“Of course not. I wasn’t sure how you’d react though.”
He kissed her sweet lips again. This is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Touching her face gently, he said, “I thought this new evidence against Cabrini was the perfect gift but now I see I’m wrong. You managed to top it in spades. Once I get it to the Attorney General and everyone is rounded up, especially Cabrini, we need to celebrate. And now we have even more to celebrate. I get to see you all big and round with my child, be at the delivery… You’ll never know how much I regretted not being there for you with Jonathan.”
She nodded, her eyes watery. Blinking, he pushed back his own emotions. Everything was starting to fall right into place.
Pulling out his phone, he held up his index finger. “I need to call Shaunessy and tell him what we have. Some of my old Army buddies were planning a big surprise for Victor. Now it looks like we may not need to.”
He pressed the buttons and waited for his friend to pick up. “It’s Jack. Callie managed to get into Cabrini’s files and hit the jackpot. Everything we need.”
“We keep letting our women do all the dirty work, Jack, and we’ll soon be out of a job,” Shaunessy joked.
“I’ve been out of a job for almost three years. Can you meet me at the Attorney General’s office in Jersey? I know it’s not your typical territory but I want back-up in case anything goes wrong.” Glancing at Callie, he touched her face, trying to reassure her.
Hanging up the phone, he jumped off the table.
“I need to go, Calico,” he said. “But as soon as I can, I’ll be back.”
After one last long kiss he turned to get in the truck. Yes, he’d be back and hopefully, with Callie’s permission, be back in her life for good.
* * * *
Callie juggled the grocery bag as she slammed the car door shut. After leaving Jack, she’d had an appointment at the OB/GYN to officially confirm her pregnancy. The doctor had congratulated her, taken way too much blood then sent her on her way with a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. Since Jonathan was still at school, and Scott was picking him up to have some manly uncle bonding time, she’d stopped for her prescription and picked up some food. Was it too much to hope Jack would be back by dinner time and they could eat like a regular family?
Impatient, yes, but she’d waited so long to have Jack in a position to freely be with them. She didn’t want to wait any longer.
The back door was open and Callie froze, dropping the bag. Maybe Scott had stopped by to get something and forgotten to lock it up again. The crime rate in this small town was low but she didn’t want to take any chances. She pulled out her phone, ready to dial 911 if she needed to.
The kitchen was undisturbed but when she entered the living room, her breath left her. Victor Cabrini stood there, the photo album of Jack and Jonathan in his hands.
“Shit.” The expletive jumped from her mouth before she could catch it. There was no way to bluff her way out of this situation if Victor had seen the pictures of Jack and Jonathan together. She turned to run but Victor grabbed her hair and pulled her back.
“You bitch!” he screamed as his hand flew across her face and she fell to the floor with the force of it. His enraged expression told her all she needed to know. Bluffing would definitely not work.
Stumbling to her feet, she tried to run but he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her into the recliner. He moved closer and leaned over her, mad enough to kill. Had she gotten enough evidence to put this monster away only to be murdered before she could enjoy a life with Jack?
Fear crisscrossed through every nerve in her body as he glared at her.
“I noticed something on my computer this morning, Callina.” His voice was now composed. She wasn’t buying it though. It was the calm before the storm. “Several of my files had been read recently. Files I know I haven’t touched in more than a few weeks. I took the opportunity to check more of them. The ones on a flash drive I have in my desk.”
His eyes narrowed and lips sneered. “And do you know what I found? I’m sure you do. I found that almost every file I had was recently accessed. And the day they were accessed, the very same day you used my computer for your extremely important work project. Coincidence? I didn’t think so.”
She wanted to scream but no one would hear her. Maybe Bess next door would if she screamed loud enough but if she came over here, what could she do? Get killed herself. No, that wasn’t an option.
“I decided to come over here and ask you myself why you would possibly be looking at private files on my computer. I took the liberty of letting myself in and checking things out. I found that little book.” He pointed to the photo album he’d dropped on the floor.
Damn her for not putting it away. Jonathan had been looking at it last night and she’d simply forgotten. Hoping she would never need to hide it again. Stupid mistake. One she might pay for with her life.
Victor’s calm façade started to break. “There are pictures of my grandson cavorting with the man who murdered his father. Then as I looked closer, I saw a remarkable resemblance between them. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Reaching down, he pulled her from the chair. He shook her a few times then threw her on the floor. She tried to crawl away but a foot met her side and pain streaked through her. He’d kill her. Right here, right now. How could she get away? Her eyes darted around the room looking for an opening. Any way she could make it past Victor and to the door.
“You slept with the man who killed my son,” he thundered, moving dangerously close again. “He fathered your child. How could you do that to Angelo? He cared for you deeply.”
She covered her stomach protectively, tears leaking from her eyes. It was silly protecting her new child when she probably wouldn’t live long enough to deliver it.
“Angelo was only using me to hide his affairs from you,” she cried, hoping to buy some time, to somehow save herself. “That’s how much he cared for me.”
Looking around, she searched for her phone. It must have dropped when Victor had slapped her. Where was it? Could she reach it and dial 911? And if she did, would help arrive too late? What would Jack think if he came here and found her beaten body, limp and lifeless? How would Jonathan survive without a mother?
