by Wade, Maddie
Hopefully, this next project would change all that. She smiled as a bubble of excitement ran through her at the thought of finally getting to do the thing she’d dreamed of for the last two years.
The car door opened, and she smiled up at Liam, who held out his hand for her. “My lady.”
Callie couldn’t help but return the grin. “Good to see you again, Liam.”
“You, too. You look well. Did Reid look after you?”
She walked towards the building’s lift where Mitch waited, but glanced at Reid behind her. “He did, he’s excellent at what he does.”
She truly meant it too. Reid was a class-A operator. She could well see how he had been at the top of his game as part of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team. The fact he now worked for Eidolon doing—well, she wasn’t sure exactly what it was he did—but it probably involved a similar skill set.
“Good to hear.”
“Any problems here?” Reid asked from her left side.
The small elevator went silent for a beat, and she knew unsaid words and meaningful looks were being exchanged.
“Come on, guys, don’t do that. Just spit it out,” she snapped.
“Sorry, sunshine, this isn’t about you. It’s a team matter,” Reid said with somewhat of a smile in his voice. When she looked up though it wasn’t there, his face was impassive.
“Oh,” she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
The rest of the ride was silent. The doors opened and Mitch moved out ahead of her as Reid guided her beside him with Liam behind. It seemed like overkill to her, but she shrugged it off. She needed a hot bath, food, and then lots of sleep in that order.
Mitch, who already had her keys, opened the door. As she went to follow him inside, Reid held her back. “Let him check it out.”
She sighed, feeling suddenly irritable with everything.
“Reid, get her out of here,” Mitch called.
The warning and cadence had the hair on her neck standing on end. She didn’t have time to process it though because before she knew what was happening, she was being ushered down the hall between Liam and Reid, their big bodies hiding her from anyone watching.
In seconds they were in the car with Reid pushing her head down onto the back seat as Liam drove like a bat out of hell away from her home.
Chapter Seven
“Talk to me, Mitch,” Reid demanded as Liam drove them out of Kensington and north towards Shepherd’s Bush.
“We have a single white female dead on Callie’s bed. Looks like her throat has been slit. I’ve called it in and will wait for the police.”
Reid felt his blood run cold. “Do we have an ID?”
“Possibly the housekeeper but the scene is pretty gruesome so I can’t be sure. My guess is we missed this guy by minutes because the body is warm.”
Reid looked down at Callie who was tucked under his arm now they were safe, her eyes looking worried and unsure. “Copy that. Call me as soon as you know more.”
“Will do.”
“Oh, Mitch, what about Bono?” He kept his eyes on Callie as he spoke.
“No sign of him but no sign he’s dead either. As soon as I can, I’ll have a look around.”
“Thanks.”
Reid hung up and Liam caught his eye in the mirror, having picked up on a lot of what wasn’t said.
“Reid.”
He glanced at the pale and scared woman and wanted nothing more than to tear apart the fucker that was terrorising her. Having spent the last two weeks protecting her and getting to know her, he was finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the feelings she evoked in him.
She was sweet and kind and looked out for the younger models on the circuit. She worked fucking harder than most people he knew and never complained about it, the long hours, or the restrictions on her life, and always made time to thank the hair, make-up, and catering crews.
Everyone loved her and he could see why. She was one of a kind and everything in him told him to stay away and yet he’d been about to kiss her when Liam interrupted earlier. Nothing had seemed to matter except the feel of her soft lips on his, her warm body against his. The way her hair felt when it tickled his cheek, not even his oldest friendship with Clay had mattered in that moment.
He had wanted to kill Liam but half of him had been glad of the interrupted kiss. It would end badly, probably with her hurt and his friendship in tatters. Reid couldn’t give her what she needed. He would never promise her the world when he didn’t know if he had it in him to give it.
Deep down he’d always wondered if he was more like his father than he wanted to be. He had left his mom and sisters just as his father had, chasing his own dreams and happiness before putting them first. Reid was selfish, but he respected and liked Callie far too much to offer her the world and she deserved nothing less.
“Reid?”
He shook his head and looked at her as she touched his chest, holding on to his shirt in her hands as if it were a lifeline. He had no clue how to explain what had happened when he didn’t know the full story but as she looked at him with an open expression of complete trust, he knew he couldn’t lie either.
He took her face in his one hand and kept the other arm anchored around her shoulders so she wouldn’t freak out. “Someone has been in your apartment and a woman was found dead on your bed.” He watched the blood drain from her face, but she kept her composure.
“Who?”
“Mitch couldn’t tell. He’s called the police and is waiting for them at the scene. As soon as he knows anything, he’ll call us.”
“Bono?”
“No sign of him.” He wasn’t about to lie and give her false hope.
He watched her swallow and blink back the tears in her eyes and wanted to kiss every single one of them away.
“Does he have a chip, sunshine?”
Her eyes moved back to his face and he didn’t like the pallor of her skin one bit. He tightened his hold and she leaned against him, allowing him to give her comfort, just not the kind he wanted to give her.
“Yes, he does.”
