by Tracy Sharp
“So what gives, Leah?”
I lifted my eyes to him, wondering what the hell he was talking about, and feeling mildly annoyed that he’d interrupted my peaceful moment. “If you’re still wondering why I’m going after Woodard, I don’t know how to explain it any better than I already have. So my previous answer’s going to have to do.”
He shook his head, his wet, black hair falling over those deep-green eyes. “No.” He brushed the lock of hair back from his forehead. “I mean what’s going on with you? You made pretty good money doing construction. The payments on your car couldn’t have been that much, I mean, it was a ’95 Wrangler. You bought it used two years ago. Why did I have to come take it from you?”
I stared at him and felt the heat of my fury tint my neck and cheeks pink. Who the hell was he to try to pry into my life? “What the hell business is it of yours?”
Callahan tilted his head to the left and looked at me as if he were studying a new species, both curious and incredulous. “Because if I’m going to put my ass on the line to help you with this crusade of yours, I think I have a right to know. Don’t you?”
I turned from him and gazed out the window at the sheeting rain pummeling the pavement. It would pour and everything would be clean again, but not really. There would always be dirt and grime in all the little nooks and crannies that you couldn’t really see unless you peered in really close. It was there, though. It would always be there.
He was right. He did hire me and he was risking his own butt by involving himself in my sudden obsession with Woodard. I did owe him at least an explanation.
I took a deep breath and then began. “My brother’s in prison. I spent everything on an attorney for him. They put him away anyway. He’s out in two weeks but I’m still paying for the attorney. I’ll be paying for a while.”
Cal lifted his eyebrows and leaned forward, resting his arms on the tabletop. “No shit.”
“Nope. He got caught hacking into some very private government organizations, just for fun. They failed to see the humor.”
“The government never was much for laughing it up.”
I swallowed over a lump in my throat, so I watched the rain and listened to the drops hit the roof until I felt calm again. Still, my chest felt heavy and tight when I thought of Jesse being in that place. I wanted to scream when I thought of what horrors he’d have to endure behind those walls. I’d tried to keep him out, had gone completely broke trying. Nothing I could do was enough.
I managed a sad smile.
“That sucks, Leah. I’m sorry.”
“He’s a good kid, Cal. He just doesn’t know when to stop sometimes. He’s some kind of adrenalin freak or something. Always pushing it past the limit. It caught up to him this time.”
“Gee, he sounds like someone else I know.” He grinned.
My heart fluttered and I felt my smile grow wider.
“So he was at it for a while, huh?”
I nodded. “You could say that. He started in high school, hacking into the main server and changing his grades and the grades of his friends. He got caught, of course. He was suspended for a month. He got better when he went to college.”
“Like minds.” He leaned forward and his knees brushed against mine, sending a shiver through me.
“Yeah. Nothing like peer tutoring.”
Cal chuckled. “It’s the best way to learn. Haven’t you learned things from your friends that your parents wouldn’t approve of?”
“That’s a whole other story.”
“Oh really? Come on, don’t stop now. Spill it.”
“Well, let’s just say that there’s a reason that I’m a natural at repossessing cars.”
He tilted his head back and laughed. “No kidding!”
“I’m reformed, Cal. Jesse doesn’t know when to stop.”
“You’re reformed?” His voice was amused and his smile huge. “Is that why you work for me now?”
“I needed a job.”
“Uh huh.” He regarded me with a pointed gaze.
“We’re talking about Jesse.”
Cal shrugged. “We’ve all got our addictions. Sometimes there are consequences.”
“Yeah. I know about that too. Spent some time in juvee. That’s really how I know Woodard.” I looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction before I went on. “I just didn’t feel like telling you yet.”
“It’s cool.” His hand reached over to caress one of mine. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled it back. “You don’t have to tell me any of that stuff if you don’t want to.”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly a bright spot in my life, you know?” I wanted to tell him about how I’d gotten caught on purpose the first time, just to get my father’s attention. About how after that I developed a taste for it. It had replaced cutting and burning myself. It made me feel alive. These things were just too much to divulge to him yet.
I ran my fingers over my coffee cup. “I guess it was the thrill. Living on the edge. I liked skating around danger. The adrenaline rush. Almost getting caught, then getting away with it.” I let out a shaky breath. “But I never wanted that for Jesse. It’s funny how you can try so hard to fight against something for someone, and it finds a way to happen anyway.” My eyes became wet and I blinked hard against the tears. I drank some coffee to wash away the tightness in my throat. “He’s got a record now. He’s in prison. It’s so much worse for him than it was for me.”
“Well, he’ll be out soon.”
“Yeah, but his life is going to be shit now. Who’s going to hire a felon? He can maybe find a job scrubbing toilets somewhere,” I said, shaking my head. “What a waste of intelligence. If only he would’ve kept a cap on it.”
Cal chuckled. “He couldn’t have kept a cap on it even if his life depended on it, Leah. Hacking is like breathing for these guys. They don’t think of anything else. It wasn’t a choice for him. Don’t be surprised if he goes right back to it when he’s out. Only he’ll be too smart to get caught this time.”
