Page 18 of The Alpha's Surrogate

She hardened her face and saw Callahan slump with resignation. He’d been hoping she would talk, while knowing her enough to know it was almost impossible for her to do so.

“I saw your dinner was untouched back in your kitchen,” he said softly. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”

Josie thought of Garry, digging his hands into her pizza, and the image almost made her sick with disgust. “No, I’m not hungry. I’m just…I’m tired. I’d like to get some sleep, please.”

Callahan looked like he would protest, but changed his mind and nodded instead. He cleared the glasses and washed them in the sink, then he returned the bottle of whiskey to its place in the cabinet. He dried his hands on a towel and said, “Right, let me show you to your room.”

He led her back to the foyer and then up two flights of stairs. They walked down a wide, well-lit hallway with doors and paintings on either side.

She wondered if he lived alone. The house seemed too big for one person and felt more like a museum or an art gallery than a private residence. Then again, she lived alone in her grandfather’s mansion, and she didn’t think much about it herself.

He stopped at a door on his left and turned the handle. He put on a light and stepped out of the way for Josie to enter the room behind him. “This is one of the nicer guest bedrooms. My mother stays here when she visits, but she’s out of town now, so you can have it.”

He pointed to the side. “My room is also a few doors down, so you don’t have to worry about anything at all. If you want anything, anything at all, just come to me. It’s two doors down and to your left. Okay?”

She nodded and stepped into the room. Callahan wasn’t lying. It was as large as a mini-suite, and had its own balcony. She sat on the edge of the bed and absentmindedly ran a hand over the cool, soft sheets.

Callahan came and sat beside her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” His brown eyes were filled with worry for her and she saw something in them that she hadn’t seen from anyone else in a decade. She’d never had anyone else look at her as intimately as Callahan did.

She shook her head. “Nothing is wrong,” she lied. “I just need to get some sleep. It’s been a long day and I can feel every second of it in my bones.”

He nodded and got up. “Alright then. I guess I’ll let you get some sleep now. Remember, I’m just down the hall from you. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll be back here.” He got up and walked to the door. “Good night, Josie.”

She nodded and forced a smile onto her face. “Good night, Callahan…and thank you. For this, for everything. You didn’t have to.”

It was his turn to smile. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I had to. Good night.”

Josie watched the door shut behind Callahan and the room seemed to grow colder and emptier without him in it. A part of her wished she had been bold enough to ask him to stay, knowing that he was too much of a gentleman to do so without her request.

She glanced around the room, wishing he’d given her something smaller. This one had too many corners, and too many shadows. Too many places for dangerous men to hide.

She made a quick circuit round the room. She checked the windows and made sure they were fastened, and then she locked the French doors that led out to the balcony. She pulled all the curtains closed as well.

She checked the walk-in closet and then the bathroom, locking each behind her, before returning to sit at the edge of the bed. She knew she was being paranoid but she couldn’t help herself. She was scared.

There were at least a hundred miles between her and the were-bears, but that didn’t seem like much to her now. She could still see the knife driven into her table, and the wicked smile on Klaus’ wrinkled face.

This wasn’t over. They were definitely going to come back for her, she knew. She’d barely bought herself some time to figure out what to do before then.

She looked around the lavish bedroom and a thought came to her unbidden. She could ask Callahan for help. She knew that if she told him the whole story, he would be more than happy to settle her debt and buy back her freedom.

But then what came after? She didn’t want to settle one debt, only to be indebted to someone else, although being indebted to her rich ex was several rungs up the ladder from being indebted to bloodthirsty criminals.

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she did. For her whole life, she’d dealt with situations alone. There was no reason to change that now. There was nothing left to do except to get some sleep, and try to find a solution in the morning.

She kicked off her boots and had just closed her eyes when her phone buzzed. She searched her pockets, wondering who could be texting her at this time. Her fingers were a bit numb from the whiskey, and it took her a moment to get her phone out of her pocket.

There was a text from Klaus. Her mouth ran dry and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Trembling, she unlocked the phone and opened the message.

Hey beautiful, it’s nice to see you’re not alone after all. Looks like you bought yourself some time. The timetable for your repayment just went up. See you soon, Josie, and when I do, you’ll pay what you owe.

She read the text over and over again, and she could imagine Klaus saying the words himself. He sounded angry, and desperate. She read the text once more and realized she was fucked.

She set the phone down and hugged herself tight. Klaus knew where she was. He knew where she worked. He knew everything about her. She could pay him all the money in the world, and it wouldn’t matter. She knew that now. She was all he wanted.

Sleep found her several hours later, but only fitfully. When she finally slept, she had a nightmare again.

She was back in that cold, wet room with the low ceiling and hard floor. Klaus towered over her mother, cursing. Her mother was curled on the floor, blood trickling from the side of her mouth as she begged him to spare her baby. One of her eyes was bruised and starting to purple, and her mouth was filled with blood.

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