Chapter 14
“Here’s a program, sir. Enjoy the show.”
Jack took the folded paper from the teenager and entered the community center. Chairs lined the floor in neat rows on either side of a straight center aisle. Most of them were taken and many people milled around the edges. The show was about to start and he had timed his arrival accordingly. He didn’t need to be noticed.
The lights flickered and dimmed and he settled against the back wall near the door. His typical disguise was in place, heavy jacket, thick glasses and hat, but he’d added some powder to his combed-back hair to make it look gray. The two-week growth of beard had been treated the same way. And he would stay near the door for a quick escape if needed.
You shouldn’t be here. That seemed to be his mantra these days but it killed him not to see his son. It had been three weeks since Jonathan had been released from the hospital. Too long since he’d held the boy in his arms. In the past it had been far longer but he was getting addicted to being with his child. He hated that he’d slinked out of the house like a coward so his son didn’t see him leaving, even though it was better that way. Callie’s text said there’d been a few tears but the fact he was home after a week in the hospital had made the child happy enough. Any other communication had been spotty.
Tonight Jonathan was in a community play some of the churches were putting on. Luckily he’d known about it before the accident or Callie may not have told him. Their son would be a sheep who got to crawl around the stage during the Nativity Scene. The fact Jonathan could crawl anywhere filled him with relief. His heart still raced at how he’d almost lost him. It had been hard to stay away the past few weeks. He’d wanted to see for himself that Jonathan was recovering. Callie had assured him by text and pictures but he needed to reassure himself. There was no reason for her to know he was here.
Characters appeared on stage and Jack watched for a few seconds then glanced down at the program. The light coming through the door illuminated just enough for him to read. When he saw his son’s name, he frowned. Jonathan Lansing. It should be Jonathan Holland. There was nothing he could do about it though. Not yet. Someday soon? He should be glad it wasn’t Jonathan Cabrini. Callie had said Victor insisted but she’d pulled out the I-don’t-want-Angelo’s-killer-to-be-after-my-son card and Victor had backed off.
He needed to get back to digging as much as he could but Victor was good at hiding dirt. And surrounding himself at all times with guards and goons. It was impossible to catch him alone anywhere outside his mansion.
Soft laughter filled the air and Jack looked up at the stage again. Several small children dressed like sheep and cows crawled onto the stage. His eyes focused and he immediately saw which one was Jonathan. He was the smallest of them all and he’d come right over to the front, waving at someone in the first row. Callie?
He moved a bit to the side and sure enough Callie sat in the front row, Heather right next to her. That woman was a godsend and he was glad Callie had such a good friend who was always there for her. Especially since he couldn’t be. His self-esteem plummeted yet again whenever he thought of all he should be doing for Callie and Jonathan. Damn Victor Cabrini.
The devil himself was sitting on the other side of Callie. Front row and waving at Jonathan. Rage filled him. He should be the one Jonathan was waving to, not a slimy mobster. Each time he thought of how much Victor got to see his son, flames of anger and despair flashed through him, leaving him scorched inside, feeling blackened and burnt. But it was incentive to continue his search for a way to put this monster away for good. Someplace he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. A hole six feet deep sounded good to him.
He took a deep breath in, attempting to remain calm when all he wanted to do was throttle Victor, make him pay for all the pain he’d endured since that last day with Angelo. He touched his side, the injured area throbbing to life. It didn’t actually hurt any more but the memory of it caused more agony than the real thing. Because it had been the beginning of the end. The end of his life as he knew it. And the beginning of his exile and life on the run.
The rest of the show was enjoyable, with Jonathan happy and well, but he made sure to slip out the back as the curtain drew closed. His son had been adorable and he was proud of the way he had simply crawled around the stage, never bothering any of the other actors. The waving to those in the front stabbed at him and he wished his son knew he was here. With Victor around, that was impossible.
Walking through the deserted parking lot, he pulled off his glasses and hat and headed toward the truck. Victor’s limo was parked along the edge and he had serious thoughts of doing something to the car to make it crash. Then sense jumped back in. The chauffeur would be sitting inside and see him if he tried. And the man was innocent. He could never do anything that endangered the life of an innocent person. No matter how much he hated and wanted Cabrini dead. That’s what made him different from Victor.
Staring at the car, anger swirled inside him. He felt someone approach and turned swiftly. Tony Pascucci, Victor’s right-hand man, stood right in front of him.
“Waters?” Pascucci choked out, surprise bursting onto his face. “What the…”
Jack didn’t wait, swinging his fist, he connected to the man’s chin, then ran. Pascucci had gone down but it wouldn’t be long before he’d be up again. The punch hadn’t been that hard. Weaving in and out of the cars, he slipped behind his truck, keeping his eyes on where Pascucci was. The man had started to follow but Jack was swallowed up by the darkness. As soon as Pascucci trotted toward the community building, Jack jumped in the truck and took off.
He hated leaving Callie here but what choice did he have? Later, he’d make sure to text her and check that she was all right. His heart ached once more knowing his presence was a danger to those he loved.
* * * *
“Thank you for inviting me, Callina. My grandson was wonderful. He stole the show.”
Callie sighed. “You’re as silly as he was, with your continuous waving. You’re a bad influence on him.” Even though she inflicted some teasing into her tone, she wasn’t kidding. Victor was a bad influence. Or he would be. Too often he talked about how Jonathan would be the one to take over his empire. He couldn’t wait until the day he could train Jonathan to be just like him. She shuddered at the thought. Not if she could help it.
Heather walked over with Jonathan in her arms, beaming. His furry hat was off but the rest of the woolly costume still surrounded his body, making him fluffier than usual.
