Ride A Falling Star (The Callahans)

by Lindun, D'Ann

  Ava spoke from the top of the stairs. “Is everything okay?”

  “No.” The sheriff said. “Would you mind coming down, too?”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Levi moved to the kitchen and started coffee while they waited. Soon, the aroma of brewing coffee filled the air, hopefully covering the scent of lovemaking. Or maybe only he noticed because he knew what happened inside these walls last night.

  Ava joined them, dressed, her hair in a messy knot. He longed to take it down, to run his fingers through it, to wrap his fists in it when he came buried in her sweetness.

  “I’m sorry to intrude,” the sheriff said. “But I have news.”

  Levi moved to Ava’s side and wrapped his arm around her waist. She trembled and he braced for both of them. “Let us have it.”

  “The body you found was my deputy.”

  Although they had expected nothing less, Levi’s stomach turned. “Damn.”

  Ava’s indrawn breath sounded harsh in the room.

  “Yeah.” The sheriff looked a little green around the gills. “I need a formal statement from both of you about what happened that night.”

  “We already told you,” Levi said.

  “I need to go over it again,” the sheriff said. “So it’s formally on record.”

  Ava slipped out of his arms and poured them each a cup of coffee. “Do you want cream or sugar?”

  The sheriff looked surprised at Ava’s offer. “Both. Thanks.”

  “Take off your coat, and we’ll tell you what we know,” Levi said.

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  They gathered around the table and she withdrew a laptop from a slim case. “Start from when you left my office with my deputy.”

  Ava began speaking, only stopping when she came to the part when they dove out of the cop’s car into the snowbank.

  Levi picked up the story. “Your deputy told me he was going after Abruzzo, or whoever was driving that car. That was the last we saw of him until Ava tripped over his body the next day.”

  “So neither of you have any idea how he got there, in the snow, with a bullet in his back? Or what happened to his car?”

  “Not at all.”

  “No.”

  The sheriff typed a few more words, then closed her laptop. “I need to ask you to stay put a few more days, Miss Demassi. I’m going to contact the FBI and make them aware Dario Abruzzo has allegedly murdered a law enforcement officer. When we capture him, you’ll be free to leave town.”

  Ava opened and closed her mouth. “You do realize I’m no longer safe here?”

  “As long as you stay hidden, you’ll be secure.”

  “I can’t put Levi and his family in that kind of danger any longer. If Dario’s willing to kill a cop, he’ll go to any lengths to get me.”

  “We don’t have the resources to protect you here,” the sheriff said. “There’s WITSEC…”

  “Life in hiding, working at a box store?” Ava shuddered. “Never.”

  Levi grasped her hand. “You’re not going anywhere. Sheriff, two days ago, you threw us out of your office when we came to you about Dario Abruzzo. Why should we believe you’re going after him now?”

  “With what you told me then, there wasn’t enough evidence to go after him.” She met his cold gaze. “Now he’s murdered one of my men, Mr. Callahan. I’ll hunt him to the ends of the earth to make him pay it.”

  “Ava’ll stay with me until he’s caught.”

  The sheriff stuck her laptop in her bag and zipped it. “Thank you for your time. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something.” She stood and pulled on her coat. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry I couldn’t help you before.”

  Levi followed Sheriff Faraday to the door. When he turned around, Ava stared at him with her wide, honey-colored eyes that glimmered. “What now?”

  “Just what we said: you hang here until Abruzzo is caught.” He buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his jeans. “Go back to bed. Get some rest. I’m going to the ranch and help Mom feed the stock. Lock the door behind me.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “Don’t worry, sugar. It’s going to be okay. I’ll see to it.” He kissed her, pulled on his coat and gloves, then let himself into the frigid morning.

  It was time to gather the Callahan brothers.

  Together they were going to track a renegade coyote and shoot him like the rabid beast he was.

  ~*~

  Ava carried her coffee upstairs, stomach churning.

