She straightened in her seat and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “I’m having dinner. Want to join me?”
He flattened his palms on the table and leaned closer to glare at her. “Don’t try to be funny with me. I told you not to come.”
She scooted toward the wall of the booth in an effort to distance herself from him. “I wanted to be here in case anything happened.”
He slid into the seat beside her. “I was thinking of your safety when I said I didn’t want you here.”
Callie realized he had blocked her escape. She might as well try to make the best of the situation. She sighed. “I know you were, Seth, and I appreciate it. I thought if Carlos did show up I might be able to identify him. After all, I did get a look at the tattoo on his neck and the scar on his face. You can’t arrest him without evidence and I’m your only witness—other than Melvin, who wouldn’t be willing to testify, right?”
Seth stared at her for a moment before he let out a deep breath. “How did you get away from my mother to come here?”
Her face warmed, and she reached for her soft drink. “When she came home, she told me she had just talked to you. She said it was just going to be the two of us for dinner because you were getting ready to leave on a stakeout. I told her that I had somewhere else I needed to be, and that I’d called a cab so she didn’t need to drive me. The cab pulled up just then, so she didn’t have time to ask any questions. I came down here in hopes I’d arrive first. And I did.”
“Yes, you did.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Where is the officer who was in front of the house?”
“He’s outside in his car. I told him I wouldn’t be here long.”
“Did you tell him this was a stakeout?”
“Well, no, but...”
“You should have told him, Callie.” Seth frowned and shook his head. “He has to take you home now.”
She shook her head. “No, please let me stay.”
“This is no place...”
Before he could finish the sentence, the front door opened, and a man ambled in. Seth straightened in his seat and spoke into his lapel mike. “Suspect just entered the premises. He’s approaching the bar. Be on alert. I’m going to intercept him now.”
Callie stared at the man who strolled across the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She frowned and studied his features. He wasn’t as young as she’d expected. Maybe forty-five years old. But she couldn’t make out the tattoo from where she was sitting. The build and coloring seemed right...but she couldn’t be sure. Beside her Seth started to move, and she grabbed his arm.
“Seth, wait.”
He glanced at her hand on his arm and then up at her. “Don’t worry. There are police officers outside. If all goes well, we should have our suspect in custody in a few minutes. If he draws a gun, try to stay out of the line of fire.”
Fear flowed through her, but she nodded as Seth pushed to his feet. She reached out to him once more. “Be careful.”
He turned back to her, and a smile curled his lip. “I will. Now wait here for me.”
She nodded as he started to turn toward the bar, not realizing someone was directly behind him. She tried to warn him, but nothing came out of her mouth. As if in slow motion, he turned, took a step and plowed into a waitress carrying a tray stacked high with dirty dishes. She tried to rebalance the tray, but it was no use.