Callahan's Fate (18 page)

Propped up on one elbow,
Raine
smiled. “You’ll make it.
 
We need to eat, too.”

He chuckled. “For some reason, I’m
starved.”

“Me, too.”

“I need a shower first.”

“Go ahead, and I’ll set the table.”

Callahan luxuriated in a warm shower,
sluicing away the day’s perspiration and any lingering musk.
 
He emerged, ate a late lunch in his
underwear, devouring the sandwich and fortifying himself for his shift with
coffee.
 

“I wish I didn’t have to go,” he said as
he drained his cup. He’d told her the same thing earlier but he meant it.

“Me, too, but I’ve got plenty to keep me
occupied,”
Raine
replied.

He glanced at the mess. “Yeah, that’s
good. Just promise me you won’t go anywhere.
 
It’s not a good night to be out, you hear?”

Raine
pursed her lips
into a faux pout. “Yes, but what if I need something from the store?”

“You call me, and I’ll get it for you on
the way home.
 
Is there something you
want?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m just giving
you a hard time.
 
I’ll be busy, but why
can’t I go out?”

Exasperation sent air through his lips.
“You know why.
 
It’s Halloween and all
the freaks will be out in force along with the kiddies and the ones just having
fun.
 
And Snake, Bull, and Shoe will be
out there somewhere.
 
I wouldn’t want
them to cross paths with you, doll.”

Her smile faded. “I know.
 
I’ll stay home, Cal. And I’ll call or text if
I need anything.””

God, he ached to make love to her again
but there wasn’t time.
 
He donned his
uniform, gathered his gear, kissed her, and headed out.
 
Callahan’s nerves were on high alert and had
been all day.
 
As much as he wanted to
believe the threat from the Marsh bunch had ended, he couldn’t and didn’t.

But, please God
, he thought,
not tonight
.
 

Chapter Twelve

Alone in the apartment,
Raine
put some mellow music on the stereo and brewed
another pot of coffee.
 
She opened the
window to see if it’d turned cold as a sharp wind buffeted the building.
 
A shiver began at the base of her neck and
ran down the rest of her body.
 
Although
she’d loved Halloween as a kid, tales from her grandmother had given her a
healthy respect for the things that go bump in the night and all things
supernatural.
 
Grandma would have said it was a fey, blustery night,
and that the dead walk.
 
I don’t believe it, but I’d rather not
imagine it either.

She unpacked one box, one tote at a time,
and by nine-thirty, she had emptied them all.
 
Her possessions now mingled with Callahan’s.
 
If she just remembered where she put
everything, they would be in good shape.
 
Although they’d eaten late, she wanted a snack, so she popped a bag of
microwave popcorn.
 
Raine
considered putting on a jacket and heading up to the roof but she decided
against it.
 
Callahan will get off work in about an hour.
 
I can tough it out till then, and if he’s not
too tired, we can go up together.

Instead, she turned on the television
and flipped channels until she found a movie to watch while waiting.
 
Raine
kept her cell
phone close in case Callahan called, but he didn’t.
 
When she’d been busy, she hadn’t been so
aware of time, but now
Raine
would swear the clocks
had stopped and time suspended.
 
She
tried not to be aware but she sneaked a glance at the clock every five
minutes.
 

Her mind failed to focus on the movie so
she turned off the television.
 
A
restless uneasiness settled over her, and she blamed it on All Hallows
Eve.
 
Tomorrow,
Raine
realized, would be All Saints as well as Sunday.
 
Maybe they could go to church together.
 
They had talked about the possibility, and
she decided she would like to go if Callahan did.
 
We
could go to the church nearby, the Church of the Holy Innocents.
 

At eleven, Callahan should be getting
off duty.
 
She steeled herself to
remember he had to get home, and it would take some time.
 
He’ll
be here at eleven-thirty at the earliest, more likely midnight.
 
Maybe even later.

Resigned to waiting,
Raine
took a slow shower,
then
dressed in a pair of
comfortable flannel pajamas.
 
She put
clean sheets on the bed and decided to read until Callahan got home.
 
For a little while, she lost herself in the
pages of a novel, but reading made her sleepy and she wanted to wait up for him.
She put her e-reader aside.
 

Her muscles ached from unpacking, and
heavy fatigue hung over her.
 
Unable to
relax,
Raine
paced the apartment in her bare feet,
stalking from one end to the other like a caged animal.
 
She paused to peer through the kitchen window
toward the street below, but she couldn’t see much.
 
Less traffic moved at the late hour, and
beneath her fingertips, the glass was cool to the touch.

Midnight arrived, but Callahan
didn’t.
 
Another hour
passed, long and nerve-wracking.
 
Almost frantic with worry, certain he would’ve called if possible to
tell her he would be so late,
Raine
fought panic and
an overwhelming urge to cry.
 
She
resisted both, but worry gnawed at her insides like a hungry rat.

Raine
considered
calling his cell phone, but if he didn’t answer she would freak out, so she
waited.
 
Same thing
about sending a text.
If he
doesn’t show up by two, I will.
 
She
sat up in bed and turned off all the lights but a single lamp.

