Page 123 of Chaos at Westbrook High

He does and taps the speaker button. Callie says nothing, tapping her black painted nails on the arm of the chair as she waits.

“Well?” Katherine’s amused voice comes through the phone, and it sets my teeth on edge. “What is it, Callie? I don’t have all night.”

Callie smiles evilly. “Don’t you?”

She really doesn’t. The guard said we have five minutes exactly, but the comment still pisses Katherine off. She sounds a hell of a lot less smug when she asks, “What do you want?”

“Maverick Kingston,” Callie says, checking her nails. “Tell me everything you know about what he’s planning to do to Elijah and his sons.”

Katherine laughs, back to smug. “You want me to help you? Why on earth would I do that?”

“How many times has he been to visit you?” Callie asks, her lips tilting up at Katherine’s silence. “That’s what I thought. He might call you from time to time, but it’s not because he cares about you. He’s using you for your sick, manipulative mind. He’s going to go on with your plans and leave you to rot in there while he takes everything you’ll never have. What do you have to lose?”

A pause. “You’re a clever girl, Callie, figuring that out all on your own, no doubt. But you’re asking the wrong question. The question, my dearest daughter, is what do I have to gain?”

Callie looks up at our dad, who nods once.

“Name your price,” Callie says.

“As if you’re the one who’ll get me what I want.” She scoffs. “I want to talk to my husband.”

“Your ex-husband,” Callie corrects. “No.”

“Come on. I know you’re there, Eli. Talk to me.”

My dad sets his jaw at the nickname my mother always called him. I wish I could strangle all the air out of the bitch for putting that haunted, broken look in his eyes. When I open my mouth, his gaze cuts to mine, and I curl my shoulders up to my ears. Okay, that look is a little scary.

Leaning against the desk close to Callie, Damon looks like he’s about to explode as he glares at the phone. When I catch Wren’s lips trembling at the lingering pain in our dad’s eyes that never really goes away, I take his hand in mine and squeeze. Hailey snuggles into me closer, her hand on my heart, her fingers clutching my waist. With my free arm wrapped around her, I lower my head to kiss the top of hers over her ball cap.

Katherine sighs loudly, disappointed that our dad didn’t take the bait. “I want skincare, Elijah.”

“Done,” Callie says. “Tell me.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Katherine snips. “I want vitamins. I want decent, healthy meals prepared by a chef of my choosing. And I want a corner cell to myself. No more cellmates.”

Callie looks up at our dad again, who nods again.

“Fine,” Callie grits out, anxiously watching the time tick by on my dad’s watch. “Now talk.”

“Where is Derek?” Katherine asks. “Do you have him or is he with you?”

“What does that matter?”

“It matters to Maverick. If you’re holding his son against his will, he’ll be furious with you, but if he’s there because he’s choosing to be…”

“What?” Callie barks. “Spit it out.”

“Derek knows what will happen. When I betrayed Maverick by getting pregnant with Derek’s baby, I had to take a two week vacation to hide the bruises from Elijah. He’s not a very tolerant man.”

Derek looks a little green as he closes his eyes and runs a hand over his mouth.

“How did you getting pregnant betray him?”

“A child who wasn’t Elijah’s would have ruined our plans. When he found me, he beat me up and forced me to get an abortion, then sent me away to recover. When I got back, I found out he’d been very busy while I was gone. He had pictures of you.”

“Me?” Callie asks.

“Yes, you. The daughter I abandoned at birth. It was the first time I’d ever seen what you look like. He thought you were beautiful. A little rough around the edges, but still. He also thought he could use you to punish me. That’s when he told me I had to bring you here as a gift for his son—my lover.”

---