Callye's Justice

by Donica Covey

  Justice shook his head, trying to put the misery at bay. “I can’t even find a way to help. She’s a zombie. Most of the time there isn’t any life in her.”

  “Think of everything she’s been through. Do you know every detail? Do you even want to know?”

  Justice sat on a bench and dropped his face in his hands. “No. I don’t.”

  “Has she seen anyone? Someone to talk this through with?”

  “I think it would kill her to have to relive it all. I thought once she was back it would be all right. It was stupid. I know that, but I just—I don’t know. I want my Cas back. I want her to live again.”

  “You know that isn’t going to happen overnight.”

  Justice nodded and stood up to pace the room. “Valerie comes over with those stupid wedding magazines. She is trying pull Cas from her shell, but it isn’t happening. Megan is terrified. Valerie has kept her away. Cas used to think the world of that kid. Every chance she got, Megan would be by her side. Now Cas never even asks about her. I thought she’d plan the wedding and we’d live happily ever after. I don’t think that is ever going to happen.

  “This hovering is ripping me up. She’s so close but she’s so far away. It’s just so damn hard. Sometimes I feel if I just leave there won’t be any reminders of what happened. Maybe I should go.”

  “Fine. Walk out on her. That will really help. What does it matter? She’s lost so much of her life already, what’s a little more? You don’t need this anyway, right? Who needs someone like Callye? Running away from her while she tries to fight these demons is the perfect answer.”

  “Stop,” Justice bellowed. “I know all this, all right? You think those things haven’t screamed in my head over and over? I have done nothing but cause her pain. Those first few days when she woke up it was like things were normal again. I don’t even remember when it all changed. It wasn’t something that just happened. She began pulling away, and before I knew what happened, she was gone.”

  “Maybe you should talk to someone. Someone who can help you figure things out so that you can help Callye.”

  “Maybe. I should get going.”

  “Let me know if you need something.”

  Justice nodded and stepped out of the locker room. He hadn’t really spoken to the guys except when they needed to plan a bust or gather information. He didn’t know what to say to them. They didn’t seem to know what to say to him. Chase was the only one who didn’t avoid him completely.

  He climbed into his car and leaned back into the headrest. Was she back to normal? Was today the day to find his Cas back? He started the car and backed out of his spot. I can’t do it anymore. She needs more and I don’t know if I’ve got any more to give. He stopped at the corner of her subdivision and the highway. It’s easy. Just turn around and drive away. The memories he forced were keeping her from healing. He was a painful reminder of all the hell she’d gone through.

  A car horn made him jump and he pulled onto her street, then stopped once more. Don’t be an ass, Bernard. Get your stuff and get out.

  He pulled into the drive and shut off the motor. He got out and his steps were hesitant as he walked to the door. Key in hand, he stared at the knob. The ache in his heart was enough to make him want to drop to his knees. She needs me. What was he going to find behind that door?

  Callye stood in the shower, the water scalding her skin. She scrubbed and scrubbed but she couldn’t get clean. That floor. His hands, his mouth. She jumped from the shower to lean over the toilet. I can’t take it. Make it go away. Please make it stop.

  She grabbed the towel, and once she was dry she slipped on the large tee shirt and over-sized sweat pants. She grabbed the comb and raked it through her hair, pulling out large chunks with each stroke. The reflection in the mirror was of a person she didn’t recognize. There were dark bags under her eyes. Her skin was pale like death. On a tray near the sink were the cosmetics she used to apply with such care.

  She lifted a bottle of foundation and stared at it. His voice filled her ears. So beautiful. She threw the bottle across the bathroom and wiped her hand across the sink, knocking the tray to the floor. A small mirror shattered on the marble tile near her foot and shards landed in her skin. She kicked at the broken pieces. Chunks of glass cut into her foot. Blood seeped from the cuts. Blood.

  “No,” she screamed and ran from the room. She sank on the corner behind the bed. “Make it go away. Stop.”

