Page 8 of Played

Caleb

“What secret weapon are you talking about, Caleb?” She asks, her voice tentative.

“Once, when I was younger, I completely fucked up a deal for my da. For sixteen million dollars. The wire information got screwed up and my da would have murdered me if he got wind of it. A friend of mine at the bank went to the back end and fudged it over, so da would never know.”

She chuckles. “A female, I’ll assume.”

I smile. “Aye.” I sniff. “Anyway, she owes me another favor.”

“Why, pray tell, would she owe you a favor, Caleb Harris?”

I lick my lips. “That’s not important. Anyway, I’ll take care of this, so Higgins thinks he’s getting the money.”

“Good.”

“I’ll call her right now.”

“Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I jump on the phone, asking for Freya Stewart, the girl that helped me out of a bind once. She picks up as soon as the receptionist passes me over, answering with her full name, sounding as cheery as if I was a new client calling on her. “Freya, it’s Caleb Harris.” I open with, surprised that the receptionist didn’t pass that information along. I was certain that Freya screened her calls.

The cheeriness immediately disappears. “Caleb. I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

“No. I imagine not. Nor did I expect to have to call on you.”

“Look, Caleb, I’m really busy. I’m about to meet with a client in five minutes.”

I’m confused. Sure, the last time I spoke with the lass, she was on her knees, right after I’d returned the favor, but the few trysts that we’ve had, there has never been any awkwardness before. “Freya, I need a big favor. And you know that I wouldn’t call on you unless it was a matter of life or death.”

“Caleb, I’m not interested in you anymore. I don’t know why you’re calling me. It’s been months, maybe a year, since we last were in touch.”

“Aye, Freya, but that’s not why I’m calling you. I really am in a bind.” I try to speak quickly, giving her the abridged version of what’s going on. “I have a daughter and she’s been kidnapped.”

“You what?” She practically barks. “My God, Caleb. How many women have you slept with?”

“No, no, it’s not what you think, Freya.” I sigh quickly, exasperated. “She’s my adopted daughter. Her mama died and left her to me.” I leave out the part where Laney and I are together, engaged to be married, and expecting a bairn.

Now it’s her turn to sigh. “God, Caleb. What do you want.”

“She’s been kidnapped. The man wants twelve million in ransom. Can you do your magic for me?” I don’t want to point out the fact that she owes me a favor, but I’ll keep it in my toolbox, just in case.

“Your daughter has been kidnapped, and the first person you call is me?” She asks, disbelieving, like I couldn’t tell a better lie.

“No, Freya. I’ve been on the phone since this happened. I just chased down a man who we thought was the kidnapper, only to find out that it was a fucking decoy. Look, the kidnapper has given me an hour, and he’s going to be calling me back any time now. Can you help me?” I ask, realizing that I’d skulked out of recording his banking information, smugly, at the time forgetting about this little bit of genius I had. But Higgins will call back, and he'll give it to me again.

“So, you want me to put my career on the line again for you, do you? God, you Harris boys are all the same, Caleb.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t play stupid with me.” She chuckles, self-righteously. “I’m sure you went and told your brother just how well I sucked dick, Caleb.”

“Nobody knows about you and me, Freya. I swear to it.”

“Aye, and I’m sure that your word is your bond, just like you told me the last time you said that you’d call me and you didn’t. Just like your brother.”

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