At Peace (73 page)

“Nothin’.”

“Family’s family,” Aunt Theresa piped up and
everyone looked at her but Theresa was looking at Bea. “Family’s
family,” Theresa repeated.

“Does Joe think that?” Bea asked Theresa, I
looked back at her and finally got it.

I squeezed Bea’s leg and leaned toward her.
“You’re a part of our lives.” I whispered.

“But he won’t want to be reminded –” she
started and I laughed.

“
Bea!” I leaned in further. “Katy and
Keirry look exactly like Tim.” I lifted my hand and gestured to the
pictures of Tim all over our shelves. “He’s everywhere. He’ll be
everywhere,” I touched Keira’s hair and finished,
“
forever
.”

“Family’s family,” Theresa repeated firmly
but Bea still looked unsure.

“I’ll never forget Tim, Bea,” I promised. “I
don’t want to, I couldn’t lose that, couldn’t lose him, everything
we were, everything he gave me, us. I’ll never lose Tim and Joe
wouldn’t want me to. He’d never ask that. And he’d never want me to
lose you. He knows what you mean to me, the girls, he’d never ask
that either.”

“You tell him, he likes my pie, I’ll make it
every time we come visit,” Bea promised back.

“Come with your pie, without your pie, he
won’t care. Only thing that would piss him off is if you didn’t
come thinkin’ you couldn’t because of him.”

Bea licked her bottom lip. Then she
whispered, “Tim would like him.”

This was freaky weird, uncomfortable and
heartbreakingly sad. It was also true.

“Yeah,” I whispered back.

“You can make your pie for me,” Keira put in,
trying to lighten the mood.

“
And me,” Kate said, “but I vote strawberry
next time.”

“Sugar cream,” Keira placed her own vote.

“I’m thinking butterscotch,” Bea stated.

“Next time I’ll bring my cannoli,” Aunt
Theresa declared.

“Shit, I’m gonna get fat,” I muttered and Bea
laughed.

“From what I can see, hon, fat, skinny, your
hair can fall out and Joe won’t care,” she said.

This was true too.

“Yeah,” I smiled at her.

She smiled back then it wobbled. “Just like
Tim,” she whispered.

My smile wobbled too. “Just like Tim.”

Kate put her cheek to her Gramma’s hair.
Keira put hers to her Gramma’s knee. I curled Joe and Nicky tight
to my chest and looked at Theresa.

“I’ll give him Nicky, soon’s I can,” I
promised.

Aunt Theresa’s eyes slid through Bea, Kate
and Keira then back to me.

“
Grazie cara
mia,
” she
whispered.

“
You’re welcome,” I whispered back, got up,
bent in, kissed Aunt Theresa’s cheek and then took Nicky and Joe to
our bedroom and tucked them safe in my lingerie drawer.

* * * * *

When Cal hit the top of the steps at the
Station he saw Colt, Sully and Mike Haines in the bullpen all of
them standing around a desk he knew was Colt’s. He knew this
because he’d been there before but even if he hadn’t, he’d know it
because it had three framed pictures on it. One was of Colt and Feb
at J&J’s, Colt seated on his usual stool, Feb standing between
his legs, they were pressed close, both of them laughing. One was
like a picture Vi had on her shelves. Feb was laying in a hospital
bed, newborn baby Jack in her arms, her face pale and tired, Colt
was lying on the covers in the bed with her, his arm around her
shoulders, his other hand on Jack’s diapered bottom. The last was
recent, taken at the barbeque, Colt and Feb standing, Colt had Jack
in one arm, his other around Feb, Feb had a gray cat in one arm,
her other around Colt and their puppy was sitting on Colt’s foot,
his tongue lolling out. They were all smiling, even baby Jack and
the puppy looked like they were smiling although the cat looked
like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

Happy family and about fucking time.

“Yo,” he said as Colt unfolded from his chair
and Sully and Haines locked eyes on him.

Cal tipped his chin to Haines and watched
Haines’s jaw get hard. That toxic feeling in his gut churned
because he didn’t figure Haines was a man to hold a grudge but if
he was Cal didn’t figure he was stupid enough to give away his
power by letting on that he did. His jaw was hard because of
something else.

“Yo, Cal,” Colt said quietly and that toxic
feeling churned deeper. Cal knew Colt was gentle with women,
otherwise he wasn’t loud but he also wasn’t quiet.

Cal stopped at their huddle.

