Page 69 of Shadow Dance

“I’ll drive you,” he says quietly, hanging his towel. “Just let me get dressed.”

I can tell he feels genuinely bad for what he did, so if he wants to cut his trip short to take me home, then good. I don’t want to be alone with him, but anything is better than being stuck with himhere. I’ve avoided looking at my face, not sure I can handle seeing myself this way, but judging by Dario’s and now Callum’s reactions, it’s bad. I finally face myself in the mirror right before we leave, my heart breaking all over again when I see the swelling and the bruises purpling the apple of my cheek.

Wincing, I touch it, pressing gently against the puffy, reddened skin. Knowing that Callum did this to me hurts even more than the injury itself. It feels like I’ve truly lost all innocence now, like he’s taken something away from me. I pull my collar down, eyeing the small bruises he left on my neck and shudder, turning away.

Callum can hardly look at me as we walk out to the car which is fine because I can barely look at him. He knows what he did crossed every sort of line there is. Heknows. He grew up watching his father beat his mother and always swore he’d never be like that. I’m glad that I’ve already broken up with him in my heart, because now there’s no lying to myself, no pretending he’ll wake up and treat me better.

Because his guilt will fade, I’ll piss him off again, and his instinct will be to do this again. There is no turning back now.

Having barely slept last night, I doze the whole way home and wake to Callum saying my name. I blink groggily, my eyes finally focusing on our house. We’re back. I get out before he can say anything else, shivering in the bleak cold, but he gets to the trunk first and takes our bags.

Inside, the house is empty and cold. Yelena didn’t expect us back this early, so she hasn’t been by to get things ready for us. Callum turns the heat on, cursing lightly to himself as he surveys the fridge.

“I’m going to run down to Rockridge real quick, grab some stufffrom that deli you like,” he says, coming back to the door where I’m still standing beside the bags.

I want to tell him that I don’t care what he does, but I just lean over and unzip my boots. My face throbs with the movement.

“You in the mood for anything?” he asks.

“Nope,” I say, straightening up.

“I texted Jaime before we left, by the way,” he adds, reaching for me. Thankfully, his hand drops before he makes contact. “He should be back soon, okay?”

My heart skips a beat at the mention of Jaime’s name, the first pure emotion I’ve had in days. But then it falls, because Callum’s motives are never pure. “Why?”

He drops his eyes as he opens the door. “I’ll be right back.”

A soft sob rips from my chest once he’s gone, and I lean my forehead against the front door. Callum’s acting meek and repentant now, but how long will that last? I know the cycle. I know he’s going to get clingier than ever now, because he always does after a fight or when he senses I might leave. In fact, I know that’s why he called my bodyguard. He’s determined to keep me here.

If only he knew.

Chapter 20

Jaime

Leo Oliveras sends me a text message around five, rousing me from a nap. Yawning and disoriented, I blink away the gray-blue wash of early afternoon and read his message.

Good job, J.

One week.

I don’t know if that means one week until I get called back to Santa Barbara for good, or one week until the family makes their move on Cal. But if Leo didn’t specify the first time, he’s not going to just because I asked. He doesn’t work like that. So, I ‘like’ his message and toss my phone aside.

Looks like I have one week to figure out a way to get Maeve out of the house without Cal killing me for “losing” her.

Meanwhile, Lewis confirmed receipt of the photos and video minutes after I sent them. But later that night, I get a text on my burner.

How’s your dad?

Which means he wants me to call him when my location is secure. Emailing files from my laptop at Wolf’s is one thing; having a sensitiveconversation is another. Wolf is my friend, but he’s an Oliveras. I’ve never searched his place for cameras or bugs because I’ve never had reason to. While I doubt he has any, I can’t be too careful so I slide on my jacket and go out to the car.

Lewis answers on the first ring. “Hey, kid. How’re you holding up?”

“Hangin’ in there.”

“Listen, it’s unbelievable how good this stuff is. As in exactly what we needed. Oliveras was really onto something, having you check that safe.” A raspy laugh crackles across the line. “Bet he never thought he’d be helping us take somebody down with it.”

“Probably not,” I agree.

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