Isobel looked at Callum, who had yet to touch his food. She cocked her head and considered him. “I don’t think so. I think he’s probably stayed in places that were a whole lot worse than this. I’d say he’s either thinking about how fast he can run from the table or about how secure the house is.”
Callum’s eyes bored into hers. “You should have replaced that window. Glass is more secure than wood. Glass makes a noise when someone breaks it.”
“Security, then,” Isobel said. She looked over at the narrow, boarded-up window beside the back door. “I asked the landlord to replace it. He never got around to it, so I painted it white and hoped for the best. I don’t think it looks so bad.”
He scowled. “It isn’t about looks. It’s about safety. A two-year-old could get into this house.”
“I’m three,” Sophie told Callum proudly.
Callum considered her for a long moment, as she waited for his response. “Well done?” he said at last.
Jack shook his head.
“Eat your food,” Isobel told Callum. “We don’t waste food around here.”
Callum obediently picked up his fork and started to eat.
“What’s you got on your face?” Sophie leaned towards him as though she might grab the stubble covering his chin.
He backed up. “Hair.”
Sophie frowned at him. “It’s in the wrong place.”
Isobel smiled at her daughter. “Men can grow hair on their faces, baby.”
“Why?” her three-year-old demanded of Callum.
For a second, his badass outer shell slipped and he looked genuinely flummoxed. “I don’t know.”
“Huh.” Sophie wasn’t impressed.
There was a heavy silence as Callum, Jack and Isobel finished their food and Sophie painted her face with hers.
“I went to the pawnbroker in Campbeltown today,” Callum said.
Isobel stilled, unsure where he was going with this. “Oh?”
“I managed to piece together a little more information on the visitors to the cove. I didn’t like any of it, so I called in some help. I’ve got a member from my old security team coming in tomorrow.”
“Security team?” Jack said, and Isobel appreciated that he was talking. She was too busy worrying about dragging yet more people into her mess.
“I worked for a private security firm in London before I came here.” Callum’s face gave nothing away about how he felt about his job.
“You were a security guard?” Jack said mockingly.
“No. I was a security specialist. My area of expertise is hostage extraction and personal protection in hostile environments.”
“You were a bodyguard?” Now Jack sounded more impressed than mocking.
“When I had to be. Mainly I supervised a team, worked on the logistics of operations and made sure my people got out in one piece when we went into situations that were dangerous.”
Jack looked eager for a second, before he remembered he was a cool sixteen-year-old. “So you know hand-to-hand combat and stuff?”
“I have military training and a black belt in Krav Maga.”
Jack’s eyes went wide. “I have a brown belt in kung fu, but I’ve always thought Krav Maga was better. Is it?”
Callum looked like he was seriously considering his answer. “Krav Maga incorporates some kung fu moves. You’d do well in a fight with either. But if you still wanted to move over into Krav Maga, your experience would make a good foundation.”
“Krav Maga is mean. If I knew that, I’d be deadly,” Jack said wistfully. “It’d be seriously cool to be deadly.”
“There’s nothing cool about being deadly.” Isobel glared at her son. “We’re pacifists. I think. Unless we’re attacked. Then we aren’t. Just you concentrate on schoolwork and forget about being deadly. Now clear the table while I get Sophie ready for bed.”
Jack rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Isobel scooped Sophie up and carried her from the room. As she passed through the door, she thought she heard Callum say, “It is seriously cool to be deadly.”
By the time Isobel had put Sophie into bed, Callum had secured the house for the night. She’d spotted him going from room to room, checking windows, with Jack trailing behind him. It was obvious that Jack was interested in everything Callum was doing. It was also obvious that he was trying hard to hide his interest.
“Homework time,” Isobel said as she walked into the living room, where Callum was raking through his bag. “Don’t spend the time chatting online with your friends.”
“As if.” Jack made a detour to the kitchen to stock up on snacks before heading upstairs.
Isobel knew he wouldn’t hang out online. They had the cheapest internet connection they could find and had to be very careful about how much data they used. Basically, their connection was enough to allow him to do his schoolwork and not much more. She turned back to Callum.
“You got everything you need?”
“Aye.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t want to say in front of the kid, wasn’t sure how much he knew, but I spoke to the pawnbroker about the amount of money he gave you for the camera equipment.”
Isobel felt her stomach plummet. “Did he tell the police I sold him stolen goods?”
Callum gave her a look that said he was questioning her IQ. “He bought those stolen goods, remember?”
“Oh, right.” Now she felt like her IQ needed questioning.
“Anyway, the guy fleeced you, but he was happy to rectify his mistake.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a huge wad of cash and tossed it to her. Isobel caught it reflexively. It was heavy and didn’t quite feel real. She stared at the bundle. She’d never seen so much money in her life.
“How much is here?” Her voice was a silly croak.
“Three thousand pounds.”
Isobel actually felt faint. Three thousand. It was nowhere near enough to pay off the loan shark. But it was more than enough for them to get from Arness and start somewhere else. She was looking at petrol money, the deposit on another rented house and food money for a couple of weeks until she found another job. He’d just handed her the chance to start again. And he’d done it as though it was nothing.
