Collision

by Sofia Aves

  I nudged the door open with my foot, having successfully juggled the locks and mugs without dropping anything, peeking outside. Cal sat propped against the wall, blankets puddled around him, staring out at where the sun would soon rise through the trees.

  I slipped out the door, sliding down the wall next to him.

  “Thank you for staying all night.” I passed him one of the mugs. He accepted it with a grateful smile.

  “Did you get some sleep?” He didn’t look at me, just stared out at the yard still dark where the sun hadn’t spread its warmth to, yet — the ultimate protector.

  “Yes. I think because I knew…you were here. That I was safe.” I felt silly saying it and stumbled over the end of my sentence. Would I ever feel safe again, truly? But the light that returned to his bleary, bloodshot eyes at my words was worth it. “Do you have to work today?”

  “No, I have the next two days off.”

  I remembered he had said as much, yesterday. My memory was terrible. A bright red dot appeared between the trees, flooding the sky with orange and pink hues against the deep blue of night holding on for just a few moments longer.

  “I love sunrises.”

  “More than sunsets?” He looked at me over the rim of his mug.

  “Better colour,” I considered, closing my eyes to absorb everything I could, “and it’s quieter. There are too many people awake at sunset. Too much chatter.”

  “I usually run at sunrise.” Cal gave a short laugh, gesturing to his clothes. “Maybe not today, though.” He looked at me speculatively. “Not a runner?”

  “Nope. I walk everywhere I can. That’s my exercise.”

  “Good enough.” He leaned back, closing his eyes. It took less than a minute before his cup tilted in his hands. I’d been watching for it, and grabbed it as liquid slopped against the rim. He must have been awake all night long, as he’d promised.

  I bit my lip, contemplating him. His skin appeared even bronzer in the light of the rising sun, but for now, he was more relaxed than I had seen him before. At least he found peace in his sleep. I waited for the sun to fully rise before I nudged him.

  “Come on. You can’t sleep like that; you’ll be horribly sore.”

  Bleary eyes blinked at me. Cal tucked his legs under himself, trying to stand, and laughed, though it came out painfully.

  “Damn. Everything’s gone to sleep.”

  I collected pillows, leading him inside.

  “Lounge. Don’t get any ideas. I’ll be out there.” I pointed to the veranda, but Cal held up a hand. “What?”

  “Mila,” his voice was rough with sleep, and I loved how my name sounded on his lips. “Honey, your paintings, they were pulled out of the cupboard. I stacked a few…”

  I raced through the house before he could finish, fumbling the lock on the back door, finally yanking it open. The paintings were outside the cupboard, which usually held my paintings locked up tightly, so mildew wouldn’t get in. I hated the smell of paint inside the house.

  Flicking through the pile quickly, I noted Cal’s on top, then a stack of Teddy in a series of ridiculously serious poses. I counted as I went. But in the end, I didn’t need to; I could see which ones were missing.

  My coffee rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back down, gasping. I blinked rapidly, my mind stalling as panic speared into me. Now I knew what Cal did — that he or one of his people — had ransacked my home.

  “Mila. Honey, talk to me.” The urgency in Cal’s tone washed over me as he crouched on the floorboards. I was on the floor. When had that happened? He reached out, then drew back, looking scared. “What do you need?”

  I tried to gasp the words out, but they lodged somewhere around my heart. Finally, Cal settled for rubbing my back in long strokes. “Breathe,” he whispered. I nodded, inhaling through my nose, still clutching the pile of canvases with white fingers.

  “I did pictures of h-his eyes,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “It’s what I see when I panic, any time I close mine. At night. A therapist suggested it, drawing them. So the image would leave my head. Teddy stayed with me while I did them, and usually, it worked. But they’re gone. There were three of them. That means it’s him, right? Not just some random person vandalising my house.”

  I stared straight at him, terrified beyond anything I’d known for so long. You’re safe now. He can’t hurt you. Teddy’s words rang hollow in my eyes as my tightly packed, compartmentalised life fell apart in a single moment. I knew the truth of my words, but saying it made it all so much more real, and the tears overflowed.

