Page 64 of Cautious

I turn my eyes to Felix, who is still on the phone, and whisper-scream at him, “Go!”

He hesitates for a second, looking torn, but then June screams through the phone, so I shove him and yell, “Go, fucking go!”

He nods, turns on his heel, and bolts back down the stairs.

“Upstairs, now. Head straight for the safe room,” Marcus orders, yanking me up the remaining steps and shoving me through the door.

“Wait, what’s happening?” I don’t understand what the fuck’s going on. He pushes me in front of him, yelling at me to run,so I do, with Marcus hot on my tail. I yank open the closet, shove the clothes aside, and step into the safe room I thought was unnecessary, my body freezing solid when I hear apop, pop, pop,and a crash. I turn and see Marcus drop to the floor behind me.

“Get the fuck in there now,” he yells, firing off a round of his own. I hear someone curse, and something fall, but my attention is on Marcus. I bend and grab him under his arms and pull with all my might, dragging him along the floor with what little aid he can give me.

“Callie, go.”

“I’m not fucking leaving you, so help me,” I scream when he fires again, losing my grip for a moment before finally managing to get him the last few steps over the threshold of the panic room.

I stand up to close the door and feel a burning pain in my shoulder that has me staggering back, but I don’t fall, especially when I see the outline of a figure approaching. No fucking way. I have too much to lose.

With one hand protectively over my belly, I grip the door with the other and slam it shut just as someone crashes into it from the outside. They’re too late though—the door automatically locked tight.

I turn to Marcus to ask him what the fuck is going on and find him unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.

Blake

What a fucking waste of my time. It quickly became apparent the job they called me about was a lie. Nothing more than a woman with a big ego throwing her weight around.

The senator is seeking an order of protection from a rival candidate. Convenient how she wants one now that she finds herself up for re-election. Instead of trying to win fair and square, she wants to sully her opponent’s name by claiming she received death threats and is scared for her life.

She flat-out told me it was all a ratings ploy to discredit them while garnering sympathy. That she so readily admitted it, left me reeling at her audacity. And then there was the way she kept batting her eyelashes at me. She made it abundantly clear she was willing to offer up her…personal services to sweeten the pot.

This is why I fucking hate politics.

I head back to the security station and collect my personal items, noting that my phone is about to die with only five percent battery life left.Balls, I wanted to see how Callie got on at the doctor’s.

I frown when I see I have seventeen missed calls and eleven text messages. I open up the last one and see it’s from Felix.

Get to June’s now. Someone broke in and attacked her.

I dial his number as I hurry out of the building toward my car and climb inside as it continues to ring. When he finally fucking answers, I throw a barrage of questions his way. “Where are you? Is she okay? What the fuck happened?”

“I’m just pulling up at June’s now. Ambulance and police are on the scene, but you need to—” His voice cuts out as my phone dies.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I bellow, smashing my phone against the steering wheel as I make an illegal U-turn and speed toward my grandmother’s house.

I make the forty-minute journey in twenty, jumping out of the car without even turning the engine off. I race to the door only to find myself being held back by two police officers.

“Get the fuck off me. That’s my grandmother in there.”

“Sir, calm down. She has been taken to the hospital. I can’t let you go in and compromise a crime scene.” The fight goes out of me, knowing he’s right.

“Blake?”

I look up at my name being called and see Wade walking toward me.

“Tell me,” I order, my voice rough and full of anger.

He looks at me for a moment, likely trying to gauge if I can handle it before nodding. “She was beaten with what we suspect is a baseball bat. The assailant was gone before we arrived, likely taking it with him, but I have people canvassing the area,” he tells me quietly, making me frown.

I must have misheard him. “She was what?”

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