  Levi might not tell her it wasn’t her fault, but if she hadn’t come here, a deputy wouldn’t be dead, and the Callahan family wouldn’t be in danger right before the holidays.

  Her heart was breaking, but her decision was made. She had to leave. Immediately.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  Thinking it was Levi, she hurried to the open it. “What did you forge—”

  Dario Abruzzo stood there, in a suit, a gun pointed at her. “Hello, Ava.”

  She staggered back. “How…how did you find me?”

  “Let me in.” He pushed his way in and slammed the door behind him. “You, my girl, are easy to track. Hard to kill, though. You have more lives than a cat.”

  “That was the idea.” She lifted her chin, unwilling to show him how scared she really was. She looked around her borrowed love nest, at all the beautiful western art, but didn’t see a weapon of any kind. A paintbrush wouldn’t do much against a madman. “You’re going to gun me down here?”

  He chuckled, the sound sending a tap dance of fear up and down her spine. “Hardly.”

  “Levi will be back any second.”

  Again, the eerie chuckle. “No, no. Don’t try that game. I saw him leave, heading for the family farm. I’d bet he’s going to feed pigs, or some other equally charming endeavor.”

  “Horses. He’s going to feed horses.”

  Dario shrugged. “Horses, pigs. All the same to me.”

  Her brain screamed run! She backed up a step.

  As if he knew what she planned, Dario grabbed her sore arm and she whimpered. “Don’t even try it. Find a piece of paper and write your boyfriend a note. Tell him you’ve decided to go back to Vegas.”

  “He’ll never buy that.”

  Pressing the gun to her ribcage, he snarled, “Just do it. Try anything funny and you’ll die right here, right now.”

  On weak-as-a-kitten legs, she moved toward a desk.

  In a drawer she found a piece of paper and a pen. What could she say?

  Thanks for everything?

  I love you.

  She laid down the pen, unable to put into words her feelings. There was no way to express her grief over leaving the man who had stolen her heart.

  What would he say when he found her gone? Would he remember her fondly? Or would he be bitter? Would another lover’s death destroy him? She forced back a sob.

  She’d never know.

  Dario pressed the gun into her back. “Do it.”

  Reluctantly, she picked up the pen again. “I don’t know what to say. Levi’s not going to buy any of this, you know.”

  “Make him believe it.”

  “You don’t want to do this, Dario. I’ll keep my mouth shut. I promise.”

  He laughed shrilly. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Please. I just want to be left alone.” She hated begging, but maybe he’d let her go. “Where are you taking me?”

  His cackle sent waves of dread through her. “Oh, that’s the best part. We’re going to that empty house out in the woods. No one will think to look for you there. And when your cowboy eventually discovers another young woman he loved there, well, it’ll be poetic justice for all he’s put me through the last few days.”

  The homestead? He was going to kill her in the same place Beth died? Levi would be destroyed.

  “Write your letter.”

  In a shaky scrawl she barely recognized as handwriting, Ava wrote…

  Levi~


  I’ve put you and your family in danger long enough.

  Going home. Don’t follow me.

  Ava

  She forced back sobs as she finished.

  “That’s a good girl. Get your coat.”

  “I’m not going there.” She grabbed the back of the chair. “Kill me here if you’re going to.”

  The barrel of his gun slammed against her head so fast she never had time to duck.

  ~*~

  Levi threw another bale off the bed of the flatbed. His mind was on Ava, and had been since he’d left her alone. The minute he left the house, he’d called his brothers. Two of them were already here for the holiday, and Colt would pick up the fourth with his plane. By mid-afternoon they’d all be together and could make a plan what to do once and for all about Dario Abruzzo.

  A nagging in his gut told him something wasn’t right with Ava. Leaving her alone had been a big mistake. He should have made her come with him.

  As soon as Travis parked the truck back under the shed, Levi jumped down. “I’m going to check on Ava. I shouldn’t have left her. When the boys get here, come find us, okay?”

  Travis nodded. “Will do.”

