Page 81 of Shattered Union

"Fine, I'll not say a word," Makenna promises.

Danny and Melissa share a disbelieving look, one that I’m probably wearing too. Makenna can't help herself; she knows the shit we've all been through, and she needs to make sure that no one can try to hurt any of us. I get it, I'm the same, I just handle it differently than she does.

"Are we going to stand here all night or are we going to the bar?" Romero questions with his arms crossed over his chest, looking bored.

"I'm going, Michael's outside waiting, whoever is coming we're leaving in five minutes," I tell them as I get to my feet, checking my phone and seeing that Callie hasn't responded to my text.

"Da, it's going to be grand," Danny says to me as we leave the house. "Relax, yeah, you're wound up tight."

"I'm fine," I tell him. I'm eager to get to her.

"What's going on, Da?" he asks and I should have known he wouldn't leave it alone.

"The guy your ma hired is still out there and your ma told me before she died that he won't stop until he finishes what he started."

My son's eyes harden at my words. "Fuck, Da, why the hell didn't you tell us?"

"We don’t know who the arsehole is. If we did, he'd be dead already," I explain. "Your ma could have been full of shit and just said it to piss me off because, well, that's what she was like. Anything to get a rise from someone. But, the attack on Callie was brutal, and I never realised how bad it was until this morning. From what her family said, it was touch and go. When they found her, her pulse was dropping. If they hadn't gotten to her when they did, she may have died."

Just thinking about it makes me want to go hunting. As soon as I find out who hurt her, there's no way he'll live to tell the tale. I've failed Callie so much in the short time I've known her. To have her forgive the shit that's happened and not only give me a second chance, but to take on everything that comes with me, just proves I chose right with her. The woman is one of a fucking kind and there's no way in hell I'll ever let anything happen to her again.

"There's got to be security cameras surrounding her home? Surely one of those has picked something up?" Danny questions. "I'll have Lis go through it all, find out who was in the area, we'd be able to narrow it down."

"Her family's already done it. They've hit all the traffic cams, ATMs, and shop footage and nothing."

"Sorry to interrupt," Melissa says, coming to stand beside us. "But have they checked home security? It'll take some time, but if I know where to look I can hack into their system and find the footage we need."

Danny nods, pride filling his features. "Can't hurt to look."

I agree. "I'll give you her address and you can go from there."

Melissa smiles. "I'll start first thing in the morning. Knowing the street address will make it easier to find the closest footage."

"It's in a good neighbourhood. I'm pretty sure Callie told me she paid two million for her house when she bought it."

Melissa smirks, pleased with what I've told her. "That means they have money, and people with money have good security systems. We'll find out who did it, Denis, and when we do, you can run holy fucking hell on them."

Finally, a spark of hope. The sooner we find this bastard, the better. It'll give Callie a little relief, knowing that she's safe again.

* * *

"Hey, Denis, I see you brought back up," Ava says with a smirk as she comes to the table. "We're not that bad. No one has killed you yet, you should be safe."

"Ava, always a pleasure," I respond dryly, and watch as she laughs. "Have you met my son yet?" I ask her, pointing at Malcolm, who's watching on with a smile.

"Nope, but I've heard about him. She never told me you were hot," she winks at him, which makes him tense and Raylee laugh. "You must be his girl though; she did tell me how hot you were."

When I arrived at the pub, Raylee and Malcolm were already here and Raylee hasn't stopped singing Callie’s praises.

"How come we've not seen her?" Holly asks with a pout.

Since we've arrived, Callie's been nowhere to be found.

Ava sighs. "She's dealing with some shit at the moment. Like she needs the added stress." She shakes her head as she mutters. "She's holed up in her office, she should be out soon."

Now I'm curious about what's going on.

"Do you need refills?" Ava asks as she glances around the table. "It's Saturday night, it's going to get packed pretty soon."

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