Page 98 of Callum
“He’s totally obsessed with her, if you haven’t guessed. Of course,” Olivia continued, “he doesn’t know that the second he reaches the little house he’s rented, he’s going to get a not-so-friendly welcoming committee.”
Callum took a small step forward, not caring about the gun pointed at his chest. “Give me the location of the house.”
She laughed. “Why? So you can know where she’s going to die? I don’t think so. Any last words?”
“You messed with the wrong fucking guy, Olivia.”
“Did you forget what I said? I have the—”
He dropped and kicked a leg out. The second she hit the floor, he rolled her to her stomach, grabbed the gun, and pressed it to her head, her own hand still on the weapon. “Give me the location.”
Her breath wheezed from her chest. “No.”
He grabbed her other hand and pressed the muzzle of the gun to the center. “One fucking second. That’s what I’m giving you to tell me before I shoot. And believe me when I tell you, I willkeepshooting until I have the information I need.”
CHAPTER31
“No. We’re over.”
Pain thrummed behind Fiona’s eyes so fiercely, they refused to open. The person’s voice was doing nothing to help her. Each word pinged her skull harder, like a perfectly placed blow.
A pause, then, “And I toldyouthat we were temporary.”
She bit back a groan, needing the noise to stop.
She tried to lift her hand, wanting to massage her temple, but something stopped her. It almost felt like…rope? She tried again, this time tugging harder, but was met by the same resistance.
Small flickers of awareness came to her. The hard surface under her. The crick in her neck, like her head had been at an odd angle for a long time. And tightness around her ankles. With each realization, her pulse beat faster, and her breath shortened.
Finally, she pieced it together…she was tied to a chair. The realization was both terrifying and infuriating.
Slowly, she forced her eyes open. Everything was a blur. No distinct shapes, just outlines and fuzzy movement. She blinked. Once. Twice. On the third, the shape in front of her began to come into focus. The lines turned into a pacing body…and that body was familiar.
Her lips parted, a gasp inflating her chest.
Freddie?
“I know, Stacey. But I’m going away and I’m not coming back. Deal with it.”
Fiona’s breath caught again. “Stacey?” The word felt dry and scratchy in her throat.
Freddie hung up and stopped his pacing to turn and look at her. His gaze whipped to the stairs and back, like he was…afraid? That she’d call for help? God, was there someone up there?
“You’re awake,” he said quietly.
Really? That was all he had to say?
Her brows scrunched as she tried to tug back her last memory. She’d been at work for the author reading. Rick had asked her to get some plates, and Jenny had gone with her to the office. Then…the key. Jenny had pulled out a key for a door, which had revealed a basement. She’d been walking down the stairs, then nothing. She couldn’t remember a single thing.
Was she still in the basement?
“How did I get here?” It was an effort to make her voice work.
He swallowed and took a small step forward. “I’ll tell you, but I need you to listen before you say anything. Okay?”
Her stomach rolled. She wasn’t agreeing to anything. With an aggressive tug, she pulled at the bindings on her wrists, suddenly finding a small scrap of energy. “Tell me what’s going on, Freddie!Now. And how do Jenny and Stacey fall into this?”
“Stacey doesn’t. After you left me, she and I had a thing, but I ended it for you.”
