Page 57 of Panther's Magpie
“You’re important. This is important.”
“Calloway, don’t be fucking stupid. It could be Aspen.” She huffs, but some of the anger leaves her.
She’s right.
“Goddammit. Give me one second. Don’t fucking move.” I pull my phone out of my pocket.
“Yes, sir,” she mutters, making my dick twitch.
“Yeah?” I snap as I answer.
“Stay the fuck away from my sister,” the voice on the other end of the line hisses, making me pause.
“Who is this?”
I know who it is, but I still have to ask.
Maggie frowns and takes a step forward.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Panther. Stay the fuck away from my sister. I’m doing everything I can to keep yours safe, but if you fuck with mine, I make no promises.”
She’s alive. Aspen is a-fucking-live. Thank Christ.
I run my hand through my hair and sigh. The relief hits me like a freight train.
“Where the fuck is she, Asher? I need something,” I beg.
Without thinking about it, I reach out and pull Maggie into my arms. She wraps hers around my waist and rests her head on my chest, right over my heart.
“Look, man, shit’s complicated. They keep moving her because they know you haven’t stopped looking for her. I only get to see her every few days, and I only get a heads-up at the last minute.”
“I need more. She’s my sister, I can’t just stop.”
“I know, man, I get it, trust me. I’m trying to figure out the pattern to their movements so I can try to get her out. Right now, though, they are unpredictable. I need more time.”
“How much time? How much longer can she hold on?”
“Your sister is a fighter, Panther. You raised her well. Just know that I’m doing everything I can. When I know more, I’ll reach out. Until then, stop fucking digging into me and leave my sister alone.” He hangs up before I can say anything else.
My phone drops to my side. I hoped that going to his sister would make him come out of the woods. I just wish he would have given me a little more.
“She’s alive,” Maggie says softly with tears in her eyes.
I pull her tightly into me. “She’s alive.”
She rests her forehead on my chest and takes a shuddering breath. “I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear that.”
“Yeah, but we aren’t any closer to bringing her home.”
“Hey.” Maggie touches my face and waits to speak until I look down at her. “Asher is trying to help. You need to trust him.”
“I don’t know him.”
“Yeah, but I do. Kind of. Sort of. I won’t lie, it feels really good to know that my judge of character isn’t that off base,” she says with a small smile.
“Eat it up while you can.”
When she steps back, I instantly miss her warmth. “Come on, we need to head back to the clubhouse.”
