Not Quite Broken: A Callaghan Family & Friends Romance

by Abbie Zanders

  On the up side, other than a sprained ankle and a couple of bruises, she wasn’t in bad shape, physically.

  On the down side, in just a few hours she was going to be married to a psychopath.

  Not the brightest future. The alternative was to die, and probably in a horribly gruesome way if the bodies of his earlier victims were any indication.

  Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

  But it wasn’t a choice, not really. Tori was a survivor. Dealing with mental illness was nothing new for her. Nor was physical violence. In fact, she was better prepared to deal with Joe and this insane situation than most, simply because of her own childhood.

  Her musings were interrupted when she heard Joe’s booted feet coming down the stairs. She sat up abruptly. Time was a fuzzy thing for her in that room, but she was certain the day hadn’t passed that quickly.

  He opened the door and stared at her. He was dressed in dirty mechanic’s overalls and a Mopar cap, sporting a smear of grease where he must have run his hand across his forehead. That was unusual. He typically appeared freshly showered and wearing jeans and clean t-shirts.

  He broke eye contact and looked around the small space, spending an inordinately long time staring up at the small window. Tension was visible across his jaw and shoulders; instinctively, Tori brought her knees into her chest, making herself a smaller target.

  Then he left abruptly, all without saying a word.

  Tori’s heartbeat quickened. Had something happened?

  The door opened again, and Tori let out the breath she’d been holding when Danny peeked in. He looked worried.

  “Danny, are you all right?” He nodded. “Do you want to come in and sit with me for a while?”

  He nodded again and she patted the area beside her. He put his backpack on the bed and climbed up, but didn’t curl up to her like he had the night before.

  “You look like a man who’s got something serious on his mind,” she prompted.

  He remained silent for several long moments, then said, “Are you coming with us?”

  Tori’s heart started pounding again. “What makes you think you’re leaving?”

  He shrugged. “Dad came in and said I should start packing my stuff.” He showed her the backpack. “So... are you?”

  Tori hesitated, unsure how to answer that since Joe hadn’t said anything to her about leaving. One thing she did know: given what Joe had said earlier, there was only one way she wouldn’t be accompanying them and she’d already decided against that option.

  Besides, telling Danny that she was going with them might make it more difficult for Joe to find a way to leave her behind. Perhaps it was wrong to use the boy’s fondness like that, but the stakes were high. This way, she might be able to find a way to save them both.

  “Of course,” she said, summoning a smile.

  His worried look vanished instantly. “Awesome!” he smiled, jumping off the bed. “You should probably get ready, too.”

  Since ‘getting ready’ for her meant throwing her toothbrush into her overnight bag, it wasn’t a big deal. “I will. When are we leaving?”

  “When it gets dark. That’s when we usually go.”

  “Okay, I’ll be ready. Oh, and Danny,” she asked before he was through the door, “do you know why we’re leaving so suddenly?”

  “No, but it probably has something to do with the woman who was sneaking around earlier.”

  “Woman? What woman?” she asked, but he was already gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  During his time in the Army Brian had participated in plenty of ops, but never one quite like this. Never one where the players interacted so seamlessly. Everyone was on the same page; a single, cohesive unit where each person was an extension of the others.

  Back-up had arrived, as evidenced by the chatter across the shared comm channel. His confidence grew as he listened to them set up a perimeter and move into place, their roles becoming clear as they waited for the cover of darkness.

  Jake was the team leader, quietly issuing directives on site. Ian provided the eyes and ears, with satellite support from Kane. Sean and Kieran were the front line, so to speak, loaded up with plenty of firepower and hand-to-hand combat skills. Shane and Michael were in charge of evacuation and medical support, respectively.

  Nicki, surprisingly, was tasked with getting into the house unnoticed and providing critical intel. Ian hadn’t been able to pick up anything below ground level where Tori was most likely being kept.

  Brian had his doubts about sending Nicki in first like that, but once he saw a black shadow crawling up the side of the house like some kind of bizarre spider, he understood why she had been chosen. She worked her way up along the chimney, paused for a moment, then disappeared into a small window just below the roof.

  As for him, well, his role was easy: Get in, get Tori, and get out. He’d already started moving, taking position just outside the front door. He wanted to be ready the moment the signal came.

  “I’m in,” Nicki said over the comm set.

  “Roger that,” said Ian. “No heat on the second floor.”

  “Confirmed,” she said. “Moving to ground.”

  “My scan’s not picking up any signatures there, either. They must all be underground.”

  “Only one entry/exit point to the cellar on the inside,” Nicki informed them. “Well, that’s something you don’t normally see in these old houses.”

  “What?”

  “Keypad access on the steel-cased basement door.”

  Jake piped in. “What the fuck? Where did he get something like that?”

  “You can buy the kits online,” Ian answered.

  “Yeah, but most people put security on external doors, not internal ones.” That from Shane.

  Brian listened to their banter. They sounded so calm, so confident. He supposed that as missions went, this one was pretty tame compared to what they were used to, but as far as he was concerned, this was the most important mission of his life.

  “That complicates things slightly,” Ian was saying, “but I do like a challenge.”