  Then I was back in Cal’s arms, safe against the hard chest he put between me and my nightmare. The prior day hit me like a slap, and I pulled back. Pain etched Cal’s face. He searched my eyes, but after a moment, he dropped his hands.

  “Is he–is he chasing me because you’re here? You said you’d been hunting him for years, right?”

  Cal scrubbed a hand over his head, and I almost smiled at the familiar gesture. He shrugged, slapping the floorboards with frustration. I jumped a little, and he had the grace to look apologetic.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Could it just be some fu– fool that likes your paintings and took them? No, sorry, not that your paintings are bad. I love them, actually.” Guilt crossed his face. “Not that I–”

  I waved away his apologies. “It’s fine, Cal. Honestly.”

  “Though that picture of Dolly…”

  I laughed, hiccupping. “Don’t you bring that hamster into this. Blasted animal never sat still!”

  Seeing Cal smile made a huge difference to me, like something heavy had been lifted away, the sort of weight you don’t know you’re bearing until it’s gone. Then his smile vanished, replaced with a frown.

  “Wait, I forgot to ask you last night. Have you seen a black sedan hanging around your house? A new one that doesn’t usually live around here?”

  “No,” the lines on his face relaxed minutely until I shook my head, “maybe? One followed me home two days ago. I wasn’t really paying attention, I was thinking about, um, you…” My face heated. Cal raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes at him. “Something was odd; I turned around, and there was a black car idling just behind me. When I noticed them, it took off, swerved madly around the corner — not mine, the one you took yesterday, when you dropped me home. It wasn’t my street, so I didn’t think– I thought they were just drunk, or something.”

  Cal’s eyes were intent on me — this was him in full work mode, and it was a trifle scary. I hoped I’d said it all right.

  “You said ‘them’ in the car. Did you see more than one person?”

  I closed my eyes, imagining the scene with an artist’s eye, looking into the interior of the car, recalling the shadows in that momentary glance over my shoulder, and shook my head.

  “No, the windows were too dark.”

  Cal frowned, then nodded. “Even the front one? Okay, what about the number plate? Did you see any of it?”

  I began to shake my head, then closed my eyes and watched the scene again. While I’d only glimpsed the front of the car for a moment, the back of the car had been visible for a lot longer.

  “Um, B, J…something, something, X...one. I think? Black and white personalised plates. Sorry, I can’t see any more.”

  Cal looked surprised but happy.

  “No, that’s great! But are you sure? That sort of detail isn’t usually easy to pull back to unless someone’s invo–” he cut himself short and I hurried to reassure him.

  “No, I memorise details really easily. Practice from painting scenes and portraits for so long, I guess.” I paused, my gaze narrowing. “Wait, were you about to say that you think I’m involved in this? Is that why you lost it at me last night because you think I work for him?”

  Cal held his hands up, leaning back as I leapt to my feet.

  “Mila, wait. No, that’s not what I meant–”

  I wasn’t listening anymore. My mind cast back to our time at lunch
, the questions he’d asked, the odd stare from Marcus. Teddy clearly hadn’t told him he was my carer…minder, whatever they called it. My friend. But why not? Cal was his boss, from what Teddy explained last night. And Cal had taken that same turn yesterday as the black car had…

  “You knew where I lived,” the words came out cold. “You absolute bastard, you checked up on me! And here I was worried about not trusting you, thinking it would be okay. That I was okay with you when you haven’t trusted me at all. What a bloody fool I am.”

  I laughed, but there was no mirth in it.

  Cal rose slowly to his feet, hands out. “Mila, I’m sorry. I check everyone who has contact with him, contact with Ashley–” Cal froze the moment the words were out of his mouth, but there was no way for him to take them back. For a brief moment, I wished I could un-hear them — my mind piecing it together automatically. From the panicked look that crossed his face, he’d come to the same conclusion.

  “If he was here, he knows about me — then he’ll know about her!”