“I don’t know what to say.” She stumbled over the words as she tucked the money into the front pocket of her jeans and made a mental note to find somewhere more secure to stash it.
“Don’t say anything.”
“Okay.”
But seeing as she still wanted to say thank you, she did it the way she’d been wanting to do all through dinner—with a kiss.
With no warning, she launched herself at Callum, and he caught her easily, his strong arms tightening around her as she assaulted him with her mouth. There was no hesitation on his part. As soon as their lips met, it was electric. Never in her life had she felt the way she did when she was touching Callum. Everything else fled her mind. Nothing else mattered other than touching this man.
They kissed with a desperation that bordered on pain. Tongues, lips, teeth. Isobel couldn’t get enough. He was her addiction. She felt herself falling forward, and it barely registered that Callum had sat back on the sofa, with her straddling his lap. His mouth never left hers as his hands slid under her T-shirt and his palms covered her breasts. She moaned into his mouth, circling her hips and grinding herself against his hard length. More. She needed more.
As if reading her mind, Callum tugged the neck of her shirt down over her breasts and bent his head to suckle her nipple through her bra. She hated that bra. It needed to go. Now.
“Mum.”
The small voice vaguely registered for Isobel—she was still deep in a fog of need—but Callum stopped instantly.
With his hands firmly on her hips, he lifted her off him and put her on her feet. Isobel was shaking like a junkie needing her fix.
“Mum.” Sophie’s voice penetrated Isobel’s daze, and she realised her daughter was calling for her.
&nb
sp; “I’m coming,” Isobel shouted. She cleared her throat and looked down at Callum.
His hair was tousled, his eyes were dark and his lips were swollen. She saw the same desperate need in his eyes as she felt burning inside her.
“Woman,” he said in that husky voice of his, “you don’t have any sense.”
Isobel couldn’t agree more. When it came to Callum, all sense and logic flew out the window. Without another word, she tugged her shirt back into place and, even though every cell of her body wanted to be back on the couch with Callum, made herself walk out of the room and upstairs to her daughter.
Callum stayed seated on Isobel’s deeply uncomfortable sofa and wondered, yet again, what had just happened. There was no middle ground with her. Either they were keeping their distance from each other or they were all over each other like a poison ivy rash. She was the itch he continually wanted to scratch, and he was going insane with it.
But he wasn’t there to get physical with Isobel Sinclair. He was there to protect her. It worried him that there had been people snooping around the other houses on the bluff. It was too much of a coincidence to dismiss. Which meant there were people out looking for the body. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the houses overlooking the cove were the most likely place to find it. And even if the body didn’t turn up in one of them, Arness was tiny, and they were bound to find it if they kept on looking.
Callum picked up the remote and flicked through channels on Isobel’s tiny TV. It looked to be about a million years old and only had the free-to-air programmes. Which meant there was nothing on that he wanted to see. If he’d been back at his house, he could have watched a football game while he waited the night out. But no, he’d been leery about letting them invade his space, worried Isobel might take it the wrong way and think he was looking for a relationship. Now he wished he’d stopped being a coward and taken them home. At least there he could protect them properly, and he had the sports channels.
“I’m going to bed,” Isobel said from the doorway.
He almost laughed at the sight of her nervously keeping her distance. He could have told her it didn’t matter. He’d spent months getting hot just from the glimpses he’d seen of her through his kitchen window.
She seemed to be waiting for a response, so he said, “Okay.”
“There are snacks and coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself.” She shuffled from foot to foot. “If you’re cold, you can put on the fire.” She pointed to the ancient gas heater with the bottle poking out the back. “Or I can get you an extra blanket if you’d like.”
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t about to tell her that since losing his legs, he never felt cold. It had something to do with heat trying to disperse over less surface area. All he knew was that he didn’t need any sweaters.
“I don’t know why I keep jumping you,” she blurted, and then flushed a deep shade of red.
“Because I’m irresistible?” He arched his eyebrows and wondered what else there was to say.
Her smile was wide, and her shoulders relaxed. “It must be that. But”—she pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth—“I don’t want a relationship, Callum.”
For some reason, that statement irritated him. Even though he’d just been thinking the same thing. “We’re on the same page. No relationships.”
Her whole body relaxed at his agreement, which was kind of insulting.
“Good, that’s good. I’ve got enough to deal with, and I’m obviously rubbish at relationships. I’ve decided being alone forever is the way to go. It fits me.”
Her words could have come straight out of his own mouth. Hearing them come back at him made them seem ludicrous. “I never asked for a relationship.” Now he sounded irritated with her, when really it was irritation with himself.
“I know.” She held up her hands. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. I’ll try to control myself around you. I promise.”
Now that really annoyed him. When he scowled at her instead of answering, Isobel let out a little sigh.
“Okay then.” She backed up into the hall. “Guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Callum grunted and she disappeared. He reached for the TV remote again, before remembering there was nothing to watch. All he could do was clean his gun and hope he got a chance to use it. The short conversation with Isobel had really gotten under his skin. Logic told him that they understood each other, that neither of them wanted the baggage of another person in their lives. But logic didn’t explain the need riding him, a need that only Isobel could satisfy. It also didn’t explain why his first reaction at hearing her say she didn’t want him, was intense disappointment.
