“For what?”
“For trusting me. For sharing that with me. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”
She was right. It hadn’t been easy. But it would have been impossible with anyone else.
When they made love that night, he’d never felt closer to her. And when they fell asleep in each other’s arms, he didn’t have a single nightmare.
Kathleen, once again, had vanquished his demons.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Neither Jack nor Kathleen brought up the subject again, not until Adonia showed up at the Pub in tears with the news Jack had been dreading: Brian had gone missing.
Jack sat her down in the kitchen with a glass of brandy while Kathleen made tea. After several unsuccessful attempts, Adonia finally calmed down enough to tell them what she knew.
It wasn’t much. Brian had left the previous week, promising to be back within a few days. Nearly a week had gone by; Brian hadn’t returned and Adonia had heard absolutely nothing.
“You have to do something, Jack,” she pleaded.
“I don’t know what you think I can do, Adonia,” Jack told her honestly. Because of the sensitivity of the missions, Brian rarely offered any advance information beyond a last minute notice that he’d be out of town for a few days, and not always even then. Over the last couple of months, Brian missed more shifts at the bar than he’d worked. For that reason, Jack had hired Declan’s college-age sons and nephew to help out a few nights a week to pick up the slack.
“Brian said if anything ever happened, I should give you this.” Sniffling, she pulled a small card out of her pocket and handed it to him.
Jack turned it over in his hand, his brow furrowing. It was the size of a business card, matte black, with only a phone number in stark white text, nothing else. Someone, presumably Brian, had written “Jack” and “ICE” in white grease pencil in the upper left corner. ICE. In Case of Emergency.
With Alexis in the capable hands of her grandmother O’Connell, Kathleen coaxed an exhausted Adonia into staying the night in one of the upstairs guest rooms. As Kathleen closed the door behind her, she sat down beside Jack on their bed.
“What are you going to do?” she asked quietly.
Jack flipped the card in his hands. Jaw tight, his blue eyes blazed. He was angry. Angry at Brian for getting himself into this mess. Angry at the system because Brian hadn’t really had a choice, not if he wanted to take care of his family. And angry that despite his best efforts to remain uninvolved, that was no longer possible.
Because Brian was in trouble.
Kathleen nodded, hearing the response he didn’t voice aloud. Her expression gave nothing away, but her eyes reflected everything he was feeling. She stepped into his arms, laying her head over his heart in a gesture of silent support. No matter what he chose, she would be right there beside him. He closed his eyes and soaked in her warmth. Kathleen would always have his back.
He released her reluctantly. Decision made, there was no sense putting it off. He went downstairs, put on his coat, and walked to the nearest public phone.
As expected, the phone number went right to an answering machine. Jack’s message was short and simple. “Sammy. Jack Callaghan. Call me.” He rattled off the number on the dial, then waited.
Within minutes, the phone rang. Jack picked it up, knowing who was on the other end before the man even spoke.
“Sammy.”
“Jack. It’s been a while.”
“About time for a reunion, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hell yeah, it is,” Sammy answered, his voice somber.
They made arrangements to meet the next morning at a location about two hours northwest of Pine Ridge. It was with mixed feelings that Jack prepared to leave the Pub. He’d checked in on all of his boys, still deep in the sleep of the innocent.
Was he doing the right thing, leaving them like this, going off to God knew where to do God knew what? What would happen to them if something happened to him?
Nothing. Because he would make damn sure he came back and no one would have to answer that question.
Kane was waiting for him at the top of the stairs when he closed the last door and slung the black bag over his shoulder.
“Where are you going, Dad?” Kane asked quietly. Now twelve, his eldest son’s head already reached above Jack’s shoulders. Boyhood still clung to him, but just barely. Kane was big and broad, with an air of authority around him not usually found in kids his age. One day very soon he would be a formidable man.
Icy blue eyes watched him intently. Expectantly.
“I have to go away for a few days,” Jack told him.
“Why?”
Such a simple question. Such a difficult answer.
Jack was still working on a suitable response when Kane prompted, “Does this have anything to do with Uncle Brian?”