In the Eye of the Storm (19 page)

By the time Beau had left Trey’s and was heading back to Kate’s it was almost four-thirty. He had intended to be home an hour ago but Trey had insisted they toast the trade to Seattle. He and Kylie were ecstatic. He knew Kylie had been worried about Kate moving too far away.

Picking up his phone, he checked to see if Kate had called him. She hadn’t. He speed dialed her and waited. He got her voicemail. This was a little strange, considering she always answered her phone after work. He supposed she might be busy changing out of her work clothes or something.

“Hey, baby. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few.” He disconnected and headed toward Kate’s. He was about two minutes from her house when the announcer on the radio station he had on caught his attention—or rather the sound of his own name did.

“Apparently, ladies and gentlemen, it’s official. Beau Callahan, star first baseman for the Texas Renegades, is no longer a Renegade. Yep, you heard it here first. Mr. Callahan is now officially a member of the Seattle Reign. I got this news straight from a Renegades publicist himself. The ink’s dry, the deal’s done….”
The announcer went on to explain the details of the trade between Texas and Seattle.

Swearing, Beau put his foot on the gas, hoping Kate hadn’t been listening to the news. If one station had the goods, they all did. This was liable to be all over the country by now. He immediately regretted not going to Green Gables and talking to her himself earlier.

When he pulled up in front of her house, he noticed her SUV was in the driveway. At least she was home.

Climbing out of the truck, he headed up the walk and prepared to use his key to open the front door. He didn’t have to. The door wasn’t locked.

He cursed, annoyed. He’d warned Kate repeatedly about locking up, even if she was home. Clearly, she had forgotten.

He walked into the house, expecting to find her at the refrigerator, digging through it for something to eat, where he found her most nights when he got home after she did. When he looked to the kitchen, he found it empty. they were s

For some reason, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he had the instinctual feeling that something wasn’t right. And then he saw her. She was sitting in a far corner of the room in an easy chair, staring up at him with wide eyes. Her face was tear streaked and a large red blotch covered one side of her cheek.

“Sonofabitch, what happened…” The words died on his lips when her eyes flicked to the hallway toward the bedroom. That was when he saw the man standing just outside the bathroom door, a gun in his hand.

Beau’s heart tripped into overdrive. His first instinct was to put himself between the man and Kate. He quickly did so, his gaze narrowed ominously.

“Kate, go,” he told her, never losing eye contact with the man in the hall.

“Well, well, well, it’s about time you joined our party.” The man looked over Beau’s shoulder at Kate. “I think you know better than to move, sweet cheeks. I’ll shoot him through the head if you do.”

Beau heard Kate let out a small whimper. Immediately, he saw red. “This has nothing to do with her. Let her go and we’ll talk about this—you and me.”

“Oh this has
everything
to do with her.” The man stepped directly into the room and Beau found himself struggling for some sense of recognition. Did he know this guy? Surely if this was the man who had been stalking him all this time he would recognize him from somewhere…..wouldn’t he?

Tall and lanky, the guy looked to be in his late thirties or early forties. He had bushy brown hair and at least a few days’ worth of stubble on his cheeks. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt under a tan colored jacket. There was something about his eyes that bothered Beau, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

“Who are you?” Beau finally asked, still careful to keep himself in front of Kate.

“If you cared about your fans you would know that my name is Charlie Dwyer. I wrote you a lot of nice letters. You never wrote me back so I had to start getting nasty.”

Beau had never heard of the guy. “You thought I would answer threatening letters that you sent to my house?” He shook his head. “I don’t know you. Why are you doing this?”

Charlie Dwyer’s hand shook as he lifted the gun and pointed it at Beau. “You
should
know me. You singlehandedly ruined my life. Because of you I lost my wife, my kids, my house—everything.”

Beau shook his head. “I play baseball for a living, man. I don’t fucking know you.”

“Well, you’re about to. Step away from her and come over here. I like being able to keep my eyes on her. She’s very pretty.”

“No,” Beau said, firmly.

“Beau, just do what—”

“What the fuck do you want?” Beau asked, cutting Kate off abruptly.

