Page 51 of Saving Sophia

“Yep.” Callie licked at a frozen drop of margarita that had dribbled down the side of the glass, her eyes darting to Griff, who still hadn’t moved or said anything, before she looked back to me. “After the second break-in to our apartment—did you know we got hit again?”

I tried to keep my face neutral and took a bigger-than-I-meant-to gulp with none of Callie’s casual finesse. “Were you hurt?” I asked. My tummy clenched at the thought of her getting hurt because of my mess. I took another gulp, letting the frosty pink juice calm me down.

“Nah, I was at TJ and Crystal’s. Nothing was taken. They just trashed the place. Like they were looking for something.”

The conversation paused again while the waiter brought the first course, a cheese fondue with bits of bread and veggies and apples for dipping. He mixed the cheese together skillfully, but my mind could only focus on the break-in.

“Looking for something? Like what?” I asked when the waiter was safely gone.

“Fuck if I know.” Callie dipped a bread chunk into the cheese, twirling it around then popping it in her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning as she chewed. She turned her head toward Ethan and continued. “Anyway, after that, your dashing detective brother thought me coming here would be a good idea, and I have to agree.”

She threw a suggestive look to Rook, then to Griff, who leveled a stare at her that would have shriveled me like a forgotten raisin in a hot car. She just grinned, her lips watermelon glossy.

“Hayden thought Callie might be safer here for a while,” Ethan explained. “Just a precaution.”

“Are you running a resort or a witness protection program?” Griff growled.

“With such handsome protection, who am I to argue?” Callie squeezed Rook’s arm, but her eyes locked on Griff.

Rook beamed at her and sipped his beer. “Maybe it could be part of the resort’s sales pitch? Tired of dealing with stalkers? Stay with us.”

Griff rolled his eyes and glowered at his brother.

Callie snickered.

“I’m so sorry, Callie.” My dry throat cracked on the apology. I grabbed my drink and sucked in a frozen mouthful that caused a slight spinning sensation behind my eyes.

“You don’t need to apologize to me. You didn’t break in and trash our place.” Callie tossed a piece of green apple drenched in cheese into her mouth. I wondered if she was even aware of her gestures anymore. Her lipstick was still perfect, despite the fondue and the lovely watermelon margarita. And she shamelessly flirted. Rook was eating it up. Griff looked increasingly infuriated, which only egged her on.

When the main course arrived, the waiter offered another round of drinks, and Callie nodded enthusiastically, pointing to our glasses. I didn’t stop her. Somehow the frozen goodness and Callie, safe and sound, made things warm and fuzzy and shrunk the box marked ‘To Worry About Later’ even more. Ethan tapped his fingers on the table and asked the waiter to bring water for everyone as well.

The conversation bounced along, and I tried to focus, avoiding Griff’s glare even though it grew harder and heavier as we ate.

“We need to discuss security.” He cut Callie off mid-sentence, as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Your system is shit.”

“Maybe we need to discuss manners,” she threw back at him.

The table was silent. My nervous tummy clenched, and I took another big gulp of watermelon to diffuse the tension.

“Two hits on your apartment isn’t random,” Griff growled, completely ignoring Callie and turning his glare on me. “So what’s the real story?”

I looked helplessly at Ethan. He rested a hand on my knee, patting it and giving Griff a dark look. “Is there cause for concern?”

“A stalker on the loose? Yeah, it's a concern.” He shot another piercing look at Callie. “Even if you refuse to take it seriously.”

Callie stabbed a meat bite with a fork and flicked it into the fondue pot. “Detective Hottie thinks it’s Brad.”

My head jerked back involuntarily, and a tiny wave of dizziness hit. Brad? Why would Hayden think it was Brad?

“Who the fuck is Brad?” Griff asked. His voice only had different levels of growl.

Callie waved another skewer at him. “A bartender from the club who’s been hassling me to go out for a while now.”

I grabbed for my glass, licking absently at the rim and taking another big gulp. That wasn’t right? How could it have been Brad? It was the moon-faced man. Why was my head so mushy?

“Ridiculous, right?” Callie poked her long red nail at me. “Brad’s a dickhole, but not … I can totally handle him.” Griff’s mouth turned down into an even deeper scowl. “Whoops, I lost my meat.” She stared between the community fondue pot and her empty skewer. “Hate it when that happens.” She winked at Rook, who snorted and fished her steak out of the pot, dropping it on her plate with a flourish.

“Enough of this bullshit.” Griff’s coal dark eyes turned back on me. “Who’s after you?”

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