Callahan's Fate (7 page)

This time, she made out what the caller
said
,
his voice choked with laughter. “Yeah, what’s
her name?”

Cal glanced at her, eyebrows raised in
unspoken question.
 
She nodded and he
said, “
Raine
.
 
Good-bye and good riddance.”

He shut off the phone and tossed it on
the dresser. “Sorry about that, doll.”

“Sounds like you had plans.”

“
Naw
, it’s
just the guys at the firehouse down the block. They always play poker unless
they get called out on an alarm on Saturday night.
 
Sometimes I join in, sometimes not.
 
I’d rather be here with you.”

His simple statement made her glad, but
a stray glance at the digital time on the DVD player shattered the mood they’d
created.
 
Feeling like Cinderella minutes
before the clock chimed twelve,
Raine
wanted to cry,
because the evening was pretty much over.
 
“It’s late,” she said. “I should go home.
 
It’s going to take
awhile
to get there
anyway,
and longer if I get lost.”

“You won’t,” he said. “I’ll take you.”

“All the way to the Lower East Side?”
she asked. “It’s a long way on the subway.”

“The subway’s not the best place to be
at night, not for you,” Cal said.

Raine
frowned. “Is it
dangerous?”

Callahan shrugged. “It can be, most of
the time it’s not.
 
You’re not familiar,
though, and I wouldn’t want you lost at night at the Fulton Street Station or
anywhere else.”
His pompous manner irritated her a little.
 
“I could manage,” she said.
 

 
He offered her a hand and pulled her to a
standing position. “I know,” he replied. “But I care about you, baby, and I
don’t want you to take chances.
 
I’d
worry for you if I knew you were going home on the subway this time of
night.
 
I’ll go with you, or we’ll take
the bus or even a cab.”

She savored the fact he cared, and
although his old-school approach could be a little much,
Raine
admitted she liked it, too. Deep down, some feminine part of her psyche craved
his protection. “Taxis are expensive.”

“You’re worth it, doll.” His deep, dark
eyes met hers with a steady gaze.
 
He means it,
she thought with mingled
wonder and excitement.
Wow.

“I don’t know about that,”
Raine
said. “But thanks.
 
Let me get my blouse, and then we can figure out how we’ll go.”

“Or you could stay.” Cal leaned down and
cherished her mouth with his.
 
He ran one
hand down her body, slow and gentle, but it lit the fires within.
 
Her heart beat faster, and a feverish heat
radiated from her crotch.
 
Raine’s
nipples hardened as he kissed deep, using his
tongue with amazing effect.

It would be so
easy,
she
thought,
and I want to stay.
 
I want to make love with him and wake up in
his bed, but it’s too soon.
 
I just met
him today.

With effort, she pulled back.
 
To take the sting out of her words, she
stroked his cheek with one finger. “I want to, Callahan, but it’s happening too
quick
, so not tonight, not yet.”

His eyes darkened with emotion, but he
smiled a little. “Yeah, you’re right, it’s too soon.
 
I haven’t even known you twenty-four hours
yet.
 
It won’t be a quick bop between the
sheets when we do, doll, but something special.
 
Okay?”

 
Raine
nodded. “Okay, I’m glad you understand.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Get changed and let’s
go before I change my mind.”

For a moment, she wished he would,
then
the moment passed.
 
She exchanged his shirt for hers, put on the new jacket, and slung her
purse over one shoulder.
 
Together, they
headed out into the night, down onto the
subway,
and a
few steps closer to the future, whatever it might hold.

Chapter Five

After he returned from seeing
Raine
home, her scent lingered in his apartment. Callahan
could smell it on the couch, in his pillows, and he swore he could smell it in
the air, too.
 
When he picked up his
shirt, it had her fragrance, too.
 
He
didn’t need it to evoke her, though.
 
She
filled his consciousness in every way possible, and parting at the door to her
building had been difficult.
 
He left her
with another kiss and a promise to call.

On the subway ride, they had exchanged
phone numbers and sat together among the few late-night riders.
 
Cal thought some of them had intimidated her
with oddness, and in a few cases, their complete freakiness, but he gave them
his “hard
cop
” stare and they didn’t give
Raine
another glance.
 

He sprawled on the couch, tired but not
at all sleepy.
 
He’d slept more while she
cooked than he had in a straight stretch for a long time.
 
If he dozed off now, he would probably dream,
and he didn’t want to face any nightmares.
 
But if he could be certain he might dream of
Raine
instead, he’d try to grab a few winks.

God, but the woman had him smitten.
 
Cal laughed at the old-fashioned word he’d
summoned up.
 
Call it whatever, but he’d
never felt this way about any gal.
 
He
replayed the day in slow motion, delighting in remembering the best
moments.
 
Tomorrow loomed ahead
empty.
 
He could shine his shoes, do his
laundry, and watch a football game.
 
When
he got hungry, he could send out for some Chinese takeout or a pizza.
 
Sounds
lonely,
he thought.
Guess I could go
over to Jersey and visit Shay, take the kids something.
 
His stomach lurched at the idea, though, of
spending time with his brother’s widow and playing the favorite uncle with the
boys.
 
He should’ve asked
Raine
if she wanted to do something.
 