Charlie snickered, his blue eyes going dark. That was when Beau realized what was bothering him. “You’re Channing’s son, aren’t you?”

Channing Dwyer was the night custodian at Arlington Stadium in Texas, who had been a witness to the breach in security on the locker room, months earlier. Beau had known the old man for years. This explained the eye re they wered onhe wascognition. This guy looked a lot like his dad. In fact, now that Beau had figured out who Charlie Dwyer was, he realized the resemblance was uncanny.

Dwyer’s expression changed to one of surprise. “I’m shocked you remember a stupid old man like Dad. Somebody like you has no purpose for an old guy that cleans floors.”

Beau shook his head. “I like your dad. He’s a friend of mine.”

“Sure he is.” Dwyer stepped a bit closer and Beau felt his adrenaline pumping. He had to get Kate out of here.

“Listen, if you just let her go I’ll sit down and we can work this out. I have obviously done something to piss you off. I’m willing to be reasonable and hear you out. But not with her here.”

“Why? Because she’s the love of your life? Because you don’t want to lose her?” Dwyer’s voice trembled and he shook his head. “I had that too once—but she left me. All because I lost some money—all because you couldn’t swing a fucking baseball bat. You’re paid millions upon millions and you still play like shit. You ruined everything.”

Suddenly Beau began to understand. “You bet on me and lost? That’s what all this is about?” He almost couldn’t believe it. There was no way that this man had killed someone because he’d lost a few bucks gambling. It wasn’t possible….was it?

“I didn’t just lose a bet, Callahan. I lost everything. I have no home, no family. I have nothing.”

Beau let out a hiss of breath. “I’m sorry you lost some money. I have off days. There’s not much else I can say to you.”

“Even when you have off days you still get your paycheck!” Dwyer’s voice rose significantly. “And now you think you can run away to Seattle and this will all be over? That’s the biggest fucking betrayal of all!”

“I’ll give you the fucking money you lost! Just let her go!” Beau snapped, growing more nervous by the moment. He didn’t like the way Charlie Dwyer was swinging that gun around. At any second, it was likely to go off.

Dwyer hesitated and then slowly shook his head. “It’s too late now. People have had to die. I never wanted to hurt anyone but I didn’t have a choice. I had to get your attention.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Nothing else seemed to work. I tried reasoning with my father too, but dear old Dad was set in his ways. He was going to blow the whistle on me so I had to take care of him first.” Dwyer snorted, letting out a cynical laugh. “Just so you know, he didn’t know it was me that night at the stadium. He didn’t figure it out until much later. Damn fool. He should have minded his own business.”

Beau felt his heart crack down the middle. He didn’t want to believe that Channing Dwyer was dead.

“I’m done playing around here. There is nothing you can do to change my mind. You have to pay for this—for everything. Get over here and kneel down on the floor.” He gestured to Kate and Beau felt an instant panic wash over him. His arm shot out and he motioned for her to stay put. There was no way he was going to stand by and let this happen.

“This isn’t about her. Let her go.”

“You love her, now you can lose her, just like I lost my wife they were worried b” “. Get over here now!” He said, raising his voice at Kate. “I mean it or I’ll shoot him!” He pointed the gun at Beau, his hand shaking.

Kate stood up, her eyes locking with Beau’s. He saw complete and utter terror there and his heart broke for her. He honest to God didn’t know how he was going to get them out of this one. This guy was certifiably crazy. He obviously had no conscience.

“You don’t want to do this,” Beau said somberly, shaking his head discreetly at Kate. He prayed she would stay back out of his way. Apparently she got the message because she stilled. “What about your wife and kids? Do you think this is what they want you to do?”

“It doesn’t matter what
they
want anymore. They’re gone. My
wife
has asked for a divorce. She’s found someone else. And you’re wrong. I
do
want to do this. I said, come here!
Now!
” Dwyer reached for Kate, yanking her arm roughly. Beau had no intention of standing by and letting him hurt her. Without thinking about it, he lunged, catching Dwyer off guard. His shoulder connected with Dwyer’s chest, knocking him off balance. The gun flew to the floor with clatter and went off. Kate screamed but Beau didn’t have time to turn around and see if she was hurt. Dwyer’s fist was already in a defensive stance and heading for Beau’s face. He ducked quickly and landed a blow of his own. His fist knocked Dwyer’s head back into the hardwood with a snap. Immediately, the man went lax.