With a growl of frustration, he started dismantling his gun.
CHAPTER 14
Isobel woke to a hand covering her mouth and tried to scream.
“Stop. There are people in the house. I need you to listen.”
Callum. It took a second for his words to register.
People in the house.
She was instantly awake, her eyes latching on to his. She felt panic rise and knew she had to stop it. She had to be calm for her kids. She stared into his calm eyes and worked at breathing evenly. He was her lifeline.
“I’m going to remove my hand. It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”
She nodded to let him know she understood. His hand disappeared. Isobel fought the disorientation she felt. It had taken hours to get past feeling sexually frustrated and fall asleep. She glanced at the clock beside her bed—four a.m.
Callum loomed over her. “Get your daughter. Keep her quiet. I’ll be back in a second. I’m going to get Jack.”
He turned away, and Isobel had to fight the urge to reach out and grab his arm to keep him with her. He disappeared through the door, moving as silently as a stalking cat. Isobel pulled jeans and a sweatshirt over the underwear and T-shirt she slept in, slipped her feet into the sneakers beside her bed and leaned over her daughter.
“Sophie baby,” she whispered, “you need to wake up.”
All her daughter did was turn away and burrow herself deeper under her bedding.
“Sophie.” Isobel tugged at the blankets until she’d unearthed most of the child. Sophie was cuddling her favourite soft toy, a giraffe, and was wearing the matching onesie. “Sophie. Get up now. Come on. This is important.”
“Don’ wanna,” the little devil muttered, refusing to open her eyes.
Isobel didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t make any noise, and she was worried if she pushed Sophie much more, she’d wake up screaming her protest. She felt a whisper of air behind her and turned to find Callum and Jack. When had Jack become so silent and deadly looking? If felt as if the whole world was upside down.
“Get her up,” Callum ordered.
What did he think she was doing? “I’m trying. I don’t want her to start crying.”
“Move.” He stepped into her space, reached into the bed and lifted Sophie out of it.
For a second, the three-year-old looked sleepy and disorientated, and then she realised there was a strange man holding her. A flash of panic rushed across her face. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“Don’t. It’s me, Callum.”
Her eyes went wide but she didn’t scream. She froze, staring at Callum, no doubt thinking he was a monster. Isobel put her hands on her child, cooing gently at her, letting her know that her mother was there. Sophie’s eyes never left Callum’s. It was as though she was mesmerised.
“Clam?” she whispered.
Callum nodded. “That’s right. Your mum needs help. You can’t make a sound or the bad people will find us. You need to be very quiet. Can you do that?”
Her eyes flew to Isobel, who forced a smile and nodded her agreement. Sophie looked back at Callum.
“Are you a bad man?” she whispered.
Isobel’s eyes shot to his.
“No.” Callum was intensely serious. “But I’m not a good man either. I can,
however, get you and your mum out of here safely. Do you understand me?”
She nodded, and Isobel felt like she could breathe again.
“Jack too,” Sophie whispered.
“Jack too,” Callum said solemnly.
That seemed to be enough to reassure Sophie, who, still clutching her giraffe, turned and launched herself into Isobel’s arms.
“Be very quiet, baby.” Isobel kissed her head, and Sophie curled into her, resting her head on her mum’s shoulder. Isobel held her tight and looked up at Callum. “What now?”
“I go hunting,” he said.
She felt a shiver at the deadly intent in his face.
“What do you want me to do?” Jack said.
Callum turned to her son, who was almost as tall as him, and handed him a weapon Isobel didn’t recognise. “Take this. It works two ways. Either press it to your opponent and fire or aim and pull the trigger. It will work in close quarters. Fifteen feet at most.”
Jack looked down at the weapon and nodded. “Combination stun gun and Taser. Nice.”
Isobel wanted to ask how he knew what it was, but kept her mouth shut. Now wasn’t the time for questions.
“You know how to get out using the bathroom window?” Callum said.
Jack nodded, but Isobel was confused. “The bathroom is upstairs. You can’t get out that way.”
“I’ll show you, Mum,” Jack said before turning back to Callum. “I’ll get them out. I’ve done this loads of times. I can carry Sophie, and Mum’s fitter than she looks.”
Isobel opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to decide what she should say.
“Good,” Callum said. “Run to my house. The alarm is on.” He rattled off a complicated code. “Can you remember that?”
“Say it again,” Jack said, sounding strangely like Callum. Callum did, and Jack nodded. “Got it.”
“Go down to the basement. As soon as you’re in there, lock the door. You’ll be secure. If I don’t turn up within an hour, call the emergency number and tell them where you are. Okay?”
Jack nodded grimly, but Isobel was not okay.
“Why are you telling my sixteen-year-old what to do instead of me?” Isobel didn’t even like the thought of Jack being in danger, let alone handing him a weapon and giving him responsibility for his sister.
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