  “Cas?” Justice appeared at her side. “What did you do?” He disappeared and came back with a wet cloth. He wiped it across her foot. “Why?”

  She was back in that room. In the dark, she heard Justice. “Why did you do this? I don’t understand.”

  “Get away from me.”

  “Cas, please baby. Let me make sure there’s no glass.”

  “Don’t touch me.” She tried to pull away, but this time he didn’t release her. It wasn’t a tight hold. She threw herself against his chest. “I’m so scared. I can’t make it go away.”

  He was rocking her. Holding her so close. The smell of his aftershave was soothing. His arms were so strong. “Baby, there’s someone you can talk to. A doctor, or a support group…maybe they can help you. Maybe they can help us.”

  She pulled away and stared at him. “You want me to tell strangers how he touched me? You want me to tell them the things he did? The things he said? Why? Do you want all the gory details? Is that what you want?” She pulled back her hand and the slap echoed in the bedroom.

  “How can you even think that? I see your face when I got to that warehouse. I see the bruises. I see the blood. I get angry. I want to kill him over and over again. I don’t want to know. Just imagining makes me sick. God. Every time I close my eyes, I see you. The pain. The fear in your eyes. I couldn’t keep you safe. I couldn’t protect you. If I didn’t love you, this would’ve never happened. You hurt. I feel it too. It rips my heart out. I can’t take it away. I want to, but I can’t.”

  He thought it was his fault? “Justice?” She moved close to him. She let him take her in his arms again. He felt so good. So strong. Suddenly her heart began to race. Panic filled her. Fight it. He’s not going to hurt you. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Don’t shut me out, baby. If you let me, I’ll be by you every step of the way.”

  Lean on him. “I’ll try. Please be patient.”

  “As long as it takes, baby. Life without parole.”

  She smiled despite herself. “Careful. I may hold you to it.”

  * * *

  Callye stood, swaying as Valerie smoothed out the last ruffle and placed the veil on her carefully styled hair. They had finally made it. The counseling, the patience, the slow building of trust. She still struggled, still had nightmares, but they were coming less and less. When they did come, Justice was right there by her side.

  “Life without parole,” Callye muttered with a laugh.

  The music would start soon. Then she’d be by Justice’s side, reciting her vows. There was nothing to stop it now.

  Justice paced the room, alternately messing with his tie and staring out the window. In only a few minutes he and Callye would be married. He’d worried that this day would never come, that he wouldn’t ever be able to call her “his” again. Inside, a part of him still worried about keeping her in his life. There would always be a risk. They’d discussed all the possibilities and what they’d already been through. Despite her nightmares, her fear, she still wanted him.

  Chase entered the room. “Relax and breathe.”

  “I’m not sure about this.”

  “You walk out on this now, after everything, and you won’t have to worry about anyone else. If Callye doesn’t shoot you, I will. Of course you may be able to elude us, but when Mickey and Terese get after you? Hell, look out.”

  Justice inhaled. “It’s all going to be all right.” He mentally chanted the mantra over and over. With each step from the room to his place under the canopy, he forced his swirling
mind to relax.

  The music started, sending Callye’s heart slamming into overdrive. She walked down the steps. Her friends were seated in the backyard, waiting for her. Her rose garden filled the air with wonderful fragrances. She stepped off the steps onto the cushion of the lush grass. The flower-draped arch stood ahead of her.

  Justice was underneath the canopy of flowers, waiting for her. One step at a time.

  Mickey had offered to escort her down the aisle, but that honor was reserved for her father. He may be gone, but she could feel his spirit at her side. Almost there.

  When the music changed, Justice watched Chase escort Valerie down the white silk runner to their places.

  He looked back up to the house and the world fell away. Cas was stepping off the porch and walking down the flower-covered path that would lead her to him. She beamed that million-watt smile and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. When she reached out to him, he took her hands in his and squeezed. Then she stood beside him.