“I hope so.”
He reached over and caressed my forearm and my breath caught in my throat. His touch did things to me that amazed me. My entire body tingled and my heart raced. I wanted to kiss his face off.
He gave my arm a squeeze before letting go. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
I felt the lack of his touch deep within me as we walked through the rain to the car. Sheets of water came down so hard it looked like it might never stop. I sat in the passenger’s seat, dripping water all over it, looking through the windshield at the raindrops beating against the glass. I felt cold.
We didn’t say much as we drove the distance to my house. When Callahan pulled into my driveway, a sense of loneliness swept through me with such force that it almost took my breath away.
“Hey,” he said, reaching over and placing a hand on my arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just a rough couple days, you know?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” He peered out into the night. “Awfully wet out there.”
“It sure is.”
“Much drier in here. You might wanna wait just a few minutes for the rain to let up.”
I giggled. “Uh huh. Cuz I’m not already soaked to the bone.”
We looked at each other and the air was thick with unspoken desire. Water dripped from the hair around his forehead and ran down his face, over his lips. I stared at his mouth for what seemed like an eternity. Neither of us wanted me to leave that car.
In one movement, we met each other and our mouths came together. Our tongues moved over each other’s and his hands came up to cup my face. The kiss was long and slow, wet and dreamy. I never wanted it to end. I tugged at his shoulders and he reached around me, easing my seat back as far as it would go, lowering it until it was all the way down. He climbed over to my side and knelt between my thighs. I wrapped my legs around his and slid my arms around him.
“More comfortable now?” His face was hidden in shadows but I coul
d hear the smile in his voice.
I tilted my pelvis until the length of his erection rested between my legs. “Much better, thank you.”
Callahan moaned a little, the sound like a low growl, deep in his throat. His mouth came down on mine again. I slid my hands under his t-shirt and caressed his skin. He felt so good against me. His mouth tasted like cinnamon. He moved against me, just like in my fantasy, and his lips brushed over my jaw, planting little kisses all the way down my neck.
“We’d better slow down,” he breathed against my skin.
Although a part of me almost cried, I had to agree. I barely knew the guy.
We stayed like that for a moment, both trying to catch our breath. Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “Wow.”
“Yeah.” He gently brushed my bangs out of my eyes. “You’re amazing. You know that?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“That’s probably a good thing, Cal.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“No, really. I’m not…” I didn’t know how to finish, how to explain, without telling him my entire life story.
“You are,” he whispered, and kissed my mouth.
Chapter Nine
I stood at my window watching Callahan pull out of my driveway. Our tryst hadn’t gone beyond the adolescent make-out session that we’d had. I think we were both a little afraid of each other and wanted to take things slow, assuming we’d take things any further than we already had. I smiled as I watched him drive away, my body still tingling from his touch.
He hadn’t wanted to leave me and had insisted on sticking around while I took Buddy out to do his business. Finally, there was nothing left to do but leave, because I wasn’t about to let him sleep on my sofa. I’d taken care of myself this long, I wasn’t about to become the damsel in distress now. Besides, I had Buddy.
After toweling Buddy off and feeding him, I made my way up the stairs to my bedroom and stripped off my soaked clothes, throwing them in the hamper. I towel-dried my hair because I knew it would take forever to dry without help. The stale air was heavy and stifling and I wondered where the cold front the weatherman had promised us was.
Buddy had followed me upstairs and sat watching me, panting. Although I usually keep my windows closed and locked at night, I couldn’t stand to see Buddy suffer, so I opened all of the windows upstairs and put a fan in one of the bedroom windows. The ceiling fan in the bedroom was on, but the air hadn’t cooled much since the beginning of the storm. There was a breeze which helped move the air upstairs, making it more bearable.
However, within a few minutes the air became cooler as the humidity broke. I turned the ceiling fan off, dropped down onto my bed and Buddy lay on the foam and blanket I’d arranged for him in one corner of the bedroom. He’d already carried his red ball upstairs earlier in the day, and now he moved his nose next to it, regarding me with sleepy eyes.
“You’re a good boy, Bud.” My voice sounded far away in my own ears. I closed my eyes and luxuriated in the breeze kissing my skin as I lay nude on top of the blankets.
I won’t think of her tonight, I thought. It was already too late.
Two little girls with high ponytails, one with dark hair, the other blonde, rode their bikes up a quiet neighborhood street. They turned into the lane that led to their small brick stucco house. The dark haired girl was older than her sister by two years, so Daddy had taken the training wheels off her bike. Her little sister was outraged by this. She was sure that she’d be able to ride her bike without them, but Daddy refused to take them off yet, no matter how much she pouted.
The little blonde girl was always the first to explore, to investigate. She was endlessly curious and fearless. The world was her playground. But her older sister was more cautious and thoughtful. Her mind was more analytical. She liked to weigh the pros and cons of things before making a move. Her younger sister went charging in without a thought to what could happen.