Just after one-thirty, she heard
footsteps in the hall and the jangle of keys inserted into the lock.
 
Her heart stumbled a few beats and her lungs
refused to draw air.
 
Callahan walked
into the apartment, head down, his shoulders tight, and tossed his keys onto
the kitchen table.
 
He stood there for a
moment and turned away from her.

“Callahan?” she said. “I was worried.”

He wheeled around. “I know I’m late, and
I
shoulda
called or texted you,” he said. His gruff
voice warned her. “Baby, something bad happened tonight.”

A sharp icicle of fear pierced
Raine’s
consciousness. “What’s the matter? Are you all
right?”

He sighed and walked across the room,
removing his hat. “I’ve been better, but I’m okay. It could’ve been worse.”

With the room in shadows, the sole
illumination coming from the bedside lamp, she couldn’t see his face.
 
Callahan came to a stop a few feet from the
bed and lifted his head.
 
Raine
gasped.
 
His
left eye had swollen half-shut, with dark bruises both above and beneath
it.
 
A cut on his cheek seeped a little
blood.
 
“Oh, Callahan,” she cried.
“You’ve got a black eye! What happened?”

Without humor, he said, “I got hit.”
Then he sat down on the edge of the bed facing her. “
Raine
,
doll, what happened is bad, real bad.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Callahan winced. “I’ll probably have a
few bruises elsewhere, but
naw
, I’m all right.
 
That’s not what I’m talking about.
 
Bull’s dead,
Raine
,
and another officer shot him.
 
Snake’s
out for blood, mine most of all.”

She struggled to understand. “That’s
nothing new, though, is it?”

“Yeah, in a way it is.
 
He wanted my ass before, but now he blames me
for Bull’s death.”

“But you’re not the one who shot him?”

“No, doll, but I was there.”

Raine
tried to digest
the information. “How did you get hurt?”

“Bull did it before the other cop took
him down.
 
He meant to do more damage and
would have.
 
He had a knife and
threatened to slice me.”

 
Her
imagination came up with terrible images, and she reached for his hand.
 
He grasped hers tight and held it. “Thank God
he didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, he would’ve until Scott
shot him, two rounds through the head.
 
He was dead before he hit the pavement, and Snake screamed.
 
Then he yelled and said he’d get me for it.
Scott, too.
 
Scott
took the shot, but Snake blames me.
 
He
cussed and made threats.”

“Maybe that’s all they are,” she said.
 
Raine
didn’t
believe it, though.

“I wish.”

They held hands for a few moments. After
a pause, Callahan said, “He got away, Snake.
 
He took down Scott on the way and ran down an alley.
 
Although we pursued him, he escaped, so he’s
out there.
 
And he’s what-do-they-call-it,
a clear and present danger
for us.”

She had to touch him, to hold him tight
for reassurance, so she moved forward and hugged Callahan.
 
He put his arms around her, and she tucked
her head into the curve of his shoulder. The tears knotted in her throat broke
free and escaped through her eyes.
 
Although she steeled herself not to sob, she thought he knew because he
patted her back.
 
“It’s all right for
now, doll,” he whispered. “All I could think about was getting home, making
sure you were here and safe.
 
I worried
Snake might come here to find you.”

“He doesn’t know where you live, does
he?”

“I don’t think so, not yet.”

“Then he couldn’t, right?”

“I hope not.”

Raine
lifted her face
to study his black eye at close range. “That must be painful.”

“It hurts like hell.”

“You need some ice on it, Callahan.”

He shrugged.
“Probably.”

“I’ll get it if you want to lie down.”

“
Naw
, I’d
rather sit in the kitchen for a while. I’m beat, but I can’t sleep yet,” he
told her. “The place looks nice, by the way.
 
I see you found somewhere for everything.”

“Yes, I did.
 
I’m not sure if I’ll remember where things
are, but it’s all put away.
 
Do you have
an ice bag?”

Callahan shook his head. “No, just use a
plastic bag or something.”

As she bagged up some ice cubes and then
wrapped the bag in a towel, the impact of what could have happened hit
Raine
hard.
 
Her
hands trembled as she put together the makeshift ice bag, but she schooled her
voice to be ordinary. “Are you hungry? I can fix you something.”

“Yeah, I am, a little. Did you eat?”

“I had some popcorn earlier,” she said.
“Here, hold this on your poor eye.”

He pressed it in place and made a face.
“Can you make me a sandwich or something?”

“Sure, how does toasted cheese sound? I
know we have bread and cheese and butter.”

“Sounds great, baby,” he replied. “Can I
have two?”

Raine
cupped her hand
around his uninjured cheek. “You can have whatever you want. I’m glad you’re
home, Cal.”

His sigh came from deep within his
chest. “Yeah, doll, me, too.”

She dosed him with over-the-counter pain
medication,
then
grilled the sandwiches in a skillet.
 
Raine
found some
kosher dill pickles in the fridge and put a spear on each plate.
 
He ate both sandwiches and half of the one
she made herself.
 
By then, the ice had
melted, but his eye looked slightly less swollen.
 
“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Tired,” Callahan said. “I’m sore, not
just the eye, but all over.”