  “Then you’re going to love this. There’s a webcam mounted right above the door.”

  “Were you spotted?” Sean asked.

  “No, I’m still in the shadows. Ian, can you disable?”

  “Can I...? Woman, please... Scanning wi-fi... Give me a second... Well, look at that. How nice of him to hook the keypad up to the same security app as the webcam... “

  Brian held his breath as Ian did his thing, exhaling in relief when he heard him say, “Lock disabled, webcam now on a sixty second repeating loop in case anyone’s peeking.”

  “Then we’re good to go,” Jake cut in. “But we’re still blind below ground. He could have an armory down there for all we know. Let’s start with a distraction to draw him out, shall we? Nicki, Brian, heads-up. Sean, Kieran, get ready to bag and tag. Shane, Mick, Ian, stand by...”

  One by one, each team member acknowledged the order. A fresh wave of adrenaline rushed through Brian. He was completely focused, mentally preparing himself for what they might find when they got inside.

  A loud “boom” from the vicinity of the garage rent the night and shook the ground. It was meant to draw Joe out, but as they waited and watched, nothing happened.

  “Nicki, any movement inside?”

  “None.”

  “What the hell? He had to have heard that...”

  “He’s coming out the back,” Kieran said. “Fuck me. Looks like those rusted bulkhead doors were just a façade. Dalton’s got Tori and the kid. Sean, heads up. Coming your way.”

  Brian moved swiftly around the house, his heart leaping into his throat when he saw her. She was half-running, half-hobbling, struggling to stay on her feet as Dalton pulled her toward the back of the garage. A small boy clung to her other hand, clutching a backpack, his eyes wide.

  His boots ate up ground even as the others closed in. Brian was about twenty
paces from Tori when he heard Sean’s single word warning clearly: “Don’t.”

  Brian was still moving, but not close enough. Tori broke free and set a course for the woods, tugging the child with her. Dalton raised his arm. Brian saw a glint of metal. He willed his legs to go faster, trying to put himself between Tori and Dalton.

  He wasn’t fast enough.

  A shot rang out.

  Tori cried out and went down.

  Brian lunged and rolled the final distance, scrabbling to cover as much of Tori’s body as possible with his own. Several more shots rang out behind them in quick succession.

  Brian looked down, only dimly aware of Nicki beside him and the barked commands sounding in his ear as the others secured the area. “Tori! Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  She opened her eyes and looked right at him. “Brian?”

  Her voice was too weak. Too breathy. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m here. Everything is going to be all right. Just hold on, okay?”

  “Danny?”

  “Safe. Nicki’s got him.”

  A smile ghosted over her lips even as her lids started closing. “Take care of him. He’s a good kid.”

  Her eyes closed and she went still. “Tori! TORI! Wake up, sweetheart. Talk to me.”

  The boy was crying, then Michael was there, telling him to let her go. Strong hands hauled him backward. He fought against them, until even more hands joined in. Suddenly he was looking up at the night sky with a knee and about two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle pressing down on his chest. Large hands slapped, then grabbed his face, forcing him to focus.

  It was Shane putting pressure on his chest, making it hard to breathe. “Brian! We’ve got this,” Shane said.

  “Tori...”

  “Is alive and being readied for transport. Now, do you want to calm the fuck down and follow or shall we stay here until you do?”

  “Follow,” he wheezed.

  “Good choice.”

  Shane rose to his feet and gave him a hand up. An SUV—presumably with Tori in it—was already heading out. Dalton was face down on the ground, unmoving.

  “Is he dead?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  “The kid?”

  “Nicki’s taking him in the SUV with Tori. Pitched a bloody fit when she tried to put him in another vehicle.”

  The drive down the mountain seemed to take forever. They didn’t speak much along the way; Brian was too busy praying. Praying that Tori would be okay. That he would have another chance to make things right.

  The comm sets had been turned off, so he had no idea what was happening. The dark voice tried to whisper horrible things, but he told it to shut the fuck up. He was done listening to that son of a bitch. Tori was going to be okay, because she had to be.

  An eternity later, they pulled up to the hospital. They entered not through the emergency entrance, but through an unmarked, private door along the side. That was probably a good thing, since appearing in full tactical gear would have raised a lot of questions.

  Brian didn’t give a shit about any of that. The only thing he did care about was getting to Tori. Sean was already there, waiting for them.

  “Mick’s with her now,” Sean said by way of greeting. “We’re supposed to wait in here.”

  He indicated a small room with a “private family waiting area” plaque mounted on the door. Nicki was already in there, along with the boy.

  When they entered, the boy looked up. Brian fought to keep his expression even. He knew from Ian’s intel that the kid had sustained third degree burns, but seeing it for the first time was unnerving. One side of his face was perfect; the other, a scarred mess.

  The boy looked away. Brian felt like he should have said something, but he didn’t know what to say. Lacie was the one who was good with kids, not him. Other than his nephew, he didn’t have a lot of contact with them.

  “Are you hungry? We could go to the cafeteria and get something to eat,” Nicki asked. The boy shook his head. “I want to see Tori.”

