his terse responses and this episode had her rattled.
If she was honest, she’d been rattled for months, ever since she’d accidentally walked into the middle of a drug deal and watched her ex-boyfriend shot down in front of her.
“We have never yet lost anyone who followed the rules. And we didn’t lose you.”
Would it be wrong to wish they had? Callie was so tired of running. So tired of fighting for a new life. Lord, give me strength. She glanced over at the new marshal. And patience.
Four months ago, her life had been normal. Happy even. She’d been dating someone who seemed nice. She loved her job working with little children. Her church was a community that gave her support and the first sense of family she’d had in her life.
Then things started going wrong, and nothing had been right since.
She’d realized Rick wasn’t the man for her. She liked him and had fun with him, but it would never grow into anything more. Though he gave lip service to her beliefs, he didn’t really share them, didn’t live them in his daily life. So she’d broken it off with him. Tried to break off at least. He had different ideas about that. He had different ideas about everything. That had been a big part of the problem. Things that seemed alluring at first were nothing more than temptations away from the life she’d chosen to live. So she’d ended the relationship.
And now she was paying the price for ever starting it. Facing the consequences of her bad judgment. How many times had she played the “if only” game? If only she’d stood firm. If only she’d never dated him in the first place. If only she hadn’t agreed to sing backup for his band that one last time.
He’d told her it was a charity event, so she agreed to perform, even though it had been a few weeks since they’d broken up. One last time singing, and then she would put that part of her life in the past along with their relationship. Except it hadn’t worked out that way. The charity gig had apparently been a cover for his drug dealing. And she’d walked right into a sting. DEA and FBI agents had arrived too late to save Rick’s life but just in time to whisk her away. They’d offered her sanctuary, but in order to testify to the things she’d witnessed she’d had to give up her whole life, assume a new identity and leave behind all that she knew and loved.
As the months had gone by, she’d learned to accept this solitary new life as atonement for her poor decisions. Tonight she wasn’t the only one paying the price. Regret at her own selfish thoughts stung Callie. A good man was injured, possibly dying, and another woman had been attacked. And what about the DEA agent?
None of this was directly her fault, but Callie couldn’t shake the feeling that if she’d made better choices, it all would have worked out differently.
* * *
Jackson stepped out of the cab and surveyed the street before he reached back in to help his witness out. He offered his arm. “Remember, we’re a couple. Look like we’re out for a romantic evening.”
“Is there a reason we can’t just look like friends or siblings hanging out together?”
He dropped her arm. “Whatever you prefer.”
If Ben survived, Jackson was going to have another talk with him. They’d spent an hour on the phone yesterday, going over case notes in preparation for a planned transition. The trial was due to begin in two weeks, and Jackson was set to take over and stay with Callie until it was time to bring her in to testify.
In all that conversation, never once had Ben warned him that Callie Martin was a difficult witness. In fact, if he recalled correctly, Ben’s words ran something along the lines of the sweetest, most innocent Texas blonde you’ll ever want to meet.
He glanced at the woman walking stiffly at his side. So much for sweet and innocent. He’d grant the beautiful blonde description, though. Even looking confused and scared, there was something compelling about her, something that had made him opt for pretending to be her husband rather than her brother. She’d certainly put him in his place.
“As we walk through the terminal, follow my lead. We’re going to cross the main concourse, then go down the stairs to the subway.”
“Why the subway?”
“I’m trying to vary our travel arrangements. I don’t think anyone followed us, but if they did, it just got harder.”
He guided her down the escalator along with the rest of the crowd and headed across the main waiting room. He ducked onto the Track 23 platform, then hurried her along the back corridor and out through another track door that exited through a passage, across the food market and directly into the subway. Her labored breathing caught his attention so he slowed his pace, but he never stopped moving. His gaze darted around the station, missing nothing and no one as he slid a MetroCard through the turnstile and ushered her through ahead of him.
She stopped abruptly as they approached the stairs. “Am I allowed to know where we’re going yet?”
Jackson scanned the crowd swirling around them. “I’d rather not say.”
He knew he was irritating her with his evasive answers. It wasn’t intentional, but until he knew how her cover had been blown, he wasn’t saying much of anything. For all he knew, she was the one who had arranged the ambush. Jackson glanced at her. She looked dazed and confused, not malicious. Was she innocent or just a very good actress? Either way, she was his to protect.
As they walked across the platform he thought about the expression on her face and softened. What must this look like to someone from Texas who was relatively new to New York? Santa sat behind steel drums beating out some holiday tune. Elderly ladies offered crocheted hats for sale, while a man slept crouched against a pillar. From the look of awe on Callie’s face, he guessed she hadn’t spent much time in the subway.
Before he could say anything, the express train pulled in. Jackson took a moment to check the platform behind them. No one seemed to be paying any attention, but better safe than sorry. He led Callie on to the train and whispered, “Stay close.”
The doors started to beep their closing tune. Just as they were about to shut, he pulled her back out onto the platform. The doors popped open, then quickly closed. Jackson could hear the canned reminder not to hold the doors open. He swung Callie around and hopped on the local train pulling in across the platform.
“What... Why did we—?” Callie shook her head and grabbed for the pole as the train lurched ahead.
Jackson didn’t let his guard down, but he hoped anyone who might have trailed them was as stunned by his move as she apparently was.
The local train was fairly crowded, but Jackson managed to glare his way into a seat for Callie. She sat and he stood guard over her. From that vantage point he could see everyone around. He could also see her face. She was trying not to stare, but clearly the couple across the way had caught her attention. Little wonder with their matching tattoos and red-and-green hair. He wondered how the girl from Texas was managing.
“Have you ridden the subway much?”
She shrugged. “Some. I walk when I can.”
“Are you okay?”
She burst into a grin. “Yeah. I love it!”
Jackson couldn’t help but