  The road back into town was icy and Levi drove fast, but cautiously. His skin felt too tight. He spun around the corner and tore toward the house. A second set of tire tracks put his senses on high alert. Even before he stopped, he knew she was gone. He felt her absence as much as if his arm had been cut off.

  “Ava?” he called as he raced through the door.

  As expected, only silence greeted him. His heart pounded harder than the first time he’d thrown a leg over a bronc. She was gone. Why? Stumbling up the stairs, he eyed the unmade bed.

  No!

  She wouldn’t have told him she loved him last night, then left him today. He skidded back down the stairs and took a deep breath. There had to be a logical explanation.

  A piece of paper on the table caught his eye. He skimmed it. Ava had left him? It suddenly felt like a bronc had thrown him hard. He couldn’t breathe and his body hurt like hell.

  He didn’t buy a word of it. Where was she?

  She’d been taken.

  There was no other explanation.

  He had to find her now. But how? Where to begin?

  He dialed the ranch, and as soon as his mother picked up, he said, “Abruzzo has Ava. Send the boys everywhere you can think of to look for her.”

  “Did you call the sheriff?”

  He snorted. “No.”

  “Call her, Levi. I think she’ll help.” She didn’t give him time to refuse. “Never mind. I’ll have Travis do that. Where are you going to start?”

  He paced. “I don’t know. Colt should be in anytime. Have him fly toward Denver. Maybe Abruzzo’s headed back to Vegas.”

  “Okay. Son, we’ll find her.”

  “I have to, Mom. I can’t lose her.” He hung up before his voice broke.

  Steadying himself, he tried to think of where Abruzzo would take Ava. His frantic gaze covered the floor, the walls. A painting jumped out of him. He’d never seen it before. An empty ranch house, surrounded by autumn-colored trees.

  The homestead.

  As sure as Beth’s voice breathed it in his ear, Levi knew. Maybe the mobster somehow heard about Beth, maybe he’d tracked them there the other night. Either way, that was where he’d taken Ava.

  He called his mother. “He’s at the homestead. Send the boys with rifles. I’ll meet them there. We’re going to take care of this once and for all.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ava came to, groggy. The world looked out of focus and upside down. Her stomach threatened to heave and she fought to breathe through her nose. Gradually her head cleared and she realized she was lying across the same couch she and Levi made love on two nights previous. A groan gurgled out of her.

  Dario loomed over her. “Ah, you’re awake. About time.”

  She sat up and touched her aching head, but there wasn’t any blood when she drew her fingers back. “Why didn’t you just kill me and be done with it?”

  “What fun would there be in that?” He chortled. “For what you put me through, it’s going to be slow and painful.”

  “You won’t get away with this.”

  “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that?”

  “No.”

  “Too many to count.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. “You’ve killed other people besides that man at the Blue Valentine?”

  “Ten, twenty. I’ve lost count.”

  Bile rose in Ava’s throat. “You had killed someone when we dated?”

  He pointed his pistol at her. “You’re such a dumb blonde.”

  She flinched. “I take it that’s a yes you’ve killed other people.”

  “Yes! I’m a cleanup specialist.” He grinned at her. “Happy now?”

  No, she wasn’t happy. But she figured if she kept him talking, maybe he’d come to his senses, or decide murdering her was too much trouble. Not very likely, since he’d chased her across three states, but hope that Levi would somehow find her before it was too late fluttered in her heart.

  A faint buzzing rang in her ears, and at first she thought it was from the blow Dario had given her, but it grew stronger and she realized it was a car or Jeep. But it couldn’t be—the road here was snowed in. She spoke to cover the sound.

  “How did you get me here?”

  “Snowcat.”

  “You bought one of those just to bring me out here?” The sound was louder. She raised her voice to cover it. “Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious?”

  “It’s amazing what a little money will do to tongues. Tighten them. Loosen them.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I guess it won’t hurt to share, since you won’t be around much longer.” He perched on the end of the couch. “You want to know how I trailed you so easily?”