“You gave me nothin’ on the phone, Colt.
Don’t make me wait,” Cal stated.

“Gotta explain somethin’ first,” Colt was
still being quiet, his eyes watchful and Cal noted that he was more
than his usual alert and so were Sully and Haines.

“Do it fast,” Cal demanded low.

“First, you gotta know Mike’s here for a
reason and it’s a good one,” Colt said and Cal nodded. He didn’t
like this at all and it wasn’t getting any better.

“Second, you and me had a conversation on
your deck awhile back, you remember?” Colt asked.

“I remember,” Cal answered, his eyes locked
on Colt.

“That’s between you and me,” Colt said still
talking quiet.

“It is then why we talkin’ about it now?” Cal
asked and jerked his head to Sully and Haines.

“Because of that conversation, I made a
decision that night that you aren’t gonna like,” Colt replied and
Cal felt Sully and Haines both close in. They only moved slightly,
it was their increased vigilance that filled their huddle like a
physical presence.

That poison agitated even deeper in his gut.
“Colt –”

“I didn’t know things would change, I didn’t
know they’d do it as fast as they did and, sorry, man, but once
they did, I couldn’t be sure it’d take,” Colt went on.

“What the fuck?” Cal asked.

“Vi’s been getting gifts,” Sully said quickly
and Cal’s eyes sliced to him.

“I know,” Cal told him.

“Every day for nearly three months,” Haines
put in and Cal took a step back in order to put distance between
him and his friends so he could get control.

This took some doing but when he accomplished
it, he whispered, “What?”

“I didn’t know either, Cal,” Haines bit off
and his eyes cut to Colt and Cal knew that Colt had been having an
uncomfortable morning.

Cal’s eyes cut to Colt too and he ground out,
“Explain.”

“You two were focused on Vi and I needed
focus on the problem,” Colt said.

“So you kept this shit from me?” Cal asked,
now his voice was quiet but it was a different kind of quiet from
Colt’s.

“I made a call,” Colt stated.

“It was the wrong one,” Cal clipped.

“You disappeared for over two months, man,
remember?” Colt shot back.

“I wouldn’t have, I knew she was gettin’
gifts,” Cal returned.

“Bullshit,” Colt muttered.

Cal moved and Sully moved too, coming between
Colt and Cal.

“Not gonna help things, Cal, you know that.
Stand down and listen,” Sully said softly.

Cal’s eyes were over Sully’s shoulder and on
Colt.

“Haines was here, why’d you keep it from
him?” Cal asked.

“Focus,” Colt answered.

“You are so full of shit,” Cal bit off.

“
Fuck it, Cal, you’re talkin’ to a man who
knows what losin’ focus means!” Colt snapped. “I let Feb talk me
out of protective custody the day we shoulda gone into custody, the
day
before
my woman,
fuck, my
women
got
kidnapped and taken hostage. One of them was shot. Another one
spent months in counseling. That day one man got dead, another man
shot, another man shot and hacked to shit. It coulda been worse. I
know the importance of keepin’ fuckin’
focus.
” It sucked but Cal had to give him that and Colt
went on. “Neither of you had it. Sully and I do.”

Cal stared at Colt then stepped back. Sully
stepped away. Haines pulled in a breath and let it out.

“Keep goin’,” Cal growled.

“Things have changed,” Colt explained.

“Yeah? How?” Cal demanded to know.

“Gifts stopped,” Sully said.

“When?” Cal asked.

“Day the brother was murdered,” Colt told
him.

“But he’s still active?” Cal pushed and they
all looked at him.

Then Haines moved. Leaning into Colt’s desk
he slid a manila envelope off it and handed it to Cal. Cal took it
and Haines started talking.

“Got that in my mail at home yesterday,”
Haines said.

Cal looked from Haines to the envelope.

“It been printed?” Cal asked.

“Yeah,” Haines replied.

“Get anything?” Cal went on, knowing the
answer.

“Nope,” Haines gave him the answer he
knew.

Cal opened the envelope, pulled out a
picture, looked at it and felt his mouth get tight.

It was black and white, taken with a
telephoto no doubt, Haines and Vi standing by Vi’s Mustang. Haines
had his hands at her jaws, his head bent forward, Vi’s head was
bent back and they were kissing.

Scrawled on the bottom of the photo in black
marker was “Make sure this was good-bye”.

Colt twisted and took another envelope from
his desk and handed it to Cal.

