Page 79 of Love Me Stalk Me
I tap my fingers against the table, already debating my next move with Caleb. The rhythm of my fingernails matches the beat of the music, creating a private percussion against the wooden surface. I feel really warm.
Then Amanda suddenly straightens, her posture changing from relaxed to alert in an instant. Her eyes fix on something over my shoulder, widening with interest. She nods toward the door, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
"Your boyfriend just arrived."
A cold dread replaces the warm glow of tequila. The music suddenly seems too loud, the lights too bright, everything amplified by panic.
I whip around, so fast I nearly knock over my drink. The chair legs screech against the floor. "Evan's here?" I scan the entrance desperately.
And then I see them.
Not Evan.
The security guys from the store. Martinez and Harris, both looking more casual than I've ever seen them, in jeans and t-shirts instead of their usual uniforms. They scan the bar with habitual vigilance, even off-duty.
And, right behind them?—
Callahan.
My breath catches in my throat. He's wearing dark jeans and a simple black t-shirt that stretches across his shoulders in a way his work shirts never did, revealing the full extent of his tattoos. The ink curls down his forearms in intricate patterns I've only caught glimpses of before. His hair is slightly tousled, less controlled than at work. He looks different. Dangerous. Even more magnetic.
And he's walking straight toward us.
SHE CALLS ME COMFY AND I GET HARD
CAL
The momentI leave Izzy alone with Amanda, I can still feel her. The heat of her back under my palm. The way she looked at me after Evan humiliated her—like she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. Like part of her was angry but part of her still thought maybe she deserved it.
That part makes me want to put my fist through a wall.
Or through Evan's face.
That would be better. More satisfying.
It took a painful amount of effort to not deck him earlier. The only reason I didn't was because she didn't ask me to. Because as much as I want to fight her battles for her, she has to be the one to walk away from him.
Still. I wanted to break his fucking nose.
Instead, I do my rounds.
I move through the store, hitting my checkpoints—exits, feeds, staff. The usual sounds echo around me: doors clicking shut, the quiet buzz of electronics, the muffled voices of early shoppers.
Still, my focus slips. Back to her. Back to the conversation I can’t stop replaying.
To the way her voice shook when she said she wasn't happy. To the way she vented to me like she's been venting to Caleb.
Which is a very, very dangerous fucking thing.
I push the thought away, shaking my head as I finish up for the night. Some of the security guys linger near the front, waiting for me. Their voices echo in the nearly empty store, casual conversation filling the silence.
"Callahan," Martinez claps me on the shoulder. "It's Friday. We always gograb drinks after closing. You in?"
I hesitate. I've been watching Izzy's feed off and on all night. I know exactly where she is. As soon as five o'clock hit, Amanda grabbed her, and they went down the street to that Mexican place. Currently? They're drinking margaritas the size of my fucking head.
I could just head home.
Or...