  “We’ve come here to join together this man and this woman,” the minister began. Justice looked into Cas’s face. The words were droning in the background, but somehow Justice remembered to say “I do” in the right place. And he heard Cas reply in the same.

  His fingers tangled in her silky hair and he traced the outline of her lips. His tongue slid into her soft mouth and danced with hers. Finally. After all they’d been through, every stop that blocked the way. Every step forward. She was his. “Here we are. Every step led me back to you. I love you, Mrs. Bernard.”

  “Forever you and me.”

  “Life without parole.”

  Epilogue

  Brandy climbed into the back of the long black car. “Easy as pie.”

  “So you’re in?”

  “Was there any doubt?”

  “None whatsoever. How soon can I count on results?”

  She lifted the corner of her mouth in a smug smile. “I only need a little longer to completely wear him down. Right now I’m on my way to a wedding.” She reached up and finger-combed her hair.

  “I want it done,” Rivera ordered.

  “It will be. When do I get the rest of my money?”

  “After you finish the job you’re hired to do.”

  She coughed as he lit up a large cigar. “I think those are illegal here.”

  “So arrest me.” His booming laughter rang out. The car came to a stop in front of the house.

  She looked around and then slid out. “I’ll call you later with an update.”

  “Just get it done,” he ordered. The door slammed and the car sped away.

  She squared her shoulders, adjusted her dress and went around the house to the backyard. People gathered in small groups, most of them agents, cops or some variation thereof. Any other time this number of law enforcement personnel would make her alarms go wild. But then again, she always did love a good challenge.

  She looked up as her prey caught her eye. Already he looked like a poleaxed steer. This was going to be far too easy.

  Teresa waved at her. The human lie detector? Apparently she was as easily fooled as the real ones. Brandy grinned. Easy as pie.

  The music began and the bride marched down the aisle, joy and serenity emanating from every pore. For a split second Brandy felt jealousy. A longing for the chance of true love. She quickly pushed it away. A woman like her didn’t find, didn’t need, love.

  She sat back to watch the show. When she looked at Chase, a flutter shuddered from her heart to her stomach. I’ve got to get some Rolaids.

  About the Author

  Donica Covey lives in a suburb just south of St. Louis, Missouri. Her loving household includes a husband, a teenage daughter, a grown son, a hyperactive Cairn terrier, and somewhere under a mass of fur is a squeaking guinea pig.

  When not writing worlds of murder, mystery and mayhem, she can be found at any one of other favorite pastimes: reading, shopping, baking, ATVing or hiking in the woods of her second home in north central Arkansas

  You can find Donica on the web at: www.donicacovey.com, http://donicacovey.blogspot.com/, http://magicmavens.blogspot.com/, and keep up with her monthly news with her newsletter group by joining up here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/donicacovey.

  A predator stalks paradise and she’s next.

  Dark Waters

  © 2007 Gabriella Hewitt

  On a tropical isle, Frankie Montalvo discovers roots to a past she never knew. Tales of witchcraft, missing girls and el chupacabra surround her, but it will take more than superstitions to scare her away. Determined to create her own home, she enlists the help of an enigmatic beach bum.

  She doesn’t want to fall for a drifter who will probably break her heart and move on, but when both she and her home are attacked, it’s in Rico’s arms that she finds safety and protection. All she’s ever wanted was to settle down and live life on her own terms, but someone has other plans and Frankie must decide—is Rico her lover or her enemy?

  Special Agent Rico Lopez has been to the depths of hell and back. He returns to his native island of Vieques to forget an ICE mission gone wrong only to find himself caught up in the search for a neighbor’s daughter—a victim of the legendary el chupacabra. Paradise has a predator and all leads point to a dilapidated old plantation and its sexy as sin owner. Lying to Frankie is the only way to do his job, but is he protecting her or himself?

