Page 9 of Love on the Run

“We were fighting. He was getting…getting crazy. He got like that. I’d seen it before, but this was way worse,” Callie’s grey eyes dilated as she inadvertently recalled the body on the ground, the real reason for Malcolm’s fury. Jake saw her reaction and tightened his hand on her own. “I tried to go. I just wanted to leave. But he had the gun…”

“Did he carry a gun a lot?” Jake interrupted quietly.

“What? Yes,” she said, distractedly. “Almost all the time.”

“Did he have a license for it?”

“I don’t know.” Callie sighed, feeling suddenly drained. “There was a lot I didn’t know about him.”

“What’s his name?”

Callie’s eyes hardened instantly, and Jake knew he’d hit a wall. “Okay, okay, never mind. You were trying to leave, you said.”

“Yes,” Callie said. “I turned away, I guess I actually started running. And I heard the gun go off ag…” She broke off, realizing she almost saidagain. “It was so loud.”

“He shot you as you were leaving?”

“I didn’t realize it at first. Not exactly. I mean, I kind of knew that’s what happened, but it was like a dream. You know?”

Jake nodded. “I do, actually.” He turned his left arm over so the inside of his forearm was visible. Callie saw a patch of whiter skin against his overall tan. “When I was in Afghanistan, I took a bullet right there.” He touched the spot. “Hurt like hell, and that was comparatively minor.”

She looked at him with new eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“Why should you be sorry? I knew what I was in for when I signed on.”

“But…” Callie wasn’t sure what she felt. She only knew that she didn’t like the idea of Jake being hurt. It didn’t seem fair.

“So you were leaving the house,” Jake prompted, back to business.

“Yeah,” Callie recalled herself. “I didn’t really feel anything. So I kept going. The car was right there, there were keys…”

“And you managed to drive off,” Jake paused. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”

“I was scared,” Callie said, looking at him with haunted eyes. “I was so scared.” Without warning, tears welled up. At least she didn’t have to lie to him about how she felt. The terror that she’d managed to forget in the last hour since awakening returned in full force.

Jake had let go of her hand to show her the scar, but now he took it again and squeezed it gently. “It’s okay. You’re out of it now. He can’t get you anymore. You can tell the police what happened, and they’ll put him away…”

“No,” Callie was shaking her head. “No, I can’t do that. It was an accident.” She tried to be firm. “I’m sure he wishes it never happened.”

“Callie, you were shot. You don’t owe this guy any loyalty.”

“It’s not that. I just…I can’t think. I’m so tired.” How could she explain to this man that Malcolm owned cops? Callie could never tell anyone the truth about that night.

Jake’s expression changed immediately. “You have to rest more. You’ve been through way too much, and I’ve tired you out. Can you make it back up those stairs?”

“Yes,” Callie said, swaying slightly as she stood up. She truly was tired. Luckily, Jake was there to support her, lending her the strength of his own body. Callie was acutely aware of how warm he was, and how much she wanted to lean against him. But she managed to mostly hold herself up while she walked. He led her to the stairs, following her up the steps, his hands comfortingly close. When she slid onto the little bed, he pulled the blanket over her.

“How’d I get up here last night?” she asked, curious.

“I carried you,” Jake responded simply.

“Oh.” Callie lay back on the pillow. “I’m sorry I rambled on last night. Did I sound crazy? What else did I do?”

“Not much, really. Except…” He trailed off, for once losing his calm demeanor, becoming flustered.

“What?”

“Dr. Murphy gave you a sedative after he stitched you up. He said it would knock you out, but it took a little longer than he said it would, that’s all.”

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