Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) (40 page)

Callen wanted to weep.
The nightmare was back. All the times this man abused, touched, and burned him. It all swamped him as he could only hear himself as a child, screaming to be free.

There was laughter.

Evil. Vile. Laughter.

“Go away, Dean. You can’t hurt me anymore,” he said, but his voice wavered. It was all lies. He was breaking him
all over again.

“I think you’re rich enough to pay for my silence now.”

Callen couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Instead, fight versus flight was kicking in. He couldn’t breathe.

He was suffocating.

“If you pay me off, I’ll disappear.”

Callen stood, his legs bumping the table. It shook, spilling his beer
all over the place. In that moment, the only thing he could focus on was getting the hell out of there.

He had to run.

The fear took over, and he was that scared boy once more. That last night came rushing back, and he was reliving it. In his mind, he pictured the burns on his arms, the bramble scratching at him as he raced through the woods, and this sick bastard’s laughter. It was all there.

In that moment
, he forgot about everything else in his life but the need to save himself.

He had to get away. His life and sanity depended on it. All Callen could focus on was the pounding of his heart as he dug the keys from his pocket.

Racing for the door, he hit the cool air outside and had a moment to get control.

Only, it was too late.

The fear was back. He could hear the broken whimpers of a poor scared boy, and he had no choice.

Like once before, he ran for it.

For now, he needed to be safe and anywhere but there.

Elizabeth sat at the bar
waiting for Katheryn Drake to be free. When she moved toward her, Elizabeth pulled out her badge and smiled.

“I have some questions for you,” she said, watching the woman’s face.

“I run a clean place here,” she said.

Elizabeth
was used to that kind of response. “Hey, I only need information on a woman and not your bar,” she reassured.

The woman relaxed. “Sure thing then. Who
’s the woman?”

Elizabeth pulled up Kaylee Bain’s driver’s license. “Do you know her?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately! I’ve called the cops countless times to have her taken out of here. She gets shitfaced, and then tries to sell herself to the men in the place.”

“Well, who does she go home with?” she asked, glancing around. Something caught the corner of her eye. Callen was at their table, talking to someone.

That was odd. She’d never seen the Native man before in her life. Then again, maybe he met the man on the Rez while working.

“Who doesn’t she
head out with?” the woman asked. “What did she do now?”

Elizabeth dropped her phone into her purse.
“She ended up dead.”

The woman showed no emotion. “I’d like to say I’m sorry, but she was trouble. The men in here are looking for one thing, and she was selling it. I wouldn’t be surprised if a john took her for a ride and dumped her.”

Yeah, neither would Elizabeth. “Is anyone here one of her reoccurring customers?”

“Nah, she came in here on Saturdays. If you want to see her regulars, you need to come back then.”

Elizabeth made a mental note. Then, she could feel herself being watched. Turning her head, she could see the same man who was with Callen at the end of the bar.

He was watching her intently.

“Anything else?” Katheryn asked, mopping up some spills.

“Yeah, at the end of this bar is a man in a brown leather jacket. He has long hair and is very Native. What’s his name?” Elizabeth asked.

The woman glanced down the bar, and then back at the woman. “His name is Dean Quinlan. He’s nothing but trouble. If you’re smart, you’ll stay away from him. He’s one of those men who likes to cause problems. Last I heard, he had just gotten out of prison. He’s big into drugs.”

Elizabeth couldn’t recall ever seeing him
, and there was no way Callen would be acquainted with a dealer. “Thank you, Katheryn,” she said, getting out of her seat to head back to the table.

Walking past the man, it was hard to not notice he was still watching her. The entire thing made her nervous as hell. After Patrick Parrish, the whole family was edgy. Now, she needed to find out what was going on.

At the table, she was surprised to find that Callen was gone. Looking around, she couldn’t find him anywhere. Elizabeth caught the eye of their waitress, and she rushed right over.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Did you see where the man I was with went?” she asked.

The woman nodded her head. “He took off like a bat out of hell. I hope you plan on paying the tab. If you’re going to stiff me, I’ll have to call the cops.”

Pulling back her jacket, she flashed her badge, and then pulled cash out of her purse. “Thank you for your help,” she offered, heading toward the door.

This didn't feel right. Callen would NEV
ER leave his field partner alone in a bar during a questioning, and he wouldn’t EVER leave her.

Something was definitely wrong.

She needed to get to the bottom of it, and fast.

Ethan was almost there.

A car racing toward him caught his eye. When it tore past him, like it was heading to a fire, the hair on his arms stood up. It was the exact same Navigator that Callen and Elizabeth were driving.

In fact, it looked like his brother behind the wheel.

Picking up his cell, he called his wife just to make sure she was fine.

“Are you okay?” he blurted into the phone
when she finally picked up.

“Yeah, I’m at
‘Bubba’s’
but I can’t find Callen. I was interviewing Katheryn Drake, and he disappeared.” As she stood in the parking lot, more confusion filled her.

The Navigator was gone.

“Ethan, I think he left me here. Why would Callen do that?”

