Page 17 of Any Means Necessary

After numbing the area, I set to cleaning it thoroughly. The next step is trying to stop the bleeding enough to get a good grip for the sutures. It takes some time, and a lot of gauze, but I’m able to get the skin where I need it to stitch it together. Once the wound is finally closed, I disinfect the area again and cover it with a sterile bandage.

“There.” Finally sitting back on my heels, I realize how long I’ve been kneeling on the floor. Just like when I’m at the hospital, my focus kept me from feeling the discomfort in my knees. Not to mention the fact that I really have to pee. My legs complain when I move to stand and I struggle. Callum is at my side in an instant, lifting me off the floor. Damn, I definitely wasn’t this tired a few seconds ago.

“You’re finished?” Callum’s question is said deeply at my side. I look up at him, my mind racing as I look at the man I clearly don’t know at all. Pulling my eyes away, I simply nod.

“He’s going to need to follow up with a doctor as soon as possible, and there’s an enormous risk of infection. But he should be fine.” I glance at Roscoe briefly before looking back at the man. If he didn’t blink at me with half-lidded eyes, I would think he was unconscious or dead—remaining limp in the chair. What else did they do to him? There’s no missing the black eye forming and his swollen lip. “Are there any other injuries I need to look at?”

“No,” Callum says firmly. “I’ll take you home.”

The exhaustion and shock from the events of the night allow Callum to pack up the medical kit and tote me back to the car without complaint. He practically buckles me into the passenger seat, stowing the medical case back in the trunk before climbing behind the wheel. My eyes can’t seem to look at anything else but the terrifying man next to me.

Gazing at his profile, the distinct nose, sharp cheekbones, immaculate beard. When he’s in a suit, he looks as distinguished as any high-power businessman roaming this city. But as soon as the suit coat comes off and the shirt sleeves are rolled up, you catch a glimpse at what he really is. A man with an edge that you don’t mess with. I’d felt it, even that first time meeting him—the danger just below the surface. But I never thought it was anything like this. Who is he? Am I in danger right now?

“Are you just gonna keep staring, or are you gonna ask me the question you want to ask me?” Coming to a complete stop at a red light, Callum meets my stare straight on. I refuse to avert my gaze. After what I just witnessed, I deserve to stare a hole right through his head if I want to.

“Why did Roscoe cut off that man’s finger?” I’ve wrestled between asking and deciding I’m better off not knowing. But I’d be stupid not to ask just because I’m scared of what the answer might be.

“Because I told him to.” Said so calmly, the answer is deliberately cagey, his eyes daring me to ask the next question he’s leading me to. And I need to know more, need to know what kind of man I’m living with. So I bite.

“Why did you tell him to?”

“Kellan took something that didn’t belong to him. Now his debt is paid.” He’s watching me, taking in every blink and breath, reading me like a book. He’s a lot harder to read, making my anxiety spike despite my best efforts.

“So, you’re an enforcer?” I’ve pieced together a few things, like the fact that his ‘business’ doesn’t discriminate between crooked politicians or career criminals. But there are still some pretty huge gaps I need to fill in here. Because, after tonight, those gaps are starting to seem more like a black hole that’ll devour me before anyone can stop it—and no one will ever hear my screams.

“I fix problems.” Again, his response leaves me with nothing but more questions.

“What kinds of problems?” I ask. Callum leans back in his seat, flexing his shoulders to get more comfortable as we wait for the light to turn green. His eyes don’t leave mine; observing, analyzing, calculating.

“That depends on who’s asking.” His focus momentarily moves from my face to roam down my body; taking in my messy blonde ponytail, wrinkled pink scrubs, and supportive footwear. Any sleepiness had fled the moment I walked into that back room. For better or for worse, I’m the picture of messy practicality tied up in a crumpled pink bow.

“I’m asking.”

I’m not letting this go, not when I can get answers from him. The silence in the car stretches, making seconds feel like hours, the only sound coming from the engine. The light flashes green, but Callum takes his time pressing the accelerator. He’s in no hurry to get home.

“Let’s just say I fix problems that powerful people pay lots of money for me not to talk about.” This bit of information is a step in the right direction but it still doesn’t tell me what I need to know.

“Fix them how?” I press, my voice shaking slightly. His grip shifts on the wheel to take a more casual hold with one hand.

“By any means necessary.”

That tells me a lot and nothing at all. That could mean he skirts around the law by doing deals under the table, or he could be a psychotic serial killer. There’s so much room for interpretation, which is probably exactly how he likes it. The black hole is slowly morphing into an endless gray area.

“Am I in danger?” The question leaves my mouth before I can think better of it.

“Not from me.” It’s a plain statement. Even with his nonchalance, I believe him. Maybe that makes me an idiot, but I do.

“So I don’t need to be afraid of you?” It’s a reach for clarification and, maybe if I’m being honest with myself, a little comfort. But I don’t get it.

“I never said that.” His eyes slide over to find mine again. “Are you scared of me, Lexie?”

A knot forms in my stomach, heat spreading through me under his gaze.

“After tonight I would be stupid not to be,” I shoot back. “I’m not stupid.”

The car turns and we’re entering the parking garage that belongs to the penthouse. Pulling smoothly into one of the private spots, Callum cuts the engine.

“You’re a lot of things, but you certainly aren’t stupid,” he says. “And I know you’re smart enough to realize that telling anyone about what you witnessed tonight is a very bad idea.”

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