Chapter 12

Cally looked through the peephole in her apartment door. The fisheye view showed impossibly broad shoulders covered by a tautly stretched white t-shirt. He was standing so close she couldn't see his face. It was seven, sharp, so no doubt this was Carlos' friend, but better safe than sorry. "Who is it?" she asked through the door.

"Luke Santos," came the muffled baritone. "You're expecting me."

Cally sighed and swung open the door. "I am," she said. "I think it's unnecessary, but I promised Car…" Her voice trailed off as she got her first good look at Luke Santos. He was simply the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Tall, at least 6'3", with an imposing physique. His hair was black and only a little unruly, with a tendril curling lightly across his forehead. And his eyes! His eyes were electric green, so bright that they appeared to glow in the low light of her hallway. She stepped back and tried to regain her composure. It occurred to her that she should apologize for her blatant perusal of this man, but then she realized he was doing the same to her.

Cally straightened her shoulders. "Like what you see?" she asked him, curtly, in an attempt to hide her own embarrassment over what she'd been doing.

"I do," Luke said, his grin giving her a glimpse of straight white teeth. "What about you? You like what you've been checking out?"

Cally harrumphed, and then unexpectedly laughed. "Okay, busted," she told him. "But you're guilty, too!"

"I don't know about guilty," Luke said. "More like pleasantly surprised. May I come in?"

Cally stepped back from the doorway and swung her arm in invitation. "What do you mean surprised?" she asked.

"I knew I was coming to meet Ranger's friend, and since Ranger is my dad's age, I was expecting someone older."

"Have a seat," Cally said, pointing in the general direction of her sofa. "Can I get you something to drink? A soda, tea, or a beer maybe?"

"Yeah, a beer would be great," he said as he made his way past her.

Later, when they were settled on opposite ends of the sofa, each with a beer in hand Luke picked up their previous conversation. "I know you're Ranger's physical therapist. He told me that, but when he called you a friend, I assumed that you were…well, what I'm wondering now is…what kind of friends are you?"

Cally thought about taking offense, but decided she liked his straight-forward approach. "You thought Carlos and I were involved? We are." She laughed at his expression. Apparently, he hadn't thought she could be straight-forward, too. "As you said earlier, he's old enough to be my father, and that's our involvement. I lost my father at an early age and Carlos and I have formed a wonderful friendship. It will continue after his medical need for me is over. And that's the only kind of male-female relationship I'm interested in."

"Damn," Luke muttered. "What a waste."

"What?"

"You're lesbian. From my perspective, that's a shame."

"Lesbian!" Cally exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you just said you're not interested in men."

"Did I say that?" Cally questioned. "What I was trying to say is that right now I have no time for a relationship…male or female, but for the record, I'm completely heterosexual, completely uninvolved and completely committed to staying that way."

"Fair enough," Luke said. "I wasn't applying for the job, I was just letting you know I wasn't expecting to find someone so attractive."

Luke tipped his beer bottle up and took a long swig and Cally couldn't help but notice the definition of the muscles in his forearm. She let her eyes travel up to the sleeve of his t-shirt, which tightly encased biceps that didn't have a gym-rat look to them. This guy looked like an athlete.

"I bet you're a good arm wrestler," she said.

He lifted an eyebrow and gave her a direct stare before he said. "I'm a champ, but how would you know that?"

She nodded toward his forearm. "You have a prominent brachioradialis muscle."

"I have a what?"

"Sorry," she said. "It's an occupational hazard. I notice muscles. The brachioradialis muscle is important for arm wrestlers and yours seem to be, uhm, well-developed."

Luke looked down at his arm. "I've taken anatomy and physiology, but I don't remember that muscle."

"Like I said, occupational hazard. I'm a physical therapist, and on top of that I'm nerdy enough that I still review my MCAT prep books."

Luke's eyes widened. "You're trying to get into medical school?" he asked.

"No," Cally said. She picked up the empty beer bottle he'd set on the coffee table. "Would you like another?" she asked.

He hesitated only briefly before he nodded. She left the room and returned shortly with two more bottles. When she handed him the beer he asked, "Why would you study for medical school admission if you're not trying to get an admission?"

"Because I'm already admitted. I start next fall and although it's a long road, I'm going to be an orthopedic surgeon. I probably know orthopedic anatomy and physiology better than some interns. It's a tough career path for a woman, but I'm going to make it."

"Good for you," Luke said. "I can imagine how tough it would be. I was a combat medic in the Army, and I saw lots of need for orthopedists."

"You were a medic?" Cally asked. "Tell me about it."

"Not much to tell," he said. "My old man wanted me to be Special Forces like him, but I went a different route. I've seen the work an orthopedic surgeon does, and you're right, it'll be tough for you. I bet you'll make it though."

