At Peace (81 page)

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 silk 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.”

A man was standing there, one of the two
who’d been in the car with me during the longest, most
uncomfortable, most terrifying ride of my life. The whole time I
felt like I was going to get sick not only because of my hangover
but because of my fucking
life
and the fact that I knew they could never have Joe’s phone
without having Joe. I didn’t know what they had to do to get to a
man like Joe. I just knew it wasn’t good.

“I’m in the middle of something,” Hart said
to his minion.

“We got a situation,” his minion replied and
Hart stared at him looking unhappy then he turned to me.

“Change,” he ordered.

“You gonna kill me if I don’t?” I
snapped.

He leaned forward and barked, “Change!”

I leaned forward too, too far gone to read
the warning behind his quick shift in mood from Mr. Charm to Mr.
Mean and shouted, “Fuck you!”

“Danny! For Christ’s sake, we got a
situation,” the minion repeated.

Hart didn’t turn to him. Instead he said to
me, “I recommend you get smart pretty fuckin’ soon.”

“And I recommend you go fuck yourself,” I
shot back and then suddenly I was on my hands and knees. This was
because he backhanded me hard.

I’d never been hit, not in my life, and it
hurt. I stayed still, blinking away the pain and felt him lean over
me.

“Change,” he whispered then I felt his
presence move away.

I didn’t move while I waited for the pain
to clear and then I decided I wasn’t going to change. Fuck him.
Fuck him. Fuck
him!

I got to my feet and sucked in a long breath.
Then I looked at the pool and I looked at it for a long time.

Then I decided that my beautiful daughter
Keira was never going to stick even her toe in that pool.

I didn’t know how I was going to get out of
this but I knew I was going to have to get out of this. Then get to
Barry. They might not take someone hanging out on your street and
sending you gifts very seriously but they sure as fuck better take
kidnapping seriously.

That asshole was going down.

And I was going to get on with my life.
Again.

Without Joe.

I should have been like Theresa and taken
pictures, loads of pictures. Pictures of him sleeping. Pictures of
him with the girls. Pictures of him drinking coffee. Pictures of
him mowing the lawn. Pictures of him watching TV. Pictures of him
breathing.

Joe was so wrong to get rid of his pictures
of Nicky. I needed pictures. I needed the memories. Lots of
them.

I only had one picture of him. The one with
him and Nicky already on my Dead People I Love Shelf.

Well at least that was a timesaver. I
wouldn’t have to move it.

I laughed, the sound was harsh and the feel
of it bit at my throat.

Then I felt a tear slide down my face.

My mind moved to my daughters. I didn’t know
what time it was but they’d know when they got home something was
wrong. Then they’d have to find out Joe was never coming home. Then
I’d have to find a way to put the pieces of us together again.