You, Reid, hell everyone in this town is more important to me than being in my mother’s good graces. I feel sorry for her. Time has passed her by, and she didn’t keep up. She wants to live in a world that doesn’t exist anymore. I can’t help holding on to some small hope that she’ll change her ways. That’s what’s in my heart, but in my head, I know that’s not going to happen.
Callie nodded. She understood what it was like to hold out hope that your mother or father could be a better person, the loving parent they were supposed to be. They would be better parents, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Muffled voices brought her out of a deep sleep. It took her a moment to recognize where she was. She jumped up only to realize that her legs were still a bit wobbly. She followed the sound of voices to the kitchen and found Dax, Robert, Jacob, and Mae leaning around the large island, deep in conversation. Dax looked up with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and reached out for her. Callie put her hand in his and he pulled her into his side.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he murmured, nuzzling her neck for a moment before giving her a quick kiss that made her whole body tingle.
“More like good afternoon,” Mae said.
“Oh.” Callie tried to get up. “I have to get to the library. It’s been closed for too long as it is.”
“Don’t worry, the Jewels are helping out. You should have seen Opal doing story time for the kids, making up funny character voices. You should consider hiring her,” Mae said.
“I’ll just go over and check in,” she said, trying to get up again.
“No, Callie, the doctor said you still need to rest.” Dax shook his head.
Jacob leaned forward. “It would be better for you to stay here for a few days.”
Callie took in the serious expressions of everyone around her. “What’s going on?”
“You don’t remember what I told you last night, do you?” Dax asked.
Callie bit her lip and shook her head. “I guess my mind is still a bit fuzzy,” she confessed.
Uncle Robert moved to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “We just want to make sure you’re safe.” His mouth turned down. “The gas leak was no accident.”
Everyone at the table shared his grim expression. She should be worried or afraid, but she wasn’t. “I’m not going to hide,” she said, with quiet determination. She looked at Dax. “We aren’t going to let fear take over our lives. I’ll stay here for now, and I’ll rest for another day or two, but I’m going back to my library. I love you all, but you can’t stop what you’re doing with your own lives to watch me.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Mae said.
Callie stood up. “I’ll be careful,” she reassured the worried faces around her, “but I’m done living in the shadows and trying not to make waves.” She brushed away the wrinkles on Dax’s forehead. “We’re going to be okay.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was the next morning and Callie was spending her first day back at the library when the door slammed open with so much force the glass windows on the main floor of the Barton Building rattled.
“How could you!” The crack of her hand against his cheek echoed.
In all of the years his mother had berated, judged, and chastised him, she never laid a hand on him. Dax never thought there was a line he could cross that would escalate her judgment to physical punishment; now he knew otherwise. He looked down at his mother. The lines around her lips were etched in deep trenches. Her love for him had twisted into something ugly over the years, and he envied his brother’s exile for the first time.
“Mother,” he said between clenched teeth, “I’m going to assume this is about Callie.” He stepped back as she stood in front of him with her fists clenched. “She’s okay by the way, thank you for asking.”
“You brought that whore into your home!” she spat out.
He willed himself to speak calmly. “You’ve lost the right to pass judgment. I would only give that right to someone I respect.”
Her cheeks tinged pink, clashing with the artificial bloom of youth she had applied that morning. She moved toward him, her whole body shaking. The heart of the little boy who worshiped his mother raced; the grown man held himself still and didn’t look away from her furious gaze. “I won’t lose you to a n…”
“Don’t you dare say it.”
&
nbsp; “She’s not worthy of you.”
“Why, Mother? Is it because she’s half Black? Does it really matter that much to you? There was a part of me that always accepted you were a racist. That was when I was young and didn’t know the hate you were teaching me was wrong. And that’s the thing—” he slowly shook his head “—you’re wrong if you think that you are better than anyone else around here.”
Her voice took on a pacifying tone that made his gut clench. “Dax, sweetheart, I’m your mother. I want the best for you.”