“
I got that in my mail yesterday too,” he
said, “it’s been printed.”

Cal opened the envelope and slid out another
picture. It was black and white and it was of Vi and him two days
ago standing in the drive in the door of her Mustang. It was when
she told him she’d do anything he wanted. They were in a tight
clinch, mouths locked, going at it.

Scrawled across the bottom of that photo was
“Tell him he’s gone or he’s next”.

Cal closed his eyes and muttered, “Fuck.”

“
Open threats,” Sully said,
“new.”

“Barry Pryor know about these?” Cal asked,
leaning around Colt and tossing the photos on his desk.

“Yep,” Colt said.

“What’s he think?”

“Thinks you and Vi and the girls should
consider protective custody,” Colt replied.

Cal’s brows went up. “You offerin’ that?”

Colt bit his lower lip, something he did when
he was pissed. Sully shuffled his feet. Haines made a noise like a
growl.

“Talked to the Chief. Don’t have the
resources,” Colt told him.

“So it’s vigilance,” Cal deduced.

“Squads on the street, escorts for you, Vi
and the girls,” Sully said.

“You got the resources for that?” Cal
asked.

“Nope, just talked to the crew. They’re in.
It won’t be constant but they’ll do what they can,” Colt’s eyes
caught Cal’s. “Chief doesn’t need to know,” Colt shared.

“You got a gun?” Haines asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not sittin’ out in the open
with Vi and her girls,” Cal answered.

“Her girls are old enough to know better,”
Sully put in.

“Still not doin’ it,” Cal stated.

“Man, their Dad was a cop. They gotta be used
to it,” Haines noted.

“Yeah, maybe with Tim they were used to it.
With me they aren’t and I make my gun visible, they’ll know
somethin’s up,” Cal returned.

“You aren’t gonna tell them?” Colt asked, his
voice surprised.

“Fuck no,” Cal answered.

“You’re shittin’ me,” Haines muttered.

“
You’d tell them?” Cal asked and Haines
held his gaze then a muscle jumped in his jaw. “That’s what I
thought,” Cal said quietly.

“Gonna be hard to give them escorts if you
don’t tell them,” Sully pointed out.

“They won’t have escorts, they’ll have tails
and it’ll be up to you and your crew to keep themselves invisible,”
Cal replied.

“Cal, I can see you wanna keep Kate and Keira
in the dark, feelin’ safe, but Vi –” Colt started and Cal looked at
him.

“
Her brother was murdered three weeks ago,
Colt. You think I should go home, tell her someone’s taking photos
and makin’ threats? Against Mike? Against me? After Sam was killed
she had nightmares. Bad ones. They’re gone now. Now you want her to
try to sleep knowin’ that? To let her girls go to school? Me go to
the store? Mike’s a father, it didn’t end bad between them, it just
ended. She cares about him. You think she’ll be okay with thinkin’
she brought this shit into
his
life?”

Colt lifted a hand. “All right, Cal, I get
it.”

No one said a word for awhile until Sully
ended the silence.

“So now what do we do?” Sully muttered.

“Cal backs off,” Haines said and Cal’s eyes
sliced to him.

“Come again?” he asked dangerously.

“You’ll explain things to her after the
Chicago PD takes him down,” Haines went on.

“You think he should move out?” Colt asked
incredulously.

“I think we make Hart think his threats
worked,” Mike explained. “Keep Cal safe. Keep an eye on Vi. Pryor
says he’s close.”

“Close with what?” Cal growled.

Mike’s eyes caught Cal’s. “Tax evasion.”

“
Jesus Christ,” Cal bit out, “that’s a
fuckin’ joke.”

“They got a lock on a second set of books,”
Mike returned.

“A lock?” Cal asked. “They don’t even fuckin’
have the books?”

“
The Feds are involved now,” Colt
explained, “they’re makin’ deals.”

Cal shook his head. “You want me to leave
Vi and the girls for tax evasion?” Cal returned, knowing Mike’s
game. He didn’t want Cal safe. He wanted Cal to leave Vi. “They get
him he’s bonded out in hours.”

“Odds are, they’ll hold him without bail,”
Colt noted.

“He’s got money, he’s got lawyers, in his
business he knows this shit could happen any time. He’ll be
prepared,” Cal told Colt.

“They set bail, it’ll be set high,” Sully
noted.

“He’ll be out,” Cal shot back.

“Like I said, Cal, you explain it to her
after it’s done,” Haines repeated.