At Peace (The 'Burg #2)(189)

Colt bit his lower lip, something he did when he was pissed. Sully shuffled his feet. Haines made a noise like a growl.

“Talked to the Chief. Don’t have the resources,” Colt told him.

“So it’s vigilance,” Cal deduced.

“Squads on the street, escorts for you, Vi and the girls,” Sully said.

“You got the resources for that?” Cal asked.

“Nope, just talked to the crew. They’re in. It won’t be constant but they’ll do what they can,” Colt’s eyes caught Cal’s. “Chief doesn’t need to know,” Colt shared.

“You got a gun?” Haines asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not sittin’ out in the open with Vi and her girls,” Cal answered.

“Her girls are old enough to know better,” Sully put in.

“Still not doin’ it,” Cal stated.

“Man, their Dad was a cop. They gotta be used to it,” Haines noted.

“Yeah, maybe with Tim they were used to it. With me they aren’t and I make my gun visible, they’ll know somethin’s up,” Cal returned.

“You aren’t gonna tell them?” Colt asked, his voice surprised.

“Fuck no,” Cal answered.

“You’re shittin’ me,” Haines muttered.

“You’d tell them?” Cal asked and Haines held his gaze then a muscle jumped in his jaw. “That’s what I thought,” Cal said quietly.

“Gonna be hard to give them escorts if you don’t tell them,” Sully pointed out.

“They won’t have escorts, they’ll have tails and it’ll be up to you and your crew to keep themselves invisible,” Cal replied.

“Cal, I can see you wanna keep Kate and Keira in the dark, feelin’ safe, but Vi –” Colt started and Cal looked at him.

“Her brother was murdered three weeks ago, Colt. You think I should go home, tell her someone’s taking photos and makin’ threats? Against Mike? Against me? After Sam was killed she had nightmares. Bad ones. They’re gone now. Now you want her to try to sleep knowin’ that? To let her girls go to school? Me go to the store? Mike’s a father, it didn’t end bad between them, it just ended. She cares about him. You think she’ll be okay with thinkin’ she brought this shit into his life?”

Colt lifted a hand. “All right, Cal, I get it.”

No one said a word for awhile until Sully ended the silence.

“So now what do we do?” Sully muttered.

“Cal backs off,” Haines said and Cal’s eyes sliced to him.

“Come again?” he asked dangerously.

“You’ll explain things to her after the Chicago PD takes him down,” Haines went on.

“You think he should move out?” Colt asked incredulously.

“I think we make Hart think his threats worked,” Mike explained. “Keep Cal safe. Keep an eye on Vi. Pryor says he’s close.”

“Close with what?” Cal growled.

Mike’s eyes caught Cal’s. “Tax evasion.”

“Jesus Christ,” Cal bit out, “that’s a f**kin’ joke.”

“They got a lock on a second set of books,” Mike returned.

“A lock?” Cal asked. “They don’t even f**kin’ have the books?”

“The Feds are involved now,” Colt explained, “they’re makin’ deals.”

Cal shook his head. “You want me to leave Vi and the girls for tax evasion?” Cal returned, knowing Mike’s game. He didn’t want Cal safe. He wanted Cal to leave Vi. “They get him he’s bonded out in hours.”

“Odds are, they’ll hold him without bail,” Colt noted.

“He’s got money, he’s got lawyers, in his business he knows this shit could happen any time. He’ll be prepared,” Cal told Colt.

“They set bail, it’ll be set high,” Sully noted.

“He’ll be out,” Cal shot back.

“Like I said, Cal, you explain it to her after it’s done,” Haines repeated.

Cal turned fully to Haines. “Last night she stood in the kitchen in my arms giggling herself stupid. You think after she’s walked through two years of hell, I get her to the point of giggling herself stupid, I’m gonna rip that away for tax evasion, you’re f**kin’ whacked,” Cal returned and now Haines’s jaw was hard for another reason, his hands were clenched and his body was solid.

Haines glared at Cal. Cal scowled back.

“Boys,” Sully mumbled, Cal looked away from Haines and saw Colt and Sully both were on alert.

“Security, vigilance, tails,” Cal declared. “I’ll keep my gun where I can get it and carry when I’m not with Vi and the girls.”

“You got a permit to carry concealed?” Sully asked.

“Man, do you know what my job is? I got a concealed permit in forty-seven states,” Cal answered.

“Right,” Sully muttered, his eyes slid to Colt and his lips twitched.

Cal did not find anything funny and his eyes hit Colt.

“He’s gettin’ impatient and he’s gonna f**k up. Every man standin’ here knows that. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t f**k up with Vi, Kate or Keira in his crosshairs.”