Page 62 of Come Back to Me

“I got the alert. It’s good Tee’s here. I don’t have to have palpitations when they’re together. As much as I wish the subject was avoidable, it wasn’t.”

Something in his tone has my eyes narrowing. “What do you know, Callan?”

He lifts his hands. “Nothing.”

“You better not be lying to me,” I warn.

“I’m not.” His attention switches to one of the computer screens and back again.

That split-second shift just confirmed it. “You goddamn are! What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.”

“I think I’ll let Tee know that you were curious about prostate massaging?—”

“Do you know about Dove Bay?” he blurts out.

“Dove what?”

He ducks his head. “I told Colt to tell you about it.”

“What is it?”

“A sanctuary.”

“For what? Doves?”

“No. Domestic abuse survivors.”

“Of course it is.”What the fuck else would it be?I pinch the bridge of my nose as I ponder the urgency in which Callan’s been bringing up security—twice daily for the past couple days. Our situation has admittedly changed, but I know him too well tothink he isn’t a duplicitous little shit. “Let me guess... one of the exes is sniffing around?”

“Maybe,” he mumbles. “I never underestimate these asswipes, but this one has a lot of money to back him.”

“Colt knows?”

“He’s aware of the situation. I told him to arrange for the woman to move on, but he said it wouldn’t be fair.”

“How long do they stay with us?”

“Usually until their injuries are healed or until they request to leave. They don’t like to be in one place for too long.”

“Where do you send them?”

“Depends. Sometimes to shelters across the country. A few times we’ve created new identities for them so they can stay in Canada, and other times we figure out how to get them overseas.”

“Why haven’t you with this one?”And why is this the first goddamn time I’m hearing about any of this?Not only as a brother, but as chief fucking marshal.

“Because she hasn’t asked to, and when Mrs. Abelman laid out her options, she cried.”

For a hardass, Mrs. Abelman can’t stand it when women cry.

I scrub a hand over my jaw. “I want a security report on this situation by tomorrow.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“Less of the attitude, Callan. You should have fucking told me before now.”

“I know.”

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