Reid took out his phone and dialled. “Will, yeah I need a favour.”
“Sure, what is it?” his friend and in some ways boss asked.
Will was the co-owner of Eidolon but was just the money side of things. Operationally it was all Jack. The brothers stayed out of each other’s way. Their relationship had been strained at best for years, but it was now working out with the help of Will’s woman, Aubrey.
“We just got back from Europe and found a dead body in Callie’s apartment.”
“Fuck, is Callie okay?”
Reid looked down at her as she worried her hands in her lap. “She will be. But her dog is missing. He has a chip. Is there any way you can get a lock on it?”
“What is his registered name?”
“Hang on.” He took the phone away and covered the mic. “What’s Bono registered under, sunshine?”
“Bono’s Pride.”
He smiled at that, realising the name was a homage to U2. The woman also had excellent taste in bands. Another thing to add the ever-growing list of reasons he liked her.
He conveyed the name to Will who said he’d do what he could and call them back as soon as he could.
Liam looked in the rear view mirror as they crossed the bridge towards Hammersmith Hospital. “You have a plan?”
“We need to head somewhere Callie is safe and we can regroup.”
“Got it, know just the place.”
Reid nodded trusting his friend and teammate to take them somewhere this sick prick couldn’t find her. He needed to up his game and catch this fucker but so far they’d found diddly to give them any clue who it might be.
He again looked at the quiet woman in his arms and marvelled at the way she was holding it together. He knew the stalker had been on her mind and hated that she was now looking at people with suspicion. Hated even more that he was going to have to dig more information out of her.
<
br /> This simple protection and security review for a friend had ended very differently than he’d expected. It was now a full-on hunt for a killer. With that in mind he knew he needed to bring Jack up to date. Technically, they were all on Eidolon’s dime and he couldn’t expect Jack to let the others work this for free. He had no intention of going anywhere but he had to be fair.
Liam pulled onto the private drive leading to a house in the suburbs of West Ealing. It was a white, detached, period property with bay windows.
He shut off the engine and turned around to face them. “This my cousins place, he’s on his second deployment in Somalia. We can crash here until we decide how to move forward.”
“Thank you,” Callie said as she pulled out of Reid’s arms, instantly making him want to pull her back into them.
With regret Reid moved from the car and held the door for Callie. Liam ran ahead and opened the front door with his key. Shielding her body from anyone watching the house he followed her inside.
The house was pleasantly well presented and modern inside. The walls were mainly off white, with pale grey painted doors and dark wood floors. Directly off the entrance way was a living room with a large sectional couch in dark purple and a massive flat screen TV. The kitchen was further down the hallway and was done in pale cream gloss cabinets with the same dark wood flooring.
“Let me show you where you can sleep,” Liam said, pointing towards the stairs.
He and Callie followed, and she slipped her hand into his. He looked down but she was watching Liam. The gesture was unconscious, she was looking for comfort. The stairs weren’t wide enough for them to go side by side, so he moved behind her, and she still didn’t loosen her grip.
Liam showed them into a room with a double bed and a double wardrobe. The window faced over the back garden which was overgrown with weeds and needed to be mowed.
“You can sleep here.” Liam looked down at Callie with a look of concern he felt himself. She was pale and almost dead on her feet she was so tired. “Get some sleep and as soon as we know anything, we can wake you, flower.”
“Thanks, Liam,” she said offering his friend a small smile which for some odd reason made his jaw twitch. He wanted to be the one she smiled at.
Liam must have caught the tell-tale sign of his frustration and smiled. “My pleasure, gorgeous,” he said and dropped a kiss on her head, which made Reid growl in his chest.
“I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Liam merely nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
Callie sat heavily on the bed and looked around the room. It was a quarter the size of her own bedroom and yet she looked lost.
Reid crouched down in front of her, laying his hands on either side of her knees. “How are you doing, sunshine?”
She cocked her head. “Been better, but I can hardly complain when the poor woman at my place…” She stopped her throat choking.
“Hey,” he said as he sat on the bed and dragged her close until she lay across his lap, his arms encompassing her.
The damn broke and Callie cried, sobbed as if her heart would break. He knew it was partly exhaustion and fear but also the realisation that this person wouldn’t stop. He held her as his shirt soaked through and she cried until there was nothing left.
“I know this is hard for you, sunshine, but we’ll catch this guy. I promise you that on my life. We’ll make him pay.”
He vowed silently that this mother fucker wouldn’t be breathing by the time he was finished with him. He’d always believed in the law, but some people deserved to be put down like the rabid animals they were.
“I know. I just hate that someone got hurt because of me.”
He felt her breath against his neck and fought the twitch of his inappropriate dick. “This is not on you, Callie. This is the work of a sick human being.”
He felt her pull away and look up at him, her eye lashes glistened with tears, her cheeks red with the spent pain and fear. She’d never been more beautiful to him and he knew in that moment he was completely fucked because despite every effort, he was falling for this woman.
“I know I’m not responsible, but that doesn’t stop the guilt.”