  “We will, just as soon as the doctor says it’s okay. What about watching a video while we wait?”

  He shrugged but moved over to see whatever Nicki was bringing up on her phone. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a set of earbuds, and handed them and the phone over to the boy.

  “How bad is it?” Brian asked.

  “Mick said it looked like a through-and-through,” Nicki said quietly. “We won’t know exactly what it went through, however, until he gets a better look. In the meantime, maybe you should make use of Mick’s shower upstairs and grab a change of clothes.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but Sean’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Come on. I’ll show you where it is.”

  Brian clenched his jaw but followed Sean out of the room. “You’re covered in blood,” Sean told him matter-of-factly, walking ahead. “You’re freaking the kid out, and Tori’s not going to want to see you like that either. Trust me on this one, man.”

  Sean used the service elevator and led him to Michael’s private office where he made himself comfortable in the plush, ergonomic leather seat. He leaned back, propping his big booted feet on the pristine desk. “Go on. You’ve got five minutes. Mick keeps extra clothes in the closet.”

  Brian wasn’t happy about taking time for something as trivial as a shower, but once he saw himself in the mirror, he had to concede that Sean had a point. He did look like hell and after a day in the woods, he didn’t smell that great, either.

  He took a quick shower, washing away the blood, dirt, and sweat, then pulled on a pair of blue scrubs pants and a clean t-shirt.

  “Much better,” Sean said.

  “Aren’t you going to grab a shower, too?” Brian asked.

  “Nah.” Sean grinned. “My woman likes me dirty. Mick just texted. He said she’s stable and they’re moving her to a private room.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “Chill, it’ll take a while to get her settled. I’m heading down for a sandwich. You coming?”

  Brian shook his head. His insides felt torn up. Raw.

  “Right, hang here then. I’ll bring you a sandwich or something.”

  Sean was out the door before he could tell him not to bother. How could he even think about food after what they’d just experienced?

  Then again, this was just another day’s work for him. For them. The Callaghans. This was what they did. Once upon a time, he had done that, too. He and his guys had saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. Back then, it had been a job. He’d understood the practicality of eating and sleeping when you could, but this wasn’t anything like that. It was a whole different ball game when the person you were saving was someone you loved.

  He sank down on the sofa, feeling wired and drained at the same time. He looked at the clock, willing it to move faster so he could see for himself that Tori was all right.

  He closed his eyes and exhaled, allowing the weariness to wash over him. Unbidden, images flashed against the back of his lids, images of Tori smiling at him as they rode the trails. Of her joy as she rode his wake on the jet ski at the lake. Of her face in the grips of pleasure as she accepted him into her body.

  She would be all right. She had to be...“Brian!”

  Brian woke with a start to find Shane staring at him with concern. He wasn’t in the desert, he was in Michael Callaghan’s office.

  “You okay, man?”

  Brian ran a hand down his face. He’d been reliving that night in his nightmares for years, but this time, it was different. This time, instead of holding Hee-Haw’s dying body in his arms, he’d been holding Tori.

  “Yeah. Yeah, fine.”

  “Mick says you can see Tori now.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The last time she’d woken up in a hospital, she’d been six years old. They had called it a tragic accident, but there was nothing accidental about what had happened. In the midst of a delusion, her mother had tried to kill them both. Fortunat
ely for her, her mother had achieved only a fifty percent success rate.

  “Good. You’re awake. Welcome back, Tori.”

  Tori turned toward the deep, male voice and took in the speaker’s dark hair and striking blue eyes. “You must be a Callaghan,” she rasped.

  He grinned, every bit as handsome as the rest of them. “Guilty as charged.”

  “Which one are you?”

  “Michael.”

  “The doctor,” she guessed.

  “That’s me. Ridiculous question, I know, but I have to ask: how are you feeling?”

  Michael Callaghan was one of those rare people she liked instantly. He had an aura of calm competence about him that was hard not to respond to. Tori tried to sit up, wincing at the pain in her back and midsection. Overall, it wasn’t too bad, considering. Whatever they were pumping through the I.V. must have been some pretty good stuff. “I’ve been worse.”

  He raised an eyebrow as his large hands pushed gently on her shoulders, easing her back on the stacked pillows. “Get shot often then, do you?”

  “No, this is a first.” But fists, baseball bats, convenient brick-a-brack... she’d been there, done that. Not that she was about to share any of that with him. It was irrelevant.

  “How bad is it?”

  “Could have been a lot worse. The bullet miraculously missed all major organs. You did lose a lot of blood, though, so we’ve been topping off your tank, so to speak.”

  “What about Danny? How is he?”

  “He’s understandably upset, but physically unharmed. Nicki’s with him now. He’s been asking to see you. He seems quite concerned.”

  The poor little guy. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with, he’d seen her get shot trying to escape. That kind of thing left a mark. “We... bonded, I think. What about his father?”

  “He didn’t make it.”

  She nodded, feeling rather numb. She knew from experience that it would take time to process everything that had happened and come to terms with it, but at that moment, she couldn’t honestly say she was sorry he was gone, for both her sake and Danny’s.

  “You were there, weren’t you?”