Page 16 of Now that I Found You
Chapter Six
Ellie
Keeping my hands up in front of me, I see Callum’s name on my watch as the phone begins to ring. The vibration in my back pocket gives it away immediately, as his eyes dart to me.
“What’s that noise?”
“It’s my phone. It’s my husband,” I pause, not sure where to go with it. “He always calls me on my break. If I don’t answer, he’ll wonder if something is wrong.”
“NO!” he shouts, cutting me off. His eyes turn frantic.
“Okay, okay.” My voice breaks as the panic starts to rise up my throat. “I won’t answer it. I just know if I don’t, he’ll start to wonder if something is wrong and drop by here. He worries a lot about me, he’s kind of overprotective.”
The words “kind of” are loose in this situation. Callum is a lot worried where I’m concerned. After what happened to me with Royal, if he had it his way, I wouldn’t leave his side. That’s extreme though, he knows it, and I know it. We’ve talked to a therapist a lot about how we have both coped with our fears that still torment us today.
Callum holds a lot of guilt over not being there to protect me. If he had any idea the situation I was in, I know without a shadow of a doubt he’d be coming in guns blazing to get me out of harm's way. It’s just the way he is. Life has changed us, but I love him for always wanting to take care of me. I wouldn’t change that about him whatsoever.
My phone vibrates again and, once again, as Callum’s name flashes on the screen.
“He’s just going to keep calling,” I say calmly. “I can turn it on speaker phone. I’ll tell him I’m having lunch with a friend. He won’t think anything of it, I swear. I just don’t want him to worry.”
His face looks maniacal, darting from me to the front door of the store before falling back on mine.
“Yeah, yeah…” He hesitates. “Make it quick. Don’t try to pull anything or I swear to fucking God, it will be the last time you’ll ever talk to him again.”
He raises the knife back up to me, forcing my heart to hammer in my chest as I nod my head frantically.
“Okay, it’s okay. Please just don’t point that at me. I can’t be calm on the phone with him if you do and if I’m scared, he’ll hear it in my voice.”
He clutches the knife into his fist, leaning against the edge of the counter, before nodding his head toward me to answer it.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I swipe the screen answering the call and put it on speaker.
“Hey, baby,” I greet him.
“Hi sweetheart.” Callum’s voice filters through the phone. Just hearing his voice, I feel the smile on his face, wrapping around me like a warm hug. It’s almost startling how calm I am compared to the way I felt just a moment ago. “How’s work going?”
“Okay,” I say, looking up at the man. His jaw locks, his eyes widening as he nods to me, not liking my response. He wants me to speed it along, so I do as he wishes.
“I have you on speaker. I’m just eating a sandwich, sitting here in the break room. You’ll never guess who stopped by to see me.”
“Who’s that, baby?” I know he’s expecting me to answer with one of my girlfriends’ names.
“Royal,” I say, pausing to make sure he heard me. He goes silent, and I know he’s probably holding the phone against his ear, praying he hadn’t heard me correctly.
“Are you, are you there?” I ask, my voice growing shaky. I force myself to stay calm. If I let on that I’m nervous or scared, I’m afraid the man will pick up on the clue I’ve given Callum.
“You said Royal?”
“Yeah, he stopped by to bring me lunch. Isn’t that sweet of him?”
There’s a sound of a chair screeching in the background. I imagine the terrified look on Callum’s face, but he doesn’t say anything. He knows something’s not right, and I’m grateful he knows me well enough to pick up on my warning for help.
“That’s very sweet of him,” Callum says. His sweet voice earlier has gone cold. There’s fear laced with a threat in his tone now.
“Is Hudson there?”
“No, he is with June.”
