Page 64 of Until He Confesses

"Hello?" he answered, his voice cold and distant. I was at a loss for words, feeling lower than I ever had before.

"Hey," I replied. "Sorry for contacting you... I know I shouldn't, but I have an emergency and I need to ask for your help. Of course, feel free to refuse, I understand if I am stepping out of bounds."

"An emergency?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said.

His tone was instantly alert.

"What's happening? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I replied. "It's my mom. She had a heart attack."

He went silent.

"When did this happen?" he asked.

"A few hours ago," I replied. "Anna called me. Anyway, I'm at the airport now and I've been here since three, but they still haven't been able to get a flight for me. I know this is crazy, but could I borrow your plane? I promise I'll pay you back for the flight as soon as we get to New York. I have at least thirty thousand dollars."

"For God's sake, Callie," he suddenly yelled, startling me. "Are you kidding me? Where are you now? Are you at Naples Airport?"

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"Stay there," he instructed. "I'll have the driver come pick you up. I'll get the jet ready, and we'll be out of here as soon as possible."

I was so shocked by his response that I couldn't speak. When I finally regained my composure, I realized he had already disconnected the call and was getting to work. I cried again because at that moment all the emotions came crashing down on me, and I felt everything all at once, fear for what was happening and gratitude that he was there to help me when I couldn't help myself.

30

LUCAS

"Ihad never seen her so worried before, but given the situation, it was understandable. I was relieved that I could help her, but she couldn't seem to sit still. She remained standing by the counter, deep in thought. I approached her and gently touched her arm. She jumped, but I could tell she was worn out.

"You need to eat something and rest," I said.

She managed a small smile.

"No, it's fine. Do you need something to eat or drink? The flight was at the last minute, and I couldn't prepare anything." she said.

"Callie," I warned her, and she nodded. She couldn't look me in the eye, so she tried to excuse herself to the bathroom. But I wasn't having it this time, so I caught her and started leading her down the aisle.

"I need to use the bathroom," she protested.

"Sure, there's a private bathroom in my bedroom." I replied.

She struggled, but I held firm.

"Please listen to me this once," I said. "Staying up and worrying isn't going to help you or your mom. You can't get to New York any faster, so take this chance to rest and refresh. You'll be better equipped to deal with whatever comes next."

She thought about it for a moment, and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. But she nodded and put on the bravest smile she could muster.

"You're right. Sorry for the inconvenience."

I led her to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. I didn't need to tell her not to thank me anymore, she had done it at least a hundred times already and it had become quite burdensome to hear so I just ignored it. I returned to the couch and rested, keeping an eye on the door in case she needed help.

It was indeed a stressful situation, but I could understand every ounce of how she felt. More recently I had gone through the same nightmare at my brother’s death, and it still severely affected me. If we were closer, it would have been even more devastating, and I was grateful for that as well as equally saddened by it.

Either way, I understood her fear. From what I knew she had lost her father a few years ago and her mother was her only parent or family that she had left so I completely understood why she was terrified out of her mind.

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