She moved to put her hand on his cheek. Dax jerked away. In spite of her placating words the cold calculating glint never left her eyes.
“What about Reid? Do you want the best for him?” He moved out of his mother’s reach again. “Is that why you sent him away?” He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. “Was giving all of your love to me and not him best for either of us?”
His mother’s placating smile slipped, and her mouth twisted into a scowl. “Your brother has always been difficult. It was better for everyone for him to go to boarding school.”
“You didn’t even let him come home for the summer—only Thanksgiving and Christmas, and even then, you only allowed him to stay for a day or two. I was the one who was bad. I bullied this whole town. Why didn’t you send me away?”
Dorothy started to reach out to him again, but she hesitated and let her arm fall back to her side. “You’ve never been bad; you treated people the way they deserved to be treated. Reid wouldn’t listen to me; you were always so obedient.”
“Seriously! What is wrong with you?” He saw his mother flinch but he didn’t care. “Can you hear yourself? I’ll never forgive myself for how I treated…” He couldn’t bring himself to say her name in front of his mother. “And the worst part is…the worst part is that you encouraged me.” He turned away, unable to look at the woman who raised him. “You need to leave,” he said.
“I am your mother. I will always know what is best for you and I will not allow you to betray me with that whore.”
He turned his back to her. The cold, hard edge in her voice sent a chill through him. He waited, staring at the tiny fissures and cracks in the brick walls until he heard the click of the door closing. There was something deeper going on and he didn’t understand it. Her insistence on his loyalty made his skin crawl.
The door opened again. A tall man with a shaved head and rich dark skin walked in. “What in the holy hell is going on around here that you need me to come all the way down from civilization to this godforsaken place?” he demanded in a deep voice.
“If you want to call Detroit civilization, then we need to talk about your standards,” he teased before grabbing his friend into an embrace and slapping his back. “It’s good to see you Isiah.”
“It’s good to see you too, man.”
Jacob came in and clapped his hand on Isiah’s shoulder. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Welcome to Colton.”
Isiah Owens had served with Dax and Jacob and retired along with them, choosing to move to Detroit and use his degree in engineering to take a position with the fire department as a fire marshal.
“I appreciate you making it down here on such short notice,” Dax said. He called Isiah as soon as Nate told him he suspected the gas leak wasn’t an accident.
Isiah shrugged. “I haven’t taken any vacation in a long time, and to be honest I needed a break from investigating burned-out abandoned buildings. The city’s trying to make a comeback, but they have a long way to go.”
“Small-town or big-city renewal isn’t easy.” Dax nodded with understanding.
Isiah crossed his arms and looked from Jacob to Dax. “Do you want to tell me about this incident that happened with the gas leak?” he asked, cutting to the point.
“Let me take you upstairs and we can have a drink while we talk.”
Isiah nodded and followed them upstairs, admiring Jacob’s handiwork along the way. He blew a long whistle when they walked into his loft on the top floor.
“This is impressive. You made yourself a nice setup here.”
“I have to admit I was skeptical when I first saw this place, but it came out better than I expected,” Jacob agreed.
Dax pulled three beers out of the refrigerator while Jacob and Isiah sat on the new metal stools that lined one side of the large island.
They clinked their bottles. Isiah took a sip, set the bottle down, and raised his eyebrow. “So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“The short story is that there was a gas leak at my girlfriend’s house. Our local fire-EMT, Nate Colton, suspects that the leak was created intentionally, but he’s not sure.”
“You need me to take a look,” Isiah stated, nodding with understanding. “What does the police report say?”
Jacob snorted. “This is a small town. There’s a sheriff and that’s it and he’s not good for shit.” He clapped Isiah on the back. “Welcome to small-town politics.”
“It’s complicated. There’s some other things I need to tell you and you might not like me very much when I’m through.” He took a deep breath and plunged in, telling Isiah about his history with Callie. It wasn’t easy, especially when he saw the fury that ghosted over Isiah’s expression. When he finished he waited for Isiah’s censure.
