“You spent quite a bit of time driving me around. I appreciatedthat.”
Had she really? He couldn’t tell. At the time, maybe. She hated pretending to date Angelo but had still done it. They’d discussed many times how she’d break it off with the mobster’s son, though she’d worried Victor wouldn’t allow it. Once both men were behind bars, it shouldn’t have mattered. One more thing he’d screwed up.
“Daddy, wead a me?” The boy’s speech had improved so much in the past month since he’d last seen him and spoken to him. Good thing Victor wasn’t here. The daddy/doggy thing wasn’t going to work any longer.
With a look of longing in his eyes, Jonathan held out one of his books. Puppy dog eyes, his mother used to call them. She said he’d done the same thing when he was little.
“Sure, pal. Let me help Mommy and Auntie Heather get the dishes cleaned up first.”
“No, no, no,” Heather scolded, pointing to the living area. “You go read to your son. We’ve got this. In a few days when you’re feeling better, then I’ll have you slaving away, but today you get a freebie.”
He stood, taking a second for his head to stop pounding then settled on the couch, Jonathan right behind him.
“Come on up here, pal. Let’s take a look at this book.” Jonathan snuggled in his lap and he opened the book, trying not to wince at the ache in his ribs. The book was one his son loved to read, though it was mostly pictures. As they turned the pages and Jonathan practiced his vocabulary, Jack focused in on Callie.
After they’d come inside from playing in the snow, she’d changed from her jeans into a pair of stretchy yoga pants and a long sweater. When she bent over to reach for something on the table, the sweater rode up and her lovely assets were on display for his viewing pleasure. Oh, to enjoy them even further. He wasn’t sure she’d be up for that. And he shouldn’t push.
As much as he wanted Callie with every cell in his body, he’d be leaving her alone again soon. It wasn’t fair to her. Not that life had been all that fair to him either.
Attention back on the child in your lap.Watching Callie’s gorgeous curves wouldn’t do anything for him except make part of the lap bigger. How do you explain that to a two-year-old child?
Callie’s phone buzzed on the table beside him and he looked down. Victor? Couldn’t the man leave them alone?
As she walked over to see who was calling, he scowled. “Ignore him.”
Picking up the device, she frowned. “I would except I know he’ll start to worry and either come up here to make sure nothing’s happened to us or send someone else. We don’t want that.”
She pressed the button and answered, “Hello.”
Gritting his teeth made his headache increase, or was it the pleasantries she made with the criminal, assuring him they were fine and didn’t need him for anything. This had to stop.You need to find the evidence to get this bastard away.But what else could he do? Steve could barely be trusted anymore, not after what happened to Jonathan. Any other resources he’d had at the Bureau were unavailable to him. Chris had offered to look into things but doing that could be dangerous if anyone found out. Shaunessy could lose his job, or worse, his life, if the leak discovered who he was helping.Don’t need more guilt. Have enough already, thank you.
Callie put the phone back on the table and sighed. “I managed to convince him we were fine. I also told him we wouldn’t be back until after Christmas. He was insistent I come to the big New Year’s Eve party he’s having though. Heather, are you available to watch Jonathan that night?”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to go,” Heather said, coming into the living area.
The look she threw Heather was sly. What was she up to?
“I didn’t originally. But now I’m wondering…”
“Don’t do anything stupid. The best thing for you is to stay as far away from Cabrini as possible.”
“I hate being with him but after a few weeks away, I think I need to go even if only to appease him. It’s better going there. Having him at my house gives me the creeps. I’ll be able to see who comes to the party.”
“Callie,” he warned, fear rushing through him at the thought of her putting herself in danger. “I can handle this. I’m digging as deep as I can. Those numbers you gave me are a great start. I’ve gotten a few other leads from them.” Now if some of them would pan out.
She sat next to him, her hand touching his. What he wouldn’t do for her touch all the time, for the sweet smile to light her face when she looked at him. It was enough to get him through the worst day.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Jack. Victor trusts me implicitly. He’d never suspect anything if I simply ask a few questions. I try and make him think I’m concerned for his welfare. But I promise I won’t do anything to put myself in danger. If I manage to get any information that could help at all, then it’s a bonus. I’m going to the party. Don’t argue with me on this one.”
No, he wouldn’t argue. Had no rights where she was concerned. He barely had rights with his son. No legal ones anyway. Didn’t mean he had to like it. But knowing Victor was having a big shindig on New Year’s Eve gave him an idea. A risky one. He’d have to work on it while he was here.