There was something, Cally thought, something that was small and almost unnoticeable. Maybe just a slight narrowing of his eyes, or a small thinning of his lips. She sensed he didn't want to talk about his military experiences, and she wondered if he had PTSD. She changed the subject.

"Your father was Special Forces? Is that how he met Carlos?"

Luke laughed. "You mean Ranger? Yeah. They were in the same battalion. All those guys were like brothers. And Ranger made it his life's mission to take care of the ones that came home. They all still hang together even though they're all old men."

"Carlos isn't an old man," Cally protested. She smiled as she remembered her first meeting with him. She'd told him he was old and then he'd spent the next several weeks showing her how physically young he was. "He's in great shape, even with his recent injury."

"I've known Ranger all my life," Luke said. "I know how strong he is. I also know how he protects those he cares for. He's very protective of you. That's why I asked earlier about your relationship."

"I would have thought he'd told you all about the situation," Cally said.

"Ranger is big on need to know. He told me that he was most concerned about you when you were on you own, away from work. That's why he wanted us to meet. He wanted you to feel comfortable enough to call if you needed help. I'm not sure what kind of help he thinks you might need."

Cally was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "My husband was a cop. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver when he had someone pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Now, it's looking like it might not have been an accident. Since we don't really know why someone would do that to him, Carlos wants me to be careful in case…" She hesitated, trying to find an explanation of the situation that would satisfy him and not cause him to ask more questions. If he'd known Ranger all his life, maybe his dad had known her mom. That connection had to stay quiet.

"I'm sorry," he said. His voice had softened. "And now to think your husband's death wasn't just a horrible accident, but purposeful. I think Ranger's right. Will you give me your schedule? And give me your numbers, work and cell. I'll leave mine with you. I want to be accessible to you if you need me."

Cally frowned. She wanted to tell him her hesitation had not been because she couldn't talk about her husband's death, but rather because she was trying to concoct a reasonable explanation for Carlos wanting Luke to be available to her. Her grief for Ben was real, but as time went on it was easier to think of the facts of his death without a rush of emotion. She was getting better at control.

"Of course, I'll give you my numbers, Luke," Cally said. "I'm sure it's not necessary but I promised Carlos. What's your cell? I'll text you my work number and then you can text me your work number and then we'll each have both numbers."

He gave her his number and then said, "I only have the cell. I don't work, except for the occasional job for Ra—relatives, you know, uh, handyman work."

"You don't work?" Cally questioned.

Luke smiled. "I got a late start because of my time in the Army, but I'm in school. I'm a junior. A pre-med major."

"Luke! Really? Do you have a specialty in mind? Like surgery or maybe orthopedics!"

"Oh hell, no! I saw enough mangled bones and body parts when I was deployed that I don't ever want to do that again. I'm going to be a gynecologist."

He said it with a completely straight face, and she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. They rose together and walked toward the door. He said, "I'll call you tomorrow, just to check in." He gave her a quick, casual hug and turned before he walked through her door. "I'll be seeing you, Beautiful."

"The name is Cally," she said dryly.

His smile was large and revealed a dimple she hadn't yet noticed. "I just call 'em as I see 'em, Beautiful." Then he walked out of her apartment and left her staring at the door as it closed.

Her hand went to her chest. Her heart was beating a little fast. There was a strange hot and tingling sensation working its way from her chest, south. "Oh my gosh!" she said. She didn't think it would ever happen again after Ben. But it had happened. She was attracted to Luke Santos. "Oh my gosh."

Luke sat in his truck, his head in his hands. He was remembering the extreme disappointment he'd felt when she'd said, "my husband," followed by an obscene joy when he'd learned her husband was dead. Ranger paid him well, so well that with his saved military benefit from deployments he didn't have to do other work while he was in school. What Ranger usually asked for was surveillance. This was a little different, but he was up to it.

He hadn't been lying when he'd told her Ranger imparted information on a need to know basis. What Ranger thought he'd need to know was that the threat was viable. It would come as a physical attack, and possibly a car would be used to try and run her down. That's what had happened in attacks related to the ongoing situation. That was enough Intel for Luke.

He wasn't just going to check in with her. Ranger had instructed him to watch her when she wasn't at work. So, for the next few nights, until Tank showed back up and maybe even after, Luke was going to park his truck outside of her place and surveil the hell out of her. Fortunately, his classes were online this semester. He could sit at her place, sundown to sunup and handle his schoolwork at the same time. Then when she worked, he'd sleep. If she left the house to go to the store, to the gym, he'd follow.

Ranger's only caveat was that she shouldn't know, because she wouldn't like being so closely monitored. It had seemed a pretty simple, if time-consuming job. He didn't mind because Ranger was really making it worth his while. He could call his old man if he needed some time away. Ranger was cool with that. But since they'd met, Luke didn't think he'd be needing time away. He had a goal in place. He was going to make her take back those words about not being interested in a male-female relationship, because he was thinking they were going to have one.