Beau turned, frantically in search of Kate, praying she was okay. By the grace of God, she was standing unhurt, the fallen gun in her hands and trained on Charlie Dwyer’s motionless form.

Suddenly all the anger that had been bubbling inside Beau for the past twenty months came rolling out. He stood up straight, breathing hard, trying to tamp down on the rage he felt inside. He wanted to kill this man. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to blow by blow, watch the life leave this monster’s eyes.

“Beau?” He heard Kate’s shaky voice and turned away from the huddled mass at his feet. When their eyes locked, he exhaled, walked over to her and took the gun she held. She was in his arms a moment later.

Kate huddled deeper into the blanket she was wrapped in and tucked her knees underneath her on the couch. Hours had gone by since the police had been called. Trey had arrived with Kylie. Richard had shown up. Hell, just about everybody in town was in the house.

She and Beau had already given the police a play by play of the evening’s events. Charlie Dwyer had been arrested and taken into custody. Finally, Beau’s tormentor was behind bars.

Unfortunately, he had left a trail of bodies in his wake. Not only had he killed Patrick Longwell, but Channing Dwyer had been found dead in his home in Texas. Just as Charlie had warned them, he had killed his own father.

The news hit Beau hard. Kate could tell he was devastated. She wasn’t sure how to make him feel better. Trey had been unsuccessful as well.

“I think you should go in and have them look at your face.”

Kate looked up. Beau had stepped away from the police and was observing the newly formed bruise thates, his eyes n

He didn’t look convinced, but he let the subject drop. The paramedics left. Not long after, Trey and Kylie and Richard all left too, along with t they wereiconhe washe police. Finally, she and Beau were alone.

He walked ove

KEEP READING FOR AN EXCERPT
FROM BOOK 3 OF THE CALLAHAN SERIES
AFTERSHOCK

AFTERSHOCK

(Coming in Winter 2014)

1

Elle Callahan Redfeather put her foot on the gas, determined to make it to her final destination before her ten-year-old Mazda quit on her. She’d gone 1400 miles on a wing and a prayer, with her four-year-old daughter buckled into her car seat in the back. Callahan, Arizona was a distant memory and Seattle, Washington was ninety miles ahead of them.

Elle was thankful that she’d thought to splurge a little and buy a portable DVD player for her daughter. The device was the only thing that had kept Amy’s boredom at bay during this long haul.

Checking her dashboard clock, she realized it was nearly five-thirty. She was still a couple of hours from Seattle. She had talked to Kate, her sister-in-law, a few hours earlier and let her know she was almost there. Kate had been surprised, but excited. She’d promised to have a room and a hot meal ready for them when they arrived. Considering that they had been
McDonalds hopping
for the last thirteen hours, a hot, homemade meal sounded heavenly.

Of all of Elle’s brothers, Kate’s husband, Beau, was probably the most mild-mannered. Even when he was angry, he somehow stayed fairly calm and rational. That was more than she could say for Dusty, Trey and Joey. Her other three brothers were hotheads. When they got a load of what had happened between Elle and her husband, Leo, all hell was going to break loose—especially when Trey found out.

Elle felt her heart clench as she thought of her soon to be ex-husband. She and Leo Redfeather had been married for just over twelve years now. When they had gotten married, they had been young and in love. She’d been barely eighteen and he’d been twenty. Several years of trying to have children had finally produced Amy. The first couple of years after Amy had been fine. But Elle had felt the distance growing between her and Leo shortly after Amy’s third birthday. He had begun spending more and more time away from home at night. At first, she hadn’t thought much of it. Leo worked with the sheriff’s department and he tended to have night shifts on and off. She had been used to his strange hours.

What she hadn’t realized was that he hadn’t been
working
on most of the nights he’d been gone. No, Leo had been with another woman. For nearly six months, he had been having an affair with Shayna Clyde. to make him feel better. wonhe was