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“Thanks.”
“You call me if anything else happens, okay?” He pulled that older brother card like no one else could.
“Yeah.”
I dropped the phone back on the nightstand. Sleep wasn’t something I looked forward to, but I needed it. Too bad I was too wired to even think about attempting it.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I grabbed a shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. I’d hoped the cops would wait until tomorrow to do this, but that was too much to ask for.
“You could’ve killed him!”
The screech echoed down the hall.Shit. Christina.
Joe blocked the doorway but a flurry of hands and arms flew around him, landing scratches and punches.
“His whole face is broken, Joseph,” she screamed. “That’s the father of my child.”
What a low blow. She had a lot of nerve coming here defending the man she’d cheated with. If she had a decent bone in her body, she’d have taken up for my brother . . . herhusband.
Joe didn’t move, just took the blows like he didn’t even feel them.
I shoved him out of the way and got between them. She landed a scratch down my cheek. I touched where it stung before I grabbed her wrist.
“You’re gonna wake the neighbors,” I said evenly.
“Let me go, you asshole.” She wiggled and squirmed and kicked with lightning quick moves, especially for a woman who looked ready to pop out a baby any day now.
Son of a . . .
“Stop being violent.” The woman was making it real hard to keep my cool.
“Tell that to your brother.” Her high-pitched voice nearly burst my eardrums. “You Calhouns are thick as thieves. None of you care about your wives. Just the station.”
There were truths and lies in what she said. We were tight, and at one point in time, she’d loved being part of that. She had a welcoming and loving mother-in-law, five brothers-in-law who would have dropped anything for her. Because that was what family did. But we cared about our family as much as we did the firehouse. And Joe? He was one of the best of both families.
“If you were unhappy, you should’ve talked to Joe instead of screwing his best friend,” I said calmly.
“Ididtry to talk to him!” She thrashed and kicked again, but this time I dodged her.
Doors opened on both sides of the hall.
“Will you shut up?” Old Man Casey threw up his hands. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”
Mrs. Peters just peered from next door like she was watching a soap opera. She hadn’t even bothered to remove her rollers or nightcap.
“You shut up,” Christina yelled back.
Old Man Casey pointed at me. “If you don’t get this broad under control, I’m calling the cops.”
“Already did!” somebody yelled from downstairs.
Great.
“Haven’t you done enough?” I let her go and slammed the door in her face.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