Now he didn’t know when he might see her
again, but probably not until next weekend, if then.

Callahan heaved a sigh.
 
With his rolling schedule, he worked the next
six shifts,
then
would be off Sunday and Monday.
 
He picked up the open wine bottle and drained
the remainder in a single gulp.
 
On
impulse, he grabbed his phone and dialed
Raine
.
 
She answered after one ring, her voice clear
and not sleepy, but still he asked, “Did I wake you?”

“No,” she said. “I was reading.”

“You
wanna
go
to Coney Island tomorrow?”

“Is it open? I mean, it’s October.”

“Yeah, sure, it’s always open.
 
There might not be much
shakin
’,
but the ocean’s there and we can eat a hot dog at Nathan’s.
 
They haven’t closed in like a hundred years
except during Hurricane Sandy.
 
Whaddya
say?”

His heart stumbled over a series of
uneven beats as he waited.
 

“Yes, sure, I’d love to go to Coney
Island.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Okay, great.
 
Meet me at the Essex Street
Station, all right?”

“Okay. What time?”

“Is nine too early?”

Raine
laughed, and he
delighted in the merry sound. “No, it’s perfect.
 
Hey
,Callahan
?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you called.
 
Good night.”

Joy spread wings within.
 
“Good night, doll.
 
I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After he ended the call, Callahan sat
still and let his emotions rush through him, swift as a river.
 
The taste of happiness lingered, and to his
surprise, he slept and did not dream.

****

Cal woke early, showered, and grabbed a
quick breakfast downstairs.
 
The strong
coffee tasted like last night’s last pot, but he drank it anyway.
 
The two donuts were fresh, and once finished,
he set out for
Raine’s
neighborhood with a light
heart and quick step.
 
Going to Coney
Island brought back some of the best memories of his childhood, and
en
route, he recalled some of the golden moments.
 
For once, he could think about his mom, Aunt
Birdie, and his brothers, Anthony and Aidan, without anguish or grief.
 
Callahan almost laughed aloud remembering the
long afternoons on the beach, splashing in the ocean, trying to ride the waves,
and falling asleep listening to the sound of the incoming surf.
 
He savored the taste of a Nathan’s hot dog
and the glittering lights of the amusements at dark.
 

At the Essex Street Station, he left the
train and emerged to wait for
Raine
.
 
Since he had arrived early, he thought about
walking toward her apartment, but Cal decided to give her a chance to show
..
 
Ten minutes later,
he spied
Raine
walking down the sidewalk.
 
She wore a bright red cable-knit sweater over
black jeans and boots.
 
A matching tam
perched atop her long hair, tamed back into a long braid.
 
He liked the way her face brightened when she
saw him, and he moved forward to greet her with a quick kiss.
 
Their hands touched and linked. “Good
morning, doll,” he said.

“Hi, Callahan,” she replied. “It’s brisk
out this morning.”

“Yeah, teach, it is,” he answered with a
wide grin.
“Ready to go to Coney Island?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go!”

He wanted her to have the best possible experience,
and since he preferred the
Q
train
when heading to Brooklyn or the beach, they rode the subway to several stations
until they were
en
route to the famed amusement park.
“So, you ever been before?” he asked as the train rattled across the East River
Bridge into Brooklyn.

“No, and I’ve wanted to see it.
 
I’ve always heard about it.
 
Is it as wonderful as I’ve heard?”

Cal shrugged. “I wish I could say yeah,
but most of it is still recovering after Hurricane Sandy.
 
It’s amazing how much has come back, because
most of the boardwalk was destroyed.
 
I
won’t lie—it was a bad thing all around, but the ocean still rocks and
it’s
coming back one bit at a time.”

A cold shudder rippled down his spine,
the feeling which had always prompted his grandmother to say a goose was
walking over your grave.
 
As a cop, he’d
been out there for a while to help after Sandy, and the devastation had been
extreme.
 
Worse still had been the elderly
people in the vicinity who drowned in their own living rooms.
 
They had remained, certain they would be safe,
having weathered other storms over the decades.
 
He wasn’t sharing any of those stories, though.
 
Callahan wanted this to be another enjoyable
day.
 
To distract himself, he started
pointing out a few sights along the way.
 
Unlike most of the other subway lines, the
Q
train still ran a good part of the way on elevated tracks, so he
could play tour guide for
Raine
.

Her excitement and delight were
contagious.
 
She liked the view of
Flatbush Avenue and found the platforms at the stations quaint.
 
At Coney Island, the multi-track station made
her smile, and when they descended the steps to street level, she grinned
wide.
 
“Wow,” she said. “It’s amazing
now.
 
It must’ve been totally awesome
before the hurricane.”

He tried to see it through her eyes—the
wide streets, the original Nathan’s on one corner, the souvenir shop, and the
rides looming large to their left.
 
Straight ahead, the Atlantic Ocean beyond the beach and the new
boardwalk teemed with more activity than he’d expected for an autumn Sunday
morning.
 
So far, it smacked of newness
and lacked the vintage appeal he remembered.
 
The nostalgic charm buildup over a century had vanished beneath the
waves, and the current version seemed a little lacking.
 
Maybe
by the time I have grandkids, it will seem like the real deal again,
he
thought.