He noticed that she kept finding excuses to touch him. On the rational side, he knew that she was just checking to see if he was feverish but the irrational side was enjoying it nonetheless. Hand around his wrist, soft fingers to his face or the brushing of his forehead. He was actually feeling kind of crumby but those gentle touches seemed to make it a little better.
It was so out of line. The shit that they were currently wallowing in had real possibilities of ending badly for them but he couldn't get the feel of her skin out of his head.
Even as they drove, she would occasionally reach out, take his hand, give a quick squeeze and release. It could very well be her compassion too. He knew she was worried about him.
As she guided the car he was able to shoot surreptitious glances at her. He was sure she caught a couple of them but not all. For a man who was anything but subtle he was trying hard to make them go unnoticed. It was a lot of work. Even more so than usual.
His phone went off in the quiet confines of the Toyota, startling him. Checking the ID, he answered brusquely and just listened. He could sense Gillian's tension but she kept her eyes ahead of her.
It was a pretty one-sided conversation. Cal didn't need to respond. Any response was pointless. It ended with his contact wishing him good luck and then he was listening to dead air.
"News?" Gillian chanced a look over at him.
"S'pose." He didn't elaborate as he rolled it around in his head.
Several miles passed before she became impatient. "Cal? What is it?"
"Um…seems our Miss Crandon kept some questionable company." He ran his fingers through his hair before tugging on it lightly. "She's an ex-girlfriend of Tyrone Vincenzo."
Gillian felt her eyes widen. "Isn't he…?"
"Yeah, East Coast mob."
"Oh my God."
"Yeah. Also looks like my would be executioner, I mean the first one…" For some reason he fought an eye roll. To his fuzzy mind the situation seemed to be heading into overkill. "…is dead. Sometime during the transfer, someone stuck a blade between his ribs."
She paled, making her freckles stand out just that much more. "What do we do?"
"Just what we're doin' luv. See what she had on him."
Terror was rippling through her and she fought to keep it contained. She wasn't sure which was worse: having enemy X or a name brand like Vincenzo. He had his fingers in so many different pies from Atlantic City down to Miami but led a charmed existence in all regards. He was a modern day untouchable.
Neither said a word as Gillian took the off ramp toward the airport.
Lockers were in the baggage area in an alcove by the restrooms.
And the tire iron was up his sleeve.
Gillian ghosted behind him as he walked with purpose. She could see the coiled tension within him, ready to fight if need be, whether he'd win or not. He was what Gillian's grandmother would have referred to as a 'scrapper.' The incongruous thought made her smile but it was more of a nervous smile than anything else. She was utterly scared to death.
They wandered through the banks of lockers before the right one caught her eye. "Cal. There." Her voice was low as she tossed her head toward it.
He grunted an acknowledgement as he turned to face her. "Give me 30 seconds, 'kay?"
She wasn't okay about it but the sooner he was done the sooner they could get the hell out of there. Moving toward the entrance, she leaned against the wall and pretended to wait for someone by absently tapping her foot and glancing frequently at her watch.
Come on Cal.
It seemed to take longer than 30 seconds or maybe her perception of time had just slowed down.
A couple of people were heading her way so she cleared her throat loudly, still feigning agitation and glanced at her watch again.
He then appeared shoulder to shoulder with her. "Alright there, luv?"
His voice was strained and she knew she should be the one asking him that. But she didn't need to. She knew.
"Let's go." Cal touched her back briefly as they headed in the direction of the exit. People were everywhere and they did there best to dodge around them. He kind of felt like a salmon rushing upstream. Crowds annoyed him on a good day. Now they were unbearable.
Cal kept his eyes moving, looking for anything that might be amiss, despite being jostled and having at least two people bump into his bad arm.
That's when he saw him.
Their eyes locked over a ten-yard distance.
Oh fuck. One of the guys at the house. The bastard that shot him.
"Gill, we gotta move now!" He grabbed her arm as they moved into the throng of airline passengers milling, grabbing luggage and swarming out toward rental cars and taxis. For once Cal was actually happy that he was on the shorter side.
He hazarded a glance over his shoulder to find the man craning his neck, face angry and desperate before starting to push his way into the crowd after them.
They followed the flow out of the main terminal toward the parking garage. Unfortunately the crowd was starting to thin and Cal made his way to the stairwell to climb to the next level where they'd left the Toyota. They pushed through the door, moved several feet off to the side and waited.
"What are you doing?" Gillian's voice was quiet and shaking.
"Gotta know if he saw us come this way." He let the tire iron slip out of his jacket sleeve. "Don't want him to nail us at the car."
A family of four made their way up the stairs, out the door and hung a left. They didn't even look to their right.
Cal waited, hearing Gill's rasping breath and almost feeling her pounding heart rate. His easily fell in synch with hers.
Two women stepped through the door next, one glancing at them uneasily before they headed straight.
"Maybe he didn't see us." It was a hopeful whisper and Cal didn't respond. His instincts were buzzing all over the place and he tended to trust them.
There.
The echo of leather sliding deliberately against the stairs.
What the hell? Why wasn't he rushing up the stairs?
Because he suspected. The man's instincts were also in tune.
Cal tightened his hold on the crowbar. Like an idiot, he'd left the gun in the motel room. It was so hard to think.
A click of a heel tapped against the concrete.
Come on, come on. A thin sheen of sweat separated his hand from the metal. He would have shifted it to the other hand to wipe his palm on his jeans but there wasn't time. He turned to Gillian and jerked his chin. Go around the other side. Get out of sight.
She shook her head and he jerked his chin again, jaw pulsing in fear, anger and pain.
No. I'm not leaving you. She had that stubborn set to her face which he was more than a little too acquainted with.
The door handle turned and Cal readied himself. His weapon was in his right hand even if it was attached to his bad arm. Far from ambidextrous, he didn't trust that he'd be able to get a good swing in with his left. Lesser of evils he supposed.
It pushed out slowly and Cal caught a glimpse of darkness through the narrow window above the knob.
The door then flew open with a bang and Cal stepped forward and lashed out at the gun hand.
Despite his fine tuned senses, the man hadn't been expecting that. The Englishman was wounded and should have been vulnerable. He watched his gun bounce of the concrete and felt the crack of his wrist breaking. In slow motion, he caught the other man's eye.
No. Not vulnerable. Furious
The next blow caught him at the temple and then there was nothing.
Breathing hard, Cal stared down at the other man. He would have kicked him if his energy level hadn't been almost on empty.
"Is…is…he dead?" Gillian had crept back up behind him.
He honestly didn't know. Dropping to a crouch, he checked for a pulse. After a moment, he shook his head, not sure if he should be relieved or not. "Got to move him."
Between the two of them they managed to slowly drag the man around the opposite side of the stairwell and drop him behind the electrical room. It was a miracle no one came around. Gillian took a moment to thank the fates.
It was time to get the hell out of there.
A/N: It occurred to me after I wrote myself into a corner about the unlikelihood of airport lockers in this time and place so I appreciate you all suspending disbelief regarding that little oops. Hope you're enjoying the ride anyway.