  Guilt immediately assuaged me, but I threw it off. I could examine my own ineptitude later. Why hadn’t I been more careful? Teddy had gone over the risks with me so many times they were etched into my mind. I reached for my phone, but since I’d changed, it was probably still in my room.

  Cal was already on his.

  “Jenny? Hi, it’s– no, no, everything is fine. Is Ashley up for a visit this morning? I have some time…okay. Jenny, listen, she needs to pack, just for a while, at the very least. Just, don’t– ah, don’t answer the door to anyone, okay? Wait until I get there. No, it’s fine, I’ll be there in…oh, twenty minutes?” He ended the call to Ashley’s foster mother, and then dialled a new number. One of the boys, from his brief greeting. He walked to the far end of the veranda, speaking softly. It was a quick call, and he came back to me abruptly.

  “Get some shoes on. I’ll wait in the truck.”

  “What?”

  “Ashley. You’re coming with me to get her, right?”

  I nodded, speechless, then dashed away for my phone and shoes.

  “Mila!” he called after me, and I stopped in my tracks, looking back over my shoulder. “Pack a bag.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  MILA

  We were in his truck, halfway down the street, before my brain caught up with me.

  “Cal, why did I pack a bag? You said we’re going to get Ashley. Won’t her new parents be averse to that? Aren’t there laws? And why am I here when you obviously haven’t trusted me!” the questions tumbled out of me, edged with frustration.

  “I need to collect Ashley before Logan gets to her,” his voice broke a little, “which I’m confident he will. I’m not keen to put her into witness protection as sometimes, things slip through the cracks. Like you. I can’t afford to miss anything else.” He gave a sharp laugh that stole my breath, staring straight ahead.

  I nodded slowly, still not sure I could see the greater picture, and more questions brimmed, each more confusing than the last. I didn’t know what to ask first. My hands trembled in my lap — apparently, the caffeine had kicked in. I smacked his arm with the back of my hand, which stung. Cal didn’t so much as grunt. Despite his rational explanation, I was still sore about him questioning my trustworthiness. He sent me an amused look.

  “Driving.”

  “Bugger off,” I grumbled.

  “Are we even, now?”

  I looked over at him, copying his raised eyebrows.

  “For what?”

  “Smacking me. And before you rant at me, I barely knew you. And I’m very protective of Ashley.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I think of her like a little sister. Maybe a niece, or a daughter.”

  That stopped me. I looked at him — really looked at him — hands in a death grip on the steering wheel, white showing at his knuckles. Ashley really did mean a lot to him, considering who she was, who she came from.

  The odd thing was, I understood. I’d spent years taking Ashley to the park, trying to give her a life, friends. Family. She had been shunted from home to home for a long time. Until recently, she hadn’t had a foster family who had invested in her.

  Cal sat frozen; jaw clenched, muscles tensed in those carved forearms. Waiting for judgement. He’d screwed up that day at the bank, pretty massively. And he was still trying to rectify that through being there for Logan’s daughter.

  In a single moment, I understood why he’d lost it with me last night. He loved Ashley, which was a pretty easy thing to do — I did, too. That fast, he was forgiven, but I had no idea how to tell him. I nibbled my bottom lip for a moment, searching for the right thing to say. He looked over when I didn’t say anything and puffed out a breath. I smiled into my lap. He wasn’t a patient man.

  “Cal, I think that’s how Teddy sees me. Like a sister.”

  Cal didn’t say anything but nodded after a moment.

  “Yeah, he said so last night. I get it; I just wish someone had told me. It hurts to think someone I’ve worked with didn’t trust me with...with this.” His fingers squeezed the steering wheel, and he looked at me askance. “Especially Black. We have a...history.”

  “He was your partner, back at the bank, wasn’t he? It’s not your fault,” I hurried to explain when Cal gave a jerky nod, “I asked him not to tell anyone. No one was to know unless something like last night happened. The officer who set it all up, Neil Jenkins, I think? When he retired, Teddy just slipped the information somewhere else, so your office wouldn’t see it. So I was safe.” Trees whizzed by as Cal sped up on the highway. We were only a few minutes from Ashley. I began to pray she was okay. “I hope she’s okay. Cal, I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble.”