Okay, now
it was time to panic.

It was
indeed his brother who flew out of there. “I was just passed by your vehicle, and it was going fast. What happened?” he asked. Blackhawk couldn’t understand why his brother would leave Elizabeth alone.

That wasn’t like him.

“I don’t know. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary,” she said, except that man.

Sticking her head back inside the establishment, Elizabeth looked
around, and he was gone.

“I’ll be there to pick you up,” he said, scared out of his mind.
Ethan wasn’t sure who to be more worried about. His wife was alone at a bar, and his brother was on the run.

This whole thing was odd. Calle
n was just as protective as him. He loved Elizabeth too much to bail on his partner while they were working.

Something had
to have happened.

“
I want you to stay right where you are, Elizabeth,” Blackhawk demanded.

“I’m worried about Callen,” she admitted.

“Yeah, me too, baby, but we’ll figure it all out. I promise,” Ethan reassured.

When she hung up with her husband, Elizabeth remained perplexed. It wasn’t only regarding why Callen raced out of there, but who was the man he’d been talking to.

Now, it looked like they had another mystery to solve, and her gut was already warning her.

It wasn’t going to be good.

Callen
didn't stop. He kept driving.

His first instinct was that he
had to get home. Callen had every intention of escaping Devil’s Lake and getting somewhere safe.

Never, in all of his worst nightmares, did he think he’d find the man who had molested and abused him as a child.

This was horrifying.

Now, the truth would come out.

He couldn’t even think straight as he hit the highway and started the three hour trek home. Nothing else mattered but putting space between him and the hell he’d just had to relive.

Nothing.

With each mile placed between him and the man, who destroyed his childhood, some sanity returned. Finally, the little spark of rational Callen returned.

He remembered why he’d been in that bar
.

“I’m so sorry, Lyzee. I hope you
’ll forgive me one day,” he whispered as the tears began to fall.

             
                  *     *     *

Sitting across from Jaxon, he couldn’t help but be enamored. They were sharing crispy duck and laughing. Here, they had a great deal in common.

More than he ever knew.

They went to same college, studied the same master’s curriculum, and were on the same path, only he did it all first.

“So, why anthropology?” he asked, feeding her a piece of broccoli.

Jaxon chewed as she contemplated her answer. “I like mysteries. I always wanted to solve things as a kid. My dad used to tell me I was his biggest challenge in life. I couldn’t get enough knowledge.”

He smiled. “I bet you had amazing parents. You’re pretty spectacular.”

She didn't really want to go there. Her father’s past wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. Michael O’Banion didn't like to do things the legal way.

Ever.

“My mom was super sweet. She used to make our Halloween costumes and bake cookies. I miss her.”

It was hard not to notice that Jaxon
didn't say she missed her father.

Where he knew it was likely a bad idea, Tony still pushed on. He wanted to know everything about her.

“What did they do for a living?”

She swallowed and stared at him.

Tony saw the way her body tensed at the simple question, and it sent off warning signals in his brain. “I’m sorry, did I ask something wrong?”

In that moment, Jaxon had two choices. She could lie, or she could tell the absolute truth. In her heart, she suspected that lying to Tony would only make him want to put distance between them. It was the last thing she wanted to do.

Pulling out her phone, she pulled up a picture she always kept with her. It was of her mother and father. Sliding it across the table, Jaxon let him see them.

Tony was still a little confused, as he accepted her cell. Examining the photo, he noticed that h
er mother was just as beautiful as she was. Jaxon definitely got her looks from her.

Before he could say anything, she pushed on.
“My dad was Michael O’Banion. My brother and I took my mother’s name after his death.”

Maybe he’d missed something, but he
didn't understand.

“Google it.”

Pulling out his own phone, he did the search. When it came up, he scanned the information before glancing up at her. “Really?”

She nodded. “
My father didn't do things the legal way. So, does this make you want to run screaming out of the restaurant?” she asked, knowing he wouldn’t be the first.

“No why?” he asked.

“Not many men want to be around me after they find out that my father was head of the Irish mob in Boston. They assume that my brother and I are just like him. Do you really want to be seen with someone whose family is that dirty?”

Moving closer to her, Tony took her hand in his. “Jaxon, if that is your name,” he teased, getting her to smile. “I don’t care what your father did in life. I only want to be with you,” he reassured, bringing her mouth to his. The kiss was warm and shared what he was feeling.
When it became heated, he slowly broke away.

Jaxon almost wanted to cry. “Thank you
for that, Tony.”

He handed her a set of chopsticks. “I do believe it’s your turn to feed me now.”

She started laughing. “Well, I do like to be fair.”

After chewing the
mouthful of duck, he figured then was a good enough time to drop his own little bomb.

“Jax?” he began.

“Yes, Tony?” she asked, staring into his eyes.

“Remember when you stated earlier that you’d never had a boyfriend before?”

“Yes, why?”

“You do now.”

She stared at him. “What?”

“I think you heard me,” he said, stuffing some duck into her wide open mouth.