Page 28 of Philly
“Thank you,” she mumbled, taking the seat Joey indicated.
On the other side of the table, Charley raised her hand, and like magic, a waiter appeared. “What would you like to drink, Callie?” she asked.
“I’ll have an old-fashioned. Double, please,” she said. The man nodded and walked away. She watched him navigate the crowds and tables like a dancer as, true to their word, the four women carried on without her.
“Did anyone see Monk today?” Juliana asked.
“Noah stopped by his place,” Charley answered, referring to Mantis. “He’s doing okay, but wanted another day to just be.”
“Understandable,” Lina said.
“Unlike Philly, who plunged himself into work,” Joey said. Callie wished they hadn’t brought him up, but in some ways,respected that they did. They’d promised they’d act as if she weren’t there, and they were doing what they’d said.
“Are there any updates on the charges?” Juliana asked.
“Jackson said the police chief is a good guy. Traditional, but in the good way,” Lina said.
Charley snorted. “You mean ‘traditional’ in that he believes it’s okay for a husband to beat his wife?”
Lina shook her head. “Not a good ol’ boy is what I meant. He’s traditional in that he believes a husband should protect his wife, honor her. He’s not going to let the fucker slide because he’s a cop.”
“Was a cop,” Juliana corrected.
“Technically, still a cop until he’s terminated or found guilty,” Lina said. “But per the rules, he is on unpaid administrative leave.”
“But they have charged him?” Charley asked.
Callie turned her head enough to see the women without catching any of their attention.
Lina nodded. “With everything they can. Including first-degree murder.”
Thatcaught Callie’s attention as she took her drink from the waiter.
“Apparently, the baseball bat he used wasn’t one they owned. He’d bought it that day,” Lina said.
“Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick,” Juliana said. “I can’t imagine that poor woman. Or her baby girl. Or Monk and Philly who walked in on it.”
“Leo said the woman’s sister, who is taking custody of the little girl, is good people. I’m not saying that poor toddler won’t have a lot to process as she gets older, but she’ll have a solid support system,” Joey said.
“And I suspect Philly and Monk will check in on her,” Lina added; the other three nodded.
“I wish like hell it hadn’t happened, but it was bound to at some point,” Charley said. “Noah and I even talked about it. With the number of people they help get out of those situations, they’ve been remarkably lucky. Not that they’ve all gone to plan, but, well, this is the first time something like this has happened.”
Callie’s mind half listened to the rest of the conversation as the women talked about how the club planned to meet and talk through how to better prepare themselves. But the other half of her brain latched onto one thing: Gabriel had been involved in helping a woman escape an abusive husband, and he’d walked right into her murder.
No wonder he’d been sitting alone by the river the night before. She couldn’t imagine walking in on something like that. Especially not with the history she suspected he had. He hadn’t come out and said his father abused him, but between what hehadsaid, the rumors she remembered hearing as a kid, and the bruises she’d seen back then, her adult head put it all together.
Fuck, he was amazing. He’d grown up in hell and instead of running as far away from it as possible, he stepped right back in to help other people out. And from what it sounded like, it was something the club did on a regular basis.
She paused on that thought. Is that what had happened with Laura? Had Laura’s marriage to Rian been abusive? Had she asked the Falcons for help? If so, she could understand why Gabriel wouldn’t talk about her. And why he’d been so adamant that she tread carefully in her search for Laura.
She downed a sip bigger than she should and gulped down a cough.
“You okay?” Joey asked.
She coughed again, then nodded. “Yes, thanks, went down the wrong tube.” She considered asking the group about the club’s activities but stopped herself. Yes, they’d been talking about it in front of her, but she didn’t want to put any of them inan awkward spot of having to clam up and tell her it wasn’t her business if they assumed she hadn’t been listening.
This new insight eased something inside her, though. It didn’t give her any answers, but it gave her a better understanding of Gabriel. And maybe, together, they could find some common ground on the issue of Laura Nolan. But first, she had to find out the truth. She was making assumptions—reasonable ones, but assumptions nonetheless—and she needed confirmation before proposing any compromise. She also needed to figure out what kind of compromise she might offer. Maybe even come up with a few to give Gabriel something to work with.