  Cal reached over, gripping my hand.

  “You haven’t,” he murmured reassuringly, “ I just– I wish it had been me that told you everything, explained it to you. Not Black.”

  I squeezed his fingers and didn’t push him away. A small smile played at the corner of his lips. Veering off the highway, Cal took the next exit, taking a shorter route than I’d known to reach Ashley’s foster home. When we pulled up, Ashley was in the front window; the curtain pulled back. I waved, and she lit up, disappearing from view.

  “She shouldn’t be there,” Cal growled, not bothering to turn the engine off. “Stay here.”

  He jumped out before I could squawk at him about giving orders, tapping the hood of the truck as he went by. The door opened, and Jenny’s blonde bob peeked out. He had a quick word, and she nodded along with him, arms folded against her chest.

  I knew it was a temporary arrangement, but there were tears in the woman’s eyes when she hugged Ashley tight, fussing with the backpack already strapped over her shoulders. My heart ached for her, but after last night, there was no point in denying Ashley could be in serious danger. Just because Logan hadn’t come for her yet, didn’t mean he wouldn’t now.

  Cal opened the back door, lifting Ashley into the backseat. She cuddled her backpack, a wide grin settling on her face. Once Cal had buckled her in, she extracted a stuffed crocodile, waving it at me excitedly.

  “Hi, Mila! I’m so happy to see you! Were you going to come and see me this week? It’s been ages! Did you watch Iron Chef last night? They had the 1995 Championship on again. It was sooo funny!” Ashley stopped to draw breath, leaning as far forward as her straps allowed. “I don’t think Cal watches it, but we should, together! It would be fun since I’ll be staying with you.”

  She unzipped her backpack again and pulled out a colouring pad. I turned to face Cal as much as I could. He didn’t acknowledge me but had the grace to look uncomfortable.

  “Cal, what are we doing?”

  He looked into the rear-view mirror where Ashley was engrossed with her texters. Lips pressed together; he huffed a little. I grit my teeth, trying not to glare at him, while I waited for his response. Maybe I should have been more aware of what he was asking this morning, but our destination beyond Ashley’s house hadn’t mad
e it to my list. Finally, my patience burned out.

  “Cal…”

  “You’ll both stay with me– no, wait before you yell. Liam’s out of town ‘til Wednesday, and I’ve just had the best security system in the world added to my apartment. It’s safe, and it’s hidden, completely off the radar. We’ll just need to keep her out of my study downstairs.”

  I frowned, taking it all in. Annoyed as I was, it made sense, sort of. But an apartment with three of us sounded…cosy. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. And Cal’s boss wouldn’t be back for nearly a week. Were we doing the right thing, dragging Ashley from her home? Maybe he wouldn’t find her there. Maybe…

  Cal touched my knee. I jolted at the contact, my eyes leaping to his face.

  “Hey. It’s okay. We’re looking after her, and the boys know. They’ll take care of it all, and I have the right to relocate a witness in danger. Something more permanent will be sorted, but Jenny–” Cal sighed, the shadows falling over his face. “Let’s talk about this bit later, okay?”

  He squeezed my knee quickly, pulling his hand back. My leg was cold, without his reassuring warmth. I looked forward, trying to process the situation and slow my heartbeat at the same time. The stupid thing was off like a rocket the moment he came near me. How the hell was I supposed to survive sharing a cramped living space with this sexy cop?

  My hormones were already in overdrive, reminding me of my teen years. Only, I’d never been kissed by a man anything like him, back then.

  Then his comment about Jenny hit through my hormone-induced haze. Ashley wasn’t likely to go back. I knew she’d had readjustment issues, but Jenny really did love her. If Ashley were taken away, it would break her heart. Yet another relocation, somewhere very hidden. Cal would probably change her name, too.

  Did that mean I wouldn’t be able to see her either? My eyes stung. I traced patterns on my jeans, blinking. Everything was so out of control, and I had no idea who was holding the strings.