Happy family and about fucking time.

“Yo,” he said as Colt unfolded from his chair and Sully and Haines locked eyes on him.

Cal tipped his chin to Haines and watched Haines’s jaw get hard. That toxic feeling in his gut churned because he didn’t figure Haines was a man to hold a grudge but if he was Cal didn’t figure he was stupid enough to give away his power by letting on that he did. His jaw was hard because of something else.

“Yo, Cal,” Colt said quietly and that toxic feeling churned deeper. Cal knew Colt was gentle with women, otherwise he wasn’t loud but he also wasn’t quiet.

Cal stopped at their huddle.

“You gave me nothin’ on the phone, Colt. Don’t make me wait,” Cal stated.

“Gotta explain somethin’ first,” Colt was still being quiet, his eyes watchful and Cal noted that he was more than his usual alert and so were Sully and Haines.

“Do it fast,” Cal demanded low.

“First, you gotta know Mike’s here for a reason and it’s a good one,” Colt said and Cal nodded. He didn’t like this at all and it wasn’t getting any better.

“Second, you and me had a conversation on your deck awhile back, you remember?” Colt asked.

“I remember,” Cal answered, his eyes locked on Colt.

“That’s between you and me,” Colt said still talking quiet.

“It is then why we talkin’ about it now?” Cal asked and jerked his head to Sully and Haines.

“Because of that conversation, I made a decision that night that you aren’t gonna like,” Colt replied and Cal felt Sully and Haines both close in. They only moved slightly, it was their increased vigilance that filled their huddle like a physical presence.

That poison agitated even deeper in his gut. “Colt –”

“I didn’t know things would change, I didn’t know they’d do it as fast as they did and, sorry, man, but once they did, I couldn’t be sure it’d take,” Colt went on.

“What the fuck?” Cal asked.

“Vi’s been getting gifts,” Sully said quickly and Cal’s eyes sliced to him.

“I know,” Cal told him.

“Every day for nearly three months,” Haines put in and Cal took a step back in order to put distance between him and his friends so he could get control.

This took some doing but when he accomplished it, he whispered, “What?”

“I didn’t know either, Cal,” Haines bit off and his eyes cut to Colt and Cal knew that Colt had been having an uncomfortable morning.

Cal’s eyes cut to Colt too and he ground out, “Explain.”

“You two were focused on Vi and I needed focus on the problem,” Colt said.

“So you kept this shit from me?” Cal asked, now his voice was quiet but it was a different kind of quiet from Colt’s.

“I made a call,” Colt stated.

“It was the wrong one,” Cal clipped.

“You disappeared for over two months, man, remember?” Colt shot back.

“I wouldn’t have, I knew she was gettin’ gifts,” Cal returned.

“Bullshit,” Colt muttered.

Cal moved and Sully moved too, coming between Colt and Cal.

“Not gonna help things, Cal, you know that. Stand down and listen,” Sully said softly.

Cal’s eyes were over Sully’s shoulder and on Colt.

“Haines was here, why’d you keep it from him?” Cal asked.

“Focus,” Colt answered.

“You are so full of shit,” Cal bit off.

“Fuck it, Cal, you’re talkin’ to a man who knows what losin’ focus means!” Colt snapped. “I let Feb talk me out of protective custody the day we shoulda gone into custody, the day before my woman, fuck, my women got kidnapped and taken hostage. One of them was shot. Another one spent months in counseling. That day one man got dead, another man shot, another man shot and hacked to shit. It coulda been worse. I know the importance of keepin’ fuckin’ focus.” It sucked but Cal had to give him that and Colt went on. “Neither of you had it. Sully and I do.”

Cal stared at Colt then stepped back. Sully stepped away. Haines pulled in a breath and let it out.

“Keep goin’,” Cal growled.

“Things have changed,” Colt explained.

“Yeah? How?” Cal demanded to know.

“Gifts stopped,” Sully said.

“When?” Cal asked.

“Day the brother was murdered,” Colt told him.

“But he’s still active?” Cal pushed and they all looked at him.

Then Haines moved. Leaning into Colt’s desk he slid a manila envelope off it and handed it to Cal. Cal took it and Haines started talking.

“Got that in my mail at home yesterday,” Haines said.

Cal looked from Haines to the envelope.

“It been printed?” Cal asked.

“Yeah,” Haines replied.

“Get anything?” Cal went on, knowing the answer.

“Nope,” Haines gave him the answer he knew.

Cal opened the envelope, pulled out a picture, looked at it and felt his mouth get tight.

It was black and white, taken with a telephoto no doubt, Haines and Vi standing by Vi’s Mustang. Haines had his hands at her jaws, his head bent forward, Vi’s head was bent back and they were kissing.

Scrawled on the bottom of the photo in black marker was “Make sure this was good-bye”.

Colt twisted and took another envelope from his desk and handed it to Cal.

“I got that in my mail yesterday too,” he said, “it’s been printed.”

Cal opened the envelope and slid out another picture. It was black and white and it was of Vi and him two days ago standing in the drive in the door of her Mustang. It was when she told him she’d do anything he wanted. They were in a tight clinch, mouths locked, going at it.

Scrawled across the bottom of that photo was “Tell him he’s gone or he’s next”.

Cal closed his eyes and muttered, “Fuck.”

“Open threats,” Sully said, “new.”

“Barry Pryor know about these?” Cal asked, leaning around Colt and tossing the photos on his desk.

“Yep,” Colt said.

“What’s he think?”

“Thinks you and Vi and the girls should consider protective custody,” Colt replied.

Cal’s brows went up. “You offerin’ that?”

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 fuckin’ joke.”

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

“A lock?” Cal asked. “They don’t even fuckin’ 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 fuckin’ 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 fuck up. Every man standin’ here knows that. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t fuck up with Vi, Kate or Keira in his crosshairs.”

“You need to stick to town, not go out on a job,” Mike put in, losing his bid to get Cal out of Vi’s house he was changing his tune and Cal’s eyes cut to him.

“Yeah, Mike. Thanks for that head’s up,” Cal’s sarcasm was obvious and Mike straightened.

“We’re all on the same side here,” Sully noted as the air around Cal and Haines again grew heavy.

Cal speared Sully with a glance and looked at Colt.

“You got the gifts or you send them to Pryor?” he asked.

“Sent an inventory and photos to Pryor. Gifts were delivered here, they’ve stayed here. They’re in evidence,” Colt answered.

“I want to see them all. Chronological,” Cal demanded.

“Why?” Sully asked and Cal looked at him.

“Do you know what I do for a living?”

“Security,” Sully answered.

“Stalker sub-specialty,” Colt muttered and Sully looked at his partner.

“No joke?” Sully whispered.

“No joke,” Colt repeated.

“Wow,” Sully was still whispering, “I didn’t know that. We should have brought you in sooner.”

Colt looked at the ceiling. Haines pressed his lips together. Cal growled.

* * *

“You feed the Feds this shit?” Cal asked Barry. He was sitting in the seat beside Colt’s desk after having gone through a fuckload of expensive gifts that got chronologically more expensive, more desperate to make an impression and more demanding to get a reaction.

“Feds aren’t interested,” Cal heard Barry’s answer through the phone.

“Not interested?” Cal asked.

“You’re interested. I’m interested. Any Chicago police officer is interested, they knew Tim or not. The Feds… no,” Berry answered.