  She nodded, mute.

  “Your boyfriend’s buddy, Drew? He’s had a run of bad luck lately.” He made a tsk-tsk sound. “Been dumped in the dirt a few too many times. I just had to offer him a few dollars—surprisingly few, actually—and he was more than willing to talk.” At Ava’s gasp, he chuckled. “Yes, yes. Told me everything. Where your cowboy was going to be competing. Who his brother was. About the poor dead fiancée. Everything I wanted to know. More, actually.”

  “That’s how you found Travis and hurt him.”

  “Travis? Oh, the brother. Yes, I thought I killed him. Didn’t hit hard enough. A mistake I won’t make again.”

  The buzzing sound was gone. Had she imagined it?

  She fought for air. “And he told you where I was this morning?”

  “Good guess.”

  She felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Everything Levi and his friends had done to keep her alive, and one of them sold her out? Sold out Levi? It made her skin crawl. “He’ll pay. So will you.”

  He grabbed her hair and yanked her close to him as she yelped. “Shut up. The only one who’s paying is you.”

  She clawed at his hand, but he seemed oblivious.

  “It’s time. Get up.”

  With his hand tangled in her hair she had no choice, and pushed to her feet. He shoved her ahead of him and she stumbled. He jerked her upright and she cried out.

  “There’s no use fighting. You lost. Now open the fucking door and walk through it.”

  Numb, she did as told.

  The snow had stopped, although heavy gray clouds lingered. The air seemed colder than usual, too. Maybe dying when you just found love that made it seem that way.

  Levi.

  God, she loved him so much.

  A tear slipped down her cheek.

  “Stop your sniveling and move.” Dario pushed her toward the open meadow.

  Did he intend to gun her down in the middle of the field? She braced for the bullets.

  “Stop right there, Abruzzo.” Levi stepped arou
nd the corner of the house, rifle aimed at the mobster.

  Dario grabbed her around the throat, pulled her close to his body and pointed his pistol at her temple. “Well, cowboy, looks like I win.”

  “You haven’t won anything but a life behind bars. Maybe the death penalty.” Levi stepped closer. “Let her go now.”

  “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

  “I think it is,” Levi insisted. “Look around.”

  Ava couldn’t turn her head, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Travis on the ridge holding a rifle. Two more figures appeared to his right. Liberty, maybe. And Ginger. Tears splashed down her face. These people were too good to be true.

  Someone moved to Dario’s right and Ava squirmed to see who.

  Sheriff Faraday spoke. “He’s right, Mr. Abruzzo. You’re under arrest for the murder of my deputy. Lay down your weapon and put your hands in the air.”

  The gun against her temple seemed bigger. Ava tried not to flinch when he pressed it into her flesh. “Let me by, or I’ll blow her brains out right here. Don’t and another girl you love dies, Callahan.”

  Levi paled, but his gun stayed upright. “I’m not going to ask again. You have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. There are Callahans all over this mountain. What you see is just the beginning. My mother’s here. My sister. Hell, all of my brothers, too.”

  “You’re full of it,” Dario snarled.

  “I have my men, too,” Sheriff Sheldon said. “There’s no escape.”

  Dario’s grip loosened just enough Ava could turn her head. As promised, men with guns ringed them. A dozen, at least. Every one of them pointed her direction. Although she wasn’t the target, an icy trickle of terror went down her back.

  If they missed…

  Levi wouldn’t let them kill her.

  ~*~

  Levi ached to pull the trigger. Like a renegade wolf, Dario needed putting down. His trigger finger itched. He was a crack shot. All of them were. One thing Clyde Callahan had taught his children was how to handle firearms. Too bad he hadn’t learned self-control with them.

  The mobster pushed his mean-looking weapon into Ava’s face and Levi fought for control. He wasn’t going to stand by and let another woman he loved die.

  He loved Ava.

  He’d been in love with her from the very start. Maybe the minute she jumped into his pickup in Vegas.