That is why she didn’t try to ride away from the white car when it came up beside them and stopped. The driver had a magazine open on his lap, and motioned for the little girls to lean into the car to get a closer look. Even from where she sat on her bike, the older sister could see the photographs of naked men and women in sexual positions. She instinctively rode ahead of the car, calling “Come on, Susie. Daddy’s waiting in the yard.” Their house was so close, only three houses away. She was sure that Susie was right behind her until she heard her giggle. She stopped her bike and turned to see Susie leaning through the window of the car.
Her heart thudded. She had a bad feeling about the man, that car.
“Susie!” she yelled.
But his hands moved fast and grabbed Susie under her arms, yanking her through the window and into the car.
The older sister fell off her bike and ran toward the car, screaming.
“Susie! Susie! Susie!”
But the car backed out of the lane and disappeared around the corner.
And she never saw Susie again.
* * *
I sat up, drenched in a chilly sweat, a silent shriek in my throat. The same one I’d refused to let loose night after night since Susie was taken. I gasped for breath, moaning and hugging myself. I swallowed back tears and terror, rocking back and forth on the bed.
Suddenly a large head appeared at the foot of the bed and I nearly did scream. I relaxed when I realized it was a head I recognized. It moved to my side of the bed. Buddy rested his chin on the sheet and whimpered. I reached out and he licked my hand, his tongue gently caressing, soothing.
“You’re a good boy, Bud.” My voice was uneven, shaky.
And though I still trembled from the remnants of the nightmare, I knew that this time I was not alone.
* * *
Reginald “Butch” Dooley was a real pain in the ass and wouldn’t cooperate by leaving his car outside in the driveway so we could repo it. Instead, he parked it in a garage. The kind that didn’t have any fancy buttons or electronics we could bypass or scan. It had a good, old-fashioned lock on it. Breaking the lock would have been very obvious and illegal, so that meant that we’d have to trail the guy until he went into a store or out for a beer or something.
Problem was, the guy didn’t seem to have a friend in the world, and he wasn’t going into stores or stopping in for a beer when Cal, Will or I watched him. He was a stubborn sort. It was like he knew we were watching him. He ordered most of his meals in, except for breakfast. It had been weeks and we hadn’t seen him go into a grocery store. He must’ve been running out of breakfast food by now. Either that or he just didn’t eat breakfast.
Will had filled Cal and I in on the guy’s sad story. His wife had left him several months ago, taking their two kids with her. Apparently, from what Will could piece together, the guy had taken a steadily downward spiral from that day on. He’d stopped going to work and was fired from his factory job at Ford. He drank a lot and went into drunken rages in the middle of the street, and he’d been arrested a few times for public disturbance and stalking his wife. He’d stopped paying his bills.
That was why I was here.
So I sat back in Callahan’s Land Rover and watched his house from down the street. I was thrilled that Callahan trusted me with carrying out a repo on my own. He had a funeral to go to. An uncle had died, so I offered to watch the guy for a spell. I had to do something to keep busy and we needed the money coming in to the repo depot.
It wasn’t a great neighborhood. Not as bad as Cherry or Jarrett streets, but not exactly Willow Estates, either. All of the houses were run down, leaning and shabby. One overgrown yard, filled with daisies and dandelions, was occupied by five children and a strange looking dog. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what bloodlines ran in his family, but I thought some terrier and some bulldog were in there somewhere.
I’d been sitting in the car for three hours entertaining
this very thought when the target came backing out of his garage. A brand new Audi. Grey. Apparently he’d forgotten something in his house, so he parked the Audi half-assed on the street and climbed out, fumbling for his keys as he went. He’d clearly been drinking, staggering a little as he made his way to the car.
I couldn’t believe my luck!
I jumped out of the Jeep and made for the Audi. By the time I climbed into it, I already had my lock picks ready. I worked the picks quickly, my hands steady. It was just a matter of moving the inner workings of the lock to the side with one pick while I worked another pick just the right way. I heard his door slam, but knowing that he was three sheets to the wind gave me the false sense of security I needed to stave off panic. I kept working. Almost had it, but one of the picks slipped and I had to start over again.
“Hey!”
I didn’t look up but could see him out of the corner of my eye, running a jagged line toward the car. I wanted to reach over and lock passenger door but I’d managed to slide the catch to the ignition aside and I didn’t want to lose it, so I took a chance and worked the pick to start the ignition.
Just as the engine came to life, he made it to the door, yanking it open and staring in disbelief, trying to focus his eyes on me but not quite making it. “What the hell are you doing? This is my car!”
“I’m sorry to inform you that your car is being repossessed.” I don’t know why I was being so professional. It seemed lost on him in his current state.
He climbed into the passenger’s seat and closed the door.
“Sir, please step out of the vehicle.”
He just sat there, looking confused and utterly lost.
“Sir?”
To my horror, the man began to cry. Big tears slipped from his bloodshot eyes and slid down his face. I stared at him, my mouth gaping. This was a situation I knew nothing about. It wasn’t my territory. I watched a tear splash onto his hand, which sat in his lap almost primly.