His friend sat for a long time with his jaw clenched. When he spoke, his voice was gruff. “I’m not sure what to say here. As a Black man, the idea of you tormenting a little brown girl makes me sick to my stomach. I need you to know that. As your friend, I know you’re not that boy. You’ve been a loyal friend, a brother-in-arms, and someone I respect.” Isiah looked at him. “You’ve earned forgiveness from the one person that matters; you don’t need mine.”
“I’d like it just the same.”
Isiah nodded. “Like I said, you don’t need my forgiveness. It won’t give you absolution. I will say this: you treat my mother and sister like queens, you always call my father sir and respect his opinion and ask him for guidance. I can’t ask for a better person to have as a friend.”
“I know it’s hard to imagine, but there’s going to come a day when the only person you need to ask for forgiveness is yourself,” Jacob added.
Isiah stood up. “When can I take a look at your girlfriend’s place?”
“I can take you over there now,” Jacob offered, “and you can bunk with me while you’re here. Callie is staying with Dax for now. I’m sure he would tell you he doesn’t mind, but I think he would rather have his privacy.”
“I feel you,” Isiah said.
It felt good to have the guys with him again. He missed this easy banter between friends. Once Jacob and Isiah headed over to Callie’s house, Dax went over to the window to look out over the park again. There was nothing out of place, but he couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling that churned in his gut. His phone buzzed. Dax smiled when he looked down at the caller ID.
“Hey, Reid, thanks for returning my call.”
“How’s Callie?” Reid asked, sounding anxious.
“She’s fine, Reid.” Dax frowned. “Where are you? You sound like you’re in a wind tunnel.”
His brother laughed. “I’m driving with the top down.”
“It must be a nice day in Chicago?”
There was a pause. “I’m not in Chicago.”
“Oh?”
“I’m just outside of Memphis. I should be there in less than two hours unless I get pulled over.”
“You’re on your way here?”
“My little brother’s girlfriend was almost killed.” He cleared his throat. “I want to be there for you.”
Dax swiped at the wetness on his cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Hang in there, you can fill me in on whatever’s going on when I get there.” There was another pause. “You tried to warn me, and I didn’t listen. I don’t know what I can do but I’ll help you with Mom.”
Reid arrived just as Jacob and Isiah returned from Callie’s house. Jacob greeted Re
id. The two met briefly on his last visit and fell into an easy camaraderie. Dax introduced Reid to Isiah, and it turned out that although they never met in person, Isiah had consulted on a case Reid prosecuted. They chatted for a few minutes about the case before Isiah turned to Dax.
“Your fireman’s suspicions are valid; the gas leak wasn’t an accident,” he said with a curt nod.
“The line behind the stove was loosened so that gas was coming directly into the house,” Jacob added.
“She’s lucky the house didn’t explode,” Isiah said.
Dax shuddered. Reid put a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“Jacob and I are going to Jackson. I’ll pick up a kit and dust for fingerprints.”
“Thanks, I appreciate you being here, Isiah.”
“It’s how we do. You know that.”
His chest tightened. Whatever happened next, he trusted these men with his life and, more importantly, Callie’s.
“Talk to me, I can see the wheels turning in your head,” Reid said when they were alone again.
“I don’t know. I have a lot of suspicions, but no real evidence yet.”
“Since you haven’t said it, I’ll ask: do you think Mom has something to do with this?”
“I don’t want to.”
“But a part of you believes she is,” Reid said quietly.
Dax nodded. His instincts were rarely wrong, and it hurt to acknowledge that his mother could be so cruel.
“Listen, Mom and I don’t have a good relationship. We don’t have any relationship, but I don’t want to think she’s capable of doing any real harm any more than you do. I know I just met her, but I like Callie and I like the two of you together. I don’t know if the reason is about race, class, or whatever, but Mom’s behavior toward her is way out of line.”
“I’m really glad you’re here.” Dax noticed the dark circles under his brother’s eyes. “What time were you up this morning?”