“Mama, Dampa. Baaaaa.”
“Good job, sweetie,” she responded. “That’s the sound sheep make.”
Turning to say something to Victor she noticed his assistant Tony approach, a scowl on his face. He whispered into Victor’s ear and he also scowled then looked back at the small group.
“Callina, I just had disturbing news. It seems Matt Waters, the man who killed Angelo, was seen outside tonight. Maybe it would be best if you came and stayed with me for a while.”
Ice filled her veins. Jack was here. She hadn’t seen him since she told him to leave. Since the day he’d ravished her against the wall. It had taken her a while, after she’d gotten her heart to stop racing, to realize what he’d been doing. He’d wanted her to hate him so it was easier on her when he wasn’t around. The shame on his face, the self-disgust had been apparent as he’d run down the stairs. And he’d told Heather to keep an eye on her. Jack might try but he couldn’t be horrid.
He’d communicated with her more frequently since Jonathan had been hospitalized, though her responses had been limited. Due to her guilt at telling him to stay away or her embarrassment at responding to his touch? But he’d known about the show tonight from before. She should have guessed he might try and be here. Her promise to take pictures for him hadn’t been enough. He’d wanted to see for himself.
“Victor, why would he be here? Unless he was looking for you,” she bluffed. An idea had wormed its way into her mind. “He has no reason to hurt Jonathan or me, so he must have been after you. If that’s the case, then the last place we should be is at your house. Maybe it’s even best if we stay away for a while. I don’t want Jonathan getting hurt. Last month was scary enough.”
“I have an idea,” Heather interrupted. “I planned on going to my parents’ ski chalet in Vermont for a few weeks. The real estate business is a little slow at this time of year. Why don’t you and Jonathan come with me? They’ve already got snow and he’d love sledding down the hills. It’s got internet so you can still do your work and I’d be available to watch this guy while you do. Or you could simply take the whole time to relax. You know you’ve been fairly keyed up lately.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. “As much as I hate the idea of not seeing you, it may not be a bad idea. I need to take care of this situation. I don’t know why he all of a sudden turned up here but I plan on finding out. I have contacts who may help.”
She nodded. “It’s a great plan, Heather. I think we’ll take you up on the offer. We can leave in a few days and stay right up to Christmas. I hated the thought of not seeing you this year for the holiday.”
Victor frowned. “But it means I won’t see my grandson for Christmas. I don’t like that.”
“But we’ll be safe, which is more important. If everything gets resolved, then we can visit you right after.”
He nodded then patted Jonathan’s shoulder. “You’re right, my dear. Jonathan always does get a bit exuberant with all the presents. I can have someone drop them off at your house before you go. That way he can enjoy them while you’re away.”
Of course Jonathan got exuberant with presents. He was a young child. Had Victor treated Angelo this way when he was a boy? The thought of Jonathan growing up under the influence of Victor Cabrini made her stomach churn.
“I’ll contact you once we get back. Maybe you’ll have a better handle on why that man was here tonight. Hopefully you’ll have the situation under control.” Or maybe Jack would have found a way to get Victor out of their lives for good.
As they walked out, Callie’s eyes darted around the parking lot. Was Jack still here? Would he show up at the house later? Parts of her longed for his presence again while the sensible parts of her wanted him to stay far away. He was dangerous. And not only to their physical well-being but also to her heart.
* * * *
Jack pulled the collar of his jacket up higher as he did a last check of the construction supplies. They had a lot of work to finish before Christmas in two weeks. But it would be easier now since the college students had gone home for the holidays. He breathed in the scent of sawdust, not hating it as much as he used to.
It was the smell he associated with his father. When he was young and visited his dad on the job site, the smell always made him remember his dad was there more than home. Never, he’d vowed, would he put his job before his family. Like that had been working out for him so far. Compared to him, his dad had been Father of the Year. He’d give anything to see Jonathan even for an hour each day. And to be able to sleep next to Callie every night…the idea was heaven.
The few months they’d had together had been heaven, at least to him. More than likely she regretted it. Not that she’d regret their son, she loved him devotedly, but if he ever got out of this mess, would she still want him in her life? She’d never keep him from Jonathan, she was too sweet and caring for that, but maybe she wouldn’t want him around permanently, warming her bed. Did she have someone else in mind for the job? Was it the reason she’d suggested he stay away? There was someone waiting in the queue.
The thought made bile rise in his throat. The image of Callie in bed with someone else was something he couldn’t even fathom. But she deserved someone to care for her and take care of her. Someone who could be a real father to Jonathan. Maybe if he backed off, she might finally be able to do that.
Could he give up seeing his son? Allow Jonathan to think he didn’t care and be raised by someone else? It would kill him, no doubt. But danger seemed to follow him wherever he went so maybe it was best. Having Pascucci see him last week hadn’t been good. Callie had let him know it’d worked to her advantage, but still he hated that he’d put her in a bad position. He would do whatever was necessary to protect his son and if staying away, never seeing him again, was what was best, he should do it.
A crunching noise brought Jack’s attention back to the present. No one should be around right now. The students were all gone for winter break and the crew had gone home for the night. He was the only one here, or should be. Maybe it was an animal looking for some scraps of food.
The noise sounded again and Jack moved closer to the large stack of lumber they would use tomorrow. He tugged on the rope holding it together and frowned when he found it loose. Who’d been careless enough to overlook this? It needed to be tied tighter or someone could get hurt.
As he walked around the stack to see where the rope had come undone, he reached to tie the ends tighter but the creaking sound grew louder. He looked up and the planks tilted in his direction. Before he could get out of the way, they completely toppled over and blackness enfolded him.