Page 34 of Cautious

“Get out,” I growl at her, my voice unrecognizable. I’m so done with this conversation, this woman, and this whole freaking debacle.

“You have seven days, Callie, to get your affairs in order. If you aren’t at the Eagleton Hotel by then, I’ll call Christian to come and collect you myself. Then you’ll wish you had listened to me.”

She slides her bag over her shoulder and with a toss of her hair turns and leaves, closing the door behind her with more force than necessary.

I stagger into the living room, looking around the space I had finally made a home, and feel all the fight leave. My legs buckle as I grip the wall for support before collapsing to the floor, my vision flooded with tears. I wrap my arms around my knees, shaking hard enough for my teeth to clank together painfully, and sob my heart out.

Why is it every time I think I’m free, that woman drags me back to hell again?

Blake

I say goodbye to my grandmother, noticing that Brenda’s Mercedes is gone. I jog back over to Callie’s place, hoping she isn’t too mad at me for leaving her with her mother. But when she returned unexpectedly, I was at a loss over what to do. They have unresolved issues to work out, but I learned my lesson about getting involved in what wasn’t my business.

I knock on the door, but when she doesn’t answer, I turn the handle, finding it unlocked. I frown, making a note to remind her to lock the door behind her in the future. We might be in a small town, but shit can happen when you least expect it to.

“Callie?” I call out, freezing, when I hear a sniffle coming from the sitting room. A quick look inside shows no Callie, so I turn to make my way to the kitchen when I hear it again. This time, I move farther into the room and finally spot her huddled on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head bowed as she sobs quietly.

“Jesus Christ.” I’m by her side in three steps and on my knees in the next second, pulling her shaking frame against mine protectively.

“What happened?”

She doesn’t answer. She burrows into the crook of my neck and grips me tightly. Jesus Christ, who do I need to kill?

“Talk to me, sweetheart, you’re scaring the shit out of me,” I implore as her tears soak through my T-shirt to my skin.

She sniffs and takes a deep, stuttering breath, which hitches painfully in her chest, making her voice catch in her throat. “I have to go,” she tells me, pulling back to look up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

“Go where? I’ll take you anywhere, but you have to tell me what’s going on,” I say gently, swiping the tears from her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs.

“No, I mean I have to leave Tempest. It’s not safe for me here anymore. It’s not safe for any of you if I stay.”

My body freezes, every emotion shutting down to make way for cold, clinical rage. I fucking knew she was in danger. God-fucking-damn-it.

“Explain,” I order, my voice rough as I try to keep my fury in check, but it’s hard when I know my girl’s in trouble.

“Just let me go, Blake. I’m not worth it, trust me.” She shakes her head, trying to climb to her feet, but I grip both her arms with my hands and halt her movements.

“Not gonna happen, baby. Now tell me what has you so spooked.” I soften my voice as much as I can, but my tone lets her know this is non-negotiable.

She sighs and slumps against me. “I came here to start over. I packed up my stuff and left, thinking he’d get bored and find a new object to obsess over if I put some distance between us. It’s not like I’m anything special,” she mumbles. But that’s just it. She has no idea how special she is. It radiates from her like a fucking beacon, and any predator circling would be able to see and want it for themselves.

“Callie, slow down. Take a deep breath, and start over. Why isn’t it safe for you here?” That seems to be the most pressing issue at the moment.

“Because Christian Baylor wants me for a wife and, apparently, whatever Christian wants, Christian gets,” she answers somberly.

“Wife?” I spit out. “Hold on—Christian Baylor—as in shady as fuck drug kingpin that’s always in the news?” That can’t be true.

She nods solemnly. “He saw me at a charity event and decided he wanted me despite me making it very clear I wasn’t interested.”

I grit my teeth, loosening my grip on her arms before I hurt her. “What did he do?” I bark.

“Wouldn’t take no for an answer. He started turning up everywhere I was, sending elaborate gifts to my place and calling me constantly. I went to the police, but they said there wasn’t anything they could do until he actually committed a crime, which he hadn’t yet done.”

“So, you packed up and left?” I urge her to continue, wanting to hear it all, knowing there’s more.

I cup her chin when she looks away, but I need her eyes on me.

“No,” she answers in a whisper. “Did you know I used to be engaged?”

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