  As the net around them tightens and their lives are put on the line, he’ll learn the greatest danger he’s ever faced is the risk of losing his heart.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Dark Waters:

  God save him from stubborn females.

  He pulled a lock pick out of his pocket and went back to the kitchen door. In a matter of minutes he was inside. His eyes swept the kitchen, noting the clean counters and dishes lying in the draining board. The scent of onions and garlic lingered in the air. Well, she’d obviously eaten.

  He retraced his steps from the afternoon until he was at the bottom of the staircase. He could see where Frankie covered over the hole he’d made with a patch of plywood. As much as he wanted to run up the stairs, he didn’t dare. Carefully, he tested each tread before taking a step.

  While moonlight filtered into the rooms downstairs, up here, with all the doors to the hallway closed, he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Quietly, Rico made his way down the hall until he came to Frankie’s door.

  He rapped lightly. Still no answer.

  Moving to the side of the door, he reached over, turned the handle and gave it a small push inward. He glanced in and then slowly stepped over the threshold, grateful for the moonlight that enabled him to see.

  Fresh sheets covered the bed. The room looked neat and tidy.

  No Frankie.

  What the hell had happened to her? God help him if she’d been snatched…

  He didn’t pause to wonder why his fear she’d had an accident had morphed into something worse. He didn’t have to.

  This house had him on edge, while his mother’s request had him balled up so tight he could bounce.

  A sound caught his ears. Exiting the room, he moved silently down the corridor. The noise grew louder, like a herd of sick cows. When he reached the room where the sound came the loudest, he threw open the door and went in low and fast, ready to deal with the threat.

  Frankie rose before him, moonlight casting its soft glow on the water droplets sliding down her torso and into the claw foot tub she stood in. Her mouth opened and closed and, in that second, Rico catalogued every gorgeous inch of her, from her perfect, dusky-tipped breasts to her shapely thighs.

  “What do you want?” Her voice came out reed thin, her eyes wide.

  He’d terrified her. Rico held his hands out, palms open. “I brought your truck back, Frankie. When you didn’t answer the door, I got worried and let myself in. I’m not here to hurt you.” He spoke low and soft, willing her to listen to his words. He almost missed the change in her eyes from fear to majorly ticked
off, but he wasn’t left in doubt long.

  Frankie exploded into action. She grabbed a bar of soap and hurled it at him, hitting him smack in the chest.

  Instinctively, he caught the soap before it fell to the tiled floor. “Want me to get your back?” Relief coursed through him. Not only was she okay, she was in kick-butt NY mode. He could live with that.

  “Get out!” she screamed. “Out! Out! Out!”

  The gentleman in him grabbed up a towel and held it out to her. The other side of him wanted to wipe every drop of water off her sexy body, but he highly doubted she would let him.

  Frankie seized the towel and wrapped it around her. “Get out!”

  “I’m going. But, why are you taking a bath in the dark?”

  “Because the damn fuse blew and I wasn’t about to go traipsing around the house wet and naked. Satisfied?”

  Hell, no! But, feeling a definite tightening in his groin at the image, he decided not to answer. Safer that way. At least with this woman.

  “Now are you leaving or do I have to get mean?”

  “You got a weapon on you? All I saw—”

  “Shut up, Lopez. I swear you’re dead meat.” Her hands tightened into fists at her sides.

  “Need a hand getting out of the tub?” he asked hopefully.

  “That’s it. You have five seconds to get out of this room or you and that toilet brush are going to become personally acquainted.”

  “Okay, you win,” he said, holding his hands up in the air in mock surrender. “Anything but the toilet brush.” He winked at her and left the room, shutting the door with an audible snap. Leaning against it, he closed his eyes. He could hear her stepping out of the tub. Could imagine her rubbing that lithe body down and wished he were the towel. The image of Frankie rising up from the water like some goddess out of a Greek myth would stay burned onto the back of his eyelids for a long time. And if he told her, she’d probably try to have them surgically removed.