Arresting his ex was not how Detective Frank Hardy wanted to spend a Saturday night. Or any other night for that matter. He figured his ex, Callie Shaw, wouldn't be too happy about it, either.
Frank dragged in a long breath, took the arrest warrant from the glove box and climbed out of the Marble Falls' cruiser. Despite the sun having already set, it was still Texas-hot with both the heat and humidity nearing triple digits. He felt the trickle of sweat on his temple before he even made it up the steps of the craftsman's house.
He glanced around. Old habits. But despite the sudden knot in his gut, there was nothing to catch a lawman's attention. Callie's rental house was on the outskirts of town, located at the end of a narrow farm road. No nearby neighbors. Just trees, fields and lots of peace and quiet. Something Callie had insisted she needed when she'd broken off things with him.
Peace and quiet were things she definitely wouldn't get tonight.
The porch light came on and the door flew open before he even lifted his hand to knock. And there she was. Seeing her sure didn't help that knot in his stomach.
"Frank." Not exactly a greeting and certainly not friendly.
Judging from the way her pale green eyes widened, then narrowed, Callie wasn't any happier to see him than he was to see her. Though Frank did silently curse the heat that slid right through him. Not heat from the July temps this time. But rather an old attraction that wouldn't play any part in this or any of his other dealings with Callie.
"I wasn't expecting company," she said.
Obviously. She was wearing cutoff shorts and a gray T-shirt. No shoes. More of her long brown hair was out of her ponytail than in it. However, what caught his attention was the pair of suitcases next to her sofa.
"Going somewhere?" he asked.
"I, uh, no." Callie dodged his gaze and folded her arms over her chest. "If this is a social visit—"
"It's not," Frank interrupted. Best just to get this out there, and he handed her the warrant. "I'm here to arrest you for money laundering. I need to take you to the county jail to be processed."
Frank braced himself for whatever reaction Callie would have. But other than a thin, shaky breath, there wasn't one. Maybe she was in shock.
She took the warrant as if it were a bomb that might explode in her hand and glanced through it. "I see," she said.
Well, he sure as heck didn't see. "Never took you for the criminal type. After all, you don't have a record. Not even a parking ticket." And Frank knew because he'd checked.
Again, he waited for a reaction or at least some kind of denial. Of course, maybe she wasn't denying anything because she was indeed guilty. Part of him had hoped she would shout out she was innocent. And that he would believe her. That would make him feel a little less stupid about getting involved with a woman he obviously hadn't known well enough to land in bed with.
Her gaze skirted around the yard before it came back to his. "Sheriff Daniels sent you to arrest me? Or did you volunteer?"
"I drew the short straw." Because the other deputies had been out of the office.
Callie studied him a moment as if she might actually say something that would make sense of this but then shook her head. "Let me get my shoes and purse, and I'll go with you."
He nodded, stepped inside to wait. So no big dramatic reaction after all. That should have eased the knot in his stomach. It didn't. Nothing about this did.
It'd only been three months since the last time Frank had been in Callie's house. Another Saturday night. One that had ended with them in bed. He shoved aside the memories of that and instead focused on what'd happened the following morning when Callie had told him she never wanted to see him again, that she wasn't free to get involved with him.
A paltry explanation that still didn't set well with Frank.
Of course, nothing about Callie set right with him, and that feeling was continuing to grow with every passing second.
He heard her footsteps, thankful that she hadn't taken too long to get her things, and he turned to see her coming out of her bedroom.
"I'm sorry," Callie said. "But I don't have a choice."
And Callie pointed the gun she was holding right at Frank.
Callie tried to stop her hands from shaking, but she failed. Unlike Frank. No shaky hands for him. Just the surprised look that riffled through his brown eyes.
Then, the anger.
Of course, there was always plenty of anger and bad blood whenever Frank and she crossed paths, but this had a raw, dangerous edge to it. And it probably confirmed to him that he'd been a fool to ever get involved with her in the first place.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped.
She was doing what was necessary to survive. Something Callie didn't have the time to explain to Frank right now. The warrant was proof that someone was trying to get to her.
And maybe already had.
Frank didn't draw his weapon. Didn't show any signs of surrender, either, though he did keep his attention nailed to her when she made her way to the front window and glanced out.
"Did anyone follow you here?" she asked.
Frank looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. Cursed. "No. But I'm guessing this sudden bout of paranoia has to do with the money laundering charges?"
She nodded. Well, at least it had something to do with the person responsible for those charges, and that person or his hired thugs might be waiting nearby to see how all of this was going to play out.
"Did you see anyone by the garage when you drove up?" she pressed.
"No. The garage door was closed."
Good. Callie volleyed glances between Frank and the road in front of her house. Other than Frank's cruiser and her car, there were no other vehicles. That didn't mean someone hadn't made their way there on foot.
"Why'd you do it? Why'd you get involved with money laundering?" Frank demanded. His attention wasn't on her but rather on her gun. He kept his narrowed eyes pinned to it.
"I didn't." Though Callie doubted he believed her, and she didn't have time to try to convince him otherwise. "Give me your handcuffs. When I'm away from Marble Falls, I'll call the sheriff and tell him you're here so he can free you."
Frank gave her a flat look, and if he was the least bit afraid that he was being held at gunpoint, he sure didn't show it. "You think you're going to cuff me?"
Before Callie could confirm that was indeed her plan, Frank lunged at her. So fast that she didn't see it coming. He was tall and lanky, but he plowed into her, sending them both to the floor. Hard. So hard that it knocked the breath right out of her. While she was gasping and sputtering for air, he knocked the gun from her hand and sent it skittering across the floor.
Frank dropped down on top of her, pinned her arms and got right in her face. Now, there was more emotion—all venomous—and he had to get his teeth unclenched before he could speak.
"Start talking," he demanded, "and you'd better have a damn good explanation for what you just tried to pull."
Callie had an explanation, but it wasn't going to help ease any of his anger. Just the opposite. Frank would hate her even more if he knew the truth, but it wouldn't be any more than she hated herself.
"I can't have you involved in this," she said, knowing it wasn't much of an answer. Or one that he would accept.
He stared at her. Or rather glared. And he was clearly waiting for a whole lot more than she could give him. However, his gaze drifted lower to where their bodies were pressed against each other. Despite the circumstances of the contact, it was a reminder for Callie of the intense heat that'd once been between them.
Heat that was apparently still there on Frank's part, too.
Frank cursed, moved off her and got them to their feet. He reached for his cuffs on the back of his jeans. However, the slash of light outside the window stopped him cold. Not from a car but rather from someone carrying a flashlight. Callie caught just a glimpse of the two men before Frank yanked her away from the window.
"Anyone you know?" Frank asked.
Callie shook her head, tried to rein in her fear. She failed at that as well. "No. But whoever it is has probably come here to kill me."