Page 20 of Callen's Captive
“I don’t think a person who cares as much as you do would go back on her word.”
She stood there in silence for a moment longer, then slowly closed the door behind her.
* * *
For the tenthtime in the past half-hour, Callen’s eyes drifted toward the door. Buying supplies, with travel time factored in for walking to and from the shopping center, should have taken her fifteen, twenty minutes tops.
She left an hour ago.
With her go-bag over her shoulder.
Callen tore his eyes from the door and finished cleaning up, trying to ignore the disappointment seeping into his bones. She didn’t know him, and he’d been foolish to expect her to stay with him. He meant what he said about wanting to get her out of Riverview, away from the WSSO.
He winced as he stretched arms and legs. Every movement created a sharp pain in his side. His wolf was blessedly calm, working hard to heal him. Maybe she was simply delayed, looking at clothes for herself or whatever it was that always took women so long to shop.
Or maybe the WSSO had caught her.
Hell, he never should have let her go alone. This is why he was the pack’s enforcer and not an alpha. Planning, thinking ahead, and strategizing weren’t his strengths as they were for Damien and Hayden.
Callen was all about extracting information, intimidating their enemies, defending the pack. He recognized when people were hiding vital details or outright screwing with him, thinking they could fool him. He wasn’t fooled easily. Unfortunately, he was more like Briggs than he wanted to admit. That was why he couldn’t explain to Kate why he hadn’t flown into a rage over what Briggs had done. Torture had a purpose. Briggs had been using him to get to her. Callenunderstoodthat. Even the carving on his chest had been meant for her, a reminder of whom—what—she was involved with.
If she learned that he was an enforcer, she’d walk away from him in a second. Perhaps she already had. That very thought scared Callen, more than it should. She needed his help, though she wasn’t going to admit that.
Callen wandered over to the desk where she had organized every item from the stapler and paperclips to the file folders. Curiosity got the best of him as he opened the desk drawer to find the folder she’d hidden away yesterday.
Inside the white folder was a silk-screen order for a few dozen t-shirts of various colors. He flipped through the paperwork and froze. The design showed a wolf hanging from a tree with the text “The Only Good Shifter is a Dead Shifter” followed by the logo of the WSSO.
A sick feeling coursed through him, not only from the propaganda, though that wasn’t the first or last he’d see of that filth. Callen delved into more files in the office. On every invoice, supply order form, and artist’s rendering, he found the WSSO logo. The fucking print shop belonged to the WSSO.
Had Kate been lying to him this entire time? Was she part of the WSSO? She knew the code to the door. Was this entire chase the result of some disgruntled employee causing problems for her employer?
Hell, he didn’t know her well enough to get a read on whether she was lying or telling the truth. For the first time since Briggs had tortured him, Callen’s wolf growled. His wolf didn’t approve of the dark thoughts going through Callen.
Callen leafed through more of the files, a sick feeling growing in his stomach. He hated that he was searching for proof that she was part of the WSSO instead of sticking with his gut that had already pegged her as an innocent victim of the organization.
Alright, maybe not innocent. There was a drive in Kate that he could easily see getting her into trouble. He’d been making assumptions about her character right and left since before he’d even met her, and that wasn’t like him.
Lowering his guard was a rookie mistake, and one he’d made because he wanted to believe in her. Why? Because there was an intoxicating note to her scent? His wolf had never led him astray before, but still, Callen needed to be on guard until he knew for certain who she was.
“I’m back,” Kate called from the front of the print shop, her voice light and cheery.
Relief washed through Callen. She hadn’t run. That was the first thought that entered his mind until he caught sight of the WSSO hate campaign still in his hand.
From across the print shop floor, Kate slid her go-bag onto a worktable and held up a blue plastic bag stuffed with a black shirt hanging out of the top. Her face, full of sunshine and laughter, drained of all color when she noted the shop’s paperwork in his hands.
“I didn’t want you to see that,” she said as she lowered the bag.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” he said as he tossed the papers onto the desk.
“What does that mean?” Anger suddenly replaced the softness that had lit her face seconds before. “You think I have something to do with that order?”
“I think you have something to do with the WSSO. You not only knew of this place, you had the code to get in, and you knew no one would be here on the weekend. You know Briggs and which sheriffs are dirty. And you’re familiar with way more about how the WSSO operates than you should for someone who isn’t part of their organization.”
“So that means I have to be part of the WSSO?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s exactly what you said.” She tossed the bag at him. It landed at his feet. “A change of clothing for you. I hope you find your way back to your pack without any interference from my buddy Briggs.” Kate grabbed her go-bag and shot out of the shop.