He couldn’t listen to her blame herself anymore and bending his head he silenced her with a kiss. He felt her mouth open in surprise and took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her sweet mouth and taste her. He groaned at her sweet sigh and the way she relaxed instantly into him. His hand threaded through her hair, gripping the back hard and she whimpered against him as she kissed him back with passion.
This woman was coming apart in his arms and he was two seconds away from stripping her naked and making her forget anything but the pleasure he could give her.
Chapter Eight
Callie’s body moulded into the hard strength of the man beneath her as he swept her away with his kiss. Every nerve in her body pulsed with the need for his touch as she ran her hands up his chest and felt the heat from his body.
He controlled the kiss like he did everything else until she was squirming with desire. His soft firm lips, the taste of his tongue on hers, the feel of his hands as they cupped her neck, stroking the smooth skin behind her ear, made for a heady combination.
She’d fought her attraction to him for two weeks, but she wanted him like nobody else before him. He was kind, considerate, protective, and so downright sexy she found him distracting. But more than that, she found herself watching for him, following him with her eyes wherever he was. She got a giddy feeling in her belly when he was around, and a smile from him made her feel as if she had won the lotto.
Reid pulled back, touching his lips to hers once, then twice, as if he couldn’t entirely stop from kissing her. She instantly regretted the loss of his lips, and a whimper slid up her throat.
Reid leaned his forehead against hers as he held her face in his big hands and growled, “Fuck me, sunshine. You pack a punch.”
Callie wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that but didn’t ask, too lost in the swirling in her body. They drew apart, and she looked up, expecting to see regret from the kiss they had shared but was surprised to see his eyes heavy with need.
“Where did you come from, Callie East?” he asked, but she didn’t answer and thought he didn’t expect one either.
Callie pulled away as did Reid, but she didn’t get the sense he regretted anything. Something felt like it had shifted in their relationship, she couldn’t put a title on it for the life of her, but it had changed.
“Would you like me to stay while you fall asleep?” His words were sweet and full of intimacy.
Callie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Reid lay back on the bed, pulling her so her head was resting on his chest, his arms around her back, holding her against him, secure and safe. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt since she was home with her family. With her mind on happier things and her body nestled against the man who had awoken something in her she hadn’t known she was craving; Callie felt her eyes flutter closed with the exhaustion of the last few weeks.
* * *
Reid lay still listening to the soft snores of the woman in his arms, her pliant, warm body snug against his. He could feel the delicate brush of her breath against his neck as she slept on him. He’d only planned to stay until she fell asleep, but now, an hour later, he couldn’t seem to drag himself away from her.
The kiss had been a mistake, but not one he regretted. It had felt more right than anything ever had. As if she’d been made for him, crafted solely with him in mind. He was starting to believe that Callie as a whole was perfect for him. From her lush body that made him mad with desire, to her sweet nature, to the sharp, intelligent business mind that lay beneath the beautiful veneer she showed the world, she was everything he’d ever wanted.
The fact someone had killed to get to her made his blood boil. His hands clenched involuntarily. The realisation it could have been her lying dead in her apartment if Clay hadn’t called him in was terr
ifying.
Guilt hit him as he thought of Clay as he lay with Callie having less than appropriate feelings, but was he guilty enough to walk away from everything she represented? That, he wasn’t sure about. The more significant deterrent was whether he could be what he knew she needed. Callie wasn’t a one and done kind of woman; she was an all-in relationship girl. And while he knew he wouldn’t be able to fuck this woman and walk away, he wasn’t sure if he could give her the happily ever after and white picket fence she deserved, either.
It was part of the reason he’d stopped at kissing her; he wanted her to understand what it was he was offering. He’d be a complete asshole if he took advantage when she was upset and exhausted.
The vibration of his phone pulled him from his thoughts, and he slid it from his pocket with his free hand and read the text from Liam.
Liam: Have a sitrep on the dead woman and the dog.
Fuck, it was time to stop acting like a lovesick sap and do his job, and that job was to keep her safe. Slowly, he extracted his body from beneath hers and slipped a pillow in his place, smiling as she immediately snuggled closer to it.
This woman made him feel things he’d never felt before, the tight band in his chest as he watched her sleep was unexpected and unfamiliar. With one last glance across the room, he left, closing the door on her sleeping form.
Liam was in the kitchen making tea, turning when Reid walked in. “Hey, how is she?”
Liam flirted and joked with everyone, but deep down he was a trustworthy operator and a damn good man. The shit that went down with Gunner had shaken them all, but he didn’t doubt Liam.
“She’s sleeping,” he answered simply, and Liam nodded.
“Coffee?”
Reid didn’t drink tea so nodded at the offer. “What info do you have on the dead woman and Bono?”
Liam handed him a cup, and they took a seat at the small round kitchen table. Liam sipped the strong, dark tea. “The woman was her housekeeper, Tina Pugh. From what we can tell, she was beaten and then her throat was slit on Callie’s bed. No sign of sexual assault, but we need to wait for the autopsy results. Detective Brant has said he’ll keep us in the loop because of his friendship with Mitch.”